The Branch Bank at Exeter was the first of the second group of branches (which also included Hull, Newcastle and Norwich) to be opened, on 17 December 1827. The premises occupied a house at the address of 18 Southernhay Place, formerly owned by Lady Frances Augusta Meadows. It was built by Matthew Nosworthy in 1789, and bought by the Bank of England in September 1827. Initial alterations and repairs were completed by early December. The Bank's first agent was Henry Septimus Hyde Wollaston. There was much local resentment at the opening of the Exeter Branch, although the Directors saw no reasonable grounds for objection. Business was transferred to the Bank's new Branch in Plymouth in 1834; W. Marston Acres suggests some possible reasons for this departure. The Exeter building was heavily damaged during the Blitz in 1942. The premises, which are listed Grade II* are now occupied by East of Exe Estate Agents, although the street is now referred to as Southernhay West.

Literature:
W. Marston Acres, The Bank of England from Within, 1694-1900, Vol. II, 1931, pp. 426-37; D. Cornforth, Exeter Memories, <www.exetermemories.co.uk>; English Heritage, British Listed Buildings: 18-24 Southernhay West, <www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk>

Tom Drysdale, January 2013

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