Bank of England Museum

Address: | Bartholomew Lane, London EC2R 8AH |
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Phone: | 020-7601 5545 |
Website: | |
Opening times: | Mon–Fri 10:00–17:00 |
How to get there: | Tube: Monument, Cannon Street, Mansion House |
Entry fee: | Free |
Additional information: | Shop |
The museum charts the rise of the Bank of England from its private, 17th-century origins (founded in 1694 with a staff of 19) to the powerful institution it is today. Nationalised in 1946, it is the central bank of the United Kingdom, is banker to the Government, manages the country’s foreign exchange and gold reserves and sets the country’s interest rate. The Bank was established on its present site in 1734 but the building was expanded and largely rebuilt by Sir John Soane, its appointed architect and surveyor from 1788–1833. Soane’s building, which reflected the Bank’s growing size and increasingly pivotal position in the City, was his masterpiece. Foreign dignitaries were brought to view its magnificence, and in 1805 Soane conducted Queen Charlotte and her children on what must have been an exhausting two-hour tour. Its demolition and reconstruction by Sir Herbert Baker in 1921–39, albeit along Soane’s principles, resulted in a major architectural loss. | |
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MUSEUMS & GALLERIES OF LONDON
Details below are taken from our Blue Guide Museums and Galleries of London. This is a 2005 title, here generally updated for website address and opening times, with useful comments from some of the museums themselves. More recent information is given in Emily Barber's magisterial new Blue Guide London, "Exceptional update to a classic and useful guide to this amazing city" (Amazon reader review).
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