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Bank of Liverpool

The Circle of Happy Winners…

To maintain and operate the vast bank accounting system for Littlewoods Pools, a top-class bank with a VERY large branch is needed.  With 4 Water Street already busy, it falls to Liverpool Victoria Street branch to provide the know how and the manpower – around eighty staff – to dedicate to the weekly payouts from the football pools.  This well-oiled machine has one drawback for Martins Bank’s staff:  The worst working Mondays imaginable, when thousands of cheques, and around one million postal orders arrive in sacks to be processed. Most of the staff are in a pools syndicate, and just every once in a while, they share a modest win or two.  You can read more about this in our CORPORATE BANKING section.

In Service: 25 April 1881 to 3 November 1995

1960 s Liverpool Victoria Street Exterior BGA Ref 30-1695.jpg

Image © Barclays Ref: 0033/0339

1961 Circle of Happy Winners Lwood Pools Winners Cheque MBA.jpgOnce a lucky pools winner’s cheque has been processed, it is retrieved, pasted by Littlewoods staff on to a special certificate as a souvenir, and sent to the winner.  The top left-hand corner depicts someone filling out a pools coupon. The bottom left corner shows the “Happy Circle Handclasp” (!) and the bottom right corner has a drawing of the old bargaining stone at Fowey in Cornwall. Everything is designed to make the winner feel special for a little bit longer than it takes to spend their winnings!

Barclays have contributed hundreds of images to our online archive, many of them show the interior of Martins Branches, as well as what they look like outside.  It is not often that interior shots include members of staff at work, so we are particularly pleased with the images below of the counter at Victoria Street.  They certainly give a good idea of the large scale of the building, and show four somewhat diligent bank clerks at work – (perhaps being “on camera” has something to do with that!) The reason for the all male counter staff is explained now in these memories from friend of the Archive Teresa Harris who began work for Martins at Victoria Street in 1969, and stayed working continuously at the same branch until it closed!

The pictures of Victoria Street are really good and show the counter area as it was on the day I started working there in 1969. As in the pictures most of the cashiers in those days were male and as I recall the only female who had been "promoted" to counter work from the machine room at the time was Val Parish. She was on the counter  for some years after I started working there and, in those days, it was virtually impossible for a female to be allowed onto the front line to do counter work. The Littlewoods Section, dedicated to looking after the Littlewoods Group which included not only Littlewoods Pools but all of the 100+ store accounts and Littlewoods Mail Order catalogue  accounts, was manned by only 3 staff although the volumes of cheques and the non automated systems meant that a high percentage of the machine room work was Littlewoods related.

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1960 s Liverpool Victoria Street Interior 2 BGA Ref 30-1695 (3).jpg

1960 s Victoria Street Interior (1) BGA Ref 30-1695.jpg

Images © Barclays Ref 30/1695

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On a Monday and Tuesday evening after John Clegg had delivered his cheques and postal orders relating to the weeks coupons all the branch staff worked overtime up to 9pm in the evening to encode the cheques for clearing. With regard to the merger in 1969, having only just joined the staff at Victoria Street in the October I don't remember too much about the build-up. On the actual day I was sent to Water Street to lend a hand with the huge amounts of correspondence that was delivered and all I can remember is how intimidating the branch seemed with so many staff. The post desk was on the Mezzanine floor and overlooked the busy Horseshoe counter area.  As far as I can remember the transition was very smooth, the hardest part for me was remembering to answer the telephone as "Barclays Bank" rather than "Martins Bank". 

 

I do remember many of the staff on the Martins Bank Victoria Street page (see staff gallery at the foot of this page) including the Manager at the time, Roger Whittam, his secretary Maureen McDonald, Mr Blair, Mr Robinson and of course Val Parish. The branch is now the Sir Thomas Hotel and a couple of years ago a friend and I were kindly given a tour of the building. The interior is now unrecognizable from the offices where we worked and the old Managers room on the second floor is now the VIP Suite which according to our guide has accommodated many of today's "celebrities". Thank you for helping to bring back so many happy memories of my time at the branch and  although I only worked for Martins for a very short time before the merger, I still think of myself as a "Martins" person. Keep up the good work.

