11-62-50 Manchester Longsight

This is an extremely rare image, the corner of Stockport Road and Lister Street in Longsight, Manchester. It was taken sometime before 1949. Lister Street was demolished decades ago, and large parts of Stockport Road have also been redeveloped beyond recognition. This is a glimpse into the Manchester of the past, and here we have the original location of Longsight Branch opened by the Adelphi Bank, which in 1899 is taken over by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank. Somewhere around 1949, the re-numbering of properties in Stockport Road changes the address of the Branch from No 332 to No 238, four more Manchester Branches will also change their addresses.

In Service: 1891 until 4 September 1970*

*HOWEVER, SEE ALSO HISTORY AT FOOT OF PAGE

Branch Images © Barclays Ref 0030-1817

The building of the Mancunian way In the late 1960s, and the further redevelopment of large parts of the City since many of the Bank’s branches were still open, consigns Longsight Branch to the history books.

Image © BT 1949

Image © BT 1951

Longsight has a sub-Branch at Burnage which is opened by Martins Bank in 1929 but closed again after only four years. Later, Longsight itself becomes a self accounting sub Branch to Manchester District Office. You will see also from the above phone book entries, that LEVENSHULME Branch undergoes a similar re-numbering at the same time as Longsight.

Our Branch feature concerns the retirement – after an amazing forty-four years – of Mr W S Royle, Branch Manager from 1944 to 1953. At this point Longsight Branch is downgraded from full Branch to Self Accounting Sub, with a clerk in charge.

1953 03 MBM.jpg 1953 Mr W S Royle Manager MBM-Au53P51.jpg Mr. W. S. Royle, who retired at the end of June after 44 years’ service to the Bank, had expressed a wish that as little ceremony as possible should attend his departure. In accordance with his wish, only members of his staff and Mr. Faragher, his successor as Manager of Longsight branch, were present on his last day at the Bank. Mrs. Royle was unable to be present on the day in question, but Miss Bradshaw handed a bouquet to Mr. Royle to be conveyed to her as a token of the occasion, with the good wishes of the staff. Mr. Royle received from his friends and colleagues in the Bank a fountain pen, given as a mark of their appreciation and esteem, and Mr. Reynolds, in presenting it to him,’ expressed the wish that he might enjoy a long and happy retirement. Mr. Royle replied briefly to this speech of good wishes, thanking his friends and colleagues. Mr. Royle commenced his banking career in 1909, when he entered the service of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank, and in 1923 he was at Buxton branch as Chief Clerk. Nearly half of his banking service, twenty years, were spent at this pleasant branch, but in 1943 he was transferred to Oldham Street. A year later, in 1944, he was appointed to the managership of Longsight.