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Dark and forbidding -
the interior of the original building. Images © Martins Bank
Archive Collections |
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There have been cases where work on adjacent sites has had
adverse effects on the Bank’s own work, such as basement flooding. While
weather can often interfere with the work, the progress of a contract is
always to some extent controlled by the ability of specialists to meet the
agreed delivery dates. Some items require a considerable time from order to
delivery in site, and when one remembers that very often the necessary
dimensions are not available until the main structure is in position, it is
easy to see that sometimes delays are very difficult to prevent.
Bright and welcoming, the interior of
the new branch
Image - Martins Bank Archive
Collections
The story is not yet complete, for there will inevitably be
teething troubles – a door or a drawer which will not close properly; a
heating system which suddenly develops a jinx and tries to roast everybody,
but these matters can be rectified quickly. Customers give their own critical
analysis, usually of the design, and the staff, thankful to be free from dust
and grit, add their opinions – a wall paper is changed. but that is another
story.
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Tyne Dock – Before and After, Images – ©
Martins Bank Archive Collections |
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A
sympathetic replacement?
For the staff in
particular, a complete change from an elderly branch building to something
new and state of the art, with much better working conditions is as good as a
feast. Martins prides itself on the
use of new innovations, such as central heating through ceiling coils, and
special light fittings that minimise and soften the glare of the modern
flouescent bulbs. The new branches have better staff rest room facilities,
many with kitchen facilities. Between 1963 and 1965, a complete
transformation takes place in Preston, where the former Head Office of the
Preston Union Bank is tired, cramped, dark and miserable. Despite oozing traditional feelings of
security and permanence, the building belongs to another age, and the two
year programme of works that follows sees a large number of staff relocated
to temporary premises, whilst their new and gleaming statement of sixties
hope and glory takes place. Having
worked at the “new” Fishergate branch, our editor is broadly a fan – compared
to some of the horror stories you will encounter on our special feature page,
Preston has an elegance of its own, and a practicality that has kept it in
use as a bank for the best part of fifty years (although the huge reductions
in manpower since the 1960s will have left many an empty floor. Here is the transformation at Preston,
followed by a short extract from Martins Bank Magazine’s visit to the new
Branch in 1965, which provides us with some architectural details…
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With a nod to the past – the two branches occupy broadly
the same amount of space… Images – Martins Bank Archive (Left) and ©
Barclays (Right) |
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“The
entrance porch is of clear glass but the windows are of hand-made tinted
glass set in aluminium
frames, the counter is of teak, faced with Sicilian marble, and the walls of
the main banking office are of wide elm boarding with one large panel of
silver-grey marble. The management rooms are lined with cedar of Lebanon
against a maple background and hot water coils in the ceilings warm all the
office areas. The staff kitchen has built-in teak wall cupboards with magnetised catches”…
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On the inside – from seriously drab to a warm
Kodachrome® glow! Images – Martins Bank Archive (Left) and ©
Barclays (Right) |
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Until 1964, Martins Branches displayed a number of different representations
of the Bank’s name and/or Coat of Arms on the outside walls of their
buildings. From the mid 1950s onwards,
a new metal version of the Grasshopper and the Liver Bird has begun to be
seen, but 1964 sees the move into fibreglass, the lightest substance
yet used for this type of signage.
Curious to know just how the mass-production of Bank signs is
achieved, Martins Bank Magazine lifts the lid on the process in its Summer
1964 issue…
Fibreglass – the way
forward…
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since the last war, through research and experiment, the uses of fibreglass
have developed to such an extent that there are now companies engaged solely
in the manufacture of fibreglass products. Such a company is Carleton Russell Limited whose
works at Loughborough we visited recently. The company makes fibreglass
signs and displays and has produced several of our Bank signs. At the time of
our visit the finishing touches were being made to the huge sign, seen in the colour
photograph above, which now gleams upon customers entering our branch at Digbeth,
Birmingham. Why fibreglass?
Two of its advantages, lightness and flexibility, have much to recommend it
as the material for a wall sign, either inside or outside a building. The
Coats of Arms carved in stone which once surmounted the two entrances to our
Leeds office have now given way to
fibre-glass reproductions.
Weather resistance is another valuable property of these signs and Hove
branch, for example, exposed to coastal weather, is saved frequent cleaning and
retouching costs by having its external sign made from fibreglass.
