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In the 1890s, the
North Eastern Banking Company is in the middle of a sustained period of
growth and opens a number of new branches and sub branches each year. Newcastle Elswick, South Shields
Laygate, and Felton, (which by the 1960s
is a sub branch to Morpeth), are all
completed in 1896. 1960s opening hours
suggest a reasonable amount of business is transacted at Martins Bank
Felton. Resources will also need to
be stretched a little to operate
Morpeth Auction Mart sub branch, which opens for a full
day on Monday, and a half day on Wednesday.
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In Service: 1895 until 28
April 1972
Image © Barclays Ref 0030/0985
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We were delighted to be contacted by the current
owner of the building, who sent us some up-to-date images, and informs us
that whilst a conversion to a dwelling house has been made, this seems
largely not to have detracted from the overall appeal of the building. They
are very keen to preserve and study the history of this unusual home. Below we compare and contrast the
exterior, and (above, left) we see the grand wooden doors to the public
area of the bank, which still stand today.
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