| Level | Series |
| Reference Number (click to see whole series/group) | 15A13/1 |
| Extent | 8 series, 73 subseries, 1092 items containing 14 volumes and 3703 images |
| Title | IMAGES OF THREADNEEDLE STREET |
| Date | 1887 - 2004 |
| Admin History | Originally open in temporary accommodation at Mercers' Hall on Cheapside, the Bank moved to Grocers' Hall in Princes Street later in 1694, where it remained until it moved to a purpose built property on Threadneedle Street. The site on Threadneedle Street had been aquired in 1724 and inlcuded the former home of Sir John Houblon. George Sampson was the architect who built the original building. In 1764 Sir Robert Taylor was appointed Surveyor to the Bank and began a series of works adding to the building, including an extra east and west wing and the Court Room. The Bank was further extended and adapted under the tenureship of Sir John Soane as Surveyor to the Bank between 1788 and 1834, during which time the building came to occupy the whole of its present site of 3 1/2 acres between Princes Street, Lothbury and Bartholomew Lane. The Bank building remained largely unchanged until the almost complete demolition and rebuilding programme under Herbert Baker between 1925 and 1939. Despite the near reconstruction of elements of the previous building, such as of the Court Room and Parlours, the only remaining part of Soane's building today is the curtain wall built around the site. The head office of the Bank continues to be situated on the Threadneedle Street site today. |
| Description | This series contains images of the exterior and interior of the Bank's old and new buildings at Threadneedle Street, including a series taken of Second World War activities at the Bank and a series showing the demolition and rebuilding programme of the 1920s and 1930s. As well as showing the architecture and detail of the buildings, the images also capture staff at work, particularly in series 15A13/1/1 and 15A13/1/4. Also included are images showing the London skyline as seen from the Bank's roof.
The photographs in series 15A13/1/5 and 15A13/1/6 offer a comprehensive snapshot of the old Bank building on the eve of demolition, while those in series 15A13/1/3/2 provide a clear time line of the building of the new Bank.
Although the earliest photograph in this series is 1887, the series also includes 20th Century photographs of earlier artwork of the building and copies of earlier photographs. |
| Related Material | See 15A13/11 for images of the premises at Mercers' and Grocers' Halls. |
| YearOpen | 2016 |
| Preservica_Universal_URL | http://boe.access.preservica.com/archive/sdb:collection|2d486b35-966c-4c2e-b98d-7ded7cff9a41/ |