Bank of England Museum in Laela

A great place to go to learn about money, our financial system, how the Bank of England was formed, and their role in society. The museum was informative and interactive with beautiful displays. Only downside was several interactive displays were not working and it was poorly lit in some areas (e.g. the slavery exhibitionso had to use the torch on my phone to read.

Amazing location with great things to do . very nice day out for kids. not huge but big enough for 2 hours visit roughly

Surprisingly this came up as a kid-friendly museum and given the current inflation/recession/cost-of-living crisis it seemed worth a try.It’s not big, but is worth an hour and in the bank proper. One display says you are standing ontop of the actual gold bars which makes it all feel real.It starts with a strong ‘steer the ship’ metaphor around inflation, with several interactive displays. And good luck with the safe - finding the code to unlock it is the easy bit! There’s a nice gold bar pin as a prize if you do.Some is a little confusing, eg. the first hall mentions inflation but you have to search for a panel on the outside of the ship to find a definition. The ‘keep it within 2%’ boat video with winch and buttons for quantitative easing feels like it was borrowed from the Greenwich maritime museum and renamed without enough thought - ie. you miss the point.Slavery is a big feature and well acknowledged as the source of much of the wealth accumulated. And there’s a good amount of history without being “here are portraits of our esteemed Governors.”Being able to touch and try to lift a gold bar is fun, as are seeing the old trunk safes. A little more on how money is made (videowould help bring it to life but you can see the dies and various ways of making money.The entrance is a little odd with heavy doors and you have to double-check whether you go via security or just round the bar. A bag scanner and metal detector take a few seconds. Reception is friendly though with age-appropriate activity packs for the kids.A few things could be improved like: considering displays being easier to reach for smaller kids (edge of the first hall, little model, etc); it seems like some steps in the modern banking section could be removed; and it has an overall vibe of bankers built the architecture into which a museum was squeezed (lots of potential on the first room).Definitely worth an hour with kids 8+ and take the offered questions to slow you down and appreciate it more. Whether you’ll be any better at the monetary policy gamble at the end of it is anyone’s guess ;)

One of the iconic museums of London, where the history and lore of creation of the bank is explored! I really liked it, its small but worth the time.. games are included to help kids understand complicated financial stuff.. nice place to visit!

As all Londons museums it is great!

Very interesting. Great for kids, too!

Whenever I visit London I usually find myself visiting this venue. As it was my first visit in nearly 5 years I was expecting there to be some change, there certainly was however it was for the better.Situated at Bank in London, as of this time of writing, Admission is free, they do search you upon entry however Id say thats understandable. There were a few moaners while looking around however to be honest I dont see what there is to moan about if Admission is Free, not many places offer that especially in this day and age.Would I come back? Most definitely, its a nice place to spend an hour or 2 to have a look about and appreciate the Bank Of Englands history and its significance today..

Lovely little museum. Good explanation. Not so much buggy friendly. A couple of steps to over take but nothing major.

We went to fill a little time before we went to the sky garden. It isnt a long experience but there is some to be had. The main thing that stood out for the kids was lifting a gold bar (heavier than you think)

Always thought an interesting museam for all ages, more so now have acknowledged and documented links to slavery throughout its own history.

Small but some good exhibits and some interactive elements to keep children happy.

Free to visit, interactive and educational. Loved that you can touch and lift a real gold bar. One star down because a number of the videos/tv were not working. Tickets for half term activities your were quickly sold out. Alas, it was then also cancelled on the day which was disappointing Definitely a place to take older children who can already read. Even then, it’s a lot to take in for under 11 children. Would have loved more options for guide ie audio or tour guide. Suggest volunteers from the banking industry who has an interest in financial education.

Free entry and good basic information how the BoE funds the Government and how they try to control inflation so that growth and jobs prosper.Holding a Gold bar was nice (weighs 11kgand the history regarding how the Slave trade where the money flowed. Coins of Guineas had an elephant depicted under the kings head due to the connection with West Africa, which is where most of the Gold came from.Yes I do believe we should return to the Gold standard, how did we allow the £ not to be the Worlds reserve currency and the $ took over???They need to have a section on crypto now.

