A to Z - Selection Page

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MARTINS BANK’S BRANCHES FROM A to Z

Our Branch Network pages cover those buildings used as branches or departments by Martins Bank Limited between 1928 and 1969, along with stories about and images of the staff who worked in them. Prior to the creation of the modern day Martins Bank, which was brought about by the amalgamation of the Bank of Liverpool and Martins with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank, earlier incarnations of the bank were formed gradually through the joining together of many smaller and older banks which had operated mainly across the North of England and on the Isle of Man. It was the policy of most banks to establish a foothold in a particular city, town or village, by opening a TEMPORARY branch, whilst seeking out the ideal site on which to build a permanent Branch, or indeed an existing building suitable to house one.

Enemy Action in the two World Wars also contributed to branches having to be rebuilt or moved. When you visit one of our Branches, you should bear in mind that the dates shown for opening often refer to when a particular constituent bank established itself – and therefore indicate when a banking SERVICE was first made available by them – in a particular location. The majority of branch images, and dates of opening, are shared with us by Barclays directly from the records maintained up to 1969 by Martins Bank. Martins Bank Archive has also located more than a hundred branch photographs for branches that were not represented in the records passed to Barclays in 1969. Full dates, and details of temporary branches are not always shown within these records. Although we are concerned mainly with the social history of Martins Bank Limited, 1928 to 1969, we do try to add details of temporary branches of any of the consituents banks to our list, as and when this information comes to light. Our good friends at the British Newspaper Archive have been of particular help in this respect.

In 1966, the Bank operated more than 750 Branches and sub-Branches in England, Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Even more Branches were opened within the twelve months before news of the merger with Barclays brought about the beginning of the end for Martins Bank, and a cull of branches in May 1969 removed a large number of even the newest of these from the portfolio of Branches. Down the years, bank branches arrived in their thousands – but as the twenty-first Century has so far shown – they have nearly all departed again, as the way people use money relies less and less on cash and face to face transactions. The eleven clearing banks of the 1960s were split into “the big five” and “the small six”. Of the latter group, Martins Bank Limited was the largest, and amazingly, between the creation of Martins Bank Limited in 1928, and its absorption into Barclays in 1969, more than ONE THOUSAND buildings were used as TEMPORARY or FULL branches of the Bank in England, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

There will be much to see as you journey through the alphabet – large town and city offices, smaller rural branches, and tiny sub-branches dotted about all over the place. Some had special uses, such as Cattle Market (sometimes “Auction Mart”) sub-Branches. There were branches based on University Campuses specifically for the student banking market. Even some workplaces had their own sub-branch to serve the employees of large companies or factories, and in one case a hospital. Martins Bank even had a branch on the Centre Court at the All England Tennis Club, Wimbledon. Our A to Z page has been redesigned, and split into the choices you see below. Start your journey simply by clicking on an image to be taken to the relevant section of the alphabet!

MARTINS BANK’S BRANCHES FROM A to Z…