People pass the town centre building every day — but do they know what history it holds? Situated on the corner of Bridge Street and Mansion House Street — which links Northbrook Street to Market Place — the building has seen multiple functions including a bicycle shop, a bank and a women’s fashion outlet. Now owned by Newbury engineer, Arif Goksel, its future is set to change again. Mr Goksel gave newburytoday a behind-the-scenes tour of the former Midland Bank at 1-3 Mansion House Street, which he began converting into four luxury flats last summer.
He confirmed a bakery chain will be occupying the ground floor. And work on the property is almost complete. Besides restoring original wooden beams and window frames, the building’s historic integrity has been maintained, Mr Goksel told newburytoday, who added that certain rooms had been closed off for decades.
And some do not even feature on original blueprints — likely for security reasons. The four-foot walls and labyrinthian network of corridors echo the building’s past use. The underground vault chamber lies below the level of the River Kennet.
It is built from solid concrete and steel and contains two safes. An original lift remains, once used to ferry ledgers, deed boxes and similar items to the offices upstairs. Mr Goksel confirmed the vaults will remain in situ since removing them is impractical — and risks harming the entire structure.
The Midland Bank opened on July 25, 1921. It had moved from premise.