Staff were helpful. Given a guide at the start. Interactive displays and audio too.

Very interesting, explaining inflation threw me a bit...but very good visual exhibition - and they have a temp display for Black history Month explaining the banks reaction with traders who dealt with enslaved people.

This was not my first visit to the Bank of England museum but it had been a number of years. I appreciated the way that the information about the original subscribers to the bank had made their money, and I felt that the Banks inception in the vast profits of the slave trade are not hidden.The nautical game around inflation and interest rates is woefully out of date and definitely needs a refresh though.

I went to see Slavery and the bank. The curator did an excellent presentation. At least they have begun to accept their role in slavery. Some folks had an agenda so I didnt ask my question because I had a different issue. Guess I will return.

Not your typical museum (I think it would be boring for little oneshowever a must have for teenagers and young adults.Explains basic economic/financial principles in plain and simple terms and I think it can contribute greatly for financial awareness

Not only tell the history of the bank but also the banking / financial development of Uk. It gives brief introduction and priorities to the visitors to learn the role of the Bank od England. A good place for all ages who want or are interested in learning the history and the future development. Half day visit is required.

Well curated, well explained. You could just go in and whiz through to the back room to lift the gold bar but you would miss out on a whole lot of super informative detail and historical info. We went with teens that are doing business studies and they thought it was great because relevant to their course with complex concepts explained in simple terms. Im not sure I would want to take K2 / younger kids because although there are interactive displays, most of the other displays are storyboards and a lot of reading. The staff are welcoming & friendly.

Educational and entertaining at the same time. Remember to touch and feel the gold bar!

I was so happy to visit this museum. If you are interested in the financial system how our or any bank works and about creating our currency just visit it. Inflation the history of the Bank of England etc...I thoroughly enjoyed every part of this exhibition. My time was well spent. Where else could I lift a pure gold bar anyway. I do not thing kids would enjoy it at all. But for adults I can only recommend it.

Good display of information and easy to navigate through the place.

Now understand more clearly the positioning and contextual relationship of bank and slave trading commerce.

Really nice museum, very interesting content. Not too long yet enough to keep you for a good hour. Great site to visit if you are interested in this area.

Here is an attractive option to visit another kind of museum, located inside of the Bank of England building. This is not about quantitative easing, but rather, about interesting aspects of the economy and more particularly, money! See, feel, touch cool stuff like a gold bar or check out the £100,000,000.00 note, complete with its iconic promissory note of "I Promise to Pay the Bearer on Demand the Sum of", even though the exhibit is just a specimen, it was used actually for accounting purposes, and never became legal tender, due to hyperinflation or otherwise! Thank goodness!

A great gem with interactive things for children as well.Very informative on the history of the bank, the building and money.Free to enter with a free mobile tour (must have a QR reader).Currently running a history of slavery and the banks involvement which is very informative.

Great little museum inside the Bank of England, free to visit. Our favourite bit was trying to lift the gold bar. Close to Bank tube, make sure you use the bank exit from the station and not monument as its further to walk.

I went to the Museum for the second time, and Slavery & the bank exhibition was on. It gave lots of detailed information regarding some of the people involved in the slave trade.I plan to go back this month as their general exhibition is very good for those you want to understand about money & finances. They have WCs and they have wheelchair access. If you have a mobility scooter you will need to double check. Its suitable for primary school children & up. You have to plan to go as its only open till 5pm!! Every third Thursday of the month they have a late night access. Not open weekends.

The crew were amazing, and even if the museum is a small one, it has so much things to see. Also everything is really nice sorted, and you get a tour online with your mobile phone, explaining everything to you at the moment if you want.Finally, adding that is a great tour for kids it has games to keep them attention up, and is a great way to explain them what money is.

Favourite museum in London! Such a fun museum with great exhibitions and free entry. Loved it as a young kid and still love it as an adult!

A really lovely exhibit covering the history of the bank, the printing of notes, modern day operations, a big separate exhibit on slavery and the bank.Much bigger than I expected. Took around 1 and a half hours to look at everything in detail.Entry is free too!You dont necessarily need to be interested in economics and the bank to enjoy this museum. It gives a fantastic insight into the financial history of the UK and the history of a very impressive building.

