then to “outlying districts” having proved successful; however, “outlying” still appeared to be relatively local. Further shocks were to come before the century was out. In 1886, the Woolwich's solicitor, also the son of the chairman, disappeared, prompting a run on deposits. The London and County sent funds to support the Society. This was followed by the failure of Jabez Balfour's Liberator Building Society in 1892 which caused a crisis of confidence in the whole building society movement and the withdrawal of deposits. Again, the London and County Bank sent funds to bolster reserves. Despite the earlier references to appointing agents in outlying areas, the Society remained small. In 1887, forty years after its formation, the Society’s assets were only £555,000 and it was run by one Secretary and seven clerks. Even by the 60th anniversary in 1907, the assets were little more than £1m. Regional expansion begins Slowly, the Woolwich was beginning to think of expansion. In 1911, it opened accounts with other banks in anticipation of widening the source of deposits. Although interrupted by World War I in 1917 it decided to appoint special agents in provinces. The first of these was in nearby Chatham, Kent but it was not until the early 1920s that the Woolwich began a programme of branch expansion, slowly at first but then accelerating. A city office was opened in 1923, followed by Croydon in 1924, Ilford in 1925 and Romford in 1927. In 1928, three were opened including Southampton and six in 1929, with branches now in bigger cities, e.g. Bristol, Manchester and Belfast. A further 17 branches were opened in the 1930s, Dundee, Cardiff, and Liverpool indicating the geographical spread. Assets grew from £1.7m in 1919 to around £36m at the onset of the Second World War. Branch expansion resumed immediately after the War and a regional organization was established in 1946. Three small societies had also been absorbed during the War: the Gosport and Alverstoke; Guildford and District Equitable, and Andover Mutual. However, the corporate history finishes in 1947, at the end of the Woolwich’s centenary, and detail is limited thereafter. Organic growth took assets up to £100m by the mid-1950s. The modern era: expansion and diversification From 1960, the Woolwich combined opening new branches with a series of acquisitions. Between the acquisition of the Modern Permanent in 1960 and the Town and Country in 1992, some nine societies were