Dundas House, Category A listed bank building in St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Dundas House is a category A listed building at 36 St Andrew Square with a grand cream sandstone facade showing Palladian architecture, featuring Corinthian pilasters and a central pediment. Inside, a banking hall added in 1857 contains a striking blue dome with star-shaped skylights that flood the space with natural light from above.
Sir Lawrence Dundas commissioned architect William Chambers in 1774 to build this mansion, which initially served as a private residence before becoming the Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters. The striking banking hall with its blue dome was added in 1857 to serve the institution's growing needs.
The banking hall added in 1857 features a blue dome with star-shaped skylights, a design so distinctive that it appeared on Royal Bank of Scotland banknotes from 1987 to 2016. This choice shows how the building became an important symbol in Scottish banking.
The building functions as an active bank branch and can be viewed from the street, where the cream sandstone facade and entrance are clearly visible. A planned concert venue is being developed behind it, so visiting now offers a chance to see the location before significant changes take place.
The site originally held a rural tavern called Peace and Plenty before becoming the location of this mansion, a transformation that reshaped the area. This humble beginning stands in sharp contrast to the financial importance the building would later achieve as the seat of Scottish banking power.
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