Parr's Bank

Writing in 1905, William Howarth described Parr's as "one of the great amalgamating banks in the country" and "a power in the financial world".

The first partnership was with Joseph Parr, a sugar boiler, his brother-in-law Matthew Lyon, and Walter Kerfoot, a solicitor.

Helped by a series of acquisitions, including the National Bank of Liverpool, Parr's built up its presence in Cheshire, Lancashire and Staffordshire; by 1890 there were 22 branches and 21 sub-branches.

Branches were immediately opened in Bridgwater and Bristol, separately constituted to avoid the restriction on banks having no more than six partners.

One notable member of the Bank was Walter Bagehot, later editor of The Economist who was appointed the secretary to the management committee in 1855.

[2] In 2020 it was bought by YP Group who renovated the original Parr’s Bank in Warrington into a luxury boutique hotel, coffee shop and events space.