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The items detailed here on this page represent our
“most wanted” images and artifacts. If
you can help by providing a scan or photo, or if you know the whereabouts of
a particular item, please get in touch
by clicking on contact us at the bottom of this page. Any items donated or lent to Martins Bank
Archive are catalogued and stored in a cool environment in appropriate
protective storage containers. (Items on loan to us can be requested back
from us at any time.) Otherwise we
will be delighted to receive photos and scans (if possible between 600 and
900 dpi please). Time and again, we have found that photos scanned at 600dpi
or higher will yield information that is not normally visible to the naked
eye. It enables us to zoom in on
particular aspects of a picture, and to show an item at its best. Although all our images are protected from
theft by distorting if enlarged, the results as seen on this site speak for
themselves.
FOUND! Perspex Counter plaques… Almost
ten years after first trying to find the iconic Martins Bank Counter Plaques,
we have at last located two of them and they are both now safely in the
archive. It was a case of playing the long game with eBay, knowing that
eventually, someone, somewhere, would come up with the goods(!) The final
plaque in the series – which advertises Executor and Trustee Service –
will, we are sure, be out there
somewhere waiting to be reunited with the other two…
Where is the Grasshopper?
We were contacted in
September 2017 by the Chislehurst Society’s History Group who are researching
parts of the town’s history, and amongst the items on their list is to
establish either the whereabouts, or indeed what happened to the
Grasshopper. If you can help, please please do get in touch with us at the usual address – martinsbankarchive@btinternet.com.
Tapestry
and Mystery…
We have also been contacted by Martins Colleague John Russell who worked
at Birmingham City Office, Colmore Row, both for Martins and Barclays. He told us the following story about the
threatened demise of the building, and the appearance AND disappearance of a
Martins artwork…
We are indebted to Martins
Colleague and friend of the Archive Keith Mason for donning his detective hat
and magnifying glass, to answer the mystery of the plaques at 71-73 Colmore
Row. In this image from 1976, six plaques are still visible on the
building. We have tried to zoom in on
them a little better below. Keith
contacted Barclays, who looked into their Archives and not only produced a
picture, but also an explanation of the meanings of each of the plaques.
The first plaque represents the Dudley
and West Bromwich Banking Company. The
second is The Birmingham Town and District Banking Company. Then comes Martins Grasshopper, followed by
the The Wolverhampton and Staffordshire Bank.
Fifth is the Liver Bird, and last but not least we have The Barclays
Spread Eagle. One mystery still
surrounds these plaques – when 71-73 Colmore row was demolished, no-one seems
to know what happened to these little pieces of history. The search continues!
Many of Martins’ finest buildings
remain intact, although many are no longer used by Barclays. In a way it is quite satisfying to think
that some of the places that once saw smart suited mods, rebellious rockers,
girls in pvc dresses and all manner of 60s people doing their banking, are
now host to theme pubs where the young people watch football on satellite TV
and wear out their thumbs on mobile phone keypads. One thing is for sure - if
Martins was still around it would certainly capitalise on all that disposable
income… What happened to some of the
items that used to decorate Martins Branches?
Having taken care to represent the local area of a branch with themed
tapestries, or mosaics, or carvings, what has become of some of these special
items that Martins commissioned? For
example, in a dusty attic, basement or shed somewhere, do YOU have one of
these “trade” themed wooden panels from Newbury branch?
Martins
Account Numbers
Ceramic
Treasures In the mid
1960s, when opening a new branch, branches, it is customary for Martins to
commission a piece of art work that reflected the local area. Three such works were created by Philippa
Threlfall for the branches at Bristol Clifton, Cheltenham High Street, and
Gloucester. Philippa has kindly
supplied us with the images below, and we would like your help in finding out
what happened to these beautiful works of art. Philippa told us: “The trouble for
working - as we did - for corporate bodies like Martins was that so many of
them became subsumed by other companies. Then it becomes tricky to
trace the works, and sadly they have often become missing presumed destroyed”… If you know
the whereabouts of these pieces, please do get in touch at the usual address:
martinsbankarchive@btinternet.com
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If you have a picture or an item
that you would like to donate to Martins Bank Archive, or if you know the whereabouts
of an item that we can catalogue, please do Contact Us.
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