Commercial Bank of Scotland

[2] The original bank premises were created by David Sandeman at 22 Picardy Place at the head of Leith Walk in Edinburgh.

[3] It was always the intention to create a national branch structure and Bank's note issue was used as a form of early advertising: "it was the policy of the directors to arrange for note `circulators` throughout the country as a preliminary to actual agencies, the object being to familiarize the general public with the new Bank".

[4] The Commercial enjoyed immediate success and within twelve months it was "doing a fair proportion of the Banking business in Edinburgh and Leith", and had five branches outside the City.

[2] In the late 1830s, a sizeable sum was stolen from the bank during a major highway robbery in Armadale, when the stagecoach between Glasgow and Edinburgh was robbed by four assailants.

[1] In 1834, after several years of success, they built a hugely impressive new headquarters on George Street in Edinburgh, designed by David Rhind.

[2] The inter-war period saw continued branch expansion, the number rising from 240 in 1920 to 385 in 1940 when it owned the largest network in Scotland.