Blue Boar Row

When is a dragon not a dragon? When it's a wyvern. And it is a two-legged wyvern rather than a four-legged dragon that sits atop the corner building on Blue Boar Row and Castle Street. Although medieval-looking this style of roof decoration is very much Victorian, a period when terracotta clay was a popular material for making building decorations. Also Victorian but entirely less menacing and more enigmatic is the carving gracing the top of Lloyds Bank. Built in 1869 this was the headquarters of the Wilts and Dorset Bank which had acquired 10 private banks and established more than 100 branches by the time it was taken over by Lloyds in 1914. It is also worth popping inside to have a look at the very grand banking hall.