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A new building for a new age…

Most of Martins Bank’s District Offices are also home to branches of the bank, known as City Offices. Surely, none of these could possibly be larger or grander than Martins Bank’s Liverpool City Office which occupies the ground floor of 4 Water Street, and whose hive of activity – the horseshoe – can be seen by all who visit to transact business.

In service: 24 October 1932 – 20 April 2007

Image © Barclays 1932

Those of us who at any time have been lucky enough to be able to work at Liverpool City Office, must surely have been deeply saddened if not somewhat angered to learn of the sale of the building in 2003 with a temporary lease-back of the banking hall. From travelling at almost breakneck speed between floors in the 1930s lifts, to eating well for next to nothing in the fantastic eighth floor restaurant, the magic of the building has at one otime or another offered something to everyone. We were therefore delighted to be contacted at the end of 2009 by a group of Liverpool University arts students, who following an online visit to our archive, obtained permission from the new owner to use the building to re-stage one of Martins’ most iconic advertisements. Following a newspaper advertisement in 1966 declaring that Martins’ Staff wouldn’t turn a hair if you came into your local branch with an elephant, someone actually did!		Image © 2009 Colin Eccleston November 2009: at the famous horseshoe counter, a customer takes Martins Bank at its word by bringing an elephant along with them! A bemused “messenger” looks on…
The three-year-old daughter of the owner of Flamingo Land went into York branch with a baby elephant. This is just the kind of stunt to attract the attention of a national newspaper at the time, but sadly we are prevented from reproducing their coverage directly. We are however able to bring you the story from the horse’s - or should that be the elephant’s - mouth – as Ian Gibb, who staged the stunt, tells all in our feature IN THE LIMELIGHT, where you will also be able to see a larger image of the advertisement. Meanwhile, top marks go to our Liverpool students for such an imaginative take on the event! The dream becomes a reality…
1930 – These rarely seen images show the site cleared and ready for the building that will be known as 4 Water Street Images © Barclays
Image © Barclays			Image © Martins Bank Archive Collections
So much has already been written and displayed on this site about the lavish premises at 4 Water Street, that there is not much else to say. You can read an extensive feature about the construction of the building on our HEAD OFFICE page. Just before we visit the Staff Gallery for City Office, we couldn’t resist fitting in some larger views of our favourite part of Liverpool City Office - The Horseshoe…
Images © Martins Bank Archive Collections
Dreams of travel… Some of Martins Bank’s customised business cheques are little works of art, and this is demonstrated to the full by this sumptuous design for the Cunard shipping Line from February 1956. The image on the right was restored by Martins Bank Archive from the image of the used cheque on the left, to bring you the glory of the ocean liner, and dreams of gentle travel that can no longer be fulfilled by today’s hi-tech methods of transport…
Images © Martins Bank Archive Collections - Image remastered (right) 24 February 2015

	BARCLAYS BANK LIMITED 8 Water Street Branch 8 Water Street Trustee		CHARTERED BANK Derby House Exchange Buildings
	DISTRICT BANK LIMITED Water Street Branch		LLOYDS BANK LIMITED Water Street Branch Water Street Exec & Trustee India Buildings Overseas Water Street North West District Office
	MARTINS BANK LIMITED 4 Water Street City Office 4 Water Street Head Office 6 Water Street Overseas Computer Centre – Derby House		NATIONAL PROVINCIAL BANK 7 Water Street 7 Water Street Foreign 7 Water Street Trustee
	STANDARD BANK OF WEST AFRICA 25 Water Street		WESTMINSTER BANK LIMITED Water Street Branch

As we hold more than eighty staff photos for Liverpool City Office, we have

divided this gallery into different departments for ease of reference

ACCOUNTANTS

Mr A J Wilson Accountant 1951 to 1957

Mr L Ward Accountant 1957 to 1963

1963 to 1967 Mr E Hubbard Accountant

Mr K E Buxton Accountant 1967 onwards

ACCOUNTS AND MACHINE ROOM STAFF

Miss S H Stanley Machine Supervisor 1944 to 1965

Miss Dorothy Diment Team Leader 1948-53 Machine Supervisor 1953

Miss Nancy Stanley Machine Supervisor 1954

Miss Audrey Watson Asst Team Leader 1948

Miss Audrey McPherson Machinist 1948

Miss Betty Peter Machinist 1948

Miss Delia Davies Machinist 1948

Miss Muriel Jones Machinist 1948

Miss Winnie Winckle Machinist 1948

Miss Joan Wilson Ledger Control Clerk 1948

Miss Gladys Quayle Ledger Control Clerk 1948

Miss H K Hatto Accounts 1965

Mr T B Swift Head of Waste 1965

CATERING STAFF

Mrs Hamilton Catering Manageress 1951 to 1962

Mrs Carrie Knott Catering Manageress 1962 Onwards

For full details and pictures of the catering staff at 4 Water Street, please visit our STAFF CATERING section, where you can also meet the catering staffs from Liverpool Heywoods, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle upon Tyne.

