Report - HSBC / Midland Bank, Stoke-on-Trent – September 2021

[MotionlessMike]

A Stoke-on-Trent branch of the HSBC (formerly Midland) bank which was built in 1921, the date stone of ‘1836’ relates to the fact that the Birmingham & Midland Bank was established in this year. The upper floor was used by ‘United Friendly Insurance’ – later rebranded as Royal London – and seems to have been out of use for a while, unsure of how long the ground floor bank has been closed, the internet doesn’t really have much to say about it.



Visited with @Explorer budge

The bank in 1962 via Staffordshire Past Track

And currently

Inside it's quite small and modernised as expected

Upstairs is a bit nicer but just as empty

Overall, a fun way to spend half an hour, just a shame the bank vaults in the basement were under about four foot of water
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[raisinwing]

Nice, shame about the vaults! Pretty sure it closed around 2015 time.

There's also an old branch of Martins Bank a few doors down, somehow it still has it's signage despite them being taken over by Barclays in 1969 and the branch actually closing in 1970. The vaults are intact, albeit also underwater.

 

[MotionlessMike]

Nice, shame about the vaults! Pretty sure it closed around 2015 time.

There's also an old branch of Martins Bank a few doors down, somehow it still has it's signage despite them being taken over by Barclays in 1969 and the branch actually closing in 1970. The vaults are intact, albeit also underwater.

Missed that somehow... might been distracted by the large soggy looking abandoned Woolworths!

 

[Diatzen]

unsure of how long the ground floor bank has been closed, the internet doesn’t really have much to say about it.

Google maps shows the bank open last around July 2015 and having all HSBC branding removed by October of 2015