![](https://huddersfieldhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Paladin_Hub.gif")
HSBC is bucking the trend of bank closures and opens its latest modern flagship branch in the Kingsgate Centre in Huddersfield on Monday (February 26).
The bank, which has a history in Huddersfield dating back almost 200 years, is moving from Cloth Hall Street investing hundreds of thousands of pounds into a new fully accessible branch.
Kingsgate is the third new branch to be opened by HSBC in the last 12 months and follows a commitment by the bank not to announce any new branch closures in 2024.
The Kingsgate branch opens to the public on Monday, with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 9.30am.
New state-of-the art technology will enable customers, for the first time, to deposit cash as well as withdraw outside of branch hours.
Accessibility features in the new branch include wider doorways, height-adjustable desks and wheelchair accessible meeting rooms.
To help customers with conditions such as autism, dementia and ADHD, the branch will also have a daily ‘quiet hour’, between 2pm and 3pm, with noise reduced in the branch by switching HSBC UK radio off, and there will be increased awareness and support from staff.
There will also be a Safe Space for anyone in immediate need of discreet space to reach out to friends and family, contact specialist support services or to phone a helpline.
Lisa Moore, HSBC UK’s local director, said: “HSBC UK continues to invest tens of millions of pounds across its branch network and those local communities.
“Our new Huddersfield branch is the third new branch the bank has opened in the last 12 months and has been designed with the customer at its heart.
“By prioritising customer accessibility and wellbeing, we are ensuring a welcome and seamless banking experience for customers of all abilities and needs in Huddersfield.
“We are looking forward to welcoming our customers into our new home which will provide greater accessibility for customers and colleagues who are wheelchair users, mobility impaired, partially sighted or neuro-diverse.”
HSBC UK can link its history to banking in Huddersfield going back almost 200 years, starting with the Huddersfield Banking Company, which opened for business on July 1 1827.
It was the first joint-stock bank to open in Yorkshire and it played a large part in the commercial and industrial development of Huddersfield.
From its beginning, the company won support in the town and district. Customers included many of the major textile firms in the area, but the bank always had a large number of small accounts.
Its head office operated from the Cloth Hall Street site from January 1828. Owing to the expansion of the business, the head office at Cloth Hall Street was rebuilt between 1880 and 1883 by local architect, Edward Hughes, who also designed the Market Hall and the Old College of Technology.
By the end of the 19th century, many of the bank’s customers needed financial services both in London and abroad – for example the textile industry’s links with Australia were important.
To meet this demand, the Huddersfield Banking Company sought amalgamation with a larger bank. With its strong London and overseas business, Midland Bank (now HSBC UK) was the ideal partner and the amalgamation was completed in 1897.
The building was demolished in 1967 to make way for a new building, which was officially opened on May 28 1970.
