Post Office Savings Bank and Post Office Savings Department

Records of the Post Office Savings Bank and Post Office Savings Department:

Ledgers of Depositors' Accounts are in NSC 8.

Savings Policy Files Series I and II are in NSC 9 and NSC 21.

Annuity and Insurance Branch Correspondence and Papers are in NSC 10.

Stock Register Files are in NSC 12.

Home Safes Files are in NSC 13.

Coupon Accounts Files are in NSC 15.

Gift Tokens Files are in NSC 16.

Relations with National Savings Committees Files are in NSC 20.

Buildings Branch Files are in NSC 23.

Printing Branch Files are in NSC 24.

Savings Bank and Savings Departments Photographs are in NSC 27.

Staff and Procedure Orders and Circulars are in NSC 35.

Organization and Development Files are in NSC 38.

Savings Bank Statistics are in NSC 39.

Campaign and Publicity Leaflets are in NSC 42.

Senior Officers' Papers are in NSC 59.

Original Publicity Artwork: Post Office Savings Bank Series NSC 61; 'Wherever You Go' Series NSC 62; 'People Like Me' Series iNSC 64; ‘Life in Britain’ Series NSC 70.

• Post Office Savings Bank, 1861-1969
• Post Office Savings Department, 1861-1969

Topics

Art, architecture and design

Government finances

Pay and pensions

Banking

Communications

Post Office Savings Bank

The Post Office Savings Bank came in to being in 1861 when the General Post Office was authorised to undertake savings bank business by the Post Office Savings Bank Act.

The Bank started its history on Monday 16 September 1861 in two small rooms in the Post Office headquarters, St Martins-le-Grand, London EC and in 1863 took over more spacious accommodation in a warehouse at 27 St Paul's Churchyard, EC. With the growth of the Bank these premises too became too small and a new headquarters was built at 144 Queen Victoria Street, EC in 1880. This sufficed until 1903 when a move was made to a new building in Blythe Road, West Kensington. This building continued as the main address of the Bank until the late 1960s, although additional accommodation in West London, Harrogate and Manchester was necessary at various dates.

In the ensuing years the Government Stock Register, the Post Office Register, and annuity and insurance business were added to the Bank's services and its administration became the responsibility of the Savings Bank Department of the Post Office with, from 1935, a Director of Savings in charge.

By the Post Office Act 1969 the Savings Department was hived off from the Post Office and re-constituted as the Department for National Savings, reporting to Treasury ministers.

Post Office Savings Department

(See departmental level Admin History: NSC)