TQ 7655 NW BANK STREET 883/2/10016 Maidstone 23-MAY-01 89 GV II Formerly insurance office, now building society offices. Built in 1913 as the district office of Prudential Assurance Comnpany, possibly by Paul Waterhouse who carried out many commissions for this company. Tudor style. Upper floors timberframed with plaster infill, ground floor of Portland stone. Plaintiled roof with brick chimneystack. Two storeys and attics; two windows. Upper floors have close-studding with plastered infill. Two projecting gables with decorated carved bargeboards and elaborate carved bressumer. Each gable has two paired arched windows with leaded lights with lozenge pattern below. First floor has two oriel windows with three mullioned and transomed windows with leaded lights and carved bases. Decorative central rainwaterhead with quatrefoil motif. Four ogee-shaped stone niches with statues of Kentish worthies under four-centred wooden arches with blank shields and foliate moulding to spandrels. These are (right to left) Archbishop Courtenay, Caxton, ?Sir Christopher Marlowe and Lord Avebury. Ground floor has stone shopfront with carved stone bosses, pilasters, two oak framed windows and two doorcases with rectangular fanlights and arched doorcases. Right side plank doorcase has studded door. INTERIOR: Ground floor has square ribbed ceiling with plastered vine motifs. Right side staircase has moulded balusters and newel post with panelling below. Included as a good and complete example of an insurance office in this unusual arts and crafts style. Listing NGR: TQ7604555697