BANKS ...

By the time that this newspaper hits the streets, another nail in the coffin of in person banking in Thirsk will have been hammered home.

Barclays Bank in the Market Place will have closed, and its iconic building, one of several in the town centre, will be up for re-purposing.

The national banks have been contributors to our townscapes for centuries, their solid style meant to impress us with their grandeur, and convince us that here is a safe and secure place to entrust our money.

(Since then, successive bank failures have eroded this tradition of trust and I have a theory that once a major institution splurges millions on a new corporate headquarters, they have probably taken their eyes off their core business, and it is time for investors to head for the hills!)

The Barclays branch in Ripon has already closed, but their building is still there, and it bears on its fascia the carved inscription “Old Bank”.

This commemorates the take over by the bank of a small local predecessor, a “Country Bank”, which will have flourished, along with myriad others two hundred odd years ago...

(To read the rest of this article go along to your nearest stockist and buy a copy of the paper)