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Finding a Branch of Martins Bank in Blackpool is just like finding an
ice cream kiosk. The Bank’s presence
in the town is more or less universal, and right along the Fylde Coast, you
are never far away from your local Martins Bank.
The list begins at Bispham in the north, then comes the branch at
Blackpool North Shore. In the centre
of Blackpool itself is the main branch at 22 Clifton Street, and until 1937
there is also a branch at 30 Corporation Street.
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In Service: Monday 6
October 1924 until 12 November 1982
Branch Images © Barclays Ref 0030-0284
Whitegate Drive is the third central
Blackpool branch. Next comes South Shore,
and finally Lytham Road, giving Martins Bank a comprehensive coverage of the
area. Not all of these branches are
lucky enough to survive the merger with Barclays, and today only Whitegate
Drive flies the flag for Martins.
North Shore and South Shore even close their doors early, in June
1969.
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The Standards are set…
 The date is “set in stone”
to provide a permanent record of the establishment of this branch for all
to see. In 1923, the building No 22
Clifton Street is a major undertaking, and we are grateful to friend of the
Archive Pauline Lai, and to our friends at the Blackpool Gazette and Herald
for the following article published 31 May 1923, featuring the building
work about to take place in Clifton Street that will produce Martins’ main
Blackpool branch.
 A handsome
Architectural Acquisition
Of late years,
Clifton Street, Blackpool, has undergone a remarkable transformation in
appearance. Today, it is one of the
town’s busiest shopping centres.
Further important changes are now in progress. A valuable site has been acquired by the
Bank of Liverpool and Martins Ltd., on which a handsome and commodious
bank, of which we give an illustration, is being erected to the designs of
Mr Walter Wade Lic. R.I.B.A., architect of St Annes, the contractors being
Messrs J Parkinson and Sons, Ltd., Blackpool. The site is Nos 10 and 12, Clifton
Street, Blackpool, where stands at present a company house and a shop, both
of which are being entirely cleared away.
The front, in the classic style, is in Nelson Stone and consists of
a heavy rusticated base, carrying four Corinthian columns supporting the
pediment, in which the Bank coat-of-arms is carved. The entrance door is cased in solid
bronze, as also are the windows to the front. The whole of the ground floor
will be occupied by the Bank proper, the first and second floors consisting
of suites of offices. The interior of the Bank is carried out in Marble and
fibrous plaster, the style of architecture being in the Doric order. the fittings, panelling etc., will be in
mahogany. The building is fireproof, and is equipped with every modern
convenience, centrally heated, well ventilated, and will undoubtedly prove
one of the finest-equipped buildings for its purpose in Blackpool.
Main image and text © Blackpool Gazette and Herald 1923
 News spreads
far and wide in the 1930s, this story of an attempted raid at Blackpool
Branch being no exception. A
disabled man is alleged to have demanded with menaces, £5 to be handed to
him over the counter at Clifton Street Branch. For clarity, we have reproduced the
original wording alongside the following clipping from the Gloucestershire Echo which comes to us courtesy of our friends at the British
Newspaper Archive..
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{BANK
SCENES
Deaf
and Dumb Man’s
Alleged
Demand
William
thwaite, aged 20, described as a deaf and dumb man, of Squire Street,
Edgehill, Liverpool, was before the magistrates at Blackpool today on a
charge alleging that he, knowing themeaning of certain writing on paper,
demanded of Percy Middlehurst with menaces and without reasonable or proper
cause the sum of £5 at Martins Bank, Blackpool, yesterday. Chief Constable
Derham asked that the man should be remanded in custody so that his mental
state could be ascertained. It appeared that about 10.15 yesterday, thwaite
entered Martins Bank and presented a piece of paper on which he asked for a
loan of £5. When it was refused by the bank clerk, Thwaite drew a knife
from his pocket. The remand was
granted. Considerable interest was
taken in the hearing. The court being crowded with holiday-makers}.
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Gloucestershire Echo 11 August
1933
Image © Northcliffe Media Limited Image created
courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD
Image reproduced with kind permission of The British Newspaper Archive
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In
1949 Clifton Street receives a visit from Martins Bank Magazine. The Branch
employs so many staff at that time, that they have to be photographed in TWO separate groups outside the branch - the girls,
and the boys, most of whom work at the various Blackpool sub-Branches…
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The sub-branch
clerks pose outside Clifton Street with some dignitaries seated along the
front row as follows:
From
left to right –
Mr T A
Johnston (Liverpool District Manager)
Mrs
Johnston
Mr W A D
Eastham (Branch Manager)
Mr T
Cowpe (Manchester Asst Dist Manager)
Mr C W
Aked (Clerk in Charge of Bispham)
Image: © Martins Bank Archive Collections
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  We
went to Blackpool, chosen by Mr. Tarn to be the first branch in the
Manchester district to feature in this series of articles. Our eyes
brightened hopefully at the thought of seeing the lights and we began to
feel that Mr. Tarn was a most human and understanding man to have picked
out Blackpool for a September visit. But our hopes were soon dashed, before we
even started out. “There'll be no lights for thee, lad. Do you know how
long it took last Sunday to
crawl along the front in a car? Four hours!” Then, as an afterthought, our
driver Mr Cowpe added: - “Anyway, I can see them from
Southport.” As I live in Woolton, on
an unadopted road which, until recently, hadn't even a gas lamp, I thought
this was a bit selfish. However, it was his car so I had to lump it. The morning was overcast with a thick mist hiding the
sea and a distinct end-of-the-season feeling was in the air as we drove
along the Promenade and watched the diminished crowds idly strolling along.
The crowd considerably increased in numbers as we got to the Tower and
when we entered our branch in Clifton Street there was no sign of any
slackening-off of business there.
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The (mainly)
female staff of 22 Clifton Street also posing outside the branch Without
counting Mr Eastham twice (as he was keen to take centre stage in both of
the photographs!), the Blackpool staff of 1949 numbers about thirty. In the
twenty-first century it would be hard to find a large town bank branch with
more than about ten staff.
Image: Martins Bank Archive
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In
fact, as we sat talking to Mr. Eastham, Manager since 1945 after fourteen
years as sub Manager, we were frankly amazed at the volume of work handled
by our branch. Unfortunately interesting though it would be to our readers
we have no room to comment on the business of a branch.
Suffice
it to say that the index finger of every member of the staff is probably
nimbler than that of anyone at nearly every other branch in the service. One thing we can say which is probably unique in our
service - it is necessary to maintain a sizeable staff working behind
closed doors on a Bank Holiday, both to provide service to certain
customers and also in sheer self-defence, so great is the daily volume of
work to be handled.
Another
peculiarity of the branch lies in the number of people on the staff who
have been sent there for health reasons.
Well, the air of Blackpool may be just what the doctor ordered, but
working at the branch is no rest cure.
Mr. Eastham himself has recently completed
43 years' service in the Bank and is game for a little longer. He is an old
Lancashire and Yorkshire man with previous service at Preston (21 years)
and St. Ann's Square.
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This
voucher is as issued to a customer of Blackpool branch in February1963 as
part of a special capital distribution to shareholders celebrating the
four-hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Bank.
It
is also an early example of the production of such vouchers by a computer
at a time when the complexities of pounds shillings and pence has to be
mastered by the fledgling new technology.
Image © Martins Bank Archive Collections
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From
money lender to gin palace – 22 Clifton Street has seen it all in its
almost one hundred year history! Thanks to Kate Snowden for the
contemporary photograph, which was taken in October 2018 …
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Image ©
Barclays Ref 0030-0284
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Image © Martins Bank Archive Collection – Kate Snowden 2018
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