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 This colour
image of 26 North Street was taken in January 2014. A month or two after being opened for the
first time, the Branch is visited by Martins Bank Magazine, who want to see
how things are shaping up. This feature comes from the series “more pages
from the diary of a mobile Banker”, which along with “visits to the family”,
encompasses visits to more than one hundred and sixty of the Bank’s Branches
between 1946 and 1969…
A new Branch down The
Lanes…
 Brighton Rock, the Brighton Belle, Roedean, the Regency
Pavilion, Genevieve, the London to Brighton
walking race—no shortage of famous associations here, but the visitor by train should
be warned that the approach from the railway station is disappointing, mediocre and trippery.
This is the Via Mala of the Bank Holiday visitor, no more characteristic of the place than of any
other seaside resort, the Brighton fish and chip shops, the gaudy displays of pink rock, postcards,
spades, and buckets and all the other paraphernalia of a popular seaside town. But the
approach by road is quite different.
 This is the Brighton of Regency days, of houses and terraces and crescents built in the famous architectural
manner which, dubbed “Regency” is forever associated with
not only a period of our history but with a way of life which has gone for ever. The famous Pavilion, with its fantastic
domes, a cross between a mosque and the palace of a sultan—much criticised by architectural
authorities on all kinds of grounds, aesthetic and otherwise—is as much a
part of the Brighton tradition as is the Tower to Blackpool, and each in its own way
gives character and attraction, distinction and, yes, charm to what would otherwise be miles of glaring concrete
promenade, undistinguished hotels and boarding houses, and
the other garish associations of the
English seaside resort.
But Brighton has quality too. Its antique shops in narrow streets, strongly reminiscent of the Venetian calle, are, when found, a constant delight to the visitor. You need to know your way about Brighton, where to eat, where to shop, and where to stay, in order to get the maximum pleasure from
a visit. Banking is a formidable industry
in Brighton and the presence of
over seventy branches of the big banks is indicative of the money in
the town and of the business connected with it. We have
had a branch there since before the
last war and so well has it
nourished that a move has now been
made into more commodious
premises and we have erected a fine modern building, with office accommodation on the floors above,
further along the same street.
 The contemporary
trend in the architecture of our new branches has again been followed. The
Manager's room, for example, has a red ceiling, pastel blue walls and a
mustard-coloured carpet. In the main office, heated through the ceiling, rich
walnut panelling, sound-proof walls and concealed lighting combine to create
the impression that this is an institution which keeps abreast of the times.
Good taste has been observed throughout. We visited
the old office in 1952, unofficially, and made a promise then that we would
pay them an official visit in due course. Our visit on May 23rd redeemed that
promise. Mr. S. E. Pearman is the present
manager and Brighton is his fourth managership. He entered the Bank in 1919
at Lombard Street and after serving subsequently at Bromley, Orpington, Baker
Street and Sidcup, he was appointed Manager at Eltham in 1935. In 1939 he
went to Bexhill-on-Sea and in 1940 to London District Office. After a brief
spell at Baker Street again, in 1941, he was appointed Manager at Orpington
and in 1946 was promoted to be Manager at Croydon. His appointment to
Brighton came in 1949. His
second-in-command, signing Pro Manager, is Mr. A. F. Sharp, who entered the
Bank as a University graduate in 1950 and, prior to his present appointment,
served at various branches in the London District. He was appointed to
Brighton last year. We were very pleased indeed to be able to express our
regrets to him personally for the unfortunate substitution of photographs
which occurred in the Magazine when we publicised one of his major scholastic
successes in the Institute of Bankers' examinations.
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There is a staff of twelve at Brighton and all were present on the
day of our visit except Miss A. J. Aukett, who was on holiday. We were sorry to miss her as we
hear that she is something of an athlete and specialises in swimming in the
sea at Brighton from one pier to the other on a cold morning! There are five girls, all local products, and all
obviously hand-picked: Miss M. R. Methven, Miss M. Lancashire, Miss B. A.
Whittaker and Miss P. Hill make up the rest of the team. The Brighton belles indeed! Their remaining male colleagues are
Messrs. J. F. Anderson, B. C. Branwell, A. F. Hill, K. M. Greene and D. J.
Adams. After lunch with
Mr. and Mrs. Pearman at the famous “English's” restaurant, where all kinds of sea food are exclusively served,
we made our somewhat tortuous way back to the office, via the crooked streets of antique
shops.
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The idle thought crossed our mind, no doubt
due to the excellent
lunch, that English is indeed a very difficult language to learn. We had
crossed the Downs that morning
on our way from London, but surely, correctly speaking, the “Downs” should be “Ups”? At the conclusion of our visit we went out to tea at Mr. Pearman's
new home in a beautiful, though
windswept spot on the edge of the Downs overlooking the sea, with Roedean
school in its lovely
setting close enough for Mr. and Mrs. Pearman to hear the girls singing in
the school chapel when
the wind is in the right direction. And as we stood there, we saw the steamer from Dieppe
making its way towards Newhaven harbour and on the skyline coastwise commerce could be seen steaming in
the Channel.
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 Martins Bank places great emphasis on any public
service undertaken by its staff. The young are offered outward bound
courses to “develop character”, and those in Management positions and who
are of some standing in their community can often be found chairing any
number of local council committees, taking on the duty of treasurer of
endless sporting or horticultural clubs, or raising serious cash for
charity. There are probably hundreds of Martins staff involved in Masonic
activities, but Mr K F Carlisle, Manager at Brighton from 1962 to 1969 is a
member of much less secretive organisation! In 1967 he is chosen to be
President of his Local Lions Club, an event which is featured in Martins
Bank Magazine with a good photo, but precious few words besides…
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Mr K F Carlisle (Manager, Brighton)
receives his badge of office as the new president of Brighton Lions Club…
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