The former Barclays Bank building at the western end of Rye High Street has been sold for £662,000 at auction on July 28. Auctioneers, Clive Emson, had advertised the property as offering potential for residential conversion, subject to planning consent.
The Bank had been sold in in 2016 to an unnamed purchaser as an investment opportunity as reported in Rye News but it remained open for a further three years before closing finally in May 2019.
Located in the conservation area, the building previously known as the Longer House was largely rebuilt when it was taken over by Barclays Bank in 1930. Behind its elegant 18th century facade lies an older timber structure dating back to the C16th, according to archaeological historian David Martin in his book Rye Rebuilt.
Image Credits: Kenneth Bird .