IN this edition of nostalgia, we are looking back at old photos of local building societies and banks.

One of the oldest banks in the area was the Carlisle Old Bank, formed in 1803.

Smaller private banks were either acquired or merged with larger institutions due to various financial crises and changing regulations.

The Barclays Bank acquired many smaller banks in Cumbria.

In the 20th century, banks such as HSBC, NatWest and Barclays became commonplace throughout Cumbria.

To celebrate the opening of its new office in Longtown in 1984, the Cumberland Building Society offered a free £1 account to all homes in the town. There were also gifts for children who opened an account. The manager of the new branch was Tim Armstrong and there were two members of staff: Elizabeth Ward and Shona Jones.

Meanwhile, the Halifax Building Society had scored a notable first with what was described as “a hi-tech age method of depositing and withdrawing money every day of the year” and had installed an automatic teller machine outside its Bank Street branch.

One of the oldest banks in Whitehaven was the Whitehaven Joint Stock Banking Co, which was established in 1829 with a capital of £270,000. The bank initially opened in Roper Street, but in 1838 moved to Queen Street and later, by 1859, to Lowther Street.

Branches were opened in Penrith (1831), Egremont (1865), Maryport (1870), Seascale (1889) and Cleator Moor (1893). Sub-branches were opened at Harrington (1867) and Shap (1869).

Whitehaven Joint Stock Banking Co was registered as an unlimited company in 1873, and in 1888 assumed limited liability as Whitehaven Joint Stock Banking Co Ltd. In 1908 the bank was acquired by Parr’s Bank.