11-14-40 Great Harwood

Great Harwood is a branch of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank. It survives the various mergers and it remains open as a branch of Barclays into the twenty-first century until the axe falls in the middle of November 2015. To the superstitious, to close permanently on Friday the Thirteenth might also have seemed perhaps a little insensitive.

We have three short features from Martins Bank Magazine which focus on members of the the staff of Great Harwood branch at various points from 1916 right up to the end of Martins Bank in 1969, covering a retirement, a “blast from the past” and the Duke of Edinburgh’s award…

In Service: Circa 1897 until Friday 13 November 2015

Branch Images on this page © Barclays Ref 0030-1108

1964 02 MBM.jpg 1950 to 1963 Mr F Cowell Manager MBM-Su63P54.jpg On the occasion of his retirement after forty-four years' service with the Bank Mr. F. Cowell (Manager, Great Harwood) entertained twenty present and former colleagues to dinner at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel, Clayton-le-Moors. Mr. T. E. Rigby, Mr. Cowell's successor, presented him on behalf of the subscribers with a transistor radio set and a cigarette box and expressed the sincere wishes of all present that Mr. Cowell would enjoy many years of good health and happiness. Mr. N. R. Manser (Manchester District Superintendent of Branches) expressed the thanks and good wishes of the District General Management. In his reply Mr. Cowell said the gifts would remind him of his many happy years in banking and of the friendships he had made during that time. Earlier, Mr. Cowell had lunched with Mr. E. H. Priestley (Manchester District General Manager). After entering the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank in 1919 Mr. Cowell served at Blackburn and Manchester before entering Manchester District Office in 1938. The years 1942-46 were spent with H.M. Forces. In 1947 he returned to Blackburn branch as Accountant and was appointed Manager at Great Harwood in 1950. Active in the affairs of the community, Mr. Cowell was at the time of his retirement Treasurer of Great Harwood U.D.C., Vice-President of the Institute of Bankers (East Lancashire Centre), and Immediate Past President of the Rotary Club of Great Harwood and Rushton.

1957 01 MBM.jpg Those were the Days…

1916 Great Harwood Interior MBM-Sp57P36.jpg This nostalgic image appears in Martins Bank Magazine in the Spring of 1957, and shows three of the members of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank’s Great Harwood Staff behind the counter of the Branch in the year 1916…

There is a fascination about old photographs. We all keep them and when they are periodically brought to light the pages of memory are turned and the flood of reminiscences brings back the happiness of days gone by. There is gladness in remembrance, and sadness, too, especially when we gaze upon the well-remembered faces of those who are no longer with us. These photographs have been received following our publication of the first selection in the autumn 1956 issue of the Magazine. They will recall past happiness and will serve to remind us that the institution we have served throughout our working lives has not grown old as we who have served it have aged. It has grown up and increased in stature and is going from strength to strength. In this we have all played our part and the accompanying photographs surely provide evidence of that esprit de corps which is such a valuable leaven in the life of a great business organisation.

1969 01 MBM.jpg 1969 Elaine Barrett Staff MBM-Sp69P49.jpg From Marriage Guidance to police work…

A residential course on youth leadership, lectures on marriage guidance work, and courses on home nursing and police work. These were the varied pursuits undertaken by Elaine Barret of Great Harwood Branch to achieve her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. She already has the Bronze and Silver Awards, and the two years’ work for her gold involved travelling to Belgium and Germany. Elaine was presented with her Award at Buckingham Palace on 4 February.



*Mr F Parker* *On the Staff* *1916*	*Mr F Haslam* *On the Staff* *1916*	*Mr W Park* *On the Staff* *1916*	*Mr A H Cudworth* *Joined the Bank Here* *1920*	*Mr F Haslam* *On the Staff* *1923 to 1932*	*Mr R Tanner* *Joined the Bank Here* *1925*



*Mr H Slater* *On the Staff* *1937 to 1941*	*Mr E Haslam* *On the Staff* *1940 to 1942*	*Mr A Spencer* *Manager* *1941 to 1950*	*Mr F Cowell* *Manager* *1950 to 1963*	*Miss E Barrett* *On the Staff* *1969*