Alliance Bank (London & Liverpool)

This joint stock bank was established in 1862 as Alliance Bank of London & Liverpool Ltd with premises and directors in both London and Liverpool. It had a paid-up capital of £250,000. The bank was an immediate success and was admitted to the London Clearing House in 1863. Branches were opened at Southwark (1863), Birkenhead (1863) and Manchester (1864). In 1864, when customer deposits totalled £6 million, the bank’s title was altered to Alliance Bank Ltd to reflect its geographical spread. During the following years it experienced large losses and, during the financial panic of 1866, a run on all its branches. Continuing poor results led to an abortive proposal, in 1869, to reconstruct the business by separating the Liverpool business as Palatine Bank Ltd.

In the early 1870s parts of the business were sold to other banks. Southwark branch was sold to London Joint Stock Bank in 1870, and in 1871 the Liverpool business was sold to National Bank of Liverpool. The remaining business was transferred to a new company, also known as Alliance Bank Ltd. In 1872 the bank's Manchester branch was sold to Lancashire & Yorkshire Bank. Alliance Bank subsequently expanded its branch representation in London.

In 1892 Alliance Bank Ltd amalgamated with Parr’s Banking Co to form Parr’s Banking Co & the Alliance Bank Ltd.

Branches: The bank opened 15 branches between 1862 and 1892. In 1892 12 branches were operating.

Published histories

• TE Gregory, The Westminster Bank through a Century (London: Oxford University Press, 1936)

Our archive holdings

A summary list of our archival records of Alliance Bank Ltd of London and Liverpool can be found on the Archives Hub website. 

Summary of archive holdings elsewhere

• HSBC Group Archives: London, Southwark branch: signature books 1864-1928