Bank to reopen following 'devastating' fire

The fire started in the former HSBC branch in March 2023

A bank is set to reopen after its former Grade II-listed home was "devastated" in a large fire.

The fire started in Loughborough's town centre branch of HSBC in March 2023 and quickly spread to the neighbouring town hall.

Both historical buildings were temporarily closed to the public for repairs, with the town hall reopening three weeks later.

Now, the bank will reopen a few doors away in Cattle Market on Monday, 9 September.

Meanwhile, construction work to the listed building, which had a long history as a bank, will continue, a HSBC spokesperson said.

The building was first opened as a bank in 1790 and was later redesigned and rebuilt in 1894. The business was later acquired by the firm Midland Bank, in 1900.

In 1992, HSBC acquired Midland Bank and had remained a permanent fixture in the town centre.

While the bank was closed, HSBC said it had set up a "pop-up" branch for customers.

The building had long-standing links to banking in the town

Gursh Bassi, HSBC UK local director, said: "HSBC’s connection to Loughborough is long-standing, having started at the beginning of the 20th Century, and our grounding within the community is one of the reasons why we’re so excited to re-open the doors of our branch."

The new "flagship" branch, at 31 Cattle Market, will include a number of "accessible features" including braille signage and a sensory family room, according to the bank.

The branch comes with a number of new accessible features