Former Beck’s Bank, Welshpool

Former Beck’s Bank, 41 Broad Street, Welshpool

The date over the door of this stucco-fronted building is 1816. There are traces of earlier fabric in the structure. A bank was established here in the 1780s by Robert Griffiths, deputy town clerk of Welshpool, in the offices of his legal practice. It became known as the Montgomeryshire Bank in 1796.

The site was taken over by Beck's Bank in 1816, on the death of one of the bank’s original partners, Sir Arthur Owen. Beck’s Bank was probably responsible for much of the building as we see it today, although there was further remodelling in the 1860s.

In the later 19th century Beck's was itself taken over by Lloyds Bank. This major bank was established by members of the Lloyd family of the Dolobran Estate in the parish of Meifod, north of Welshpool. Lloyds Bank rebuilt the interior of 41 Broad Street in the early 1970s and remained in the premises until it moved next door, to 40 Broad Street, in 1976.

The building then served as offices for estate agency Harry Ray. It became a regional office of The National Trust before passing to the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust in March 2011. CPAT was established in 1975, one of four Welsh archaeological trusts created in response to the growing need for sites to be investigated for historic remains before buildings and other structures were constructed on those sites. Today CPAT works closely with national, regional and local bodies to help protect, record and interpret all aspects of the historic environment.

Postcode: SY21 7RR    View Location Map

Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust on HistoryPoints.org