As the name suggests, glass
fibre is one of the basic
materials used in producing
fibreglass. The other is a polyester
resin, a plastic substance which bonds the glass fibre
into a strong but resilient laminate. To follow the stages of producing a sign from start to
finish, our tour of the works began at the modeller's
room. Here a model is prepared from the design, which may be merely a
blown-up photograph, the modeller working with clay which is kept damp to prevent hardening. In
this way, once the mould has been made from the model, the clay can be used
again.
The material for the mould
is usually liquid rubber which is poured over the model but if many
reproductions are to be made from the same mould, a more robust material—plaster, wood or even fibreglass itself—is used. Once the mould has hardened it is
filled with the polyester resin to provide a 'gel coat' or smooth, outer
coating. This sets in about 30 minutes when another coat of resin is applied
and the glass fibre, in narrow, woven strips like bandages, is pressed into it.
After hardening, the reproduction is taken from the mould and examined for
flaws which can be rectified by careful application of resin.
When all imperfections have
been eliminated the reproduction is left in a curing room for between 24 and
30 hours at a temperature of 140-150 degrees Fahrenheit, this curing process
being essential for the complete binding of the glass fibre and
resin. For a hard, lasting finish the sign is then sprayed with acrylic
paints and finished by hand. We could test for ourselves the lightness and
flexibility of the finished product and we were told of its weather resistance,
but just how strong fibreglass is we were anxious to discover. We took a piece of smooth fibreglass
measuring about eight inches by six inches and no more than ⅛” thick and tried to snap
it.
Our efforts succeeded only
in flexing it slightly. We then watched the same piece struck forcibly by a
golf club which produced a slight dent—on one side only! That could be put right, we were told, by
'filling-in' with fibreglass. It
is scarcely surprising that a material with such advantages—produced at highly
competitive prices too—is continually finding new markets and we left Loughborough wondering where fibreglass might be popping up
next. One thing seems certain: it will not replace steel in the strong room
grill.
Not always
a shock…
One modernisation that has stood the test of time as being
a beautiful addition to to the Liverpool skyline , is of course the Bank’s
Head Office at 4 Water Street. Designed on classical lines, reflecting in
sumptuous detail the long association of Liverpool with all things maritime,
the building is about to make another splash here in the twenty-first century
by becoming a luxury hotel that will rival the opulence and grandeur of many
of the top hotels across the World. 4
Water Street, externally grand and traditional is very much a statement of
the future, incorporating internal features that are way ahead of their time
– a clever heating system, the best electrical and telephone systems that the
early 1930s can offer – and many of these last much longer than originally
intended. Our first comparison - of No
7 Water Street with its successor – is not
a “shock of the new” – it is simply a big step forward in terms of
grandeur and design:
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No 7 - Compact and fewer floors |
No 4 – Rising above its rivals |
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Image © Martins Bank Archive Collections |
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An artistic march to the
South…
By the mid 1930s,
Martins has begun its thirty year long push to become a truly national bank,
and the South and South-West of England become first outposts, and then
mini-strongholds, with clutches of branches in towns such as Southampton and
Bristol. A decision is taken that the Bank should very much represent the
town or city that its branches inhabit; it begins with the commissioning of
drawings and paintings to be used in advertising, and culminates by the late
1960s in individual and ever more lavish three-dimensional artworks
being made and put into branches. This
is covered in more detail elsewhere within this feature, but here is a
selection of images that show the progression of Martins’ love affair with
artworks…
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The River Avon |
The River Thames |
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The River Tyne |
Southampton Water |
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Images © 1946 Graham Smith |
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The artist Graham Smith
is commissioned in the 1940s to paint a series of pictures to be used
in advertising under the title of “Famous Banks” – the humour of this idea is
in the name of course, as instead of looking at an image of the Bank of
England for example, you have “the banks” of the River Thames. Around the same time, Geoffrey Wedgwood is
asked to produce a drawing that will represent each of twelve english towns
and cities that had been occupied by the Romans. Advertisements carried the pictures, a
small piece about the Roman occupation of a particular town, and details of
the local Branch of Martins Bank…
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Bath |
Leicester |
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Worcester |
Chester |
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Images © 1947 Geoffrey Wedgwood |
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The Roman Towns images
and advertisements are a clever way of making up for the fact that many of
the towns and cities involved do not have their own long established
Branches of Martins bank – in some cases the paint is still drying!
As the 1960s approach,
Martins starts to think bigger. The
shock of the new is already on its way, thanks to architects such as Ernö Goldfinger of the
“Brutalism” school of design – dystopian high rise blocks that solve the
housing shortage, but remove the soul both from an area and its
inhabitants.
