ONE OF the remaining attractive 18th century buildings in Petersfield High Street is set for a change which may see it reverting to a use similar to a previous occupation.

Now known as The Old Bank, 15 High Street is subject to an application to the South Downs National Park Authority’s planners to alter its designation from retail to professional or financial services such as an accountants or solicitors’ offices.

As with most of the other old buildings in the centre of the town, in its 350-year history, number 15 has had many guises, the first of which was when it was part of the Crowne Inn, with stables and outbuildings to the rear, which mainly occupied number 13, now Superdrug.

By the end of the 17th century, instead of brewing, there was soap boiling on the premises with a business established by John Mountain and his wife, Joan. This lasted into the next century with John Peace and his wife taking over the business.

A coachmaker, John Poynter, acquired the building in 1761 for £350 then records researched by the Petersfield Historical Society show that from 1780-1796 part of the house was let to a curate of Buriton, the Rev William Ralk, who had married two years before moving to Petersfield – eight of his children were born at number 15.

At the end of the 1700s, a tradesman, Thomas Booker the elder, who had married Joan Poynter, was the next man to acquire the property. He was a mealman, baker and grocer.

His son and grandson, both called Thomas, were to carry on the business but the youngest Booker moved to Emsworth where he became a miller in 1818. By this time, the property was valued at £1,000 and came under the ownership of Ann Phillips until her death in 1827.

The name ‘The Old Bank’ comes through the next resident, Charles Butterfield, who started a bank in about 1833 but, as with many private banks of the time, including another in Petersfield which was run by Jane Austen’s brother, Henry, it failed 11 years later.

In 1861, the three-storey house had a large household, comprising William Adams, who was a land agent, surveyor and auctioneer, with his wife, Ellen, six children, a governess and three servants. A curate from Sheet, the Rev William Standen, lived in part of the house from 1875-78.

After a few years being the home of Mrs Annie Parlett, who was the widow of a manager of the London and County Bank, which was on the opposite side of High Street, and her daughters, the first use of the building by a professional business was the establishment of solicitors Blackmore, Shield and Mackarness in 1895.

At some time during the early part of the 20th century, one of the rooms on the west side of the house was used as council offices while Thomas Bygrave, who was manager of Child’s Bookshop at 30 High Street, lived there.

In 1952 the Affleck-Graves family moved into number 15 and later opened the ground floor as a health food shop, Spice of Life, which prospered for several decades.