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 The true
“pioneer spirit” sees Martins Bank forging Southwards to become a truly NATIONAL
bank. Careful to choose once more a building with character, the
Bank opens its Branch in Basingstoke’s London Street in the August of
1962.
The brick and stone frontage of this property immediately gives the
impression of a Bank that might have already been there for decades, and that
will immediately exude an air of security and permanence – all this of course
with the Barclays merger still just a little too far out of sight around the
corner.
Martins Bank Magazine wastes no time in visiting the new Branch shortly
after it opens, and the ensuing article tackles amongst other things, local
pub names, the achievements of the staff, and some local
history…
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In Service: August 1962 until 7
June 1991
Black and White Branch Images ©
Barclays Ref 0030-0122
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A New Branch in Old Hampshire…
  our branch in Basingstoke is well placed in London Street off which runs
Wote Street. As we wandered round the town and were charmed by it we wondered
what a wote was (if readers will forgive the alliteration). One so often
hears the lament that all towns to-day look the same - clothiers,
multiples and the like - and while many industrial centres now have a harsh
sameness this is not so of the older country towns like Basingstoke where one
finds the best of both worlds. True, a
fifteen-year plan for modernisation is already in hand which will mean the
loss to our branch of the fruit trees in the back garden, but ancient and
modern will stand side by side in much of the town where, even now, this does
not seem incongruous. Rather was it the
established order of things in Basingstoke which surprised us: for example, The Self Defence - not The Angel as one might expect - stands
opposite the fine old Parish Church of St Michael but it was incongruous to
see an empty Securicor armoured van parked between them.
 Another hostelry, The Royal Exchange, almost faces a
prominent building which, alas, proved only to be the Haymarket Theatre
where, beneath an impressive picture of Michael Redgrave, appeared the
hopeful words 'Bingo every Monday'. There is, too, a maternity home called,
rather unimaginatively, The
Shrubbery. Despite these
peculiarities there is a worthwhile dependability
about the town and three times within an hour we caught the smell of freshly
baked bread - once in Wote Street. We like to think it is typical of the service
at our branch, where a dictionary failed to show the word 'wote', that they
forthwith phoned the town's librarian to find out and even he didn't know. If
we were secretly pleased that Mr R. D. Batey, our Manager, was also stumped
for an answer to 'What is a wote?' it was only because we think he has
already found the answer to most things. That, let it be known, is far
removed from just having an
answer—there are enough of that type of person
and we would not wish anyone to think that Mr Batey falls in that low
category. His ability to mix has already given this branch a successful
start—it opened in August 1962—and we shall be surprised if the business does
not continue to expand. A Tyne-sider by birth, Mr Batey entered the Bank in
1944 at Hexham and apart from three years with the Royal Air Force and a
season with a Mobile Branch has hitherto worked in the North Eastern District
branches becoming Pro Manager at King Street, South Shields, in May 1960. He
attended the Domestic Training Course in 1959 and the Senior Training Course
this year. He is now very happy in Hampshire as also is his wife. Mr A. J. W. Wastell, who is
Mr Batey's right- hand man, is a Londoner who has taken to the country,
edging out of the metropolis via Southall where he entered the Bank in 1952.
Domestic circumstances made it necessary to move his home to Camberley a short
time ago so, when Basingstoke opened, he was almost on the spot.
 Where so much depends on the service provided by a new branch
his frank, friendly and helpful manner with customers is of immense value. He
has, moreover, the advantage of his a.i.e.
and a Domestic Training Course to support his qualities. Mr B. A. Collins, who joined us only
eighteen months ago from a building society, has settled in well both at the
branch and in his lodgings for his home is in Bournemouth, while Miss S. M.
Bellord is a lively girl who lives so close to the branch that she can go
home for lunch. Another of our embryo
ambassadresses, if we may coin the term, Miss Bellord is soon going to make a
success of counter duties. Basingstoke
is a lively, happy branch and it must be encouraging to Mr Batey and his
staff to see their determination to ensure good service and increase the
business meeting daily with success. We also record our gratitude to Mr
Batey, not only for our transport to
and from London Airport, but for arranging for us to see the processes of
manufacturing industrial diamonds and for obtaining from the Curator of the
Museum, within 24 hours, the following explanation of 'wote':
“The
original records commenced in the 15th century and between that time and the
latter part of the 19th century it was always known as Ote or, latterly, Oat.
This was presumably because of its leading off the Market Place. The broad
Hampshire dialect however, pronounces ote as wote and we were immensely glad to find that Mr and Mrs Batey, who
went out of their way to make our visit so enjoyable, have been fortunate in
buying a lovely modern house in the district which most took their fancy.
When
the Post Office produced a new directory some seventy or eighty years ago, it
can only be presumed that the street names were dictated and that, because of
this dialect, Ote became recorded as Wote”. When Queen Mary's School was
founded in 1556, its Charter referred to Wote Street and, here again, the
official explanation is that this was a mistake by the clerk who was scribing
the document.
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