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In 1957-1959 I worked in the Royal Bank of Scotland in Saltcoats and also in the sub office in Stevenston. As Creamolafoam said the Saltcoats branch was indeed in Nineyard Street. Mr.Rae was the manager, Mr. Tompson the teller, and other members of staff were Borland Scott, Margaret MacPherson and two other men whose names I've forgotten. Mr. Rae's home was in the same building as the bank, the bank being on the right hand side of the building and his home on the left. When I worked in the sub office in Stevenston we had an exchange of notes and cheques at one of the other banks in New Street, when I walked the length of New Street with a canvas bag with God knows how much money in it to pass the contents on to the other bank members. I think there might have been a policeman overseeing this, but I knew a lot of folk in Stevenston and said hello to them as I passed. If only they had known what was in that canvas bag. Looking back I realise just how naive a teenager I was. There were so many different banks back then, The Royal Bank, The Bank of Scotland, The Clydesdale, The national Commercial, The British Linen etc. When the Saltcoats branch of the Royal Bank moved to Chapelwell Street I remember seeing the sign for A.T.Mays above the door of the one in Nineyard Street.

I worked in Paisley Trustee Savings Bank from 1959 to 1964. At that time it was up in Bradshaw Street. Like you I walked from there to the Bank of Scotland (at least I think that was the bank I went to) carrying a brief case with cash, no security guard to protect me. Certainly was a trusting naive teenager in those days.
After some time at Saltcoats I transferred to our new branch in West Kilbride and from there to Largs as a teller.

I forgot about the Paisley Trustees. There might even have been others. You might be able to tell me the name of one of the fellows from the Royal who went to the exchanges. I remember he had a brief case that was padlocked to his wrist.

I started working at RBS Dockhead Street in 1970. In my first 5 minutes the manager took me into his room and let me know that the sign above the door, ‘Royal Bank of Scotland’ had only been up for less than a year and this was a National Commercial branch, still using their systems and be mindful of that!

A few years later I worked at the RBS sub-branch down close to the station gates in Stevenston. Then, Kilwinning Howgate, Ardrossan, Irvine branches before being transferred up to Glasgow and Edinburgh offices.

In that first year, I remember the differences between the Nineyard Street RBS and our place in Dockhead Street. The former seemed to be more automated and I remember being fascinated watching a batch machine shuttling along as the cheques and payins etc were entered in on the keyboard whereas at Dockhead Street we’d to hand-write those transactions through a huge waste sheet.

I also remember the large bicycle pump style air freshener spray I’d to go out and skoosh in the customer area before we opened and also when we shut the doors for the hour at lunchtime.

Aye, the note and cheque exchanges which if I recall correctly were Tuesday and Thursday mornings and Friday afternoon.

macaulay, Dockhead Street’s leather note-case still had a leather strap and lock to attach to the wrist but were told never to do that as someone in another town was dragged along the street after two guys grabbed the bag.

Campbell

can you tell me the number of the RBS when it was in Dockhead st?

My father John Paterson was the Manager of The Royal Bank in Saltcoats. I am sure if the dates but certainly in the late 60’s and 70’s

wellparkno9 - it was 89 Dockhead Street, right at the Flemings, Chapelwell Street corner. Google tells me it's now a shop called Cover-Up.

janp - J.S. Paterson - remember him so very well. He was a gentleman.

Campbell

canfactory,I remember that bank but I didnt think it was RBS,I thought the RBS moved from Nineyard St to Chaplewell St the old memory must be going.

The building is referred to in the following link, together with a photograph.

https://canmore.org.uk/site/232135/salt ... ead-street

wellparkno9, nothing wrong with your memory. If I'm remembering correctly, when Chapewell Street branch was ready they first moved staff from the Nineyard Street branch and closed it. Within a week or two the staff from 89 Dockhead Street were transferred to the new office and it too was closed. I feel sure they didn't do those transfers and closures on the same date. My memory is a bit sketchy though as I was working at the Glasgow Chief Office at the time but remember reading in the staff magazine about what was happening with the Saltcoats branches and smiling at the staff pics as I knew a good few of the faces.

Thanks Penny Tray, that's the one. Upstairs was the solicitors Joseph Kirkland & Sons. Across the road in 1970 was a wonderful traditional bakers and I've forgotten it's name but remember the great smell as you walked in the door. As the 16yo office junior I was sent over every morning with the 'tea break' list. It might have become City Bakeries years later but I maybe wrong.

Campbell

Campbell, could it have been Gibson's? They had a tearoom upstairs. My mum worked there 1964/65 before we moved to Germany.
Irene

The building that once was the bank is now the Salvation Army charity shop. I was a customer when the bank was the National Commercial Bank. It was indeed across from Gibson’s tearoom.