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Opened in
1871, Ambleside is one of the oldest of Martins Bank’s Lake District Branches
and comes from the amalgamation in 1893 of Messrs Wakefield Crewdson’s Kendal
Bank, and the Bank of Liverpool.
Ambleside has a number of sub-Branches over the years, many of which
make it through the merger with Barclays. Hawkshead
and Grasmere survive until the year 2000, and Coniston until 2018. An agency is opened in 1898 by the Bank of
Liverpool at Elterwater, and this survives as a sub-Branch of Martins until
1935. During the Second World War,
Ambleside Branch plays a very special part in the Bank’s war effort. |
In service: 1871 – 5 December 2014 All Branch Exterior/Interior Images ©
Barclays Ref 0030/0043 and 0030/0020 |
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It is
used as a “rest house” – somewhere for staff and their families to stay and
take a break in the lovely Lake District, a chance to forget – if only
fleetingly – the horrors of war. Mr
Gillespie (pictured, right), Manager at Ambleside from 1941 to 1954, takes
personal charge of many of the arrangements and is highly regarded for his
work in looking after those who come to use the Rest House. In common with many based in Liverpool, the
staff of Martins Bank Magazine has a strong love of the Lake District, as can
be easily deduced from this visit to Ambleside in 1952, where we also meet the
Branch staff, hear more about the role of the Wartime Rest House, and find
that Ambleside Branch actually numbers an American
President among its customers! |
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There is a great temptation when writing about
a visit to the Lake District to indulge in descriptive passages, for each of
us thinks that no other person can possibly have felt quite the same as we
have done when faced with so much grandeur and beauty. But the Lakes have
been well publicised by our poets and writers and their beauties are
well-known to many of our readers, so we must confine ourselves to the object
of our visit —that
of meeting some of our colleagues who represent the Bank in Westmorland. For us a visit to
Ambleside is like going home; we have had so many happy times there with our
children and we have so many friends that to set foot in our Ambleside branch
is just like returning home after a long absence. |
Ambleside Interior 1 - The 1960s © Barclays |
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Mr. Gillespie, our senior
Lake District manager, although all his career has been spent in the Lakes,
first at Keswick, then at Bowness, where he became Manager in 1934, and as
Manager at Ambleside since 1941, could, if he wished, truthfully lay some
claim to be as well known as any manager in the service—better-known than
most. This was largely because of the Ambleside Rest House which was so
well-used by the staff as a holiday centre until its discontinuance in 1949. Mr. Gillespie was very much concerned with certain aspects of the
running of the Rest House and as a guide and friend to all who came he made a
special place for himself in all our hearts. Now that his time in the Bank is
running short we felt it entirely appropriate that this tribute to one who
has helped to make so many people happy should be made, and we are glad to
assure his many friends up and down the service that Time is using him
kindly. |
Ambleside Interior 2 - The 1960s © Barclays |
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Mr. G. Whitehouse, who signs
Pro Manager, now occupies the former Rest House. Following his success in
qualifying as an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries he came
to Chief Accountant's Department at Head Office for three years but, apart
from war service, has been at Ambleside since 1935. Mr. E. B. Totty was on holiday
on the day of our visit, but readers of our Spring, Summer and the present
issue who have seen his articles on canoeing and log raft sailing will be
interested to learn of his selection to accompany, as a reserve, the British
team of four competing against Germany in the International Slalom at
Lippstadt this year. Mr. Totty was spending his holiday learning the Eskimo
Roll in the Tweed, the first man in the world, we believe, ever to learn this
feat of boatman-ship in the Tweed. |
Ambleside Interior 3 - The 1960s © Barclays |
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At the end of July we had the pleasure of hearing him in the
B.B.C. light Programme in connection with a canoeing course for youngsters
which the B.B.C. broadcast. |
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By the time these notes appear Mr. J R Hullock will have
accepted the responsibilities of married life and we would like to send him
and his wife our very good wishes for the future. The two girls are Miss A. E. Battersby and Miss M. Balme.
Miss Battersby has been at the branch for three years and has recently become
engaged to be married. Miss Balme only entered the service in April. Those who stayed
at the Rest House will remember Kathleen Dixon who was on the staff of the
branch at that time. She is now living at Seascale and is the mother of a
little boy; her married name is Mrs. K. M. Boys. Ambleside branch has had
many distinguished customers and the signature reproduced above is a reminder
of one of the most famous of them all, the First World War President of the
United States who banked with us in 1906. |
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Specimen
signature of President Woodrow Wilson, who banked with the Bank of Liverpool
at Ambleside Branch in 1906 Another internationally-famous
connection was Beatrix Potter of Peter Rabbit fame and many are the tales of
this highly-individualistic old lady, who tramped the lanes of Lakeland in
heavy boots, wearing garments made of cloth spun from the wool of her own
flock of Herdwick sheep, and wearing on her head a headdress of the Balaclava
type. In the last year of her life she came chuckling into Ambleside branch
and showed Mr. Gillespie a half-crown which a motorist who had given her a
lift had slipped to her, mistaking her homespun for poverty. She left a
fortune… |
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A rarely seen example
of an Ambleside cheque that bears the crest of Messrs Wakefield Crewdson
& Co – this is how the Bank’s cheques looked when President Wilson opened
his account… It is interesting to note that the date of the cheque is partly
printed as “189__” almost as if the Bank of Liverpool expects another merger
before spending out on more stationery! 1965 Sees the retirement of Mr
Whitehouse, whose forty-four year career with the bank included almost thirty
years at Ambleside. Martins Bank
magazine drops in at the cocktail party held by Mr Whitehouse… |
Image – © Martins Bank Archive Collections |
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A very pleasant cocktail party was given by Mr Whitehouse and
his wife when he retired as Pro Manager of Ambleside branch at the end of
April. The presentation of an electric drill and components was made by Mr W.
O. Davies (Liverpool Assistant District Manager) who outlined amusingly Mr
Whitehouse's career in the Bank and his long service at Ambleside branch. In
the 29 years he had spent there he had been on almost every committee in the
town. Mr J. E. Cooper (Manager) thanked him for his service and wished him
many more years of good health in retirement. A bouquet was presented to Mrs
Whitehouse by Miss Rooking. In his reply Mr Whitehouse thanked his colleagues
for their friendship and their generosity. His career which started in 1921
at Barrow took him to Kendal and Keighley, to Chief Accountant's Department,
Head Office, and to Liverpool City Office before he moved to Ambleside in
1935. There he remained, apart from 4 years' war service, being appointed Pro
Manager in 1948. In retirement he will continue to live in Ambleside. Calming in the 1940s, almost Churchlike in the 1960s… |
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Ambleside Exterior - The
1960s © Barclays |
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This drawing of Ambleside branch
appears in Martins Bank Magazine in 1946.
The branch plays a very important role during World War Two, when it
is used by the bank as a “rest house” for staff and their families. A kind of home away from home, the
Ambleside Rest House is used and appreciated by a large number of Martins
staff from all over the country, who are able to enjoy leave from war duty,
or to take a much needed break in this beautiful part of the Lake
District. You can read much more about
Martins Bank during the Second World War, including some of the branches that
were bombed, and a number of surprising war “secrets” in our feature MARTINS AT WAR. |
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Just who has merged with whom? All these
banking mergers can be so confusing – A customer of Ambleside Branch,
acknowledging the safe arrival of cash sent by post and enclosing a receipt,
addressed the letter to “MARTINS DISTRICT BANK” and the receipt to
“MARTINS MIDLAND BANK”… |
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