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With its origins firmly in the North  of
England, but with a good base of branches in London and Kent, Martins
describes its early national expansion plans as pioneering – this is
literally so, as the managers sent out to establish the new branches have
often had to make moves of several hundred miles in the process. By 1960, these pioneers have built up the
Bank’s business in the South West of England and the South of Wales to the
extent that Martins is able to establish a new district office in Bristol,
which relieves neighbouring districts of controlling branches that
geographically should not be part of their remit. By 1968 even South Western District
Office itself has to move to larger premises, such is the growth of this
District. Paignton office opens in 1952, followed a year later by
Barnstaple, doubling the number of branches in this part of Devon,
previously represented by Exeter and Torquay. In our feature below, Martins
Bank Magazine visits Paington nearly four years after it opens…
We have not visited the
South-Western branches since 1949 and so, having business in Cornwall at
the end of April, we decided to include the branches which have been opened
since our last visit. Paignton was our first port of call and we went there
on the morning of 26th April. Those of us who perform our service in big
places like Liverpool and Manchester can have little idea of the real
family feeling which exists between a group of branches far away from Head
Office, especially where newer offices have, in a sense, been hived off
from the first one to be opened. This real working comradeship strikes the visitor from the North very
strongly.
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In Service: Monday 7 July 1952
until 16 January 1981
Branch Images © Barclays Ref 0030-2222
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the first place, the Manager and the second man of the parent branches have
come from one of the older districts, and, not being natives of the place in
which the new branch is being opened they are thrown together by the bond of
their common " exile " in a way which makes for friendship. The engagement of local young men and women
to whom the Bank is, in the first instance, nothing more than the manager of
the local branch, helps to give the new branch roots, but they in turn see
the example of friendliness set by the senior men. And so you have just those kind of branches
which, especially in the newer districts, give our bank its special friendly
and intimate character for friendship. In the case of Paignton it could not
have started so well without the background of our carefully cultivated
business in Torquay. Mr. H. A. Robinson, who has charge of the branch,
started his career at Torquay Office in 1938 and has been at Paignton since
it opened in 1952. His wife was on the staff at Torquay, and so the relationship
couldn't be much closer. The two young men, Mr. R. J. Williams, an excellent
second-in-command, and Mr. A. C. Robinson both commenced their service at
Torquay and so did Miss A. I. Griggs whose father, formerly in Lloyds Bank,
now runs an hotel in Paignton.
Branch Images © Barclays Ref 0030-2222
Our office occupies an island site in a good position, and is
light and attractive in every way. We were very
pleased indeed to be able to entertain Mr. and Mrs. Robinson and to make the
acquaintance of their very attractive small daughter, the type of little lady
who must have provided Mabel Lucie Attwell with her models.
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