At midday on 24th September 2025, the NatWest branch on Abingdon Market Place closed its doors for the final time. It is one of 55 NatWest Branches closing in 2025.
The closure also ends the personal contact many customers valued with familiar faces of staff. Staff have either been redeployed to Oxford, taken redundancy, or accepted early retirement.
The closure also means the loss of the branch’s ATMs. The indoor machine was unusual in allowing withdrawals of just £5, and the external one was popular with drivers for its easy access. The branch’s cash machine allowed cash deposits. Local businesses and people will now need to bag their change and take it to the Post Office.
Soon after the doors shut, a van arrived and took down the NatWest signage, removed the external ATM and sealed the nightsafe.
The building is not listed and has mostly been a bank with offices upstairs since it was first built in 1885-6. It replaced an earlier London and County Bank building.
I opened my first bank account in this building before I went to university many years ago. I think this was then the National Provincial Bank before the merger.
It was the Westminster Bank, National Provincial was behind the County Hall where the Coventry is now. I started work there is 1964!!!