Fox Fowler and Co. was founded in Wellington, Somerset in 1787 and came to Bridgwater in the mid nineteenth century. The handsome building was designed by Basil Cottam in June 1894, and built the following year. The bank occupied the ground floor, offices were on the first floor and accommodation was above that. Fox Fowler and Co was taken over by Lloyds Bank in 1921, and operates in the same premises to this day.
It is generally assumed that the old building was demolished when the bank was modernised in the 1960s. It seems that for the most part the old structure survives, as is made clear from the back of the building and the old roof can be seen above the street front. However the beautiful façade was destroyed to make way for the outrageously bland frontage that can be seen today. Hopefully one day the original frontage might be restored, improving the general grandeur of the Cornhill in the process.
