I have to be honest, I'm not sure that the brief visit I paid to the Bank of England Museum is even worth blogging about, but I took a couple of pictures and thought I might as well post them on here.
I popped in as it was literally on my way back to the Tube station after visiting the Guildhall Art Gallery. It's quite small but certainly worth half an hour of your time. I didn't skulk around for too long as there were a few annoying kids running around and also a screaming baby wailing a crescendo. Usually I can handle these things as they're a part and parcel of life, but on this day I, quite frankly, was not up for tolerating either.
The museum is small but perfectly formed and you do get to see the stunning architecture which is a blend of the styles of Sir John Soane, Bank architect from 1788 to 1833 and Sir Herbert Baker. The latter was responsible for accommodating the expansion of the premises, and the only part of Soane's Bank- mostly demolished in the 1920s- which remains today is the outside curtain wall.
This impressive architecture is evident when you see the wonderful skylight dome in the entrance section...
This first section is devoted to the founding of the Bank and the early years (1694-1800). Around the room there is a lot of writing regarding financial history and the building.
The Bank's famous nickname 'The Old Lady Of Threadneedle Street' comes from this 1797 satirical cartoon by James Gillray.
This was from the time of the Napoleonic Wars, when the Bank was forced to restrict payment of gold for its notes to maintain sufficient reserves (a highly controversial move at the time).
The central part is dedicated to describing how money works...
Here is a very old treasure chest...
The Rotunda. One thing I did like reading about was how money is mentioned in literature, notably the works of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens.
The Rotunda is devoted to the years 1800-1946...
...And has another wonderful skylight dome...
There is a room dedicated to banknotes...
The most interesting part for me was this printing press, which also had details of how intricate patterns are stamped onto the notes and how this helps prevent forgery...
There is a section devoted to famous robberies...
You can lift a gold bar if you want to. It weighs two stone- the same weight as my ornamental Art Deco bedroom mirror- and I know how lifting THAT felt (and that was with two hands!) I managed it okay with my right hand but struggled with my left (even though I think it's the stronger arm) as I appear to have pulled my shoulder out recently.
Gold cabinet, and there's also a film about gold to watch.
A taste of history via a cabinet about decimalisation, which took place in 1971...
Loads of pound coins...
Although the place wasn't packed, I certainly didn't glean as much information as I would have liked as I couldn't, generally speaking, get close enough. Or maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind. But I'd definitely give this museum an encore if I happened to be passing again.
I stopped off at Pizza Union in Aldgate for a delicious lunch. It was good value for money too- this 12" pancetta, goat's cheese and broccoli pizza (I believe they call it a 'Romana) only cost £6.50.
TTFN
The Miss Elaineous
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