The "Great Southern Advocate" reported on 6 March 1902 that the contract had been let for the construction of the Union Bank at Loch, and it is believed that the bank was completed later that year. The building was designed by the noted bank architect, Mr. Walter Richmond Butler (1864 – 1949), who also designed the former Union Bank at Toora in 1907. The former Union Bank is a characteristic and fine example of Butler's work and the progressive Federation design themes illustrate the different approach of Butler to contemporary design during that period, which contrasts starkly with the highly conservative designs of other banks constructed in the Shire of Worryal at the same time such as the former Colonial Bank in Mirboo North, built in Classical style in 1907, and the former Bank of Victoria (1906) in Toora.
The Union Bank first established an agency in Loch in 1900 and the opening of the Loch Butter Factory that same year was probably a factor in the construction of the imposing new premises in
1902. The size and quality of the building reflected the significance of Loch as an important local commercial centre at that time. In 1953, the bank amalgamated with the Bank of Australasia to become the ANZ bank, which continued to operate at this branch until it was closed in 1979.
Historically, it is the oldest extant bank in the Shire. It demonstrates the early development of Loch as an important commercial centre as well as the development of banking in the region. Aesthetically, it is one of two banks designed by W. R. Butler, one of the notable bank architects of his time, which are the finest examples of their type and period within the Shire and demonstrate his skill as a designer. It is a local landmark in Loch and one of the most important elements of the historic Victoria Road streetscape.
The former Union Bank of Australasia is a two storey red brick structure with a transverse parapet gable roof. The residence is contained within the upper floor and a parallel single storey gable and skillion at the rear. It is set back from the front, but is built up to the side street with a wide garden area to the opposite side. The upper and lower floors are separated by a wide roughcast spandrel below the upper windows (now rendered smooth at the front). The façade is symmetrically arranged with a wide three centred arch window (now missing the original frames and sashes) on either side of the rendered central door panel on the ground floor and a pair of narrow double hung windows on either side of a central window in the upper. The eaves are projected over the upper floor further reducing its height. The wide central door panel is capped with ogee scrolled hood moulds contained within the rendered spandrel. It originally had a semi-circular arched entry with Lombardic moulds to a recessed porch. A large tabbed and corbelled brick chimney, with terra cotta pots, is located slightly to west of centre in the front plane of the roof. The end elevations with rendered bands at the upper level are articulated by a gable end octagonal pier extending above the parapet ridge and flanked by slotted louvre vents. A pair of symmetrical windows is located in each floor. The secondary rear gable is treated similarly but without the central pier and with only one central window. The two gable parapets and the parapet to the rear skillion are capped at their eaves levels with rendered spheres. At the east side, there is a projecting entry to the residence, built in, possibly in the interwar period.
Since its closure, the former Union Bank of Australasia has had many new guises including a fairies and crystals esoteric gift shop, a very up-market antique shop, a boutique bed and breakfast and an a la carte restaurant.
Walter Richmond Butler was rightly considered an architect of great talent, and many of his clients were wealthy pastoralists and businessmen. His country-house designs include Blackwood (1891), near Penshurst, for R. B. Ritchie, Wangarella (1894), near Deniliquin, New South Wales, for Thomas Millear, and Newminster Park (1901), near Camperdown, for A. S. Chirnside. Equally distinguished large houses were designed for the Melbourne suburbs: Warrawee (1906), Toorak, for A. Rutter Clark; Thanes (1907), Kooyong, for F. Wallach; Kamillaroi (1907) for Baron Clive Baillieu, and extensions to Edzell (1917) for George Russell, both in St Georges Road, Toorak. These are all fine examples of picturesque gabled houses in the domestic revival genre. Butler was also involved with domestic designs using a modified classical vocabulary, as in his remodelling of Billilla (1905), Brighton, for W. Weatherley, which incorporates panels of flat-leafed foliage. His ardent admiration for R. N. Shaw is reflected in his eclectic works. Butler also regarded himself as a garden architect. As architect to the diocese of Melbourne from 1895, he designed the extensions to Bishopscourt (1902), East Melbourne. His other church work includes St Albans (1899), Armadale, the Wangaratta Cathedral (1907), and the colourful porch and tower to Christ Church (c.1910), Benalla. For the Union Bank of Australia he designed many branch banks and was also associated with several tall city buildings such as Collins House (1910) and the exceptionally fine Queensland Insurance Building (1911). For Dame Nellie Melba Butler designed the Italianate lodge and gatehouse at Coombe Cottage (1925) at Coldstream.
Loch is a town in the South Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia which was established in 1876. The town was named in honour of the Governor of Victoria, Henry Loch. Loch was established with the coming of the steam railway that connected it with Melbourne. Early in Loch's development, the townspeople recognised the need for a local and accessible school to provide the fluctuating numbers of children with an elementary and socialising education. Petitions were sent to the Victorian Department of Education for this purpose and by 1889 the school had been constructed and a Head Teacher, Francis William Clarke, appointed. In many ways the history of this school and its teacher provide valuable information about living in what was then an isolated town, and the efforts of its residents to establish a sense of place and community. Today Loch has had a major makeover and is no longer the dairy and market hamlet as it used to be. Loch Village, as it is now known as, is the garden village of South Gippsland and is well known for its picturesque beauty and small village bucolic charm. It has a thriving craft community with cosy cafes, charming curio stores, antique shops and galleries. The township is set back from the highway amongst colourful cottage gardens that spill out cheekily onto the street.
