Wollaston Village

Industry & Trade

Banks & Building Societies

Before online banking and out-of-town branches, Wollaston had its own financial services — a Post Office Savings Bank dating to 1863, a Nationwide branch on Thrift Street, and agency counters for Barclays and Midland recorded in Kelly's 1924.

Old Shops

Remembered banks and savings services

Two sites are well remembered by residents. The Post Office Savings Bank has a confirmed opening date; the Nationwide branch is remembered but its exact years are still being confirmed.

Nationwide Building Society

Building society

c.1970s–1990s
Bottom of Thrift Street

Nationwide Building Society had a branch at the bottom of Thrift Street. The building is remembered as later becoming Jade Windows, and is now Ele's Bakes. The exact years of Nationwide's occupation are not yet confirmed.

The building's sequence — Nationwide → Jade Windows → Ele's Bakes — is well remembered locally but the exact dates of each occupant are still being confirmed.

Local memoryFacebook group memoriesNow: Ele's Bakes (formerly Jade Windows)

Post Office Savings Bank

Savings bank (Post Office)

2 March 1863 onwards
100 High Street (the Post Office)

The Post Office Savings Bank opened at Wollaston Post Office on 2 March 1863, making it one of the earliest financial services in the village. The Post Office at 100 High Street served as the savings bank counter for generations of villagers. The savings bank function continued until the Post Office's later years.

The Post Office Savings Bank was a national scheme introduced in 1861; Wollaston joined in 1863.

Post Office records1939 RegisterIvy Walker memoirNow: See the Post Office history page
Post Office history →

Kelly's Directory 1924

Bank agencies in 1924

Kelly's Directory for 1924 records two bank agencies operating in Wollaston. These were typically sub-offices or agency counters rather than full branches — a common arrangement for villages of Wollaston's size.

Barclays Bank

Agency at Wollaston — listed in Kelly's 1924. Exact premises not yet confirmed.

Kelly's 1924

Midland Bank

Agency at Wollaston — listed in Kelly's 1924. Exact premises not yet confirmed.

Kelly's 1924
The exact premises used by the Barclays and Midland agencies in 1924 have not yet been confirmed. If you know where they were located, please get in touch.

Can you help?

We are still piecing together the full picture of banking in Wollaston. If you have any of the following, please share them with us.

  • The exact years Nationwide occupied the Thrift Street premises
  • The premises used by Barclays and Midland agencies in 1924
  • Any photographs of the Nationwide branch or its interior
  • Passbooks, statements or documents from the Post Office Savings Bank
  • Any other banks or financial services you remember in the village
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