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Banking in Bohemia… Martins Bank opens this
handsome new Branch at no 11, Soho Square, in 1939. As a stand alone
office, it operates under the initial Management of Mr T
I Bond, who will later become the Chief Accountant of the Bank. The telephone
number in 1939 is listed as
GERrard 4786, but
changes the following year to
GERrard 2066 which
becomes the permanent number for the branch. The first of our photographs
of 11 Soho Square, is a fabulously atmospheric shot from the early 1940s
which really captures life in Soho Square. Martins Bank’s Branch still
looks new and ready for action. By 1964 the business of the Branch at 11 Soho
Square is such that new and larger premises will have to be found. Martins
moves to 25
SOHO SQUARE, a modern
building, used by the Ministry of Transport incorporating the Branch and two staff
training rooms from where cashier and machinist courses are run for staff
from London and the South East. We were delighted when Jon Barker, a visitor
to Martins Bank Archive, contacted us having seen Mr Hume’s photograph of 11 Soho
Square Branch on the excellent Museum of Soho
site. |
In Service:
20 April 1939 until 1964 Image
© 1940 Mr J Hume and The Museum of Soho – www.mosoho.org.uk Image © Barclays Ref 0030-2683 |
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The Museum of
Soho, takes
pride in capturing the essence of life as it used to be lived - the history
and colourful times of the unofficial capital of Bohemian life in Britain is
brought vividly to life through a wealth of nostalgic images. We are grateful
to the Museum, and to the owner of the picture, Mr J Hume for letting us have a copy of the photo for
the Archive, and permission to display it within the pages of our Online
Archive.
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