1859 – Design for Ulster Bank Headquarters, Belfast
Architect: Fitzgibbon Louch
Design entry for new headquarters for the Ulster Banking Company. Published in The Building News, January 21 1859.
Ulster Bank
Ulster Bank was founded as The Ulster Banking Company in Belfast, Ulster, in 1836, by a breakaway faction of shareholders in the newly formed National Bank of Ireland, which had been founded in 1835, who objected to the latter bank’s plan to invest profits from the bank in London rather than in Belfast. Within the next two decades, it opened branches throughout the nine counties of Ulster. It was acquired by the London County and Westminster Bank (later NatWest) in 1917, but retained its separate identity. In February 2021, following an extensive review, NatWest Group confirmed plans to withdraw Ulster Bank from the Republic of Ireland, with a “phased withdrawal” over the “coming years”. The final 63 branches closed on 21 April 2023.
1860 – Former Ulster Bank Headquarters, Waring St., Belfast
Architect: James Hamilton
Constructed as the headquarters of the Ulster Bank, and now a luxury hotel. Hamilton won the commission after an architectural competition in 1857 that attracted over 50 competitors from across the UK and Ireland.
1862 – Ulster Bank, Waterloo Place, Derry
Architect: Thomas Jackson
Fine Italianate bank building by Belfast architect Thomas Jackson. Jackson was architect to the Ulster Bank,
1863 – Former Ulster Bank, Sligo, Co. Sligo
Architect: James Hamilton
The architect James Hamilton was responsible for the headquarters of the Ulster Bank in Belfast –
1863 – Ulster Bank, Longford, Co. Longford
Architect: James Bell
Fine limestone facade with carved riverine keystones to the windows on the ground floor. “We may repeat the architect is Mr.
1866 – Ulster Bank, Maghera, Co. Derry
Architect: Thomas Jackson
Imposingly solid bank branch for the Ulster Bank Company, and still in use by the same company today,
1870 – Ulster Bank Buildings, Waring St., Belfast
Architect: Thomas Jackson & Son
Now part of the Merchant Hotel along with the former Ulster Bank headquarters next to it.
1872 – Ulster Bank, Lisnaskea, Co. Fermanagh
Architect: Thomas Jackson & Son
Substantial and solid bank building by Thomas Jackson of Belfast.
1875 – Former Ulster Bank, Clones, Co. Monaghan
Corner three-bay three-storey over basement bank building with attic, built around 1875 but remodelled in 1940, losing a lot of its architectural detail at this time.
1889 – Design for Ulster Bank, College Green, Dublin
Architect: James J. Farrall
Unsuccessful competition entry to design new Ulster Bank for College Green. Placed second, and even more over-blown Victorian than the building constructed and eventually wrecked by the bank.
