Power & Politics

A political history of Britain in the places where it happened: parliament and palace, courts and counting houses, and the streets where people pushed back.

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Bank of England Museum

The bank invented in 1694 so that the government could borrow enough to fight France.

Money & the CityFree to enter

Photo by Adrian Pingstone, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Also in Museums.

Charles II had already destroyed confidence in lending to kings by simply stopping repayment in 1672. William III's government needed money for a war and could not raise it on those terms, so a company was created to stand between the two: private investors subscribed £1.2 million in eleven days, lent it to the state, and took interest and privileges in return. That arrangement - a durable institution investors trusted, managing a national debt - is what let a small country fund long wars and global commitments, and it mattered more to British power than any battle. The museum lays out the notes, the gold and the crises, and does not skip the Bank's own connections to slavery and colonial trade.

Where
Threadneedle Street, Leadenhall Market, EC2R 8AH
Nearest station
Bank · 2 min walk

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Coming up

Hours

Monday10:00 – 17:00
Tuesday10:00 – 17:00
Wednesday10:00 – 17:00
Thursday10:00 – 17:00
Friday10:00 – 17:00
SaturdayClosed
SundayClosed

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Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.

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