I have been
so busy this weekend and in the week, leading guided walks for Heritage Open Days 2026
that I didn’t have a chance to blog on Sunday, and I’ve also missed the anniversary
of Agatha Christie’s birth, which was on 15 September – she would have been 136.
Earlier in the year, I also missed the 50th anniversary of her death, which was
on 12 January 1976. Well, not to worry, for in today’s blogpost I can combine a
bit about yesterday’s Heritage Open Days walk, with some Agatha Christie
connections (as a result of my having read her output in 2024-5).
Our HSBC
building
On our walk
around Loughborough town centre, looking at some of its interesting buildings,
we paused in the Market Place to view the former HSBC building. I was quite surprised
at the weekend when I noticed the decorative cloth, which had recently hosted
images of what I presume to be local people, had been removed, and the
scaffolding on the front of the building exposed. Back in March 2023, the building caught fire, and restoration, renovation, and re-building work has
been on-going for the past three years.
I’ve written
quite a few articles, both for this blog and for other publications, about the
history of the HSBC building, suffice to say here that it was designed by the architectural
firm of, Goddard, Paget, and Goddard (Joseph Goddard 1840-1900, Alfred Henry
Paget 1849-1909, and Henry Langton Goddard (son of Joseph) 1866-1944), and constructed
in 1894. This Leicester-based practice also designed the HSBC building in Ashby-de-la-Zouch;
the Atkins hosiery building in Hinckley (open for Heritage Open Days 2026); the
Town Hall clock, Leicester, and the rebuilding of the Thomas Cook building on
Gallowtree Gate, Leicester in 1894.
Our HSBC
building was built to replace an earlier bank building, which had been constructed
around 1830, and which comprised only two floors, with a wooden balcony, which
was often bedecked with beautiful displays of flowers.
The Agatha
Christie connection
Well, there are in fact two connections between our banks and Agatha Christie…
Lady Chatterton
We could go
into a great deal of detail regarding the character of Lady Chatterton who
appears in the short story (later expanded, with some character names changed,
and some characters omitted, and even a change to the title of the work), ‘The
Mystery of the Baghdad Chest’. The version I read was included in a
selection of stories, under the title ‘While the Light Lasts’,
(pg.209-232), which was published in this form in 1997, although the story originally
appeared in ‘The Strand Magazine’ in 1932.
Lady
Chatterton is a friend of one of the main characters, Marguerita, whose husband
has been murdered. In one version of the story, Marguerita stays at her friend’s
house after the murder, so she can avoid the intrusive paparazzi. In the version
I read, Poirot and Captain Hastings are invited to a party held by Lady
Chatterton, and it is here that they are invited to investigate the murder of
Marguerita Clayton’s husband. Here’s a few extracts:
“…Poirot and I
[Captain Hastings] were due at a party given by Lady Chatterton that night.”
“Lady Chatterton
was one of Poirot’s most ardent admirers. Starting from the mysterious conduct
of a Pekingese, he had unravelled a chain which led to a noted burglar and
housebreaker. Lady Chatterton had been loud in his praises ever since.”
“It was about
half-past eleven when Lady Chatterton, bearing down upon us, whisked Poirot neatly
out of an admiring group, and carried him off – I need hardly say, with myself
in tow.
‘I want you to
go into my little room upstairs,’ said Lady Chatterton rather breathlessly as soon
as she was out of earshot of her other guests. ‘You know where it is, M. Poirot.
You’ll find someone there who needs your help very badly – and you will help
her, I know. She’s one of my dearest friends – so don’t say no.’
Energetically
leading the way as she talked, Lady Chatterton flung open a door, exclaiming as
she did so, ‘I’ve got him, Marguerita darling. And he’ll do anything you want.
You will help Mrs Clayton, won’t you, M. Poirot?’”
I won’t spoil
the plot for you! Suffice to say, Poirot does indeed help, and the right person
is arrested for the murder of Mr Clayton.
Middleton’s
Bank
‘Nemesis’
was first published in 1971, so fairly late in Agatha Christie’s career. It’s a
Miss Marple story, in which she is the recipient of an inheritance from a
friend who had recently died, but only if she can solve a crime - an unknown
crime, which took place at an unknown time, in an unknown place, and the name
of anyone involved was also unknown! What a challenge!! But, as you would
expect, Miss Marple managed to solve it!!! It is on the penultimate page of my
copy of the novel, that Middleton’s bank is mentioned, when Miss Marple, having
completed her challenge visits Broadribb and Schuster, the firm of solicitors
who were dealing with her late friend’s personal affair. After congratulations
are expressed, and a short explanation of her modus operandi, the business
begin, although it is not clear if it is Mr Broadribb, or Mr Schuster who initiates
the discussion…
“’Now about
the sum of money we are holding. It’s at your disposal any time now. I don’t
know whether you would like us to pay it into your bank or whether you would
like to consult us possibly as to the investment of it? It’s quite a large sum.’
‘Twenty
thousand pounds,‘ said Miss Marple. ‘Yes, it is a very large sum by my way of
thinking. Quite extraordinary,’ she added.
‘If you would
like an introduction to our brokers, they could give you possibly some ideas
about investing.’
‘Oh, I don’t
want to invest any of it.’
‘But surely
it would be –‘
‘There’s no
point saving at my age,’ said Miss Marple. ‘I mean the point of this money – I’m
sure Mr Rafiel [her deceased friend] meant it that way – is to enjoy a few
things that one thought one never would have the money to enjoy.’
‘Well, I see
your point of view,’ said Mr Broadribb. ‘Then your instructions would be that
we pay this sum of money into your bank?’
‘Middleton’s
Bank, 132 High Street, St Mary Mead,’ said Miss Marple.
‘You have a
deposit account, I expect. We will place it to your deposit account.’
‘Certainly
not,’ said Miss Marple. ‘Put it into my current account.’
‘You don’t
think –‘
‘I do think,’
said Miss Marple, ‘I want it in my current account.’”
And the
connection is …
Loughborough’s
1894 HSBC building initially opened as The Leicestershire Banking Co., and went
through several amalgamations and name changes, like The Midland Bank to become
today’s HSBC (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation). As mentioned above,
this building replaced an earlier bank, called Middleton’s Bank, which had been
started by William Middleton, around 1790 at Loughborough Wharf, and had moved
to the Market Place around 1828. When William Middleton died in 1843, his son
became the senior partner, and was later joined by his own son.
William’s son
was named Edward Chatterton Middleton!
There are
many posts on this blog about Edward Chatterton Middleton, who once lived at The
Grove, and after whom a street in Loughborough is named.
I wonder
where our Agatha Christie connections will take us to next?!
____________________________________
Posted by
lynneaboutloughborough
With apologies for
typos which are all mine!
_______________________________________________
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(2026). Middletons, Chattertons and the Loughborough Agatha Christie
connections. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2026/09/middletons-chattertons-and-loughborough.html
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