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© 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. |
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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…
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Martins Bank Archive Collections 1988 to date. M M M |