
 The origins and growth
of Barclays are similar in many ways to those of Martins Bank. Whereas
Martins tends to dominate the North of England, Barclays’ heartland is the
South, the South East and East Anglia, with for example the business acumen
of the Norfolk Quakers and a network of small local banks being acquired or
merging down the years, all contributing towards the World Class Bank we see
today. Barclays Group Archives is an amazing source of information that is
not simply about banking, but which can help researchers to unlock the past
and show us how we used to live. Whether you want to find out more about
Messrs Gillett and Company of Banbury and Oxford, how the Lynn Bank was a
major player in the local finances around the Wash and the Fens, or how
outposts in the north such as the Swaledale and Wensleydale Banking Company
came to be part of the Bank, Barclays Group Archives has a wealth of images,
artefacts and records going back hundreds of years. The Group Archives
website now allows visitors to view and download images and information for
their own private use, and includes an extensive collection of Martins Bank
Branch Photographs. You can visit the site, which will open in a new window,
by clicking on the image above (right).

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