11-90-40 Manchester Hulme Temporary Branch 131 Stretford Road

A look at the Branch Directory from May 1969 tells us that Hulme Branch has ‘upped-sticks’ to a little further along Stretford Road from No 273 to No 131. Whilst records are patchy, it does seem that the bulldozers of the Mancunian Way developers have reached one of the Bank’s older and more characterful branches. Hulme’s temporary office does make it through the merger with Barclays, but with other outlets such as Brooks’s Bar and Old Trafford nearby, it survives only until April 1971…

Early 1968 until 23 April 1971

Image © Martins Bank Archive Collections

Our friends at Barclays Group Archives uncovered for us some information which shows that originally, Hulme Branch might have been destined to move into new premises, but for whatever reason, this move does not in fact materialise:

{A register of the Bank’s title to premises (ref 622/1) has an entry for ‘Hulme Temporary Premises’ dated 5^th June 1968: “Agreement between the Lord Mayor Alderman and Citizens of the City of Manchester and the Bank for a tenancy of temporary accommodation on the ground floor and basement of No. 131 Stretford Road, Hulme, Manchester”. At a rate of £600 pa. the term was from 1st January 1968 to six months after offer of accommodation in District Centre, or 1st September 1974, whichever is earlier”. It doesn’t include any obvious information about when the branch actually operated in these premises or the date of termination of this agreement}.

Image © Barclays Ref: 0030-1811

Martins Bank Magazine visits Hulme only once – in 1967 – and this short extract gives us a further indication of the expected fate of this once beautiful old building at 273 Stretford Road…

{At Hulme one can park outside the branch on Stretford Road, a busy main thoroughfare, without difficulty because the whole area is slowly dying. The deep purple tint of old mahogany, the church pew in the customers’ space, the intricate patterns of wood and glass around the Manager’s Room – with the title still on the glass of its door – are an indication of more affluent and active days dating back eighty years. Light industry northwards, and blocks of flats to the south will change the look of this semi-derelict area where once the small businesses raked in the money from the Saturday shoppers…}