The Bank Of England Museum

08/04/2020

Our collection of counterfeits from the 19th & 20th century feature quite a few hand drawn wonders. Needless to say that some forgers were not natural born artists and that some of the finer design elements were lost. This can be seen best in relation to Daniel Maclise’s iconic design of Britannia, which featured on Bank of England banknotes from 1855 – 1950. Here are some of the least convincing copies that we have come across so far – but which do you think is the worst? Vote in the comments below!

04/04/2020

William Cotton was Governor of the Bank of England between 1842-1845. As well as working in the Bank, he was a philanthropist and supporter of moral reform during the 19th century. He is thought to have donated a tenth of his income to charity, whilst also focussing his time on the parish of Bethnal Green and funding the building of St. Thomas church. In fact, a public subscription led to the installation of a memorial window to commemorate Cotton's life in St. Paul's Cathedral. Sadly, this was destroyed during the Second World War.
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#BoEArchive #archives #history #bankofengland #governor #nineteenthcentury

02/04/2020

Do you know that we run relaxed opening events for people with autism and other sensory difficulties twice a year? Here are some snapshots from our first event back in February. Keep an eye on our website as we’ll announce the date for the second event later in the year! #WorldAutismAwarenessDay #MusAccess

19/03/2020

On this day 1993, the £20 series D banknote featuring Shakespeare was withdrawn from circulation.

The final design featured a scene from Romeo and Juliet, one of his most famous plays. However, they trialled the design with lots of others. Here is an alternate design showing a vignette taken from Much Ado About Nothing. Can you guess which scene it is? 🤔 #numismatics #quiz

17/03/2020

Our museum is temporarily closed. All our museum events during April and May are cancelled. This is due to Government advice on Covid-19. We are sorry for any inconvenience.
You can keep up to date with our news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We hope you stay safe and we are able to welcome you back to our museum soon.

17/03/2020

Yesterday we welcomed our 121st Governor to the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey! We are excited to share images from the historic photograph collection in our new timeline showing some of our past governors. Travel back in time and have a look at the many governors who have served the Bank of England since the 1840s. Artworks of some of our earliest governors can also be viewed on the ArtUK website. https://b-o-e.uk/38YLyjj

08/03/2020

Happy International Women's Day! A short history on 'Women in the Bank' published in 2017 is a fascinating read about the story of women at the Bank of England since 1894.

#IWD2020

https://b-o-e.uk/2Tz3T1U

06/03/2020

Have you seen this contraption before? It is a coin sorter from c.1895. It was invented to save time when sorting coins of varying size and value - and who doesn’t want to spend less time doing that?

You can see this and other fascinating items in our free exhibition, ‘325 years, 325 objects’. https://b-o-e.uk/39qsI5E #BoE325 #LifeHack

06/03/2020

Another piece of fantastic design work by Roger Withington. Roger primarily worked on the Series D banknotes issued during the 1970s - 1990s. For his design, he created an entirely new design for HM Queen Elizabeth II. This set of design work, he focused on the different robes, crowns, tiaras that she had worn at previous public engagements and seeing how these translated into a design. This design is for the Garter Robe, which was eventually chosen for the series D portrait design. Sadly, the Queen's portrait is only from the shoulder - so we miss all this fantastic detail on the robes.

05/03/2020

It is illegal to copy a banknote when the result could be mistaken for a genuine note. That would be very unlikely with this 'unicorn money' from the Magic Mike Live show! It's on display at the moment in our newly updated Banknote Gallery. We wonder if Channing Tatum will pop in to see it…

25/02/2020

We only have a few places left on our free audio described tour on 13 March. Come along for a chance to explore the museum and get hands on with history! To book please see our website https://b-o-e.uk/38WljuM
#access #adtour #audiodescribed

19/02/2020

Celebrate the launch of the new polymer £20 in our museum tomorrow where you can pose as JMW Turner on our banknote cut out board! #thenew20

17/02/2020

Don’t miss our free storytelling sessions this half-term on all things gold! Places are limited, so ensure to get here in good time to collect your ticket from the information desk https://b-o-e.uk/2P0J3WJ

05/02/2020

This collection of newspaper articles, photographs and postcards cover the discovery of counterfeit banknotes from the bottom of Lake Toplitz (Toplitzee).

