Church Street Sheffield: Memories of the businesses we have lost as RBS bank prepares to close branch

The city centre bank is due to shut for good on October 11, and its impending closure has prompted Jeremy Biggin to share below his memories below of the establishment and other businesses on Church Street which have been lost over the years.

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Cole’s Corner it always will be to many of us as a meeting point “in town”.

My wife and I were amongst those who met there on early “dates” 60 years ago. Cole Brothers, whom it was named after, went decades ago as did more recently its so-called successor, John Lewis.

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The Stone House, where a group of us used to meet on a Saturday lunchtime in the 60s and enjoy banter with the legendary landlord Bill Hoffman, is gone too. Now it’s my bank’s turn, in October.

In the early 60s I opened an account with Williams Deacon’s Bank, it later changed its name to Williams & Glyns, and, in recent times, The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), a part of NatWest.

An abiding memory of this bank was in early autumn 1969 I had an appointment with the main manager, Mr Watson, about securing a mortgage on a house my wife and I were after, in Broomhill.

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The appointment had been fixed by my father who, through business, knew Mr Watson well. In those days the bank was palatial… marble floors in the banking area, high ceilings, with enormous light fittings and oozing with mahogany counters and furnishings. There was thick pile carpet in the office areas, and impressive oil paintings graced the walls.

I was nervous and, in great humility, knocked on his door.

“Come in,” I heard and duly opened the door. I was immediately aware of a golf ball rolling across the carpet in front of me.

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“It is Jeremy, isn’t it?” he said.

“Yes Mr Watson.”

"Could you roll that ball back to me please?”

It was an impressively long room and I did so, clutching the ELR details of the house in my other hand.

He was, of course practicing his putting; aiming for the flap-up metal “cup” (probably from Sugg’s sports shop, also gone) at the other end of his office!

I gave him the leaflet. A few more putts and questions and all was good. The only downer was that he didn’t ask me to caddy for him that weekend.

We lived very happily in our Broomhill house for 28 years.