Banking Hall of Martins Bank, Water Street, c1960
"This is the most remarkable bank interior in the country, and it would be wise for the chairmen of all the big banks to pay a visit to Liverpool in order to see it."
CH Reilly, Professor of Architecture
It was important for banks to look successful. This helped make people think the bank was a secure place to leave their money. Today in Liverpool you can see many fine buildings that were built as banks in Victorian times.
One of the finest banking premises belonged to Martins Bank. It had a splendid head office on Water Street, highly praised for its fine architecture and decoration. Throughout the bank there are images of the sea, the source of Liverpool's wealth.
From 1918-1969 Martins Bank was the largest bank in the Liverpool area. Its headquarters were in Liverpool although it originated in London and dated back to the 16th century. Its symbol was the grasshopper. This creature was the crest of Sir Thomas Gresham, the famous Elizabethan banker who is said to have founded the bank.
Its importance in Liverpool began in the 20th century, when Martins joined with the great, long-established, Bank of Liverpool in 1918. Martins was the only major bank with headquarters outside London.
Martins was at the forefront of banking advances and in 1967 unveiled the first 'automatic cashier' in the north of England, in Church Street, Liverpool. In 1969 Martins Bank, with 700 branches around the country, merged with Barclays Bank Ltd. The splendid banking hall is still used by Barclays to this day.
Replacing the Martins grasshopper with the Barclays Eagle after the 1969 amalgamation of the two banks. Courtesy Barclays Group Archives