11-37-30 Birmingham Markets

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Martins Bank 1928+

Martins Bank’s Branch in the Birmingham Markets area opens at 72 Jamaica Row on the same day as the BBC Television Service begins - 2 November 1936, and for the next twenty-eight years Markets Branch serves the banking needs of this bustling area of the City.

Time, as they say, marches on, and by the end of the 1950s it is clear that this part Birmingham needs to be redeveloped. Ambitious plans are put forward to build the Bull Ring Centre, and in 1964, Markets Branch having been bulldozed as part of this exciting new project, Martins opens up shop in Smithfield House DIGBETH.

In the same year, the development of the Broad Street and Five Ways area sees another of the Bank’s original Birmingham Branches meet a similar fate when the business of FIVE WAYS Branch is relocated to EDGBASTON. The new branches may not have had quite the same charm (or the discomfort) of the originals, but they illustrate perfectly how Martins Bank embraced the challenges of the 1960s, not least the architectural ones! People remembered, and were in some cases still suffering bombed out buildings and post War slums, so gleaming concrete edifaces became the Architect’s best friend…

In Service: Mon 2 Nov 1936 - Mon 30 Jun 1941 reopened Mon 25 Oct 1948 - Sat 11 Apr 1964

Birmingham Daily Gazette 31 October 1936

Image © Trinity Mirror Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

Image reproduced with kind permission of The British Newspaper Archive

Extract from Martins Bank Limited Annual Report and Accounts 1937 © Barclays

Birmingham Daily Post 30 October 1936

Martins Bank enjoys a good deal of support from the local press in Birmingham, in particular the Birmingham Daily Gazette, Post and Daily Post which over the years run quite wordy articles announcing the arrival in town of the latest Branch of the Bank. It is not all free publicity of course, and the Bank pays to have advertisements like the one shown above, and enjoys free articles like the one shown here (left). Whilst customers know from the advert that the Branch will open at Jamaica Row, the article tells them it will actually be known as Markets Branch, and is on the corner of Jamaica Row and Moat row. We are somewhat intrigued by the use of a “rubber floor” in the public space – somewhere for cheques to bounce, perhaps?

Image © Trinity Mirror Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. Image reproduced with kind permission of The British Newspaper Archive www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk



*Mr F A Goodman* *Manager* *1937 to 1942*	*Mr E R Carr* *On the Staff* *1948 to 1954*	*Mr Reg W Bywell* *On the Staff* *1950 to 1951*	*Mr K R Chance* *Limited Authority* *1951 to 1960*	*Mr W E Clowes* *Joined the Bank Here* *1953 to 1954*	*Mr K W Edwards* *On the Staff* *1955 to 1961*



*Mr D W Hall* *Manager* *1956 to 1961*	*Mr J E Davies* *On the Staff* *1960 to 1961*	*Mr R S Arrand* *Pro Manager* *1960 to 1961*	*Mr J B Cullen* *Manager* *1961 to 1964*	*Mr W D Beardsley* *Limited Authority* *1961 to 1964*