Lots of small rooms with good general information. Kids can appreciate this museum too. Exhibit on the banks ties to slavery was intriguing.

I was fortunate enough to visit mid week, and there was a special live talk, topic was, "Slavery and The Bank". Real eye opener, with lots to ponder your thoughts on, lots of questions and thought provoking stuff.The staff were kind and helpful too. Theres so much to see, with videos, and interactive games too, great for kids.Clean toilets and a great little gift shop too.Best of all, its all Free!!!

A small but very informative museum in the heart of the City of London. You get to find how the money has began is journey all those years ago.It was good to see that they had a childrens activity trail for kids to be involved in and get information of how the money have started. The museum is adjacent to the Bank of England.

A really interesting and educational museum. The exhibition on slavery and the Bank was an eye opener

Sadly gone woke like so many museums.A huge exhibition on slavery completely disproportionate to the banks role in the trade and ridiculous trigger warnings on the walls.Avoid unless you like being preached to.

Relatively small but still fascinating museum in the heart of London and its history, well worth a visit.

Very interesting museum with a history of money. From the first cash note to modern money, the museum has a wide range of banknotes and coins on display. It also has some interactive games for children/teens to understand the BoEs job of keeping inflation around 2%

I had a fantastic afternoon here and will be going back as soon as I can. Really interesting, feel that they respectfully addressed how slavery was interwoven with its history, and didnt have enough time to read everything! I spent 1.5 hours there. Really fantastic little museum!

Very interesting place to learn about the history of the Bank, money & Gold reserves. Located at the side entrance of the Bank of England, you have to go through an Airport style scanner to enter (as you can understand!you then tour around the museum in a left, left, left circle. Lots of interactive exhibits to please all ages. Worth a spare hour if youre in London.

A fun excursion for a couple of hours. Well put together, free entry and the only place in town where you can put your hands on half a million pound gold bar!

Fascinating history and exhibits for the whole family and well worth several hours to see as much as possible. There are interactive displays and cases covering the many centuries of its activities. A neat special display covers the time that Kenneth Grahame, author of The Wind in the Willows; worked there.

This is a very good free museum located at the actual Bank of England building. If you are at all interested in currency, banking or history you will have a great time here. It’s amazing to learn the importance of money in history and this really illustrates that well in addition to learning about modern currency. You can also touch and lift a giant bar of gold for a cool photo op! They also have clean restrooms and a nice (but smallgift shop. Be prepared for security screening before you enter.

This museum is housed in the Bank of England on Threadneedle Street and tells the story of the Grand Old Lady. Theres a lot of information about the Bank of England building as well as the history of promissory notes that we now use as money. I loved the section that describes the production of paper notes as well as all the security features on the notes. Now I what to look for on the British notes.

One of the Museums that is not extremely interesting for kids under 5 years old. But for adults this place brings new experience of touching real gold as well as tons of facts about money and financial system. Definitely worth attending and spending a couple of hours there

Learned so much about how it all came together for London to become a financial hub. They have built some fun games to also understand the various mechanisms of the economy - quite educational, but need some economics background.

Found it by accident on our walk to the city just leaving Bank tube station. Managed to see a sign advertising the museum. FREE to enter we found the display intriguing and informative. If you like coins this is where to start for its history. Best was being allowed to "lift" a solid gold bar weighing 28 pounds and worth over £374,000. Lots of children there finding it very interesting.

What a hidden gem!Tucked away just around the corner from the Bank of England itself is a small but beautifully laid out museum.It details not just the history of the Bank of England but also the history of currency in this country.The highlight was the solid gold bar (heavily secured and monitored} which visitors are invited to lift.Perhaps not too much for very young children but it kept our little one amused for over an hour.Best of all its free!

The Bank of England Museum is free, interesting and informative; yet, many Londoners have not been here yet; I would highly recommend to anyone either local or visiting to visit it as it is only 10 min walk from St. Pauls Cathedral.