Perry Beeches (and
Pheasey) are first listed as branches in the Bank's Annual Report for
1943; Perry Beeches opening on March 5th
and Pheasey on February 20th. Both offices were worked from temporary wooden buildings, as sub-branches of Kingstanding. Pheasey was
open for business on Saturday afternoons, while the hours of business of Perry Beeches were:
Fridays
only .... 19:00 to 20:30
The Officer-in-Charge of both branches was Mr H Foster, an employee of the First National Housing Trust.
Mr Foster was paid £1 per week for being in charge of both Perry Beeches and Pheasey; he was assisted by another employee of the Trust
(Miss F G Lugsden) who was paid 7/6d per week. The branch ledgers and cash were kept at Kingstanding branch when Perry Beeches
was not open.
The First National Housing Trust was a major builder of houses in Birmingham prior to the Second World War, and
also built 3,246 houses on the Pheasey Estate - a development just outside the city's boundary, in Aldridge Urban District Council.
The Trust erected the wooden huts used for both branches, the cost being met by the Bank.
On the opening day, 12 new accounts
were opened, 31 deposits taken totalling £219. 1. 0d, and 18 Corporation Accounts dealt with. By the end of March, 38 accounts
had been opened.
The branch's initial address was listed as Thornbridge Avenue/Hassop Road.
The branch's 1½-hour opening was commenced
at an earlier time on Fridays from January 4th 1946, when they were amended to 18:30 to 20:00. This change was a consequence
of the general revision of branch opening hours that replaced the emergency arrangements that existed during the Second World War.
With
Friday being the only day that the branch opened, an unusual situation occurred in 1950 when the Annual Balance date of March 31st
fell on a Friday. As the whole branch network was closed on that date and on Good Friday (April 7th), Perry Beeches would have been
unavailable to depositors between March 24th and April 14th. Consequently, the branch was opened specially on Tuesday, April 4th from
18:30 to 20:00
These very limited hours were not extended until January 28th 1955:
Tuesdays .... 11:00 to 13:00
Fridays
........ 18:00 to 20:00
when the branch's address was amended to 8 Old Oscott Lane. The relocation became necessary when the site at
Thornbridge Avenue had to be vacated. However, the Bank had already purchased (in 1948) a freehold site immediately adjoining
Co-operative Society shops, that comprised approximately 767 square yards, at the corner of Aldridge Road and Old Oscott Lane. The
Bank paid £35 for the plot, this sum representing the existing use value of the land; the claim for loss of development value being
retained by the vendors.
The branch continued to trade at the new site from a wooden building. At around this time, the Bank placed
contracts for 'temporary and portable branch buildings' with the following specialist contractors:
- Harrison Smith
Buildings Ltd
- Grosvenor Workman (Sawmills) Ltd
In common with all branches, the Friday evening opening was
amended to 17:00 to 19:00 in 1959.
A telephone (number GREat Barr 1135) was not installed into these temporary premises until
February 1961.
Two years later (from Thursday, January 3rd 1963), the hours of business were extended to:
Thursdays
..... 10:00 to 15:00
Fridays .......... 10:00 to 15:00 and 17:00 to 19:00
Saturdays ..... 10:00
to 11:30
The Bank's 1966 Annual Report states that Perry Beeches is now open daily. However, the branch is still located in temporary
premises.
The branch's telephone number was amended to 021-360 2107 in 1973.
The branch was closed after 1979, the building removed,
and a pair of semi-detached houses were built on the site.
Branch Statistics (1943 TO 1951):