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A fairytale palace…
– in Manchester?
…and now for a real treat. You are about to witness the almost
unbelievable extravagence of the Palatine Bank’s headquarters at 22 Brown
Street Manchester. In 1907 the self proclaimed “People’s Bank”
diversifies into construction, and the key selling point of this side of the
business is surely its amazing Head Office, a triumph of construction if ever
there was! The sheer audacity of this wonderful building is
something to behold, when in the twenty-first century we consider the enless
bland structures of concrete and glass, that choke our towns and cities. Thanks
to Barclays’ collection of Martins Bank images, we will see the buidling in
its full glory further down this page, but first we hear a little of how
there came to be a fairytale palace in the middle of Manchester…
 {As the youngest Manchester bank,
the Palatine bank has to face keen competition and to pioneer in order to
attract deposits. The Daily Dispatch of 16 November 1904 reports that the
Bank has pioneered the collection of small savings}. {Another
venture of the Palatine Bank was the formation of the Palatine Buildings
Company Limited on 24 July 1907.
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In Service: 30 May 1910 until 29 October 1971
Image © Barclays Ref
0030-1800
 The
memorandum and articles of association stated that the object of the company
was to acquire, for investment or resale, land, buildings mines and the like,
and to make advances on the security of land, buildings, rents and the like.
In particular, the object was to acquire lands and buildings in Brown Street
Manchester, on which the new Head Office of the Palatine Bank was erected in
1910. The aim was to build the new Head Office in the style of Lancaster
Castle, built by John of Gaunt when he was made first duke of Lancaster}.
{The
design is purely Norman. Flanked by two great towers at either end, with five
round Norman arches and battlemented parapet the frontage to Norfolk street
was described as “most impressive”. The building is constructed of Portland
stone and Norwegian granite, and the interior décor is simple:
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On
three sides of the bank chamber the arched spaces are filled in with coloured
panels representing shipping, trading and the arts. the glass ceiling is
divided into compartments on each of which is shown the arms and devices of
Lancashire boroughs}.
Text abridged, and some
images from FOUR CENTURIES OF BANKING
© MARTINS BANK LIMITED 1968
  The
ill health which caused premature retirement at
the end of March also prevented Mr Gregory,
Accountant at Brown Street, Manchester,
meeting the staff and others who had subscribed to his retirement gift. The Manager, Mr H. J. Southworth, with Mr Gregory's successor, Mr C. Knowles, called on their colleague at his home to hand him a cheque which carried with it the good wishes of everyonefor the
future. They were pleased to find him very
much better and now able to spend more time
in his workshop which is very well equipped
with tools of all sorts. Some of the gift money will add to his equipment. In retirement he and his wife will continue to live in their present home which stands on the hillside, 800 feet above his native town of Darwen. It was at Darwen branch that Mr Gregory
entered the Bank in 1925 and he spent all
his career at branches in the Manchester District.
He received signing authority at Brown
Street branch in 1956 and was appointed
Accountant the same year.
An entrance at either end, AND one in the middle! The Norfolk Street entrance leads
to Martins Bank’s Manchester Trust Company Headquarters.
Brown Street Branch also houses training rooms and a
large staff restaurant for use by the staff of the Manchester Branches.
Image © Barclays Ref
0030-1800
 On
the evening of 30th April, in the Reform Club
Manchester, a party was held to mark the retirement
of Mr Southworth, Manager of Brown Street branch. After brief introductory remarks by the new Manager, Mr D. C. Reilly, Mr E. H. Priestley, who had entertained Mr Southworth to lunch
earlier in the week, spoke of his pleasure
at being asked to make the presentation in
view of his earlier associations both with Mr Southworth and with the branch. Mr Southworth's long service in the centre of Manchester, said Mr Priestley, had made him one of the best-known managers in the city and he quoted from an old staff report, stressing the qualities of integrity and kindliness which had made John Southworth liked and respected throughout the service. He then presented a handsome leather-bound book bearing the Bank's coat-of arms and the names of 128 subscribers, and a bill of exchange drawn on Brown Street branch. After thanking Mr Priestley for his remarks Mr Southworth spoke about his early introduction to banking, adding that all his service, which began in 1922, had been spent in head offices or ex-head offices of Manchester banks: the Mercantile Bank of Lancashire, the Lancashire & Yorkshire Bank and the Palatine Bank. As would be expected of John Southworth, he spoke of the store he laid by the value of the lasting friendships he had formed in the Bank. The money is to be
used to buy a pair of binoculars which Mr Southworth will use in pursuing one of his life long interests— travel. During an
extremely busy month Mr Southworth
entertained his entire staff to a theatre
outing to see 'The Red Navy', which was
preceded by dinner and proved a memorable
occasion. His first Bank appointment was in
1943 when he became an Inspector at District
Office and two years later, he was appointed
Manchester District Inspector. He moved to Brown Street branch as Sub Manager in 1952 and was appointed Manager in 1960.
 The grandeur of Brown Street might have
faded a little since it was the Head Office of the Palatine Bank, but at
least this lovely building still stands. Alan Thomond, who has taken a large
number of “then and now” comparison photos for us, sees Brown Street Branch
every time he donates blood at a nearby collection centre. The magnificent
chinmeys are still in place, and look to us to be large enough to bring down
the whole building in a strong wind. Luckily this replica of John O’ Gaunt’s
Castle looks ready to survive at least another century…
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