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In 1881 the steady expansion of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank
continues throughout the two counties.
The profits of the bank are healthy and growing steadily year on
year. It is also a busy year for new
branches, with a total of six being opened -
Bury, Haslingden and Dewsbury, with sub branches at Ramsbottom,
Manchester New Cross, and Swinton. The Lancashire and Yorkshire opens their
Haslingden Branch at first in temporary premises, then in this marvellous
churchlike building on the corner of Regent street and Blackburn Road. At
this time they will ot be aware of how “churchlike” it will actually become…
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In Service:
1881 until September 1950
Image -
Martins Bank Archive Collections © HASLINGDEN OLD AND
NEW
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Image
- Martins Bank Archive Collections © HASLINGDEN OLD
AND NEW
A
BANK from 1890 until 1950 … in 1952 the “beginnings of a Roman Catholic
Church”. That’s the history of the old
Martins Bank; originally the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank, at the junction
of Blackburn road and Regent Street, Haslingden.
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In 1936 Martins Bank wants to call time on Regent
Street, and acquires a new property at 34 DEARDENGATE. There is
however the small matter of World War 2 to contend with, and the opening of
the new branch at Deardengate is delayed until 1950. For our feature, our
thanks go once again to our friends at Haslindgen Blogspot, for providing
the following article from the Haslingden Observer from 1952, in which we
learn of the most unusual fate of the former branch at Regent Street…
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It
is now being demolished by volunteer workers and its materials will be used
to build a new Catholic Church at St. Joseph’s, Accrington. With its
commodious residence for the Manager, built alongside, the Bank could
hardly fail to attract the passer by, especially sixty years ago, writes
“BRIAR”. Haslingden had then fewer
buildings of note, and the Bank possessed outstanding architecture and stonework. But efforts to dispose of it as it stood
failed. Now it is gradually
disappearing … soon there will only be a bare patch of ground to remind us
that here was once one of the busiest banks in Haslingden. The Lancashire
and Yorkshire Bank opened their first branch in Haslingden in 1881 at
premises at the corner of Regent Street and John Street opposite the fire
station, and in 1890 they opened the premises now being pulled down.
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Image
- Martins Bank Archive Collections © HASLINGDEN OLD
AND NEW
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The
Manager then was Abraham Hindle (brother of the late Mr Jonas Hindle) who
had been manager at the other premises.
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Banking Company had been amalgamated
with Martins Bank when, in 1936, the decision was made to move from Regent
Street to the Town Centre Property at the corner of Higher Deardengate and
Pleasant Street, occupied by a costumier, was purchased for that
purpose. Much of the work of
construction had been done when the last war broke out and held up
progress. But the new Martins Bank
opened in September, 1950, under the
management of Mr Jack Kay who had been
Manager at the former premises since 1936. Up to 1914 there was no bank within the
town centre.
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We are unable to provide our
usual “then and now” comparison, for as we have seen in the story above,
Haslingden Branch was demolished and used to construct a new church. So
here we look at the Branch at both ends of its life, under Lancashire &
Yorkshire and Martins Bank.
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 1922
Image
© Martins Bank Archive Collections - W N Townson Bequest
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,
1950
Image
- Martins Bank Archive Collections © HASLINGDEN OLD
AND NEW
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