Branch-31-Lozells

NW	NE	LOZELLS	31	15th
SW	SE	116 Villa Road, Birmingham B19 1NN 021-554 0727	R	1925

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J P Hilton's book Britain's First Municipal Savings Bank records the beginning of Lozells branch as follows:

In the lock-up shop, No 270 Lozells Road, the business of this branch was commenced on the 1st September, 1919. The shop had in turn been a second-hand depot, a railway ticket office, and a restaurant, to mention only three types. When first investigated we found volumes of the Birmingham Corporation blue book, which prompted the suggestion that they had been deposited by some disgusted ratepayer! For several years these premises served for the Bank, although the accommodation resulted in the depositors, at certain times, being uncomfortably pressed into the restrictive space. It was impossible to consider the premises from the point of view of a permanent Bank, because they could not be suitably enlarged. The committee, therefore, purchased the furniture shop and premises situated at No 116 Villa Road, which were reconstructed.

The freehold property at 116 Villa Road was purchased in 1924 for £2,250, and the reconstructed premises (the Bank's fifteenth permanent branch) were formally opened by the Lord Mayor (Alderman Percival Bower) on March 7th 1925, who described the building as:
another landmark in the development of the Bank, and one more addition to the assets of the city. He had always held the view that one of the ways in which they could secure stability in this country was by developing a condition of things under which every man could become the owner-occupier of his house. He believed men and women became better citizens for that reason. The reconstruction of the premises were completed by R Fenwick Limited, under the supervision of the City Surveyor, for the sum of £2,599.

At the date of transferring the business of Lozells branch to a permanent office, there were 6,249 open accounts with balances amounting to £254,890 (an increase during the year of £40,439). The number of annual transactions was 35,672.

right: Temporary premises at Villa Cross - the corner of Lozells Road (No. 270) and Barker Street. This unit housed the branch from September 1st 1919 to March 6th 1925

To provide larger accommodation, the shop unit at 116 Villa Road was acquired ....

.... and reconstructed as shown in this 1925 photograph

The Lord Mayor (Percival Bower) performed the official opening of the permanent branch on March 7th 1925. He is flanked by the Bank's Chairman (left - Councillor Appleby) and the Bank's General Manager (J P Hilton)

below:

Interior of Lozells branch in 1925

Later alterations of the branch included lengthening and straightening the counter

(By 2009, the premises had been demolished, and the site occupied by a terrace of modern housing)

The district of Lozells is located 1½-miles north of Birmingham's centre, and by the end of the 19th-century was completely urbanised with housing that had spread northwards from the city centre towards Aston and Handsworth. Densely populated, the district contained a mixture of good quality houses and some back-to-back courts. Villa Road and Lozells Road passed through the district connecting Handsworth, to the west, with Aston to the east. The commercial centre of Lozells developed where this road had junctions with Hamstead Road, Hunters Road, Heathfield Road, and Barker Street. It was in this location that the Bank chose to establish a branch.

Two early 20th-Century views of the Lozells area.

Left: Villa Road near the junction with Barker Street. The Bank established a temporary office at the corner of Barker Street (see below).

Right: Villa Road from the opposite direction. The Villa Cross Hotel can be seen in the distance, near the junction of Barker Street. The

permanent branch was eventually located in the premises immediately to the right of the gas lamp on the right-hand side of the road.

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Managers:

1919 - A J Smith

1922 - W I Wynn
1926 - F Fitzpatrick

1928 - L E Smallwood
1929 - J C W Brown
1930 & 1931 - W K Robottom

1934 - E R Jennings

1937 - H E Martin

1958 to 1961 - P J Condon