Lake Toplitz is tucked away in Totes Gebirge, Austria, about 40 miles from Salzburg. The lake itself is very inaccessible, with only a dirt path to lead you there and is frozen over for around 5 months of the year. Around 300 feet deep, the lake is exceptionally treacherous and several people have even died trying to explore its depths. Below 60 feet, the water has a high level of salt and very little oxygen, meaning very little marine life can exist - but also nothing can rot or decompose.

There are no firm figures about how many counterfeit banknotes were recovered out of Lake Toplitz, but it has been estimated as between 425,000 - 3 million (approx. £516 million). All of these counterfeits were manufactured during the Second World War as part of Operation Bernhard.

31/01/2020

Explore 325 years of fascinating history in our new exhibition ‘325 Years, 325 Objects’. It features rare items from our vast collection. Free entry. https://b-o-e.uk/2S5UwF1

25/01/2020

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o the puddin'-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye worthy o' a grace
As lang's my arm.

Happy #BurnsNight all!
📷: portrait of Robert Burns from the £5 Clydesdale banknote.

21/01/2020

Bank of England

Bank of England

Not long to go: #TheNew20 is coming in 1 month.

Grab some popcorn and watch the movie! 😃🍿

Find out more: TheNew20.co.uk

20/01/2020

#OTD in 1837, architect Sir John Soane died. One of his most recognised pieces of work was the Bank of England which he designed in the late 18th century. Much of the building remained until the 1920s when it was demolished to make way for a larger building on Threadneedle Street. The old 'Soane' Bank of England can be explored via our new online gallery #BoEArchive https://b-o-e.uk/3698hb8

17/01/2020

Dividend Day

Peek inside the 19th century Bank of England! This painting by George Elgar Hicks shows our customers back in 1859. It even shows off some of John Soane's original architectural designs. Soane lived around the corner at Lincolns Inn (now Sir John Soane's Museum). See more of our objects here: https://b-o-e.uk/2ucbHfC

16/01/2020

Apart from being really cool, did you know about the symbolism behind dragons? 🐉 Often depicted as evil, they also can be used to represent power, strength and hidden knowledge. Stephen Gooden designed a ten shilling note which featured a fantastic dragon design in green, orange and gold. Sadly the 10 shilling was never issued, but it's still a gorgeous design!
#numsimatics

14/01/2020

Bank of England

Not long to go: #TheNew20 is coming in 1 month.

Can you guess how many twenties appear in the image?

Leave a comment below 😃🥳

13/01/2020

We're open again for the new year - check out our What's On guide to see all the fun events we've got lined up for this year! https://b-o-e.uk/2Nm0wIl

10/01/2020

Banknotes have changed a lot over time. For nearly 150 years, they looked like this £10 note issued in 1767. Today, banknotes have colourful intricate designs that incorporate a range of security features. You can see rare historical notes and other fascinating items in our new exhibition, ‘325 years, 325 objects’. https://b-o-e.uk/305sn4C #BoE325

10/01/2020

Bank Restriction Note

Why is Britannia shown eating her children on this imitation banknote? The note was designed as a protest against the harsh penalties for forging banknotes. See if you can spot any other gory details. See more of our objects here: https://b-o-e.uk/2Td41nY

06/01/2020

If you are interested in design or architecture, then check out our latest online gallery! Historic photographs from the Bank of England Archive show the finished Bank of England building which was designed by architect Herbert Baker in the 1920s and includes beautiful intricate detail. https://b-o-e.uk/2QtpfMx

03/01/2020

This shoe is one of the Roman artefacts that was found under the Bank of England building

On trend 2000 years ago! Many Roman artefacts were found under the Bank of England building. Some are now in the Museum of London but others, like this shoe, are part of our collection.

See more of our objects here: https://b-o-e.uk/2QjvcvC

27/12/2019

St Christopher Statue

Our war memorial commemorates Bank of England staff who died in the two world wars. It was designed by British sculptor Richard Reginald Gouldon, a member of Royal Society of Sculptors and The Art Workers' Guild. Gouldon served with the Corps of Royal Engineers during the First World War. See more of our objects here: https://b-o-e.uk/2F3o2oB

27/12/2019

Explore 325 years of fascinating history in our new exhibition ‘325 Years, 325 Objects’. It features rare items from our vast collection. Free entry: https://b-o-e.uk/2QoY0Bv

20/12/2019

Just a reminder that the museum will be closed from Monday 23rd December and will reopen Monday 13th January. Check out our What's On guide in the meantime to find out what exciting things we've got planned for next year: https://b-o-e.uk/35J336j

20/12/2019

Womans Porter Hat

It’s hat season! Would you wear a hat like this? 👒

It was designed for the women porters who started working at the Bank of England during the First World War.

