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 Therefore at the end of World War II a new branch
is built on the site of the old one, the image at the top of this page
appearing in Martins Bank Magazine in the Autumn of 1946. From 1927 until 1946 Gatley is managed by
Mr Percy Arnett, first as a sub branch, and with full branch status from
1931. Following the rebuild, we see
a far more commodious building with office space upstairs to help cope with
future expansion, not least the ever changing paraphernalia needed to
achieve “mechnised accounting”. Gatley
remains a full branch of Martins right up to the merger with Barclays,
enjoying full banking hours, six days a week. The branch is featured along
with five others which are seen as representative of the Bank in a special
celebration of the 1951 Festival of Britain, in Martins Bank Magazine.
 We
must confess that when we decided to visit our branch at Gatley we wondered
what on earth we would find to say about the place which would be of some
interest to readers in London and the North-East, for instance. But we needn't have worried, for there is
something of interest in most places if one goes to the trouble to dig it
out, and in the case of Gatley Mr. W. E. Taylor had done the job for us
before our arrival. This is what he found out.
Somewhere between Cheadle and Gatley Bonnie Prince Charlie crossed the
Mersey. He disdained a horse and waded up to his middle. One of the
Highlanders commanded George Hardy, a villager of Gatley, to pull off his
brogues. Hardy, thinking the loss of his clogs preferable to an intimate
acquaintance with the dirk, complied and handed over the wooden soled
shoes. The Highlander looked at them and threw them back. He could not, he
said, wear shoes made out of a tree.
The day of our visit was August 14th during Stockport Wakes
week, when, on every day except Monday the branch was closed from 11 a.m. But
this seems to have very little effect on the work of the branch and the
hour of finishing is much the same as when the Bank is open until the usual
hour. Customers come in requiring special service whether the doors are
open or closed and the office is a busy and thriving unit of the Manchester
district. Mr. Taylor
entered the Bank in 1915 and served at various branches in the Manchester
district, including Hulme and Sale before his first appointment as Pro
Manager at Altrincham in 1943. He was appointed Manager at Gatley in 1946.
Our branch operates in a new building erected on
the site of the old one and is one of the most attractive from an
architectural point of view of any of the newer ones.
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  On
May 31st Mr. Arnett retired from the management
of Gatley branch and on the previous
evening a very happy send-off party was
held at Parker's Cafe, on the invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Arnett. More than 70 guests were present and after the meal a very pleasant entertainment
was provided. Mr J H Harrop, manager of
Altrincham branch, presided and his
opening toast to Mr. and Mrs. Arnett
was supported by Mr. W. E. Taylor, the
new manager, and by Mr. J. S. Richards, former Manchester Superintendent of Branches. A cheque and an engraved tankard were later presented
to Mr. Arnett on behalf of former colleagues.
A bouquet of roses was presented to
Mrs. Arnett by a lady member of the staff of the branch. The following branches were represented at the function :—Stockport, Brown
Street, Sale Moor, Ardwick, Altrincham, Levenshulme, Huddersfield, Northenden,
St. Ann's Square, Brooks's Bar, West Didsbury, Urmston,
Bramhall, Great Ancoats Street, Old
Trafford, All Saints, Hale, Broadheath, Pendleton, Wigan, Timperley, Widnes,
Whitefield, Cheetham, and of course Manchester ; a striking tribute to Mr. Arnett's
popularity. He entered the service of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank in 1901 at
Stockport, becoming clerk-in-charge
of Gatley in 1927, and manager in 1931.
  At
the end of March Mr. R. Nicholson retired after 45 years' service which
commenced at Kirkby Stephen in 1917 and took him to Appleby, Windermere and
Bowness where he received his first appointment as Manager in 1943. He
became Manager at Ambleside in 1954 and for the last two and a half years
of his service he went to the Manchester District as Manager at Gatley. To mark the occasion Mr. and Mrs. Nicholson invited
past and present members of the staff and friends to a cocktail party which
was followed by the presentation of a golf bag trolley by Mr. L. Paulson,
on behalf of the subscribers. In his remarks Mr. Paulson made special
mention of the happy atmosphere at the branch and expressed the good
wishes of everybody for a long and happy retirement among the familiar
surroundings of Windermere, and that Mr. Nicholson's health would be
greatly improved. Miss Button, the senior lady on the staff, then presented
Mrs. Nicholson with a bouquet of spring flowers. Mr. Manser, Manchester District Superintendent of
Branches, spoke on behalf of the Bank, mentioning that Mr. Nicholson had
made a wide circle of friends throughout the country during his service and
had achieved high office in the Masonic world. He had also acted in
official capacities for the Lakeland Sheep Dog Trials, fell races and for
numerous other county events. We recall
with pleasure the presence of Mr. and Mrs. Nicholson as members of the Bank
holiday party to Cadenabbia in 1951. They made a great many friends and Mr.
Nicholson played the piano for us most mornings at the short service in the
hotel with which we started each day. In thanking his
colleagues for their gift Mr. Nicholson also expressed his appreciation for
the whole hearted co-operation he had received from them. On the following day he was entertained to lunch at
Spring Gardens by Mr. E. H. Priestley, the District General Manager.
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