11-34-00 Banbury Cattle Market

OUR SITE USES FRAMES TO ACHIEVE A NOSTALGIC LOOK – IF YOU CANNOT SEE A MENU TO THE LEFT OF THIS PAGE, PLEASE CLICK ON THE ‘HOME’ BUTTON ABOVE

Martins Bank’s Branch at Banbury Cattle Market is opened in 1961 at a point in the Southern expansion of the Bank that sees many new sub branches opened at cattle markets (known in the North as Auction Marts), industrial workplaces, universities, two RAF Stations and even a hospital.

In Service: 1961 until 27 February 1969

Images © Martins Bank Archive Collections

Banbury once boasted one of the largest cattle markets in Western Europe, dating from Victorian times, even served by its own railway branch line. Although the cattle market itself closes down in 1966, Martins’ sub-Branch there is kept open to serve the immediate area, until February 1969. We would really like to find an image of the cattle market from the early 1960s, and it would be even better if there was a shot that included the branch. If you can help with images or information about this or any of Martins Bank’s 1000+ Branch buildings, please do get in touch with us at the usual address, martinsbankarchive@btinternet.com. Six months after the opening of the main branch at Banbury (pictured below), Martins Bank Magazine pays the branch a visit and makes the following obervation regarding the necessity for the Bank to open a Cattle Market Branch as soon as possible:

1959 02 MBM.jpg At the moment, Banbury is essentially a market town and its cattle market is open four days a week, once for sheep, once for stores and attested cattle, once for general sales and once for Irish cattle. Three of the other banks have branches there, and it is obvious that we must open one ourselves at the earliest possible moment. With the developments to come, therefore, we appear to have arrived at just the right time, and in six months our business has made most satisfactory and gratifying progress.