Bank of England - Open House

Open House provides a wonderful opportunity to visit buildings in London otherwise closed off to the public. We stood for hours waiting to get into the bank before being told we couldn't take photos anywhere in the building. We wanted to actually leave right there and then but felt we may appear slightly suspicious considering we waited in the longest queue in the world for what seemed like a lifetime. We tried to take some general secrets shots mostly hoping to get symbols but almost got caught and decided it wasn't worth the risk of being taken away by City Police who are a law unto themselves. If you disagree then maybe you should study the statue of King William lll dressed like Caesar in the private quarters of the bank or even King Charles. Why is he dressed like an Italian we asked the guide? The Irish guide laughed and stated that everyone thought it made him look strong and courageous. We couldn't help but say that every image we've ever seen of a king looks courageous in traditional clad of Britain. This is England, no, but the City of London can only be described as Rome v2.0 but hey, don't assassinate the messengers...

King Charles

Here's the Wiki Information;


The Bank of England (formally the Governor and Company of the Bank of England) is (despite its name) the central bank of the whole of the United Kingdom and is the model on which most modern, large central banks have been based. It was established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and to this day it still acts as the banker for HM Government. The Bank was privately owned and operated from its foundation in 1694 until it was nationalised in 1946. In 1997 it became an independent public organisation, wholly-owned by Government, with independence in setting monetary policy.

 
The Bank has a monopoly on the issue of banknotes in England and Wales, although not in Scotland or Northern Ireland. The Bank's Monetary Policy Committee has devolved responsibility for managing the monetary policy of the country. The Treasury has reserve powers to give orders to the committee "if they are required in the public interest and by extreme economic circumstances" but such orders must be endorsed by Parliament within 28 days. The Bank's headquarters has been located in London's main financial district, the City of London, on Threadneedle Street, since 1734. It is sometimes known by the metonym The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street or simply The Old Lady.