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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Midland Bank
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One of the *clearing banks, established in Birmingham in 1836 by a young Cornishman, Charles Geach. The Midland acquired two London banks during the 1890s, the Central and the City, and moved its headquarters to Threadneedle Street in 1898. In 1930 a spectacular new headquarters was opened in Poultry, designed by *Lutyens. Midland pioneered low-cost telephone banking in Britain in 1989 with its First Direct service, but by the early 1990s it was the weakest of the 'big four' clearing banks. In 1992 Lloyds attempted to take it over so as to merge and reduce in number their joint high-street outlets, but Midland was acquired in that year by the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.
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