Bank of England
The Bank of England (BoE) is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one of the bankers for the government of the United Kingdom, it is the world's second oldest central bank, after Sweden's (1668). It is considered to be one of the world's "Big Four" central banks.
Institutional profile
- Name
- Bank of England [1]
- Institution type
- Central bank / monetary authority [1]
- Jurisdiction / coverage
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [1]
- Established
- 1694-07-27 [2]
- Headquarters
- Bank of England building in London [2]
- Official website
- www.bankofengland.co.uk ↗ [1]
- Country in background record
- United Kingdom [2]
Institutional role and background
The Bank of England (BoE) is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one of the bankers for the government of the United Kingdom, it is the world's second oldest central bank, after Sweden's (1668). It is considered to be one of the world's "Big Four" central banks. [3]
The bank was privately owned by stockholders from its chartering in 1694 until its nationalisation in 1946 by the Attlee ministry. In 1998 it became an independent public organisation, wholly owned by the Treasury Solicitor on behalf of the government, with a mandate to support the economic policies of the government of the day, but independence in maintaining price stability. In the 21st century the bank took on increased responsibility for maintaining and monitoring financial stability in the UK, and it increasingly functions as a statutory regulator. [3]
The bank's headquarters have been in London's main financial district, the City of London, since 1694, and on Threadneedle Street since 1734. It is sometimes known as "The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street", a name taken from a satirical cartoon by James Gillray in 1797. The road junction outside is known as Bank Junction. The bank is custodian to the official gold reserves of the United Kingdom. [3]
Selected introductory text by Wikipedia contributors — Bank of England, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Official facts are cited separately.
Institutional history
Establishment date in the institutional background record. [2]
Source-supported connections
Frequently asked questions
When was Bank of England established?
1694-07-27. See the linked source for the institutional record. [2]
Where is Bank of England headquartered?
Bank of England building in London. See the linked source for the institutional record. [2]
Bank of England connection map
Select a node to inspect the relationship and source.
Links retain their source-specific meaning. Award-time affiliations and links to related reading are not claims about current appointments or economic causation.
Sources and review dates
- Reference source ↗
- Wikidata background facts (CC0) ↗
- Wikipedia contributors — Bank of England (CC BY-SA 4.0) ↗
Reviewed 23 October 2026. Historical dates and award-time affiliations retain their original context. A review date is not an event date. Background sources are identified separately from official records.