Fire at Loughborough's HSBC branch

Thankfully, no-one was injured during yesterday's fire at the HSBC in Market Place. HUGE thanks particularly to the fire service for getting the fire under control, and ensuring safety for all.

The HSBC building has fascinated me for a long time, and over the years I have written several pieces about it. I included our HSBC in 'Loughborough in 50 Buildings' - here's what I wrote:

HSBC branch Market Place 2013

28 HSBC, 1894

"The banking company of Middleton and partners moved from the Wharf to Market Place in 1797. Under the care of Edward Chatterton Middleton, the premises became an important local landmark, the building itself having verandas adorned with flowers and plants tended by Edward who was a keen horticulturalist. 

At his death in 1878 there followed a crisis in the bank which led to its closure, the business and building being taken over by the Leicestershire Banking Company. In a matter of about twenty years, the building was deemed no longer suitable for its purpose, and architects were commissioned to design a new one, and it is this building which still stands in Market Place today.

The chosen architects, Goddard, Paget and Goddard, were a well-established firm from Leicester, who had designed houses, stables, and churches, and a number of local branch buildings for the Leicestershire Banking Company. Their design for the Loughborough branch was built by Loughborough builders, Moss, and is a very striking building, to an early sixteenth-century French Renaissance style design, beautifully complemented by being sited adjacent to the imposing Italianate Town Hall.

Standing on a plinth of polished red granite, the front of the Loughborough bank building is of Portland stone. The banking hall and banking offices were situated at ground floor level, whilst upstairs originally housed private offices, and a residence for the caretaker. Today, the banking hall has been opened up as one, vast space, filled with machines, whilst the upstairs has cashiers working behind a traditional bank counter. The pilasters framing the entrance to the bank bear dates, 1893 being the date of commencement of construction of the new building. That there has been a bank situated on this plot for over 200 years is quite an achievement, and the current building will be celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2019."

In 2015 I wrote about the connection with the 'Loughborough Bank', created by the local Middleton family:

The “world’s local bank” in Loughborough

"Situated prominently next to the Loughborough Town Hall, the HSBC Bank in Loughborough Market Place is a most architecturally stunning building, designed by the partnership Goddard, Paget and Goddard, of Leicester. Plans were created around 1893 and the building erected in about 1894 by the local building firm of Moss. Today it is registered as a Grade II listed building, having been added to the register in 1984 (1). The main entrance has part-fluted columns with engraved plaques with the dates 1829 and 1893 on them, and in common with many other buildings in the town, local materials, like Swithland slate, and Mountsorrel granite, have been used in the construction. As with many of the older buildings in town, the building has a story to tell.

From as early as the 1630s there had been attempts to make the River Soar more navigable, and around 1775 work began in earnest, and by 1780, the canal connected Loughborough to towns in the south and towns to the north. In around 1778, the area around Loughborough Wharf started to become a commercial centre, and it was in about 1790 that Loughborough’s first bank, Middleton’s, opened up at the wharf. (2) The exact location of the enterprise is not known, but a report by the University of Leicester Archaeological Services on the archaeological evaluation of land at Loughborough Canal Basin, (3) on behalf of a developer, identified a possible late eighteenth-early nineteenth century building. It is remotely possible – and appealing to think - that this might be the remnants of Middleton’s bank, but it could equally well be what was left of any of the commercial buildings that were in the area during that time.

As commercial traffic on the waterways continued to increase, so did Middleton’s bank flourish and grow, and in around 1828 the business moved to the Market Place, (4) to the site that is now occupied by the HSBC Bank. As a private country bank, with only a couple of partners, Middleton’s (5) were able to issue their own bank notes, and the bank was regularly referred to as “The Loughborough Bank”.  

In 1843 William Middleton, one of the founders of the bank, died, and his son, Edward Chatterton Middleton, became the senior partner. Under his watch, the bank continued to flourish and Edward took on many responsibilities in the town, being, amongst other things, a Justice of the Peace, a High Sheriff of Leicestershire, Paymaster General to the Leicestershire Yeomanry (6), Treasurer of the Subscription News Room (housed in the Town Hall) (7), and, along with members of his family, attended local fetes, and contributed to local good causes.

By 1849 there were five banks listed in the Post Office Directory (8): Middleton & Cradock (Market Place); Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Banking Company (High Street); Pagets & Kirby (High Street); Pares’ Leicestershire Banking Company (Market Place); and Loughborough Savings Bank (Fennel Street). The premise occupied by Middleton & Cradock was a three-storey building, with a verandah running across the middle level, and, apparently, as Mr Middleton was a keen horticulturist, there were often plants and flowers adorning this verandah. (9)

When in 1878 Mr Middleton died, the town mourned, and a series of unfortunate events – not the subject of this article – unfolded, and, when the doors of the bank closed this caused a “paroxysm of general panic and excitement” (10) in the town. Mr Middleton’s colleagues were anxious that on “the day of Mr Middleton’s funeral … that the bank should he kept as a Loughborough institution, and that the old house [The Grove, Ashby Road] and even the geraniums might remain in their glory as heretofore.” (11).  

In the event, the bank was taken over by the Leicestershire Banking Company, and indeed, some of the staff from Middleton’s Bank became employees of the new bank. Business continued to be brisk, and eventually, in 1892, it was decided that Mr Middleton’s building was no longer fit for purpose, so architects were brought in to design a new, more appropriate building. (12). Goddard, Paget and Goddard – as they were called at the time – designed many public buildings in Leicester, and other parts of the Midlands, so this firm would have been a good choice for designing a bank for Loughborough town centre. Testament to Victorian architecture is that this building has survived many residents – including the London City and Midland Bank Ltd, the Midland Bank, and now houses the HSBC bank - and is still fit for purpose, continuing the banking tradition on the same site in Market Place for over 180 years."