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The Songbird of Victoria Street…

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1955 02 MBM.jpg1955 Miss Valerie Parish MBM-Su55P24.jpgReference was made in the last issue of the Magazine to the success scored by Valerie Parish in the production of" The Gondoliers" by the Music Section of Martins Bank Society of the Arts. Her performance was watched by the pro­fessional critics of the Merseyside amateur shows and one of them, the Liverpool Echo critic, made a separate feature about her, using the photograph alongside. He said: “One of Merseyside's youngest and most promising artists is Miss Valerie Parish, of Wallasey. Seventeen years old, she earned considerable appreciation for her study of Casilda in the recent production of ' The Gondoliers' by Martins Bank Society of the Arts, at Crane Theatre, Liverpool. A clerk with the Victoria Street, Liverpool branch of Martins, Miss Parish has a soprano voice of quality and is a most capable actress. Valerie is fond of pantomime and variety and for the last three years has played principal boy for the Wallasey Emmanuel Church Pantomime Society. She has also appeared with the ' Chrysanthemums,' and, with her flair for dancing and light comedy, is well known as an entertainer in charitable causes. She is a member of the Wallasey Emmanuel Church Choir”.  A pleasant postscript to an excellent show, and the first time in the history of the Music Section of the Society that such a thing has happened.

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LLOYDS BANK LIMITED

MARTINS BANK LIMITED

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MIDLAND BANK LIMITED

NATIONAL PROVINCIAL BANK

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WESTMINSTER BANK LIMITED

 

 

 

BANCO ESPANOL EN LONDRES

Liverpool, Victoria Street

 

1908 to 1922 Mr C H Billeau MBM-Au47P20.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Mr N A Milroy

Joined the Bank Here

1908 to 1912

Mr C H Bileau

On the Staff

1908 to 1922

Mr E H Denman

On the Staff

1911 to 1912

Mr H Unsworth

Joined the Bank Here

1914 to 1916

Mr A Wall-Jones

Joined the Bank Here

1916

Mr R P Williams

Joined the Bank Here

1920

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr A C Daniels

Joined the Bank Here

1922 to 1923

Mr G F Camidge

Joined the Bank Here

1925

Mr S J Johnson

On the Staff

1927 to 1928

Miss Dorothy Diment

Joined here as Machine Supervisor 1929

Mr C P Williams

Pro Manager

1930 to 1936

Mr J H Woodfine

On the Staff

1932 to 1934

 

 

 

 

 

1933 to 1937 Mr W E Worral MBM-Su58P54.jpg

1934 to 1937 Mr D D Lynch Pro Manager MBM-Su53P50.jpg

1934 to 1937 Mr G R Tarn Pro Manager MBM-Au46P06.jpg

1935 Mr WMJ Scott joined the bank here MBM-Sp49P28.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Mr W E Worrall

On the Staff

1933 to 1937

Mr D D Lynch

Pro Manager

1934 to 1937

Mr G R Tarn

Pro Manager

1934 to 1937

Mr W M J Scott

Joined the Bank Here

1935 to 1936

Mr A N Parry

Joined the Bank Here

1935 to 1935

Mr E B Gillard

Chief Cashier

1935 to 1945

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Mr P L Tiplady

Joined the Bank

1938 to 1939

Mr W D Armstrong

Manager

1939 to 1944

Mr A R Trevelick

On the Staff

1940 to 1942

Mr S J Crisp

On the Staff

1941 to 1943

Mr A J Corner

Joined the Bank Here

1945

Mr F C Hardman

Sub Manager

1945 to 1949

Sep 1.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

1946 to 1948 Mr G S Gallagher joined the bank here MBM-Su63P46.jpg

1947 to 1947 Mr G B Nickson joined the bank here MBM-Wi67P03.jpg

1947 to 1947 Mr J C Stockdale MBM-Su65P06.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Mr R H B Whittam

On Staff 1946 to 1947

Deputy Manager 1964

Mr E Russell

Joined the Bank Here

1946 to 1947

Mr G S Gallagher

Joined the Bank Here

1946 to 1948

Mr F F W Youd

Pro Manager

1946 to 1961

Mr G B Nickson

Joined the Bank Here

1947 to 1947

Mr J C Stockdale

On the Staff

1947 to 1947

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1947 to 1949 Mr FP Wilson and Accountant from 1959 to 1960 MBM-Au64P06.jpg

1949 to 1951 Mr NK Gibson joined the bank here MBM-Sp65P04.jpg

1949 to 1953 and 1963 to 1966 Mr A Butcher MBM-Sp66P06.jpg

1949 to 1957 Mr R L Couper Pro Manager MBM-Wi65P03.jpg

1950 Miss Valerie Griffiths Staff MBM-Sp50P50.jpg

1950 to 1951 Mr B G Pearse joined the bank here MBM-Wi64P09.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Mr F P Wilson

