11-29-00 Ashington

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Martins Bank’s Branch at Ashington is one of the original branches of the North Eastern Banking Company Limited, opened by them in 1893. This is twenty-one years before the North Eastern Bank merges with the Bank of Liverpool, an amalgamation that provides Martins Bank with a comprehensive coverage of the North East. Barclays Group Archives tell us that by 1929 the premises at Market Place are deemed by the directors of Martins Bank to be “not suitable, and some distance from the trading centre of the town”.

A new branch is constructed at a former shop premises at 9 STATION ROAD , a branch that remains open until 16 July 2021. It was common for the Bank to take out an advertisement in the local press when a branch was opened, moved or closed. Often the advertising would feature the Bank’s Coat of Arms and other generic content that mentioned one or more of the Bank’s services. In the case of Ashington’s move to Station Road, we have only been able to find this short piece produced to be circulated as a press release.

Often, it can seem that the words used to sell a product, concept, idea, or even a building can be a little over-inflated, and although the 1930 replacement branch has every inch of character that you might expect from a branch of Martins Bank, we do wonder whether customers were actually interested in knowing about the various materials used to build it? We have therefore reproduced here the words of the article alongside a photo of the new branch, as it gives us the chance to compare the description with the actual building!

In Service: 20 September 1892 until January 1930