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NW
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HEYBARNES
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34th
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SW
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170 Fosbrooke Road, Small Heath, Birmingham
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HB
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1929
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J P Hilton's book (Britain's First Municipal Savings Bank) mentions that the Bank had purchased a plot of land at this corner site,
and the Bank's 1928 Annual Report states that a new building was then in the course of erection. The freehold plot, an area of 600
square yards, was purchased from the City's Housing Department in 1927 at a cost of 15s per square yard (£450).
Surprisingly,
considering that the plot was not in an established shopping area, and that there were a number of other branches nearby, there seems
to have been no efforts to test customer demand with a temporary office as had been the usual practice at other branches opened in
the previous few years. Nevertheless, a very substantial building was erected (including a flat) at a cost of £4,035; the builder
was George Mobbs who had submitted the lowest tender at £3,997. An original design of the building was made by the City Surveyor,
but this was subsequently revised by H Stewart Evans when the Bank Committee requested an alternative plan.
The opening
of the branch was reported in the Birmingham News.
The growth of business was poor, and for part of the time
during the Second
World War, the branch was opened only on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The status of the branch then came under review in July
1945, when the General Manager reported as following to the Bank's Committee:
This branch was open from April 1929 to August
1940 as a daily branch. To overcome staffing difficulties, openings were reduced to half-week, and the branch was run in conjunction
with other branches until March 1942. From March 1942 to March 1943 daily openings were provided; but once again, to meet staffing
difficulties, we had to run the branch in conjunction with Kitts Green, which arrangement continues.
Development of this branch has
not been satisfactory, and there is no likelihood of appreciable improvement. The following figures show the position of the branch
year by year:
below (April 27th 1929):
the official party arrives for the opening ceremony of the new branch.
below:
The crowd assembles to witness the opening ceremony, performed by the Lord
Mayor (fourth left); accompanied by the Bank's Chairman
(fifth left - Sir Percival Bower); and the Bank's General Manager (second right - J P Hilton)
2008: the building is now the site of
the QAMARUL ISLAM MOSQUE
The date '1928' is incorporated
in
a rainwater hopper
In July 1947, the Bank's Management Committee decided to close the branch and dispose of the premises. The Rateable Value of the branch
was assessed at £105 and of the flat at £27 .15s. 0d. In view of the branch's proximity to the Heybarnes Estate, the City's Estates
Department investigated the possibility of transferring the premises back to the Housing Department.
The Estate's Department
passed the following resolution on October 21st 1947:
That the General Manager [of the Estate's Department] be instructed
to consult the District Valuer and ascertain terms upon which he would be prepared to recommend the transfer of land and premises,
now under the control of the Bank Committee in Fosbrooke Road, to Housing Account, and to report thereon to the Estate's Sub-Committee
in due course.
On April 19th 1948, the Bank's Finance and General Purposes Sub-Committee reported as follows to the Bank Committee:
A
letter has been received from the General Manager of the Estates Department, containing the following points:
(a) Whether the valuation
of the Heybarnes branch for the purpose of appropriation to the Housing Act, 1936 is to be assessed under the basis of the Town and
Country Planning Act, 1944, or under the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947.
(b) The District Valuer, without committing himself at
this stage, is of the opinion that he would be unable to assess the transfer value at £4,035 which was the original cost of the buildings.
(c)
To convert the ground floor into living accommodation would be both impracticable and expensive, and that taking all the circumstances
into consideration, it would not be advisable for the premises to be appropriated to the Housing Act, 1936.
(d) That the various Committees
of the Corporation have expressed no desire to appropriate the property.
Mr Wallace Smith [the General Manager of the Estate's Department] concludes
by stating that it would seem advisable for the Bank Committee to decide to let the premises for commercial purposes outside the Corporation,
and assumes that the matter would be referred to the Estates Department in the usual way for management.
Your Sub-Committee recommend
that the General Manager be requested to inform the General Manager of the Estates Department that, in the circumstances, the Bank
propose to deal with the premises direct as empowered by Bank Regulation No 13, and that the General Manager be further requested
to arrange for Mr Glover, the Bank's Agent, to make enquiries regarding the prospect of letting the banking part of the premises to
an Insurance Company or other suitable concern, and to give an estimate of the rent obtainable.
