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Birmingham Municipal Bank

Thank you Maria Magenta, never seen anything like this, must be from the 1970s shortly before the B M B was taken over. Very interesting...
 
I ....some of these lads came from family's where no one had ever had a bank account in their lives.

Yes Paul. I think many people didn't trust banks either. Maybe they thought they could lose their money. Mind you, some banks have come close to that in more recent times.

Maria - that's some money box. Encouraging pictures to make you save ! A nice piece of BB history. Wonder what the 'F.K' stands for on the girl's suitcase? Maybe the artist? Viv.
 
Its does look like the Municiple was ahead of its time - with Maria's money boxes etc.
It always seemed to have a good "feel" to it to me ... in my young days as a lucky early saver.
And you did feel you were ahead of the game a bit - if you had a bank account - even in the 70's even.

Then, Bank managers seemed human and banks seemed strict and disciplined (which was okay by me).

40-50 yrs ago - in those days banks felt to me like pillars of society (may be I was just young and impressionable)
- its a pity how, today - feelings have changed towards them.
 
I have not long got back from visiting Birmingham Hidden Places The Former Municipal Bank Broad St, and I am now in the process of editing the photos, the one thing that did make me smile was that they were restricting the number of people allowed in the vault at one time ( quite right) and the method of counting the people the made there way to the vault was to count spoons I kid you not https://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/18800445398/in/dateposted-public/ a good day there though, more photos to follow
 
Thank you horsencart for posting all these beautiful photos.
I was intrigued by all those safety deposit boxes and I love those mottoes on the walls about thrift etc..
rosie.
 
For those intending to go and wanting to visit the vaults.
As you go in, you're given a numbered ticket and (probably) will see a line of people headed for the vault tour. The ticket is to be handed in as you get to the start of the tour. The number doesn't have any significance. If there's a long line they'll tell you that you can visit the exhibition on the ground floor and come back to the line. They won't tell you that if you visit the exhibition first, you lose your place in the line. It's not like the line in a doctor's surgery where they serve people by number.
 
Hi warm
Just looking at the thread and the bank my brother used to be in the high security section of that particular branch
Quite afew years back before he died and he told me of the vaults then and huge it was below ground
He said I would be Amazed if I was to see it so going by the description he told me I would like to see it for myself
best wishes Astonian,,,,
 
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I started with saving with the Municipal all those years ago, and without moving or doing anything to my account I have ended up with Lloyds, having gone through TSB for many years, then fairly recently they decided to change some of their branches to Lloyds.
 
The old Municipal Bank building on Broad Street used to have some distinctive key motifs on the front of the building. Has the Council plonked a 'Forward' plaque in their place. Or are the original key plaques still hiding behind the pillars ? Now I'm hopeful that the Municipal Bank key plaques are either still there or have been carefully preserved somewhere and the Forward sign(s) haven't been simply glued over the top. Viv.

image.jpeg
 
I remember a key logo like that at our local TSB bank, Pype Hayes. It was etched on glass. Wonder what happened to that??
 
They are still on the street view but it is 2014!
 

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