National Deposit Friendly Society, Eastgate.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Sun 01 Sep, 2013 10:45 pm

Wasn't this building a branch of the Leeds and Holbeck Building Society at one point? Mid 80's?

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Sun 01 Sep, 2013 11:38 pm

raveydavey wrote: Wasn't this building a branch of the Leeds and Holbeck Building Society at one point? Mid 80's? Hi Raveydavey. Yes it was part of the Leeds and Holbeck Building Society (L&HBS) according to the comment with the image brought up through the Leodis link in my post. In that comment (posted 17-Nov-2009) it states "this building in later years went on to become the leeds and holbeck with the gas board just a little lower down". I've clearly already forgotten that it used to be a L&HBS branch!

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Mon 02 Sep, 2013 9:08 am

Was going to mention Martin's Bank. There is this photo on Leodis which make it look rather odd when it was first built without the rest of Eastgate behind it. There is also a photo on Leodis of the other side of the bank with the "Martin's Bank" name on the back side of the building that would eventually have the British Gas showroom built on to it. can't find it though...

jdbythesea · Post by **jdbythesea** » Mon 02 Sep, 2013 10:05 am

LS1 wrote: Was going to mention Martin's Bank. There is this photo on Leodis which make it look rather odd when it was first built without the rest of Eastgate behind it. There is also a photo on Leodis of the other side of the bank with the "Martin's Bank" name on the back side of the building that would eventually have the British Gas showroom built on to it. can't find it though... Lee, your post reminded me that I worked in National Deposit House for a few months in 1979. The Dept of Employment occupied office space above the gas showrooms. On the corner of Vicar Lane and Eastgate was a branch of the Leeds and Holbeck BS (previously Martin's Bank?).

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Mon 02 Sep, 2013 2:05 pm

Here is is. The adjacent land was't built on for years it seems - ten years according to the initial photo I posted (1939) and this, 1949. Likely the war stopped any further development, The sign that I referred to in my previous post is just peeping out at the top of the pic. http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?reso ... SPLAY=FULL

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Mon 02 Sep, 2013 2:06 pm

This was the actual pic I meant...

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Mon 02 Sep, 2013 2:44 pm

LS1 wrote: This was the actual pic I meant... Thanks for that pic LS1. Lloyds bank (currently as Lloyds TSB) opposite the old Martins Bank building on Vicar Lane and Barclays bank opposite Lloyds on The Headrow are still there, so the junction was quite a banking hotspot. It's interesting that all 3 buildings are very similar in style (same architect?).

Post by **mhoulden** » Mon 02 Sep, 2013 4:27 pm

There's a site with loads about the Martins Bank history at http://www.martinsbank.co.uk/. The main Leeds branch was actually the place that used to be Barclays and is now Beckett's Bank on Park Row. The page for the Vicar Lane/Headrow branch is at http://www.martinsbank.co.uk/11-88-80%2 ... 20Lane.htm and it looked like this inside:

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Mon 02 Sep, 2013 7:49 pm

Thanks for the links mhoulden. The photos of the inside of the bank are fascinating. I see from the information about the building it states "Our branch at Leeds Vicar Lane opens in 1938 in these splendid premises on the corner of Vicar Lane and Eastgate. Martins’ coat of arms is shown prominently, in ornate relief above the already impressive doorway. One of seven branches of Martins open at one time or another in Leeds, Vicar Lane sadly doesn’t make it past the Merger with Barclays, closing on the last working day beforehand. At least it has the honour of only ever being a Martins Branch".

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Mon 14 Jul, 2014 9:02 am

Not sure if this has been mentioned before , but you can still see the imprint of the "Martins Bank" sign that was once on the Vicar Lane side of the building.