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NW
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NE
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ALUM ROCK
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03
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31st
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SW
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2 Belchers Lane, Birmingham, B8 3EU
021-327 1492
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AR
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1928
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The Alum Rock district is located 3 miles east of Birmingham's centre. In 1926, the Bank purchased for £2,150 the leasehold premises
at the corner of Pelham Road and Belchers Lane (1 and 1A Pelham Road; 2 Belchers Lane). At the time of purchase it was not possible
to obtain the freehold, but in 1927 the Bank paid £262 10s 0d for the freehold of these premises, plus numbers 22 and 24 Belchers
Lane. This location was at the junction of five roads (Alum Rock Road (2); Sladefield Road; Belchers Lane; and Pelham Road) that was
known locally as The Pelham, after a public house of that name, at the junction. ("Alum Rock" is normally used to refer to the
nearby area of Saltley.)
Original premises after reconstruction of shops at the corner of Belchers Lane and Pelham Road: August 11th 1928
(Pelham Road to the
left; Belchers Lane to the right)
The Bank's Chairman (Percival Bower) speaking at the branch's official opening ceremony on August 11th 1928. The Lord Mayor (Alfred
James) is on his right
The interior of the branch in 1928
The branch as reconstructed in 1953 following war damage: exterior and interior views
The branch in 'TSB livery'
(photographs by Malcolm Smith)
showing:
- the Pelham Road side of the branch
- the
Belchers Lane side of the branch
- the interior
Managers:
1929 to 1931 - L H Hurdman
1934 - R H Tafft
1937 - W L Hannah
1958 & 1959 - R T Piper
1960 & 1961 - G
L Boden
1963 - J Hastie
1965 to 1967 - F C Batstone
1969 - N C Goddard
1970 to 1972 - R G Roberts
1974 - D M Bickley
2012:
the building is boarded up
A branch (opening on Mondays and Saturdays - 18:00 to 20:00) was established in the shop premises at 1 Pelham Road from April 30th
1927. A full-time branch (with the address of 2 Belchers Lane) was opened on August 11th
1928, by Alderman Sir Percival Bower. The
architect for the reconstruction of the shop premises was H Stewart Evans, and the work was carried out by A J Teall & Son
who tendered for the work at £2,413.
Account number 470 was opened on October 31st 1927.
The Bank's Annual Report for
1945 states
that:
Some of our Branch premises have suffered serious war damage, and we have had to conduct business therein under difficulties.
The
war damage at Alum Rock was sufficient to require the branch to be completely rebuilt after the war ended - the whole of the premises,
except for the strongroom, were destroyed by bombing.
A temporary one-storey building was erected around the strongroom in order to
enable business to continue. The delay in commencing the rebuilding scheme was probably due to the post-war restrictions on building
projects. From January 5th
1953, business was conducted at Saltley branch, tenders having been invited from contractors
(see below), and business resumed in the reconstructed premises on Friday, January 1st
1954. The cost of these works is not known,
but were initially estimated (in 1945) to be £6,574 of which a War Damage Claim for £5,000 was to be made. The delay until 1953
would have substantially increased the reconstruction cost.
= location of 2 Belchers Lane at 'The Pelham'
The development of Alum Rock began with the building of council houses just after the First World War, in Belchers Lane and Cotterills
Lane. Further developments followed, of both private and council housing, before and after the Second World War.