11-32-20 London Bruton Street

Advance to Mayfair…

Whilst we are sure that Christmas Day 1938 must have been a Bank Holiday, it is nevertheless the date of a two-year lease taken by Martins Bank Limited on 27 Berkeley Square, London W1. Why only two years, you might ask? Well, it seems that establishing a new Branch in this most prestigious part of London has to be carefully planned, and 27 Berkeley Square does not exactly have the potential for expansion (we are hoping to secure a contemporary photograph from the current owners for illustration).

Having opened a Branch there on 20 February 1939, Martins occupies the building around sixteen months, before moving round the corner to 11 Bruton Street, from where Banking transactions continued until February 2019. This short flirtation with the romance of Berkeley Square is not however forgotten, and Martins’ office, even in its new location is fondly known as Berkeley Square Branch. As far as we know, there were no attempts by the bank to take that famous nightingale with them to Bruton Street! The song, incidentally, was written by Messrs Maschwitz and Sherwin in 1939…

In Service: 20 February 1939 until June 1940 moved to 11 Bruton Street