Bank of England Museum

The Bank of England Museum presents a history of banking and money from 1694 to the present day.

What to see at the Bank of England Museum

This is a small museum with displays showing the history of the Bank of England and its relationship with the modern economy.

The museum is organised into the following five galleries:

• Stock Office, which is a reconstruction of an 18th-century bank office. This gallery also features exhibits about the Bank of England’s architecture, monetary policy, the bank’s role in maintaining financial stability and the role of the Prudential Regulation Authority.
• The Early Years 1694–1800, which chronicles the first 100 years of the Bank of England including the impact of the Napoleonic Wars. Artefacts on display in this gallery include the bank’s Royal Charter (signed by King William and Queen Mary) and a £1 million note.
• The Rotunda gallery depicts the bank’s history from 1800 up until 1946. This gallery features a 13kg (28lb) gold bar that you are able to pick up. Kenneth Grahame, author of Wind in the Willows, worked at the bank for 30 years and the museum’s Rotunda gallery features a small exhibit about the author along with his resignation letter.
• The Banknote Gallery has exhibits on the history of banknotes including technology used to prevent counterfeiting.
• The Modern Economy gallery has exhibits about the bank’s gold vaults and banknotes that are currently in circulation.

Visiting the Bank of England Museum

The Bank of England Museum is inside the Bank of England on Bartholomew Lane in the heart of the City of London. It is only a two-minute walk from Bank tube station, and Cannon Street, Mansion House and Monument tube stations are also nearby.

Entry to the museum is free, including admission to temporary exhibitions.

Wheelchair access is available in all areas of the museum.

Nearby attractions including the Monument to the Great Fire of London, Guildhall, Guildhall Art Gallery, the City of London Police Museum, the Museum of London, the Sky Garden at the Walkie Talkie, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London, which are all within a 15-minute walk from the Bank of England Museum.

Most visitors spend around an hour in the museum.