11-39-20 Bury

BARCLAYS BANK LIMITED

Silver Street

DISTRICT BANK LIMITED

36 The Rock

LLOYDS BANK LIMITED

Market Place

MARTINS BANK LIMITED

26 Sliver Street Elton

1 The Rock Tottington

MIDLAND BANK LIMITED

2 Market Place

NATIONAL PROVINCIAL BANK

14 Market Place

WESTMINSTER BANK LIMITED

2 The Rock

WILLIAMS DEACON’S BANK

Address not held

Three Lives…

Messrs Grundys and Wood begin a banking service at 26 Silver Street Bury in 1798, that becomes the Bury Banking Company in 1836. Martins Bank’s Branch at 26 Silver Street bears some of the emblems of the Bury Bank. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank takes over in 1888, and amalgamates with the Bank of Liverpool and Martins in 1928 to form Martins Bank. Our images show the Silver Street Branch in three incarnations – below as a branch of Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank, and also Barclays, and here on the right as a Branch of Martins. Closed in 2010, the building still exudes safety, stability and security and shows how small scale grandeur can still be 100% effective.

In service: On or around 1 July 1836 – 15 July 2010

As Martins Bank limited

Image © Barclays

As the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank Image © Martins Bank Archive Collections – W N Townson Bequest		As Barclays Bank Limited Image © Barclays
	We have no interior images of 26 Silver Street as it is in Martins’ time, but Barclays have kindly supplied two colour shots of the interior from the late 1970s/early 1980s, which are shown below. We also have this close up (left) of the main exterior doorway, either side of which is placed a Martins Bank sign.

Images © Barclays

For our feature, we eavesdrop on the goings on at 26 Silver Street Bury on the occasion of the retirement of their long-serving machine room supervisor, Joan Lord…

1969 02 MBM.jpg on the evening of March 31 some sixty present and former members of Bury branch and Miss Goddard (District Lady Supervisor) met together at Silver Street to give their good wishes to Joan Lord. Presenting her with a crocodile leather handbag, Mr Isherwood (Manager, Bury) thanked her for her outstanding loyalty over thirty-two years and said how much her help and expert knowledge would be missed. Miss Lord began her career at The Rock and moved to Bury in 1955 where for the past eighteen years she has been the senior lady in charge of the machine room. In a brief but charming speech Miss Lord acknowledged the good wishes and the present, then invited her guests to an excellent buffet meal. Conversation about ‘the good old days’ continued well into the evening among the many former members of the Bury staff brought together by the occasion.

On the way to the future…

From the many examples of cheques and cheque books in our archive, comes this Bury cheque from the early 1960s. This is a time of change for banking, and even cheques themselves are redesigned and made ready for the computer age, through the addition of the “MICR Line” – those futuristic looking numbers which are printed onto the cheque using a special magnetised iron oxide ink. At this point the printing of a customer’s name on his or her cheques is being tested by Martins Bank’s automated branches in Liverpool and London…

The cheque book ordering slip shows a fee of three shillings and fourpence to be paid for a book of twenty cheques. This represents Stamp Duty, (a government tax) of tuppence on every cheque written.



*Mr W W Hall* *Joined the Bank Here* *1903 to 1912*	Mr S A Buxton *Joined the Bank Here* *1913*	Mr F Lee *Joined the Bank Here* *1915 to 1930*	Mr F C Hardman *Joined the Bank Here* *1920 to 1920*	*Mr E K Landless* *Joined the Bank Here* *1923*	Mr L Taylor *On the Staff* *1923 to 1923*



Mr T S *Collinge* *Joined the Bank Here* *1926*	Mr S Gee *Joined the Bank Here* *1928*	*Mr K Whittle* *Joined the Bank Here* *1931 to 1934*	Mr E H Brown *Sub* *Manager* *1937 to 1941*	Mr H S Wilkinson *Joined the Bank Here* *1939 to 1939*	Mr S M *Dearden* *Joined the Bank Here* *1939 to 1940*



*Mr W F S Richmond* *On the Staff* *1940 to 1941*	Mr C E Harris *Manager* *1941 to 1947*	Mr T England *Sub* *Manager* *1941 to 1952*	Mr C Spencer *Acting* *Manager* *1943 to 1945*	*Miss Brenda Lowe* *On the Staff* *Jan to Jun 1945*	Mr A *Scholes* *Manager* *1945 to 1946*



Mr T Longworth *Joined the Bank Here* *1945 to 1947*	Mr G Farrow *Joined the Bank Here* *1947 to 1949*	*Mr H M Nield* *Manager* *1947 to 1956*	Mr L Richards *Pro then Sub Manager* *1951 to 1956*	*Miss J A Lord* *Machine Room Supervisor* *1951 to 1969*	Mr T Whittaker *Joined the Bank Here* *1952 to 1952*



*Mr H Fletcher* *On the Staff* *1953 to 1968*	Mr W A *Beswick* *Manager* *1956 to 1964*	Mr J Speak *Pro* *Manager* *1958 to 1962*	Mr R B *Blomeley* *Pro Manager* *1962 to 1965*	*Mr K Livesley* *Deputy* *Manager* *1963 to 1966*	Mr H M Isherwood *Manager* *1964 onwards*



Mr R W Kitchen *Pro Manager* *1965*	Mr T Derbyshire *Deputy Manager* *1966*	*Mr G Guiver* *Pro Manager* *1967*	Mr C Mitchell *Deputy* *Manager* *1968*