| Code | DS/UK/623 |
| Corporate Name | Staffordshire Evacuation Sites |
| Dates | 1939 - 1946 |
| OtherFormsOfName | Trentham Park; Trentham Ballroom; Barlaston Hall |
| Activity | By 1937 it was recognised within the Bank that war would be inevitable. Due to a perceived increase in the threat of air raids, preparations were made to evacuate sections of the Bank away from London. By the time war was declared on 3rd September 1939, the Bank had put into motion its plans to evacuation departments to Staffordshire and Hampshire. The earliest evacuations took place between Friday 25th August and Monday 28th August and were to sites selected in Staffordshire for the Bill Office, the Dividend Accounts Office and part of the Dividend Pay Office. These sites were:
Trentham Park: Trentham Park, near Stoke-on-Trent, was once the estate of the Duke of Sutherland, but by 1939 housed an amusements park and dance hall as well, as the ruins of the Duke’s house, Trentham Hall. In 1939 the Committee of London Clearing Bankers decided to rent this dance hall for their use during a potential war. The section of the Bank’s Bill Office which dealt with the Bank’s clearing facilities also went to this site to facilitate business. The staff of the Bill Office evacuated here were billeted nearby, and remained there until the summer of 1946.
Barlaston Hall: In order to keep the Dividend Accounts Office and part of the Dividend Pay Office near to the Clearing House, and thus avoid the continued transport costs for quantities of dividend warrants, the Bank rented Barlaston Hall for their use. The hall was rented from Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd., who had acquired it in 1937 as a site for a new factory. Most of the staff working at Barlaston Hall were lodged at the North Stafford Hotel for the duration of their stay, and returned to London in March 1944. |
| Source | A Domestic History of the Bank of England 1930 - 1960 (Hennessy) |
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