Bank of England Museum

A family fun day out is guaranteed when you visit the Bank of England Museum. As the UK’s central bank, the Bank of England, also known as the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, is key to maintaining public confidence in the currency we all carry in our wallets. The museum’s attractions include bank note jigsaws, a roller ball game, interactive displays and the opportunity for some safe cracking.

You can also take control of a virtual hot air balloon and chart it on a stable course to simulate the role of the Bank in keeping inflation steady. Visitors can even try to lift a genuine gold bar with a current value of over £350,000 Р although, weighing 13kg, it will take many people by surprise! Activity sheets for children of all ages are available at the museum’s Information Desk, with a small prize for those who take part. There are gold bars dating from ancient times to the modern market bar, coins and a unique collection of bank notes.

There are also many items you might not expect to find, such as the pikes and muskets used to defend the bank, the Roman pottery and mosaics uncovered when it was rebuilt in 1930 and documents relating to famous customers such as Horatio Nelson, George Washington and the Duchess of Marlborough. Another great way to explore the museum is with the Activity Sheets that reveal some of the treasures in the collections and also some surprising facts about the Bank and its history.