40 and 42 High Street
40 and 42 High Street, Poole, BH15 1BT
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1217480
- Date first listed:
- 28-May-1974
- List Entry Name:
- 40 and 42 High Street
- Statutory Address:
- 40 and 42 High Street, Poole, BH15 1BT
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2000-10-05
- Reference:
- IOE01/02217/02
- Rights:
- © Mrs Jo Parsons. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1217480
- Date first listed:
- 28-May-1974
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 17-Nov-2022
- List Entry Name:
- 40 and 42 High Street
- Statutory Address 1:
- 40 and 42 High Street, Poole, BH15 1BT
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- 40 and 42 High Street, Poole, BH15 1BT
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Poole
- National Grid Reference:
- SZ 01016 90470
Summary
Former bank, now commercial premises; probably built in the mid C19, with later alterations.
Reasons for Designation
40 and 42 High Street, Poole are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* the Italianate front elevation with good detailing is a handsome presence at the top of the High Street;
* good internal features including joinery and a staircase with turned balusters are thought to survive.
Historic interest:
* as part of the banking history of Poole;
* for the role the building played as Command HQ for the Royal Navy at Poole during the Second World War.
History
The building is shown on the 1888 Ordnance Survey Town Plan of Poole as the National Provincial Bank of England; whether the building had a previous use or was purpose-built as a bank is unknown.
During the Second World War the building was used as the Command Headquarters of the Royal Navy at Poole, including supplying naval craft for the D-Day invasion in June 1944.
Details
Former bank, now commercial premises; probably built in the mid C19, with later alterations.
MATERIALS: limestone ashlar ground floor, rendered above with stone dressings, axial chimney stacks and a slate mansard roof.
PLAN: double-depth rectangular plan, slightly skewed to the south.
EXTERIOR: designed in an Italianate style, the building is of three storeys with an attic. The symmetrical principal elevation has six-windows to each storey, with two blocked on the second floor. The ground floor has been refaced in limestone ashlar, with paired pilasters to each bay, separated in the centre by a shallow panel. There is a sunken apron panel beneath each window, and entablature and cornice above. Stone steps lead up to the outer round-arched doorways which each have a panelled door and fanlight. To the first floor there is a round-arched arcade with archivolts connected by an impost band; each arch is filled with a plate-glass sash window. On the second floor there is a cill band, deep cornice and blocking course, whilst the windows are three-over-six-pane sashes. In the attic there are four dormers with two-over-two-pane sash windows. The rear elevation is partly rendered and with exposed red brick to the upper floors. Windows are six-over-six sashes under segmental heads, with a central double-height projecting entrance taking the form of a staircase tower.
The building was extended at right-angles to the rear in the late C20 to provide parking and further offices.
INTERIOR: understood to be largely remodelled, but noted by the RCHME as having some original features including joinery and a right-hand open-well stair with alternate rods and turned balusters.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 412489
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
An Inventory for the Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset: Volume II South-East Part 1, (1970), 223
Websites
Poole History Online, accessed 07/09/2022 from http://www.poolehistory.org.uk/
Other
Ordnance Survey Town Plan, Poole (1888) (1:500)
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 29-Jun-2026 at 04:55:08.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.