11-42-60 Northallerton

Having worked for a few months in a temporary branch at Zetland Street, the staff of Martins Bank’s new Northallerton Branch are able to move into purpose-built premises in High Street towards the end of 1963. The Branch occupies the ground floor, and the first floor is taken by Messrs Place Blair and Hatch Solicitors. We can take a good look at the interior, thanks to several photographs taken at the time which have been made available by Barclays…

In Service: 1963/1964 until 12 December 1969

Branch Images © Barclays Ref 0030-0414 Martins Bank is very keen to reflect the local nature of its Branch Network, and most of the newly built or opened Branches in the 1960s have specially commissioned artworks made for, and displayed within their premises. At Northallerton, local views by Yorkshire artist Alec Wright are hung against a background of wych elm (above and Below). The counter area is bright and welcoming, and still free of the bandit screens that will begin to put a barrier between staff and customer from the late 1960s onwards.

Branch Images © Barclays Ref 0030-0414

Privacy is afforded by the manager’s/interview room, and even a corner provides a useful space in which to work and keep the safe!

Outside, the rear of the Branch provides adequate parking space for staff and customer. Unfortunately, it is not possible to read clearly the Car Park sign, but we have inlaid an image of an identical sign from another of Martins’ branch car parks.

Northallerton Branch still looked in pretty good shape in 2021, almost six decades after it was built for and opened by Martins Bank. We are grateful to good friend of the Archive Stephen Walker, for the contemporary photograph…