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 Martins
Bank continues to expand in London until the merger with Barclays, adding
branches in parts of the City where business is expected to draw in the well
heeled, high net worth customers, who will pay for banking services, and use
the Bank’s executor and trustee services. Martins opens in this splendid
building, Victoria House Westminster, in 1951, and it is visited the following
year by Martins Bank Magazine who waste no time in comparing and contrasting
the look of the new branch with that of Nantwich, which opens around the same
time. You can read more about this somewhat curious comparison further down
this page.
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In Service:
1951 under 4 May 1970
Image © Barclays Ref
0030-3160
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When Barclays and Martins merge at the end of 1969, the
Branch is closed and the business transferred to Barclays’ Westminster
Branch at 78 Victoria Street. For our features, we go first to 1955 and the
starring role of Westminster branch in that April’s edition of “Business”
magazine. Then we go back a little further to 1952 and the visit of Martins
Bank Magazine to Westminster Branch…
One of
the most modern banks in Britain!
Don’t take OUR word for it, Victoria House
Westminster Branch is officially one of the most modern banks in Britain,
in the tough business world of 1955.
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Image ©
Business Magazine April 1955
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Business Magazine runs this colour front page showing the
Branch, which at the time is still less than four years old…
To the left of the picture, serving behind the counter
grille is Mr Jack Jaques. His son Michael has kindly provided us with this
image from his personal archive. Michael got in touch with us from Canada,
having visited the Online Archive and seeing his father’s staff picture and
career details in our pages. He was able to supply us with several images
of branches, training courses and sporting activity from Jack Jaques’ time
with the Bank. If you can help with images and/or memories of any of our
Branches, please do get in touch with us at the usual address –
martinsbankarchive@btinternet.com
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{THIS MONTH’S COVER PICTURE
A business executive discussing his
personal banking arrangements with an officer of Martins Bank, Victoria
Street, Westminster Branch – one of the most modern banks in Britain.
Although business executives today receive the same high standard of
personal service from their bankers as pre-war, their incomes are
relatively lower. An article on page 75 of this issue discusses “Executive
Salaries”….}
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An interesting
architectural contrast to Nantwich?
x
 WHEN first it was suggested
that we should visit Westminster branch the grounds for the idea were that
the branch would make an interesting architectural contrast to Nantwich,
which we featured in a previous issue. And when we arrived at the branch
on April 3rd it was quite obvious that Mr. H. A. Lewe, the Manager, who is
immensely proud of his branch, thought that it was because of the
architecture that we were making the visit. Well, of course, one has to have a
reason for singling a particular branch out for a visit, and this excuse
was as good as any, but we would like to make it clear, here and now, that
it is people we are interested in primarily, bricks and mortar only
incidentally.
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Our visit to
Westminster on April 3rd was a bit of an occasion for it is the first
Metropolitan branch to be featured in this series of articles, though the
number of Head Office officials who have visited it is both large and
representative.
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Architecturally, it
is, of course, both interesting and unusual. The premises at one time
housed the National Provincial Bank, and latterly an antique shop and a
tobacconist's shop occupied them. The first tricky problem encountered was
that of dealing with a pillar almost in the middle of the space needed for
the Manager's room. As this pillar was doing a vital job it could not be
moved amd so instead of the manager being supplied with a desk in the form
of a piece of furniture a desk was built round the pillar and the latter
was painted a cream colour. We wondered whether the neat symbolism of a
pillar of strength arising from the manager's desk had occurred to the
architects or whether they had merely been
preoccupied with disguising what they could not alter. The antique shop, which is now the counter, customers'
space and manager's room, has blue walls and concealed ceiling lighting;
the tobacconist's shop, with sunshiny yellow walls, is now a light and
airy machine room, near to and yet attractively secluded from the counter.
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Image ©
Barclays Ref 0030-3160
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The Westminster
Staff – Left to Right: Mr H A Lewe, Mr A F Hill, Mr K A Clark,Miss A L
Haswell, Miss M A Foster and Mr L E V Hall.
Kindly supplied by P A Raymond, this image is taken from
the original staff group photograph.
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In the ordinary way the
Bank does not favour counter grilles, but
as space did not permit of the regulation 3 feet 6 inches depth for the
counter it was considered advisable to fit a grille. The coloured corkoid
squares form a bright and cheerful patterned floor covering on the
customers' space. The strongroom and
basement accommodation must be about the best which it is possible to
provide and cleanliness and efficiency are everywhere apparent.
As to the exterior, Westminster is one of the few London
branches to display the new Hanging Sign and not the Grasshopper, so
cherished by the older branches. In a somewhat dark and dirty street our
branch, the fascia and cornice of which are painted a light grey-green and
the stucco a dark green, strikes a cheerful and arresting note of welcome.
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Image ©
Barclays Ref 0030-3160
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Image ©
Barclays Ref 0030-3160
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