In the late
1950s, Martins begins to commission
works of art that can take pride of place in new branches, and in most cases
reflect something of the local area – a kind of “giving back to the people”. To begin with, this is neither a grand nor
hollow gesture, and the character of many a branch is decided by its own
unique internal décor and its artwork.
Our next gallery combines sixties interior design, with some one off
pieces lovingly made to be proudly exhibited within them…
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Depicting “certain
landmarks in the Bloomsbury area” this tapestry greets the Bank’s customers
at London’s Tottenham Court Road Branch.
Celebrated designer, Sax Shaw is commissioned to make this remarkable
piece, and we believe that this artwork is yet to be found somewhere in the
World. The exterior of Martins’ Branch
at Tottenham Court Road is designed by Robin and Christopher Ironside, the
latter being responsible for the design of the original 10p piece used at
Decimalisation in 1971. Their design
includes Martins’ Coat of Arms in grained green granite above the door, and
for the Bank’s name to be carved into the marbled plinth above the windows:
Image © Barclays Ref 30/2958
The opening of Boston Branch in 1966 sees the creation of another
tapestry, this time with a design that is not quite so straightforward as the
London Landmarks depicted at Totenham Court Road. Indeed this time,
representing the journey of the Pilgrim Fathers from Boston to America, the
tapestry is illuminated at night
for passers-by to enjoy – having previously only used drawings and paintings
to sell the Bank, Martins is now taking advantage of the time a Branch is closed,
in order to raise in it the interest of the public. Further examples are shown below,
commencing with this view of the Boston tapestry:
1966 – The Journey of the Pilgrim Fathers,
Boston, Lincolnshire
Martins’ Coat of Arms is represented in towns across the country, and in
many of them, the original design is still to be seen, even if the owner of
the building is no longer a bank. Here
are some from the vast selection, followed by examples that you can still
take a trip to visit – if you want to…
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Left – Ellesmere Port Right – Lancaster Above – Hedge End Below – Worcester St John’s
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We must not forget the decorations that were commissioned to appear
along the front of Branch counters.
To the left, we have both a Welsh dragon and Martins’ Coat of Arms
at Bangor, and to the right, is Stephenson’s Rocket which is commemorated
at Stockton on Tees Branch. Below - and like all counter decorations, still
missing – the four elaborate carvings from Newbury Branch, depicting four
local “activities”, Brewing, Chasing Farming and Weaving… |
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All aboard, for the “Bug
‘n’ Duck” tour…
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Image © Barclays Ref 30/1588 |
Image © Dave Baldwin December 2013 |
Image (Inset) © 1963 Barclays Ref 30/3092 |
On the corner of Vicar Lane and Eastgate in Leeds (left and centre), you
will still find Martins’ original welcome above the door. Meanwhile at
Watford 36 High Street (right) the carving of the Bank’s coat of arms is
still clearly visible after more than fifty years. Remarkably well preserved on the wall of the Bank’s Branch
at Heaton Chapel (below), is this elaborate working of the Coat of Arms, with
an agricultural slant…
Main Image © Barclays Ref 30/1588 and Inset ©
2000 Michael Alderson
Last but not least, this lovely almost art deco take on the Coat of Arms
above the door at the Branch at Claughton Village, Birkenhead which, sadly,
closed in July 2013.
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Image © Barclays Ref 0030-0196 |
Image © Martins Bank Archive Collections –
Robert Montgomery |
We still have not reached
the true “shock of the new”, that this page boasts, but believe me, get there
we shall, and shocking it will be. The 1960s sees an explosion of art and media,
that brings colour into the lives of a country that is still confined to
black and white television, and limited expensive colour in magazines. Newspapers are still completely monochrome,
save for a few words such as “Late Edition” printed in red ink in the top
corner of the front page. Any artistic
expression is embraced as new and exciting, although within a few years we
will be easily able to sort out the rubbish from the good stuff. Before we
assault your eyes with some truly shocking examples of new BUILDINGS, here
are some artworks that you will no longer be able to find on the high street…
Pushing the boundaries…
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London too, has its share of fine art: On the left Martins Bank’s
Grasshopper and Liver Bird are fashioned out of steel by Jan Kepinsky at
the new branch at 84 Piccadilly in 1964.
