Old Bank House is the oldest surviving brick

Brick

A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...

-built house in Sheffield City Centre

Sheffield City Centre

Sheffield City Centre—often just referred to as town—is a district of the City of Sheffield, and part of the Sheffield Central ward. It includes the area that is within a radius of roughly of Sheffield Cathedral, and is encircled by the Inner Ring Road—a circular route started in the late 1960s...

 in South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It lies on Hartshead, north of the High Street.

Although the Manor Lodge had been partly constructed from brick, the first brick building in Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

 city centre was not completed until 1696, and was initially much ridiculed. However, by the 1720s, several houses had been rebuilt in brick, and Burrowlee House

Burrowlee House

Burrowlee House is a Georgian style building situated at grid reference on Broughton Road in the Owlerton district of Sheffield, some four km NW of the city centre. It is the oldest building in the Owlerton and Hillsborough area and was one of the first houses constructed wholly from brick in...

 in Hillsborough

Hillsborough, South Yorkshire

Hillsborough is an electoral ward which includes the districts of Malin Bridge, Owlerton, Wadsley and Wisewood. It is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the northwestern part of the city and covers an area of 4.6 km2...

 had been completed, so the style was no longer a novelty.

The building was constructed in 1728 by the Quaker merchant Nicholas Broadbent. From 1771 until 1782, his grandson Thomas Broadbent ran a bank

Bank

A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...

 from the building, having moved to Page Hall.

The three-storey building is divided into five bays, with the central bay brought slightly forward. The central bay and corners of the building are marked with giant pilaster

Pilaster

A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....

s, and a plain pediment

Pediment

A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...

 tops the facade. St Peter's Close runs through the ground floor of the leftmost bay.

The interior of the building, restored in the 1970s and further improved in 2006 contains some original panelling

Panelling

Panelling is a wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials....

 and plasterwork

Plasterwork

Plasterwork refers to construction or ornamentation done with plaster, such as a layer of plaster on an interior wall or plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls. This is also sometimes called pargeting...

 and is partially Grade I listed. The house, now used as office

Office

An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...

s for a barristers' chambers is Grade II* listed.