On staff 1947 to 1949

Accountant 1959 to 1960

Mr N K Gibson

Joined the Bank Here

1949 5to 1951

Mr A Butcher

On the Staff 1949 to 1953

and 1963 to 1966

Mr R L Couper

Pro Manager

1949 to 1957

Miss Valerie Griffiths

On the Staff

1950

Mr B G Pearse

Joined the Bank Here

1950 to 1951

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1953 to 1954 Mr J D Home MBM-Sp65P06.jpg

1953 to 1960 Mr M McClay MBM-Su67P03.jpg

1955 Miss Valerie Parish CU MBM-Su55P24

1955 to 1960 Mr J K washington Manager MBM-Au60P48.jpg

1955 to 1965 Mr F L Armstrong Pro Manager MBM-Su65P53.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Mr J D Home

On the Staff

1953 to 1954

Mr J A McGregor

Sub Manager

1953 to 1956

Mr M McClay

On the Staff

1953 to 1960

Miss Valerie Parish

On the Staff

1955

Mr J K Washington

Manager

1955 to 1960

Mr F L Armstrong

Pro Manager

1955 to 1965

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1956 to 1959 Mr B O'Brien Accountant MBM-Su67P05.jpg

1956 to 1960 Mr F S Pitts MBM-Sp64P05.jpg

1956 to 1961 Mr G A Corkill MBM-Sp68P07.jpg

1959 to 1962 Mr H Williams MBM-Su65P09.jpg

1960 Mr W O Davies Manager MBM-Au60P20.jpg

1960 to 1961 Mr F H Clayton Pro Manager MBM-Su65P07.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Mr B O’Brien

Accountant

1956 to 1959

Mr F S Pitts

On the Staff

1956 to 1960

Mr G A Corkill

On the Staff

1956 to 1961

Mr H Williams

on the Staff

1959 to 1962

Mr W O Davies

Manager

1960 to 1962

Mr F H Clayton

Pro Manager

1960 to 1961

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1960 to 1964 Mr D J Corlett Pro Manager then Accountant MBM-Su64P06.jpg

1960 to 1964 Mr S N Joynson MBM-Sp66P04.jpg

1961 to 1967 Mr E J F Crawford Pro Manager MBM-Su67P07.jpg

1962 E P Doyle Staff MBM-Wi62P22.jpg

1962 to 1968 Mr J P Brown Manager MBM-Su62P31.jpg

1964 Miss MP Macdonald Manager's Secretary MBM-Wi64P45.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Mr D J Corlett

Pro Manager

1960 to 1964

Mr S N Joynson

On the Staff

1960 to 1964

Mr E J F Crawford

Pro Manager

1961 to 1967

Mr E P Doyle

On the Staff

1962

Mr J P Brown

Manager

1962 to 1968

Miss M P MacDonald

Manager’s Secretary

1964

 

 

 

 

 

1964 Mr F A Robinson Accountant MBM-Su64P05.jpg

1964 Mr F G Thomas in charge of foreign department MBM-Sp64P57.jpg

1964 to 1966 Mr C M Summersgill pro Manager MBM-Su64P05.jpg

1966 Mr R D Dyke pro Manager MBM-Au66P05.jpg

1967 Mr J Blair pro Manager MBM-Su67P07.jpg

1968 Mr A W J Roberts Deputy Manager MBM-Sp68P04.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Mr F A Robinson

Accountant

1964

Mr F G Thomas

In charge of Foreign Department 1964

Mr P M Summersgill

Pro Manager

1964 to 1966

Mr R D Dyke

Pro Manager

1966

Mr J Blair

Pro Manager

1967

Mr A W J Roberts

Deputy Manager

1968

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1968 Mr R H B Whittam Manager MBM-Sp68P03.jpg

1969 Mr R S Taylor Pro Manager MBM-Au69P11.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Mr R H B Whittam

Manager

1968 onwards

Mr R S Taylor

Pro Manager

1969

 

 

 

 

 

Title:

Type:

Address:

Index Number and District:

Hours:

 

Telephone:

Services:

Manager:

Martins Bank Limited 11-00-90 Liverpool Victoria Street

Full Branch

PO Box 99 45 Victoria Street Liverpool L69 1AN

42 Liverpool

Mon to Fri 1000-1500

Saturday 0900-1130

CENtral 6701/2

Nightsafe Installed

Mr R H B Whittam Manager

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Liverpool University

                        25 April 1881

18 December 1918

3 January 1928

15 December 1969

3 November 1995

Opened by the Bank of Liverpool

Bank of Liverpool and Martins

Martins Bank Limited

Barclays Bank Limited 20-50-94 Liverpool Victoria Street

Closed

Liverpool Walton