Earlier 19th century; later 19th-century facade · 57-58 Bank Street · Category C listed, LB50665
An earlier nineteenth-century building with a later public-house frontage and unusually important surviving bar fittings.
Last reviewed: 17 July 2026
Quick Facts
| Date | Earlier 19th century; later 19th-century facade |
|---|---|
| Location | 57-58 Bank Street |
| Building or site type | Public house, formerly dwelling/commercial premises |
| Designation | Category C listed, LB50665 |
| Architect or maker | Not known |
| Current use | Public house |
| Public access | Exterior public; interior access depends on opening |
Why It Matters
The Auld Mill Inn adds everyday social history to the grander civic story of Cornmill Square. Its value lies in the survival of a modest earlier building, a picturesque later frontage and early twentieth-century public-house fittings.
The Story
The building appears on John Wood's 1824 plan and began as a house rather than a purpose-built hotel. Its position close to the corn mill and the developing Bank Street placed it within one of the oldest parts of the commercial settlement.
A later nineteenth-century treatment gave the front pointed dormers and a more deliberately picturesque character. This remodelling helped an older structure hold its place as the surrounding town centre became larger and more formal.
HES records early twentieth-century bar fittings, panelling and fixed bench seating. Such interiors are vulnerable to routine refurbishment, so their survival gives the inn a social and material interest that is not obvious from the street.
Facing Lorimer's fountain and the Burgh Chambers, the inn also helps define the scale and enclosure of the civic space. It reminds visitors that public ceremony, trade and sociability occupied the same small part of town.
Things to Notice
- The pointed dormers breaking the roofline
- Traditional stonework beneath later commercial details
- The building's tight corner position
- Its visual relationship with the fountain
- Inside, where accessible, the recorded early bar fittings and panelling
Timeline
- 1824 – the building is shown on Wood's plan
- Later 19th century – the frontage is remodelled
- Early 20th century – surviving bar fittings are installed
- 1912-13 – Lorimer's fountain transforms the setting opposite
- Today – the inn remains part of the civic-centre streetscape
Significance Scores
| Criterion | Score | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Architectural interest | 3 / 5 | The older fabric, pointed dormers and surviving early bar fittings give the inn varied architectural interest. |
| Historical importance | 4 / 5 | Its appearance on Wood’s 1824 plan connects the building with the early commercial settlement. |
| Social significance | 5 / 5 | Long use as a public house makes it an important place of sociability and everyday community life. |
| Rarity | 4 / 5 | Recorded historic bar fittings and fixed seating are vulnerable survivals that add unusual interior interest. |
| Townscape or landscape contribution | 4 / 5 | Facing the fountain and Burgh Chambers, the inn helps enclose and animate the civic centre. |
Scores follow the Heritage Directory’s published methodology. They are interpretive judgements, not statutory designations.
Notes and Uncertainties
The precise date at which the premises became a public house is not established by the sources reviewed. Interior features are described from the HES record and have not been independently inspected for this entry.
Image and Licence Notes
The principal photograph by Mainlymazza is reused from Wikimedia Commons under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. No exposure or structural alteration has been made to the source image; a well-exposed original was selected instead.