COUNTER STAFF

Mr A D Thomas Cashier 1932 to 1934

Mr G H Grimshaw Cashier 1932 to 1934

Mr E B Gillard First Cashier 1945 to 1947

Mr H M Shaw Chief Cashier 1947 to 1949

Mr H S Hayes Cashier 1948

Mr F J Lees First Cashier 1949 to 1957

Mr N E Cavendish Chief Cashier 1957 to 1961

Mr A J Brown Cashier 1959 to 1969

Mr L M Clay Cashier 1960 to 1968

Mr E P Chambers Chief Cashier 1961 to 1968

Miss K Barton Cashier 1963

MANAGEMENT STAFF

Mr F A Dew Pro then Asst Manager 1932 to 1933

Mr W R Woods Assistant Manager 1936 to 1937

Mr J R Whittle Sub Manager 1944 to 1948

Mr W D Armstrong Manager 1944 to 1951

Mr J V Dobie Pro Manager 1944 to 1957

Mr D E Brewis On Staff 1947 to 1961 Manager 1967 onwards

Mr L H Mills Assistant Manager 1947 to 1961

Mr A Tunnington Sub Manager 1950 Manager 1951 to 1967

Mr L Malley Head of Security and Asst Manager 1950-68

Mr L J Walton Sub Manager 1951

Mr Ian Buchanan Sub Manager 1954

Mr J W Ratcliffe Pro Manager 1956 to 1961

Mr G A Greenhalgh Pro Manager 1957 to 1959

Mr R P Williams Assistant Manager 1957 to 1962

Mr A B Stevens Assistant Manager 1962 to 1963

Mr T R Froggatt Assistant Manager 1963 to 1966

Mr J D Winckles Assistant Manager 1966

Mr R Williamson Pro Manager 1966

Mr W J Bass Assistant Manager 1966

Mr C D Skelton Pro Manager 1967 Asst Manager 1968

Mr F W Samuels Pro Manager 1967

Mr H F Smith Deputy Manager 1967

Mr A J Dixon Pro Manager 1968

Mr N Atkinson Assistant Manager 1968

Mr M J Turner Assistant Manager 1969

Mr R H Davies Assistant Manager 1969

MESSENGERS PORTERS AND TELEPHONY STAFF

Mr W J Mantell Head Porter 1948

Mr Tommy Parsons Head Messenger 1959 to 1968

Miss Betty Parker Head Telephonist 1947

Miss Dorothy Hughes Telephonist 1947

Miss Betty Bygroves Telephonist 1947

Miss Brenda Smith Telephonist 1947

OTHER STAFF (Includes mostly those whose job role is not listed)

Mr T A Johnson Securities 1932 to 1934

Mr C A Tillotson On the Staff 1934 to 1935

Mr G S Cottier On the Staff 1937

Miss K M Horsburgh Joined the Bank Here 1938

Mr A Taylor Joined the Bank Here 1939 to 1939

Miss M J Rummens Joined the Bank Here 1939

Mr G Shepherd On the Staff 1940

Miss F S A Hardman Joined the Bank Here 1947 to 1948

Miss Brenda J Aked On the staff 1953

Mr K Whalley on the staff 1955

Mr F E Price On the Staff 1956

Miss J A Tighe (Became Mrs J A Crane) On the staff 1958 to 1968

Miss M Gordon-Taylor Mr Tunnington’s Secretary 1959

Mr D Mawdsley On the Staff 1959

Mr T R Bradley On the Staff 1964

Title: Type: Address: Index Number and District: Hours: Telephone: Services: Manager:

Martins Bank Limited 11-00-00 Liverpool City Office Full Branch PO Box 107, 4 Water Street Liverpool 1 Liverpool Mon to Fri 1000-1500 Saturday 0900-1130 CENtral 5428 Nightsafe Facilities are not Listed for this branch Mr D E Brewis Manager

sub

11-444 Liverpool Cotton Exchange (1954 to 1963)

Leicester Hotel Street

24 October 1932 15 December 1969 2003 20 April 2007

Opened by Martins Bank Limited Barclays Bank Limited 20-51-02 Liverpool 4 Water Street Sold, but counter leased back to Barclays Counter Closed permanently from 12 noon

Liverpool Aigburth