Midland Bank. King Street, Manchester.

Built on an island site in King Street, Lutyens designed what was one of his last commercial buildings in Britain and his northernmost one. Under the Portland stone cladding is a frame of steel. Its graceful proportions have been created by making each course of stone 0.27 inches less in height than the one below, the windows smaller as they rise to the top of the building, and each face slopes gently inwards. The bank opened in May 1935 and closed as a bank in June 2008.

Chairman of the bank Raymond McKenna redesigned the upper storeys of the building, adding extra decoration to the original design.

Lutyens is said to have dropped plans to add a marble border to the banking hall because most people in Manchester wore nailed boots and it was feared the risk of slipping was greater than in London.

Reference           News North West 14 June 2000 Page 7