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Between 1900 and the merger
in 1914 with the Bank of Liverpool, the North Eastern Banking Company opens
many new Branches. In 1902 it is the turn of Dipton, near Annfield Plain in
County Durham to have its own outpost of the North Eastern Bank, and this is
inherited by Martins and kept on until 1932.
We can equate the closure of Martins Bank’s branches with three
distinct periods in the history of the modern day Bank – from 1928 to 1935
the Bank consolidates its Branch portfolio following the amalgamation with
the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank. |
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In Service: 1902 until 1932 |
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Extract from Martins Bank Annual Report and Accounts for
1931 © Barclays
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This includes the enormous
expense both of rebuilding 68 Lombard Street and of building the lavish new
Head Office premises in Liverpool, at 4 Water Street. The next wave of closures comes as a result
of the Second World War, when despite the army of women managers and clerks
in charge, the Kennet Committee calls more and more of Martins’ Staff to war,
and there are no longer enough to maintain many of the tiniest sub Branches
in remote areas. |
Extract from Kellys Directory of Durham © 1914 |
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The last major time of change
is from 1956 up to the time of the merger with Barclays, when many old,
expensive to run Branches and sub-Branches, are shed in favour of investing
in refurbishments of larger offices or in brand new buildings, the latter particularly
in the Midlands, South and South West.
Dipton, opening just five hours a week is gone in the first of these
phases of upheaval. We have no image of the
Branch, so if you can help, please do get in touch with us at the usual
address: martinsbankarchive@btinternet.com.
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