11-71-00 Manchester Birchfields

“It’s Number one: -

It’s Top of the Pops”!

Birchfields is a branch of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Branch, opened between 1922 and 1928. In 1964 television history is made when a nearby former church is converted into a TV studio by the BBC and “Top of the Pops” takes to air. We wonder if any of Martins Bank’s Birchfields staff saw any of the artistes arriving in Dickenson Road ready to offer their latest sounds to the teenage audience? A number of the Bank’s Manchester Branches including Birchfields and All Saints are under the direct control of Manchester District Office, and operate as self accounting sub branches with clerks in charge instead of Managers.

In Service: 1924 until 22 September 1978

Image © Barclays Ref 0030/1975

During the Second World War, Birchfields is kept open, and managed by one of the army of lady clerks in charge who step in to look after the bank’s branches during the conflict. You can see an image of Miss E Utton, in the Staff Gallery below, she is at the helm from 1942 to 1945. You can also read much more about Martins Bank’s role in the Second World War in our MARTINS AT WAR features section. Someone who knows what it is like to be at the sharp end of the War – serving with the Royal Artillery – is Mr C E Writght, who has worked at Birchfields from 1937 up to his retirement in 1968. As ever Martins Bank Magazine is on hand to record the departure of another long serving member of the Bank’s Staff…

1968 02 MBM.jpg 1947 to 1965 Mr C E Wright Clerk in Charge MBM-Su65P57.jpg at the end of April Mr Wright, Clerk-in-Charge of Birchfields branch, retired after nearly 43 years' service, twenty-eight of them spent at Birchfields with a break of four years for war service with the Royal Artillery. He entered the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank in 1922, working at Deansgate, Exchange and All Saints branches before his appointment to Birchfields in 1937. To mark the occasion he and his wife gave a party at the Birch View restaurant for 29 colleagues and friends including Mr F. Tunstall (Manchester District Superintendent of Branches) and Mr J. Speak (Manchester District Inspector). After a most enjoyable buffet, Mr Tunstall expressed the good wishes of General Management and colleagues to Mr Wright for a long and happy retirement and on behalf of subscribers presented him with a cheque. In his speech Mr Tunstall remarked that it was surprising that the branch had not become known as 'Wright's Bank' in view of Mr Wright's long service and that at one time there were two other members of his staff with the same name. A bouquet was handed to Mrs Wright by Miss Morch after which Mr Wright thanked his friends for their generosity, adding that his greatest pleasure was to find that all the ex-members of his staff since the war, still serving in the Bank, had managed to attend his party. On his last day in the Bank Mr Wright was entertained to lunch by his District General Manager.