11-78-70 Shotley Bridge

Shotley Bridge is one of many branches of the North Eastern Banking Company, that find their way into the possession of Martins Bank from the 1914 amalgamation of the NEBC with the Bank of Liverpool. Martins Bank includes Shotley Bridge in its mid sixties programme of branch upgrades, and the office doubles in size. You can compare old with new in our “then and a little bit later” feature, further down this page.

In Service: 10 December 1883 until 7 April 2000

Image © Barclays Ref 0030-2638

Barclays takes over in 1969, and the branch continues to operate for another thirty years, closing its doors for the final time in the year 2000. For our feature, we go back to 1954 when Martins Bank Magazine makes a short visit to Shotley Bridge which at this point is still a sub branch run by a Clerk in Charge.

1954 04 MBM.jpg 1954 Shotley Bridge Staff MBM-Wi54P37.jpg We passed a sign on entering Shotley Bridge which indicated that the place must have been a spa, as indeed it was long ago. We went down to see the healing waters which still rise in the old well, but we did not sample them as we have no great liking for anything smelling or tasting of rotten eggs. Shotley Bridge was once famous for its sword making industry, introduced by the Germans who settled there a couple of centuries ago. But to-day all that is just a memory and Shotley Bridge is largely rural.

Our Manager, Mr T Hopper entered the Bank in 1916 and served at Bishop Auckland, Darlington, Byker, Tow Law, Crook and at Grey Street, Newcastle before becoming Clerk in Charge at Shotley Bridge in 1937. He was made Manager ten years later. Mr. Hopper was one of the founders of the North-Eastern Players and is still actively interested in amateur dramatics. At Shotley Bridge, Mr. S. L. Nicholson is Clerk in Charge, an appointment he has held since 1947. His previous service covered Lanchester, Annfield Plain, Northumberland Street and North-Eastern District Office. His war service was a little unusual, the latter part of it being spent in charge of prisoner-of-war cages. B. Swan is there to assist him—a young man about to do his National Service, with R.A.F. aspirations.

More space in which to work…

Whilst we often compare Martins Branches from the 1960s with the same buildings in the twenty-first century, occasionally we can take a look at offices which have been upgraded whilst still operating as branches of the Bank. Sometimes, expansion means moving the front door from one end of the building to the middle! Nice modern touches here, perhaps it is only the rather unnecessary canopy above the door which looks both out of place and out of date. Here we can see the older frontage of Shotley Bridge alongside the transformation which brightens up this particular branch no end, and on the inside, we can also look at the new counter and public areas…

Images © Barclays Ref 0030-2638



*Mr J W Chapman* *Manager* *1924 to 1928*	*Mr J H Ritson* *Manager* *1928 to 1932*	*Mr Andrew Smith* *Manager* *1932 to 1947*	*Mr S L Nicholson* *Clerk in Charge 1947-59* *Manager 1959 to 1965*	*Mr G W Hunter* *Joined the Bank here* *1952 to 1953*	*Mr P Hide* *Joined the Bank Here* *1953 to 1954*



*Mr B Swan* *Branch Second* *1954 to 1955*	*Mr M Cushing* *Joined the Bank Here* *1958 to 1960*	*Mr W Maddison* *Manager* *1965 to 1969*