Buyers take note
Former bank offers period features and great location for family life
IT WOULD take the most accomplished media manipulator to put a positive spin on the closure of a much-loved high street bank, particularly one within a county town. Clydesdale Bank’s branch on the main street through Cupar in Fife had served generations of customers before it was axed – along with so many others – in 2014.
But what constituted a loss to many turned out to be a bonus for one, when the 19th Century sandstone building was partly converted into domestic accommodation, graced with tall ceilings and a range of lovely fireplaces.
If property is believed to be as safe as houses, how safe is a house that used to be a bank?
Certainly, the walls would have been constructed sufficiently robustly to withstand the nocturnal efforts of masked bandits hell-bent on cracking its safe.
But since it was meant to be home to a venerable financial institution, the building was also designed to reflect conspicuous wealth, and it boasts elaborate cornicing, woodwork and ironmongery.
Today, the B listed Old Bank House presents as a solid investment in a part of the world which has seen property values soar during nearly two years of the coronavirus pandemic.
It is only ten miles from the gateway gem to the East Neuk of Fife, St Andrews, where the property market has proved stratospheric following the lockdowns.
You enter the property via a side door, under a sign quaintly stating ‘16 St Catherine’s’ in honour of the street in which it is located.
What hits you first about this double upper flat is the scale of the rooms, with high ceilings topped with the grandeur of intricate plasterwork, especially in the living room where it comes painted in gold. The dimensions are similar to grand apartments you find in Edinburgh’s New Town or Glasgow’s West End.
Farrow & Ball understated colours look particularly appealing here, providing the calm atmosphere you need to retreat from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
The living room offers tall windows, surrounded in lovely wood panelling and old-fashioned pelmets. A grand marble fireplace contains a log-burning stove but there are period-style radiators as well.
The first floor contains the main public accommodation, such as the aforementioned living room, cosy library and wonderful dining kitchen, with its crimson Aga and views to the rear of the building.
Two of the five bedrooms are on this level, one with fireplace inlaid with brown tiles and the other with a fireplace with green tiles.
The property goes up to the top floor, where you noticeably lose the high ceilings in some rooms and toilets, where chaps as tall as actor Stephen Merchant might regularly bump their head.
One of the bedrooms is currently laid out as a music room, offering plenty of space for an impressive set of drums ready to rock ’n’ roll.
The family bathroom boasts a decadent free-standing bath with claw feet, and for those who wish to get washed with the minimum of fuss there’s a nice shower cabinet, which is decorated in cool, white, industrial tiles.
The location of the Old Bank House is perfect for a growing family. All the amenities of the town are on your doorstep yet the best beaches the ‘kingdom’ has to offer lie less than 20 minutes away by bus or car.
The home even has two private spaces in the car park at the rear of the premises.
And, at this price, you won’t even need to break the bank to buy it.