Bank of England Museum

London for Free

The Bank of England Museum is included in
Free Things to Do in the City of London.

The Bank of England Museum is included in
Top 10 London Hidden Gems.

Situated within the historic Bank of England building in Threadneedle Street in the heart of the City of London, the Bank of England Museum tells the story of the Bank from its foundation in 1694 to its role today as the United Kingdom's central bank. The permanent Museum displays include material drawn from the Bank's own collections of silver, prints, paintings, banknotes, coin, photographs, books, and other historic documents. Exhibits range from Roman and modern gold bars, to pikes and muskets once used to defend the Bank. Computer technology and audio visual displays explain the Bank's role today.

Museum Highlight

Can you lift a bar of gold? It weighs 13kg and you can put your hand into a hole in a cabinet and lift the bar. There's no chance of stealing it but it may be the only time you get to touch something so densely valuable.

Free

Opening Hours

Monday - Friday: 10am - 5pm

Christmas Eve (24 December): 10am - 1pm

Closed weekends and Bank Holidays

Exceptional Weekend Openings

• Open Door (June or July)
• Open House (September)
• Saturday of the Lord Mayor's Show (November)

Bank of England Museum
Bartholomew Lane, off Threadneedle Street
London
EC2R 8AH

The entrance is on the side of the building and there are some steps. If you need assistance there is a bell. All visitor's bags are put through a security scanner and then you are in the museum. Pick up your free map & guide from the Information Desk.

Nearest Tube Stations

• Bank
• Monument
• Cannon Street
• Mansion House

Use Journey Planner to plan your route by public transport.

Telephone: 020 7601 5545

Email: museum@bankofengland.co.uk

Official Website: Bank of England Museum website

• The Bank Stock Office - reconstruction of a late 18th century banking hall.
• The Architecture of the Bank
• Early Banking in England
• The Bank's Founder
• The Early Years of Banking
• The Eighteenth Century
• The Restriction Period
  - from 1793 to 1815 Britain was almost continuously at war with France.
• Pitt and Fox - William Pitt (Prime Minister) and Charles Fox (arch opponent)
• The Rotunda - major architectural feature
• The Bank's Silver
• Gold Display
• Defense and Security
• Banknote Gallery
• The Victorian Bank
• The First World War
• The Interwar Years
• The Second World War
• Nationalization
• Inflation
• Decimalization
• The Pound Sterling
• The Euro

There is a small museum shop at the end of the museum tour selling exclusive souvenirs.