PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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LLOYD'S BANK In 1765 Mr John Taylor and Mr Sampson Lloyd set up a banking partnership in Birmingham. Their sons also established a banking partnership, in the name of Messrs Barnetts, Hoares, Hanbury & Lloyd, at Lombard Street in the City of London. Eventually the two became joined as the Lloyd's Banking Company. Lloyd's Bank expanded through a series of mergers, notably with the Devon & Cornwall Bank in 1906, the Wilts & Dorset Bank and the Naval Bank in 1914, and the Capital & Counties Bank in 1918, although the latter remained in its separate premises until around 1926. It also took over the last private bank to issue its own bank notes, Messrs Fox, Fowler & Company of Wellington in Somerset. By this means it acquired sites at 36 Bedford Street, 31 Fore Street, Devonport, and 12 Edgcumbe Street, Stonehouse. It had also a branch at Mutley Plain by 1910. At the outbreak of the Second World War it had branches at 28 George Street, 12 Edgcumbe Street, 30/31 Fore Street, 53 Mutley Plain and at the Ridgway, Plympton. There were also two sub-branches, at Tavistock Road, Crownhill, opened on Tuesdays and Fridays only from 10am to 12.30pm, and at Plymstock. The latter was open on Tuesdays and Thursday only, from 10am until 12.45pm. Only the Devonport branch suffered during the Blitz and business was moved to 1 King Street. In addition to those listed above, two new branches were opened at 42 Old Town Street and at 21 Victoria Road, St Budeaux. During the early stages of the reconstruction of Plymouth's City Centre, they set up their local headquarters at Derry's Cross and opened a small branch at 42 Old Town Street, where the manager in 1955 was Mr P E L Foot. Work on a new branch as part of the Messrs Popham's store at the top of Royal Parade started in July 1955 and the branch opened for business on Monday December 9th 1957. The banking hall was on the ground floor, of course, with the strongroom in the basement, the manager on the first floor and the other offices on the second. The third floor of the Bank's section was occupied by a small apartment. Further mergers took place, with the Abbey Life Insurance Company in 1988, with the Cheltenham & Gloucester in August 1995 and finally on December 28th 1995 with the TSB Group.
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