Bank of England Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1988 |
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| Location | City of London, London, EC2R United Kingdom |
| Type | Bank of England Museum |
| Public transit access |   Bank |
The Bank of England Museum is a cool place to visit in the City of London. It's inside the famous Bank of England. This museum shows off a huge collection of items. These items tell the story of the Bank and the UK's economy. You can learn about its history from when it started in 1694 until today.
The museum is open to everyone. The best part is, it's completely free to enter!
Contents
History of the Museum
At first, you could only see the Bank's collection by making an appointment. Visitors were guided through the Bank to a small display area. In the 1980s, the Bank decided to open its collection to more people. They wanted to make the whole Bank of England more accessible.
A new museum was planned. It was meant to open in 1994. That year was the Bank's 300th birthday! But a fire in 1986 damaged the area where the museum was going to be. So, they decided to start building the museum right away.
The new museum took about 18 months to build. It was designed by experts called Higgins Gardner & Partners. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the new museum in 1988.
Some cool things in the new museum included:
- A recreated 18th-century Stock Office. This was designed by Sir John Soane.
- A refurbished Rotunda with a central gold display. Twelve statues guarded the gold.
In 1988, the museum won two awards. It received the City Heritage Award and the Stone Federation Award. These awards were for its excellent design and craftsmanship.
Exhibitions
Besides its regular displays, the museum also has special temporary exhibitions. These exhibitions change from time to time.
Right now, you can see a digital exhibition about the new £50 banknote. This note features the famous mathematician Alan Turing.
Some recent temporary exhibitions have included:
- Feliks Topolski: Drawing Debden (2018)
- 325 Years, 325 Objects (2019)
What You Can See: Permanent Displays
The Bank of England Museum is quite large. It covers about 10,000 square feet (930 square meters). It shows a wide range of items. These items explain the history of the Bank of England. You can learn about it from its beginning in 1694 to the present day.
One of the most exciting things to see is a real bar of gold. This gold bar is almost 100% pure gold! You can even hold it, but it's inside a clear box. The value of the gold bar changes every day. The museum displays its current value next to the bar.
Other permanent displays include a Banknote Gallery. There's also a section on the history of the Bank's buildings. You can also learn about the modern economy.
Collections
The museum's collection has over 40,000 items! These include old artifacts, banknotes, coins, and paintings. There are also sculptures, antique furniture, and decorative art. Plus, there are items about social history.
A big part of the collection focuses on the Bank's role in making banknotes. Banknotes and items related to their design and production make up about 30,000 items. About 10,000 of these are actual banknotes.
Items in the banknote collection include:
- Examples of every banknote the Bank has ever made.
- Printing plates used to make the notes.
- Different materials used for banknotes.
- Examples of fake or counterfeit banknotes.
The museum also has many political cartoons. These cartoons relate to the Bank's history. There is also a large collection of oil paintings.
Images for kids
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Sign at entrance of the Bank of England Museum