See more of our objects here: https://b-o-e.uk/36T6OGt

17/12/2019

The Bank of England creates a Christmas card each year for staff to use. This design painted by Danny Denahy in 1993 is one of our favourites. We love how he captured the details of busy city life but with some Christmas cheer! The Gatekeeper in the traditional pink livery at the back welcoming Santa is a brilliant detail.

13/12/2019

Pinwheel Calculator

Can you guess what this strange contraption is for? We bet someone at the Science Museum guessed right! Have you worked it out? It’s a (rather large) calculator. See more of our objects here: https://b-o-e.uk/2YItvul

13/12/2019

This tankard is well-travelled. The Bank of England’s first Governor, Sir John Houblon, received it in 1695. For two-hundred years, there was no record of its whereabouts, until it emerged in New York. And in 1924, it came back to Threadneedle Street, as a gift from the New York Fed.

You can see it and other fascinating items in our new exhibition, ‘325 Years, 325 Objects’: https://b-o-e.uk/2LSIFYz

10/12/2019

On this day in 1953 Winston Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 'for his mastery of historical and biographical description' and 'brilliant oratory'. The medal features in the background of the Churchill £5 note, but you can see the real thing at Chartwell NT.

06/12/2019

Perfume burner

Check out this fancy perfume burner! It was designed by Matthew Boulton who currently features on our £50 banknote – soon to be replaced by Alan Turing. You can see more of Boulton’s work at his former home, Soho House Museum. See more of our objects here: https://b-o-e.uk/2OYUPkR

04/12/2019

We're continuing to develop our Accessibility offering for the museum and did our first ever early opening and BSL talks this year. We'll be posting more access events soon for 2020: https://b-o-e.uk/2RiPyWH #Accessibility #IDPWD

29/11/2019

325 years, 325 objects

Explore 325 years of fascinating history in our new exhibition ‘325 Years, 325 Objects’. It features rare items from our vast collection. Free entry. See here for more information: https://b-o-e.uk/2OZlIn8 #BoE325

See 325 years of the Bank of England's history in our new exhibition.

29/11/2019

Look at this beautiful blue onion Meissen centrepiece

Look at this beautiful blue onion Meissen centrepiece! Did you know the Meissen was founded over 200 years ago?

They still make porcelain in the blue onion pattern today! See more of our objects here: https://b-o-e.uk/2R2AVGR

25/11/2019

The Bank Of England Museum's cover photo

15/11/2019

This tankard is well-travelled. The Bank of England’s first Governor, Sir John Houblon, received it in 1695. For two-hundred years, there was no record of its whereabouts, until it emerged in New York. And in 1924, it came back to us, as a gift from the New York Fed.

You can see it and other fascinating items in our new exhibition, ‘325 Years, 325 Objects’. See here for more information: https://b-o-e.uk/2QiBuMq #BoE325

15/11/2019

It's an exciting day as we launch our new display curated by the Bank of England Archive! It explores the stock investments of landscape painter JMW Turner that were made during the 18th and 19th centuries, including a look at his earliest investments made when he was just 18 years old! #boearchive

11/11/2019

This half term, we asked you to design a building for the Bank of England in the future. We had so many fantastic entries – thank you to everyone who took part. A huge congratulations to our Big Draw winners this year: Martha (5), Robbie (7), Evelyn (11) and Harriet (13)! 🎉

06/11/2019

Did You Know that Bonnie Prince Charlie planned to issue his own banknotes? A printing plate was made for the notes, but the idea was abandoned after the Battle of Culloden. The plate was found in a loch over 100 years later. The printing plate is now in the West Highland Museum, but you can see a pull from it in our exhibition, 325 Years, 325 Objects!

04/11/2019

On Friday 15th November, our new display curated by the Bank's Archive team will be open! Using records from the Bank's historic stock ledger collection, the display explores the stock accounts of landscape and history painter JMW Turner. It will look at details around his transactions and how they were processed. Drop in to find out more! https://b-o-e.uk/2C6NW9M

01/11/2019

325 years, 325 objects

Explore 325 years of fascinating history in our new exhibition ‘325 Years, 325 Objects’. It features rare items from our vast collection. Free entry. See here for more information: https://b-o-e.uk/2WIwrGp #BoE325

Discover 325 years of The Bank of England at our new exhibition.