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Portland Street is
another original branch of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank. In the 1920s,
the address is listed simply as “Corner of Oxford Street” – and indeed in some
directories and records is known as Oxford Street Branch for some time – but
the building does eventually acquire the number 133. We often wonder how it is decided which
particular road can lay claim to Martins Bank’s many corner branches,
especially those that seem to take up equal room either side of the corner
entrance! For our Portland Street feature, we journey back to 1965…
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In Service:
1909 until 18 September 1992
Image © Martins Bank Archive Collections
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Mr Matthews, has been Manager
of Portland Street Branch for eight years of his amazing forty-five year
career, and now it is time for him to retire. We drop into the branch on the last working
day of January 1965 to witness the presentation of good wishes and gifts to
Mr Matthews from his friends and colleagues at Portland Street, and the wider
Manchester District of the Bank.
  mr matthews, Manager of Portland Street branch
for the past eight years, retired at the end of January. Mr E. H. Priestley
(District General Manager), Mr J. H. Jennings and other friends from District
Office, together with colleagues from nearby offices, met at the branch on
January 29th. Mr Priestley thanked Mr
Matthews for his long and faithful service to the Bank, wishing him and Mrs
Matthews a happy retirement and Mr R. Crawford (Pro Manager) then paid his
own and the staff's tribute to Mr Matthews, mentioning his consideration and
his interest in both the branch and the Bank. He then presented Mr Matthews
with a suitably inscribed clock, a Teasmade and a recording of Sir Winston
Churchill's principal speeches, on behalf of numerous subscribers. Mrs Matthews was handed a bouquet by Mrs
Jones. In reply Mr
Matthews said the gift of a clock was symbolic in the sense that on the
occasion of his marriage his colleagues had presented him with a clock which
had proved very useful in getting him to the office on time: this one would
be a constant reminder that he now had no further need to report daily at 9
o'clock. The formalities over, the 75 guests were then entertained to
cocktails and sandwiches at the office. Shortly
before his retirement Mr Matthews was entertained to lunch by the General
Manager and also by Mr Priestley at Manchester District Office. He entered the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank in 1920,
serving at various branches in the Manchester District until his appointment
as Manager at Hale in 1947, and going to Portland Street as Manager in 1957.
He served with H.M. Forces from 1943-45.
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