Also in 2015, I wrote this article on the HSBC building itself:

The HSBC Bank, Market Place, Loughborough

"The building currently occupied by the HSBC Bank in Market Place Loughborough is a purpose-built premise. There has been a bank on that particular site since about 1828, the previous building being the bank of Middleton, Cradock and Middleton, which in the last years of its existence was renowned for its flower-covered verandahs, lovingly attended by Mr Edward Chatterton Middleton. The building which stands there today was designed by the Leicester architects Goddard, Paget and Goddard, for the Leicestershire Banking Company, and was built by the Loughborough building firm of Moss, in about 1893. The Building News, of January 14, 1898 had this to say about the building:

“The new premises of the Leicestershire Banking Company, Limited, occupy a commanding position in the Market-place, all the bank offices being placed upon the ground floor. Above them are suites of private offices, and a caretaker’s residence. The plinth is of polished red granite, above which the front is of Portland stone.”

The commanding position to which they refer is presumably the bank’s prominent position, in what is effectively a market square, and next to what used to be the Corn Exchange, and which is now the Town Hall. In 1984, the building was added to the register of listed buildings, and is Grade II listed. The listing (13) gives quite a comprehensive description of the impressive architectural features, which includes the “distyle porch”, the “part-fluted columns”, the “decorative finials” and the “decorative lead finials”.

This handsome building was designed by the architectural firm of Goddard, Paget and Goddard, as they were known at the time. The firm was a highly successful Leicester-based practice, which was created around 1830, when Joseph Goddard – a man offering a wide range of building services, including carpentry, joinery, and surveying - and his son Henry created the firm of Goddard & Son. Successive generations of the family joined the firm, which was augmented in 1874 when Alfred Henry Paget became a partner.

Over a period of about 70 years, from about 1830-1900, the Goddard architectural practice, in all its incarnations, has been responsible for very many stunning buildings, not just in Leicestershire, but also further a-field, in Middlesex, Birmingham, Northamptonshire, Sheffield and Oxford, to name a few. This work ranges from small- to large-scale residential buildings, from church restoration work to the building of new schools, and includes public buildings like the Clock Tower in Leicester, various libraries and many banks.

Goddards became associated with the banking fraternity in the early years of the partnership, as the Goddard family counted many local bankers as friends, and in particular, a close friend of Henry Goddard was the manager of Paget’s Bank, Thomas North. This relationship with bankers and banking families led to many important commissions for Goddards: The headquarters of the Leicestershire Banking Company on the corner of Bishop Street and Granby Street in Leicester, was designed between 1872 and 1874 by the Goddard firm, and is a striking building, which, until relatively recently, was the home of the Leicester branch of HSBC.    

Such was the influence of Goddards and the buildings they designed that many of the buildings along Ashby Road in Loughborough were inspired by the firm. Also along Ashby Road, several of the detached houses were built by William Moss, the builders of the current HSBC Bank building in Loughborough. Moss was a local, Loughborough firm, created around 1820, and by 1871 they were employing nine men, and, with a local partner, were making their own bricks. By 1877 their workforce had increased dramatically to 52 men and two boys. Naturally, Moss were responsible for building many of the town’s buildings, including the public library on Granby Street, and Loughborough Carillon Tower.

The HSBC Bank in Market Place, Loughborough, is but one of the banks in the town, where many local people conduct their financial affairs and transactions. We may not have noticed, or may not be aware that many of these banks are housed in either Grade II Listed, Locally Listed buildings or buildings with much architecturally historical interest."    

Bank buildings are usually very significant buildings, both for the activities taking place within, but also for their architectural significance. Loughborough has several banks of particular note, which includes the HSBC building. At this point, it is unclear what the future holds for the Loughborough building. Hopefully, it can be saved and staff will return to offer their valuable service to the townspeople. Huge thanks to the emergency services for getting this fire under control. 

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NOTES 

(1) http://www.charnwood.gov.uk/listed_buildings/midland_bank_41_market_place_loughborough

(2) http://www.peoplemakingplaces.org.uk/places/charnwood_history/canals.htm

(3) http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-416-1/dissemination/pdf/universi1-35039_1.pdf

(4) Bygone Loughborough in photographs. (1974). Researched and selected by Donald H.C. Wix, et al.  Leicester: Leicestershire Libraries and Information Service, image 35

(5) Over the period of nearly 80 years, partners in the bank have included: William Middleton, John Bass Oliver, Thomas Thorp[e], Thomas Barfoot Bass Oliver, Thomas Crad[dock], Edward Chatterton Middleton and Edward William Craddock Middleton

(6) Leicester Chronicle or Commercial and Agricultural Advertiser, Sat Sept 21, 1844, iss 1764

(7) White's Directory, 1877, p. 12-14

(8) Post Office Directory, 1849, p. 2580

(9) Green, Edwin (s.d.). Midland Bank, Loughborough: Two centuries of banking, 1790-1990. Bulletin of the Loughborough Archaeological Society, [s.d.], pp. 18-21

(10) Crick, W.F. & Wadsworth, J.E. (1936) One hundred years of joint stock banking. London: Hodder & Stoughton. p. 267

(11) The stoppage of the Loughborough Bank: Important meeting of creditors. Leicester Chronicle and the Leicestershire Mercury, Saturday August 24, 1878, p.11, iss 3591

(12) Images of Loughborough (1999). Derby: Breedon Books. p. 46

(13) http://www.charnwood.gov.uk/listed_buildings/midland_bank_41_market_place_loughborough

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posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

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Dyer, Lynne (2023). Fire at Loughborough's HSBC branch. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2023/03/fire-at-loughboroughs-hsbc-branch.html [Accessed 16 March 2023]

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