Middletons, Chattertons and the Loughborough Agatha Christie connections

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?!

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

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