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Widnes Victoria Road Branch is proving to be
something of a mystery as we research into the origins of Martins Bank’s
1000+ Branch buildings. By looking both at date of opening – 1892 – and at
Martins Bank’s internal index numbering systems for its Branches, we are
plumping for The Bank of Liverpool as the original owners. Even this image gives us only a brief
glimpse of the Branch, it is taken from a larger photo whose main subject was
Barclays’ own office in the town of Widnes in the 1960s.
At the time of the merger in 1969, Barclays closes their
own smaller Branch across the road, and moves into Martins’ much larger
premises. Widnes Victoria Road is one of two Branches of Martins Bank in the
town, both of which are kept on by Barclays at the time of the 1969 merger. The Branch at Derby Road stays open until
1994, and Victoria Road Branch survives until March 2011. For our feature
article on Widnes, we go back to 1954, and visit by Martins Bank Magazine at
the end of September that year.
In the Staff Gallery at the foot of the page we are
delighted to find a member of Staff called Mr Mainwaring – whose namesake is
of course Mr George Mainwaring, Manager of Martins Bank’s Branch at WALMINGTON ON SEA !
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In service: 5 October 1892 – 11 March 2011
Image © Barclays 1965
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 From
our bedroom window we can see the Runcorn Transporter and the trains
crossing Runcorn Bridge. Occasionally, when the wind blows from Widnes in the
direction of Woolton our bedroom is filled with pungent fumes which dispel
sleep until the discharge has passed over. A dark cloud hangs above the town
as seen from afar and the traveller on his way from Liverpool to London is
not tempted to linger by the sight which assails his eye as he crosses from
one bank of the Mersey to the other. It was, therefore, with no keen sense of
anticipation that we journeyed out to the chemical town on the morning of
September 28th, though, in
accordance with the pious opinion expressed by the Manchester District
General Manager that our visit would be a success if made on a sunshiny day
when the wind was blowing in the right direction, we made the journey on a
day when just those conditions obtained. We
have often noticed that those things to which we have looked forward keenly
often turn out to fall short of expectation, while those to which we have
looked forward with a certain sense of foreboding prove unexpectedly
enjoyable.
 So it
was with Widnes and, among other things, of all the places in the country
where we might have expected to see a collection of orchids, we would not
have thought of Widnes, yet the man who judged the orchid exhibits at the
Southport Show this year lives just outside the town and we were privileged
to see his collection. That was one of the
highlights of the day; the other was partaking of hospitality in Mr. and Mrs.
Odber's new home, and listening to the details of Mr. Odber's somewhat
unusual war service. He was called up for industry and made Assistant
Personnel Manager of the Fairey Aviation Company, later becoming Personnel
Manager. In this capacity he came to
be recognised as an expert on lateness and absenteeism and was once sent by
the Regional Commissioners to advise in a factory in the North-East. He was pressed to stay on after the end of
the war, but preferred to return to banking. He entered the Bank in 1917 and
served at Spring Gardens, Fallowfield, Whitefield, Warrington, District
Office and Corn Ex change before his appointment as Assistant Accountant at
Spring Gardens in 1941. He became Manager at Widnes in 1946. Mr. Odber met his wife in the
Bank, for she worked at Brown Street for a number of years. He was one of
that select company who volunteered for service in London during the Battle
of Britain and spent three months at Lombard Street. His second-in-command, W. T. Mainwaring, is an L. and Y.
man who, excepting war service, 1942-1946, has spent all his time at Widnes,
apart from three years at Warrington.
Then there is G. B. Hibbert, who started
his career at Widnes in 1941 and has also served at Warrington, Cadishead and
Wigan, with a slice of five years out during the war. We were pleased to see N. E. Melling, who was in charge
of the sub branch at Farnworth on the day of our visit. He is an old friend of
ours, having been on both Italian and Austrian tours. There are three girls, Miss E. M. Housley, who has been
at the branch since she started in the Bank in 1942; Miss P. M. Harrison,
three years in the Bank, but at Widnes only since June; and Miss R. Shaw, a
District Office trainee. In addition there was Ronald Smith who is now on the
staff at Widnes in place of Mr. Hibbert who has since been transferred.
Before leaving Mr. Odber took us on a car tour of
the town as we wanted to get a typical photograph of it. The grim spots are
all near the river, by the railway bridge and the Transporter. These, are,
unfortunately, the only spots seen by most people, yet a mile outside the
town centre there are pleasant suburbs and a smiling countryside. Widnes is definitely
not as black as it is painted.
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