To lose one bank may be deemed unfortunate …..but three? ……. the sad end to a much used place name

The loss of three banks in a short space of time in the centre of Chorlton is bad news.

It may be that the staff of all three have been redeployed, and some customers will still be close to another branch or will fill the gap through internet banking, but for some employees and some who use the three banks this will be more than an inconvenience. 

But for a historian with the long view in sight, the disappearance of the three banks marks the end of that popular place name for the junction of Barlow Moor Road and Willbraham Road.

For perhaps two decades this spot was known as the Four Banks or Bank Corner.

I can still remember the first time I heard the name used, and it seemed perfect, and far more appropriate than the official planners name of Chorlton Cross, which never caught on.

And the reason why it was so appropriate, was that it described what was there, nothing more and nothing less.

Added to which it arose from people’s experiences, which remain the best way of finding a name for a place.

In the same way for almost a century the corner which included the HSBC Bank was known as Kemp’s Corner, after Harry Kemp’s chemist shop.

And in an age before the mobile phone  people arranged in advance to meet at Kemp’s Corner, a decision which made even more sense as there was a large clock above the door, allowing you to judge how late your friend was.

Earlier in the 19th century the junction of Hardy Lane, and Sandy Lane with Barlow Moor Road, which was originally called Barlow Moor Lane was known as Lane End.

It is a name which appears on old maps, but didn’t stop locals referring to it as Brundrette’s Corner after Mr. Brundrette’s grocery shop which stood nearby.

The loss of the first bank a year ago gave rise to a debate on whether the spot would now be “Three Banks and something else”, but the loss of two more made that discussion redundant.

But something will emerge, and it is as well to remember that before Kemp’s Corner, some people referred to the junction as Bank Square, although at one point there was only the one bank.

I vaguely knew that Santander was going and going in advance of the HSBC, but it was still a surprise when Peter presented his painting from 2019 of the closed bank.

Now the story of the Four Banks has rumbled on in the blog for years, and when that new name arises I shall be back to explore its history.*

And for those curious about who occupied the bank sites, I can reveal that in 1911, the HSBC was Harry Kemp's Chemists, opposite in the former RBS bank was a surgeon whose house was called Sunwick, and the name is still there on the gate post.  Across the road in what is now the Nat West, there was The Manchester & Liverpool District Banking Company, leaving the former Santander, as a grocer's shop.

But for now …. It is just Goodbye.

Location; The Four Banks

Painting; Santander Chorlton © 2019 Peter Topping, Paintings from Pictures

*The Four Banks, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search?q=four+banks