The North Craven Building Preservation Trust has purchased the Grade II listed, former NatWest Bank on the Market Place in Settle, which we propose to renovate over the next two years.
The property was built around 1787 by John Constantine, a butcher. The boundary of the yard to the rear of the building appears to be little changed from the 18th century. By the 1871 census, the house was the home and business premises of James Hartley, GP, and later of Dr Charles Buck, a good friend of composer Sir Edward Elgar, who was a frequent visitor to the house.
In the 1930s, the building became the District Bank and was the home of the bank manager and his family. There are records of Mrs Barrell, the bank manager’s wife, breeding golden retriever puppies there in the 1950s and 1960s!
The District Bank became the NatWest Bank and operated continuously until the branch closed in 2017. The property was subsequently bought by a property developer, but stood empty while their unsympathetic development plans were denied by Craven District Council. It later returned to the market and was purchased by NCBPT on 11th August 2023.
Thank you to all our supporters (and those who were curious to see the door open), for coming to see inside on our first-look open day on Saturday 19th August. There is a huge amount of work to be done. The result will be an exhibition and community space on the ground floor featuring displays on Sir Edward Elgar, a frequent visitor to the home of his friend, Charles Buck, and signposting The Folly and the Dales. The floors above will be converted into apartments for long-term rental for local people.
All the hard work to raise the funding for the restoration begins now!
You can hear more about our plans on our project page or by signing up to our mailing list. If you perfer to support the project by bank transfer or by cheque, details can be found here: How to donate.