What to expect from an afternoon at the Bank of England Museum

If for you, a visit to London is the perfect opportunity to engage in the history of Britain and learn more about its colourful past, you should definitely make an afternoon at the Bank of England Museum a priority while staying at the Montcalm City Hotel.

The museum offers visitors an immersive experience where you can explore displays and exhibits related to the bank and learn about its history, as well as the people that have helped make it what it is over the past 300 years.

Read on to find out more about what you can expect to see and discover when you visit this fascinating museum.

The Stock Office

Head here and you will find a fascinating reconstruction of the eighteenth-century offices which were built by Sir John Soane, the bank’s architect from 1788 to 1833.

The Early Years

When you want to understand how it all began with The Bank of England, it’s important to go back to the 1600s, which you’ll be able to do with this exhibition. Here you will learn about how the bank was founded in order to raise money whilst a war was taking place against France. You’ll discover how money was raised from private investors which in turn helped to establish the bank in 1694.

Is your brain hurting from all of the information on display here? Luckily, our hotels near London city can provide you with the perfect retreat where you can put your feet up and enjoy the company of your friends or family.

The Banknote Gallery

Ever wondered where paper money originates from and how they have changed over time? Head to this section of the gallery and you’ll be able to have every single question that you ever had about money answered during a stay at the Montcalm City Hotel. Learn about how people have attempted to forge notes over the years and see how complex designs are now used to ensure that modern notes are hard to counterfeit. Explore some of the earliest examples of paper money and even check out the machinery that is used to create the ornamental patterns that make up the security features on banknotes.

The Rotunda

During the 1800s the Bank of England continued to grow at a steady rate and you can learn all about how it established its position as the nation’s bank here. Find out how the bank was rebuilt and expanded by architect Sir Herbert Baker and how the statues that were featured in Sir John Soane’s bank were salvaged and used in the new building.

Have you ever had the chance to hold a real block of gold? Well, now you will! Discover a genuine bar of gold that weighs in at 13kg, so probably isn’t the easiest to carry! The Bank of England stores around 400,000 gold bars in its vault, so it’s a good chance to understand more about the bank and what it does.