11-69-50 Birtley 48 Durham Road

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Martins Bank 1928+

Image © Martins Bank Archive Collections

In Service: 25 March 1968 until 1973

Image © Barclays Ref: 0030-0263

This is, believe it or not, a NEW Branch of Martins Bank! The North Eastern Banking Company originally opened a branch at Birtley in 1904, ten years before amalgamating with the Bank of Liverpool. In Martins’ time, Birtley was a Sub Branch to Low Fell, but when Martins and Barclays merged in 1969, Birtley was promoted to full branch status at least until Barclays’ 1980s reorganisation of its branch structure. The parent Branch at Low Fell remained open for a total of one hundred and sixteen years, finally closing its doors to customers of Barclays on 23 October 2015.

In 1973 Barclays opened an altogether different and much less attractive Branch at No 58 Durham Road Birtley, and this closed permanently on 16 October 2015. Martins 1968 new build at Birtley is typical of the Bank’s 1960s approach – brighter lighter offices, out with old fashioned oppressive dark wood panelling, and in with the latest designs, from building materials to fabrics, and a number of very expensive artworks. Sadly, it is this attention to detail that becomes too great an expense for the Bank, and contributes to the eventual need for it to find a buyer…