Bank of England - London

Ivan M. P.

Came by to exchange the old paper notes. 💷You will have to enter from the main entrance, clear security and proceed to the counter to have it changed out. (Take note of the operating hours)

No queue, security was tight👮‍♂️, beautiful interior 🏦 (can’t take pictures) was an interesting experience to set into Bank Of England. The staff were also very friendly.

Catalin H.

I didn't go inside, I just walked around the building to admire the impressive architecture.

Sadly, the streets around it are super narrow and crowded, making it nearly impossible to find a good spot for decent pictures. But hey, that's just how it goes in London, right?

Tim H.

Beautiful building on the inside and outside. Used to do work with them many years ago and been to a number of lectures, so lucky have to also seen inside.

Nice from the outside too, an iconic building.

Had a great free museum well. Worth a visit.

You can also go to change old bank notes and swap them over to new ones.

If only they would put interest rates back down, I wouldn't be so poor!

Valérie

It turns out that this was more fun and more interesting than expected. Congratulations for making the exhibition as current as possible with covering the particularities of the world of finance as of 2024.

I have long suspected that movies always made those Gold BARS much too light and easy to move. Thank you for the chance to handle one.

Tiff C.

We came here on an early Monday morning to exchange old bank notes, and the overall experience lasted approximately 40 minutes. We are thankful for the reviews so we had a sense of what to expect based on recent experiences (sounded it was a nightmare a few years back). The BoE website is also VERY clear and helpful with providing instructions on the required documentation, so my tip is to read their website before attempting your transaction at the Bank. Only one person is allowed in, so your companions will have to wait outside or sit in a nearby café. After passing through security at the Threadneedle entrance, I had to go through a security scan inside and show my old bank notes before I was allowed to sit on a bench with other customers. While waiting on the bench (thankfully there’s a place to sit), a very polite assistant came asking what kind of transaction I was making, how many old GBP I would be exchanging, and if I could show her the required identification. Following that, she asked me to fill out a form which asks for your personal information (name, address, and how I obtained the money for the GBP I wanted to exchange).
The customer service agents behind the counters were quick and efficient. I found what slowed things down were the other customers not reading the website or coming to the bank unprepared. My time with the agent was only about 5 minutes while other customers ahead of me took long as they either didn’t understand what the agent was asking, or did not have the required documentation.
After exchanging the old bank notes, we had a fun experience exploring the free BoE museum exhibits next door.

Jamie P.

Informative with a lot of history, some good displays and exhibitions all around. There is a good chronology from beginnings to the future with old printing memorabilia and interactive displays. The gift shop sells some rare items, enjoyed overall.

Myro

Great experience having to pay an extra £500 a month on my mortgage. Thoroughly enjoy getting shafted and transferring my hard earned life hours to give to those who already have copious amounts of money.

Call them for a ramming financially. Would highly recommend. 👍

Miles M.

Visiting the Bank of England museum is a lesson in Economics and a good venue for school trips. It is free to visit, very well organised and you can also take a free audio/visual guide which contains a large amount of information on each room. Apart from learning about the role and function of the Bank of England, you can learn about the production and development of Bank notes, from the early days of hand written transferable promissory notes for gold depodits to the modern note. It was fascinating to see the old notes of the 1960's which I just remember; The large printed one pound note.