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Glimpse
fleetingly, if you dare,
from behind the sofa, at this terrifying example of 1960s dystopia: Martins Bank’s sub-Branch at
Thornaby on Tees is opened in this bleakest of settings in 1967, moments
before news of the merger with Barclays is due to be broken to the world. |
In Service: 1967 until 12 December 1969 Image © Barclays Ref
0033-0547 |
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It is another Martins office
that is immediately surplus to Barclays’ requirements, and it closes in
1969. (And on this occasion, we
actually say thank goodness for that!) Brutalist architecture might nowadays
be seen as worth preserving to show us all the error of the 1960s way of
doing things, but we feel that it still has a lot to answer for. Although Thornaby does not have self
accounting status, business is considered to be brisk enough to warrant
opening the branch for a full six-day banking week. Thankfully, the interior
of the branch is a little more palatable than the exterior… |
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Images © Barclays Ref
0033-0547 |
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