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Description automatically generated Barrowford sub branch moves to Gladstone Terrace from Holmfield View in august 1951. But that is not the end of the story for this “restless” branch of martins Bank! Gladstone Terrace and King Edward Terrace sit side by side on Gisburn road, and by 1968 the Bank feels that the accomodation at Gladstone Terrace is not adequate for this popular little sub branch. In a move that was probably literally achieved by walking a few yards with the furniture, the business moves out of Gladstone Terrace at Saturday closing time on 21 September 1968, and re-opens on Monday morning 23 September about a hundred yards away in King Edward Terrace. This might have been a smart move too, as Barrowford sub Branch survives the merger with Barclays and lasts until 1992. As a sub-Branch to Nelson, it is a busy little office, open for sixteen hours each week across the full six-day banking week operating until Saturday closure is implemented in July 1969.

THIS BUILDING In service 20 August 1951 until 21 September 1968

Image © Martins Bank Archive Collections

Sadly, we have been unable to track down photographs either of 5 Gladstone Terrace or the original branch at 2 Holmfield View.

There are however a number of photographs for 4 King Edward Terrace, which you can see on our page for that particular building HERE. The bank takes out a full page of advertising in the local newspaper to herald the move from 5 Gladstone Terrace.

Image © Johnstone Press. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD

Image reproduced with kind permission of The British Newspaper Archive

Once the process of merger between Barclays and Martins Banks has begun, we start to see branch moves illustrated by the two gentlemen carefully carrying the golden grasshopper of Martins Bank. A clever advertising campaign, it aims to evoke a feeling of safety and security for the customers of Martins Bank. This might be a nice touch, but within a very short space of time, the name of Martins Bank will have all but disappeared from the streets, and from the daily life of Britain in the late-sixties / early seventies.