Bank goes under the hammer
Going, going – has it gone? writes Kathie Griffiths. Campbeltown’s former Royal Bank of Scotland was due to go under the hammer at auction this week. The C-listed traditional stone building had a starting price of around £85,000. The old bank, in the town’s conservation area, was built around 1885 by the renowned Scottish architect Charles Kinnear. On Wednesday afternoon bidders at Glasgow’s Trades Hall were invited to show their interest in it. The auction was ongoing as the Campbeltown Courier went to press. The property in Castlehill only took up the ground floor of the two-storey building. Auctioneer Shaun Vigers, who is a director of SVA Property Auctions, said: ‘This property is well placed on Castlehill in the town and offers an opportunity for a buyer to develop an attractive property for office or retail use or, if the necessary consents are obtained, to residential use.’ Out of the 26 lots open to offers, 14 of them were former banks. Campbeltown’s RBS shut on May 29 this year and workmen wasted no time in starting to dismantle it. A report in the Campbeltown Courier on June 1 said despite desperate pleas from politicians and businesses trying to get the majority state-owned bank to pull back from the brink, RBS bosses pressed ahead with their plans.