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“A ydych wldi gadael eich agoriadau?”
  This reminder on the door between the Staff side of the
counter and the counter space at Wrexham: “Have you left your keys?” caught
us out, for we had walked out of Head Office that morning, February 6th,
with ours. With the name of Ellis we certainly felt at home at
Wrexham branch, with Miss Parry, Miss Davies, R. W. Jones and Mr.
Harris-Hughes, all Welsh speaking, and Miss Trevor-Jones who like ourselves
has the name but not the language.
Mr. K. Harris-Hughes, whose previous service includes
Water Street, East, Chester, Hoole and Colwyn Bay, opened Rhyl branch as
Manager in 1939 and went to Wrexham, our oldest Welsh branch, as Manager in
1945. He was educated at the Holt Secondary School, Liverpool, and we were
interested to discover that not only did he know many of our own friends,
but that he had frequently called at our childhood home when a boy to see a
younger brother, but it was left to this visit for us really to make his
acquaintance.
Later in the day we had the pleasure of meeting his
wife and developing the acquaintanceship still further. V. L. Fisher, the
second man, enjoys that great blessing to parents, a brilliant son of whom
great things are expected. He has three children, and is also a keen gardener,
specialising in chrysanthemums. F. T.
Pritchard is an old friend whom we first met at the Ambleside Rest House. He motor cycles
to work each day from Llangollen and has solved his housing problem in a
way which will make many readers green with envy.
He had bought a properly modernised old bungalow on a
hillside  with seven acres of woodland and meadow in the lovely
Vale of Llangollen. Wise man! R. W. Jones only entered the Bank
in December after doing his National Service and getting as far as Germany.
Miss B. Trevor-Jones has been in the service
since 1936 at Wrexham. She comes to Liverpool occasionally to go to the
Playhouse but so far has not seen over our Head Office, a shortcoming we
have promised to remedy. We regret that we were unable to meet Miss M. B.
Davies as she was away on compassionate leave. Mr. Harris-Hughes tells us
that she is a most competent cashier. We are glad that she managed to turn
up for the photographer. Miss A. G. Parry
has been with us since 1948, but her recent engagement to a young man who
is training for the ministry of the Welsh Presbyterian Church obviously
numbers her days among us.
 After a pleasant hour at the branch we went on a tour
of exploration and were fascinated to discover that at least a part of
American culture has its roots in Wrexham, for the founder of Yale
University lies in the Parish Churchyard and a stone from the wall of the
church was incorporated in one of the buildings at Yale. American visitors
come by the thousand to Wrexham Church and the U.S. Flag and the battle
flag of the U.S. Marines hang over the choir. There is also a chapel
dedicated to the Welsh Guards and the church has some beautiful stained
glass.
The steeple of Wrexham Church
is one of the Seven Wonders of Wales. How many people know the other six?
Pistyll, Rhaiadr and Wrecsam
steeple,
Snowdon's Mountain without its
people.
Overton Yew Tree, St. Winifred
Wells,
Llangollen Bridge and Gresford
Bells.
In the church itself the
following inscription took our fancy: "Here lies interred beneath
the's stones, the beard y flesh and eke y bones of Wrexham Clark old Daniel
Jones." We went out to the Trading Estate to see our branch and
marvelled at the optimism of the workman who perched the cistern on the
flat roof, exposed to the gentlest zephyr equally with the bitterest
wind. Still, he treated Lloyds Bank
the same, so who could grumble? In the afternoon we went to the magnificent
Panorama Walk above Llangollen in time to see a great snowstorm come
sweeping down the Vale. A very happy day drew to its appointed close all
too quickly, but we can say that any visitors from Martins Bank who call in
at our Wrexham branch are assured of a very warm welcome.
Wrecsam – then and now…
A large number of images remain of Wrexham Branch,
and they show how the branch has changed from the time of the visit in 1951
of Martins Bank Magazine, to the late 1960s after the branch has undergone
a spectacular makeover…
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