The Bank's Agent (Mr C M Glover)
suggested that a fair rental would be £250 per annum, with the tenants paying rates and all outgoings, and being responsible for interior
maintenance, on a lease of 7 years. The Bank stipulated that 3 months' notice would be required before vacant possession would
be given, and that all the Bank interior fittings (including the counter) would be removed by the Bank.
During 1948, interest
in the premises were expressed by L B Henderson & Partners, Consulting Engineers of Summer Hill Street; Messrs Santon Ltd,
Electrical Engineers of 269 Broad Street; and the National Union of Public Employees - it was the Union that took possession of the
vacated premises.
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Year Ended
March 31st
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Balances
£
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Open
Accounts
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Transactions
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1930
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20,852
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1,332
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11,429
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1931
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32,605
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1,746
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13,741
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1932
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39,571
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1,829
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13,157
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1933
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46,526
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1,966
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13,145
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1934
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54,032
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2,084
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13,910
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1935
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58,491
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2,268
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14,574
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1936
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65,678
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2,370
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15,361
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1937
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74,349
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2,484
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16,174
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1938
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80,784
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2,576
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18,115
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1939
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87,161
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2,663
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18,936
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1940
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95,362
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2,683
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17,226
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1941
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114,488
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2,768
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15,235
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1942
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140,175
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2,854
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15,581
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1943
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170,920
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2,904
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16,039
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1944
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195,523
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2,908
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12,673
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1945
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219,416
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2,952
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11,498
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In view of these figures, I am of the opinion that the branch should be closed, and the accounts transferred to Yardley or other branches
selected by depositors. Yardley branch is about a mile from Heybarnes; Hay Mills about ½ mile; Little Bromwich about ½ mile;
Bordesley Green 1 mile; and Small Heath 1 mile. Depositors would have a good choice in transferring to another branch.
The branch's
balances reached £266,621 at March 31st 1946. This placed Heybarnes 63rd out of the Bank's 68 branches. Branches that had opened at
dates near to Heybarnes' opening (27/4/1929) had attracted considerably higher deposits: Sparkhill (21/7/1928; 18th; £1,285,909);
Sherlock Street (21/1/1929; 51st; £547,650); Short Heath (4/1/1930; 34th; £805,651).
However, the General Manager's recommendation
to close Heybarnes was not implemented until 1948. In the meantime, when the Bank's opening hours were amended from January 1st 1946,
other branches were notified that Heybarnes was to continue as a part-time branch (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) in conjunction
with Newtown Row (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday). The branch's statistics for 1947 were:
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Year Ended
March 31st
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Balances
£
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Open
Accounts
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Transactions
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1947
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237,029
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2,958
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11,690
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With a view to closing the branch on September 4th
1948, notice was sent to each depositor, and advertisements were placed in four
local newspapers and repeated at fortnightly intervals. After the close of business on Saturday, September 4th, the remaining accounts
of Heybarnes were transferred to
Yardley branch.
below:
the Lord Mayor speaking at the opening of the branch
Managers:
1930 - W L Hannah
1931 - W C Baker
1934 - W Buxton
1937 - G F Lewis
Formally opened on April 27th 1929, by the Lord Mayor (Alderman W Byng Kenrick), Heybarnes branch was located at the corner of Hobmoor
Road and Fosbrooke Road, on the Heybarnes Housing Estate in the Bordesley Green/Small Heath area to the east of the city centre.
= location of the branch at 170 Fosbrooke Road
The branch's 2,859th account was opened on July 13th 1933. The number of Open Accounts detailed in the General Manager's report (left)
increased in the financial year 1933/34 from 1,966 to 2,084, indicating that some 900 accounts had been closed by this date.
The Manager's initials ("WB") confirm the majority of the deposits, and the rubber stamp of a Branch Inspector (D W Woodcock) show
that the passbook entries have been validated against the ledger.