Above, the horses represent the T’ang Dynasty – something we are not
sure quite conveys the fact that you are inside the Branch at 25 Soho
Square. Below (left), Westminster
Branch makes the headlines as “one of the most modern banks in Britain” in
1954, and below (right) Ernö Goldfinger designs a VERY unusal window at Wigmore Street in 1968…
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Meanwhile, in Martins Bank’s
newest and fastest growing district – South Western – a young ceramic artist
is, to great effect, given free reign over three branches… We have already seen good examples of
the Bank commissioning pieces of art work that reflect the local area. Three such works are created by
Philippa Threlfall for the branches at Bristol Clifton,
Cheltenham High Street, and Gloucester.
Philippa’s appeal for information about the fate
of her ceramic masterpieces is already featured on our MOST WANTED
page, but we wanted to do justice to her work on this page with large images.
BRISTOL
CLIFTON, WHITELADIES ROAD
The design depicts various buildings
and landmarks in
Bristol
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CHELTENHAM, HIGH STREET This unusual take on the Martins
grasshopper logo arrives just before the merger with
Barclays |
GLOUCESTER, 8-10 SOUTHGATE
STREET Gloucester Cathedral, viewable from both sides:
shatter-proof glass prevented hands from penetrating the fretted ceramic.
Images © Philippa Threlfall 1966 to date www.philippathrelfall.com |
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BOURNEMOUTH SCULPTOR PAUL FLETCHER’S CREATION “EXUDES LOCALITY
AND SECURITY” AT THE DOORS OF THE BRANCH. |
MARYLEBONE ROAD LONDON ANOTHER IMPRESSION OF STRENGTH AND SECURITY IS GIVEN BY THESE GATES |
The Shock of the New…
At last – our roll call of the hideous is about to begin. These are Branches of Martins that are
either built as new, or to replace an older office of the bank. In each case, the best of intentions we are
sure, were meant by those reponsible.
It is only now that we can say – just WHAT were they thinking?
Image © Barclays Ref 33/547
Welcome to dystopia 1967 – or Thornaby on Tees Branch, as it is known –
an office drowned in its own grey drabness, a real nightmare in
concrete. How many people were subject
to trudging those awkward walkways with a pram, we can only guess. The next crime occurs in Bexley, Kent, just
before the 1969 merger – unfortunately, we can’t even blame Barclays, as the
whole thing is planned and executed by Martins. Marvel for yourself, at what takes the
place of Bexley’s original branch…
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In the face of such
horror, will we ever be able to sleep easy in our beds again? Well, NO - here is another Kentish
candidate, the lovely old branch at Welling is also destroyed and replaced.
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Images
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The North of the
country is not immune either. We will concede
that Hartlepool York Road had to be replaced, the original North Eastern
Banking Company building is definitely past its sell by date - but the change
is positively startling – Mum, where’s my attic bedroom gone?
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Images
© Barclays |
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Where
in the universe have we landed? Is this one of the wobbly sets from the 1960s
episodes of “Dr Who”? Even worse
- no need for L S D when paying in
your £ S D at the new Watford Branch.
The uneven cobbled effect on the floor, clashing with walls that look
as if they might close in on you at any minute, must have made for an “interesting”
visit to Watford…
Image ©
Barclays
Things could have been a lot worse…
Our Designing Martins
feature ends with a short look at Martins’ obsession with mock tudor. As if advertisments giving an impression
that Martins Bank goes back to Roman times aren’t enough, they do also have a
habit of sticking faux wooden beams across the front on some of the Branch
buildings, to give them that “ye olde” feel.
Here are some of the suspects:
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There is of course, nothing wrong with a traditional
looking Tudor
or mock Tudor building, and we would sooner have a hundred in this style,
as opposed to the some of the miserable offerings Martins ends up with by
the time of the merger. Two branches
that are both now closed, will never lose their attraction as perhaps the
finest examples of the traditional, and these are at Lymm, (below Left, and Chester, (below,
right)… |
At Stratford upon Avon (left) and Prestatyn (above, right) there is the
distinct suggestion of a conveyor belt, churning out identically themed
branches. Nantwich
(below right ) is even more fanciful, and at Swansea (below left) we even
have several floors in the Tudor
Style.
Image © Martins Bank
archive Collections |
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Image (Re-touched) ©
Martins Bank Archive Collections |
Image © Martins Bank Archive Collections - J C Wens |
We hope you have enjoyed this tour around some of the designs, artworks
and buildings that make Martins so distinctive. Please use our search facility and/or A to
Z to visit the individual offices concerned, to learn more about each of the
individual branches mentioned.
M