Crowning glories from the Bank’s collections

Discover some reminders of the coronations of past Kings and Queens in the Museum’s collections
Published on 27 April 2023

Blog

Jennifer Adam, Curator

Our historical collections include many pictures of the Bank of England, including images of the Bank decorated for the coronations of previous monarchs.

There’s a long tradition of decorating public buildings for such an event, and some of our records are in the form of souvenir postcards. A couple of these show the Bank in 1902 decorated for the coronation of Edward VII, bustling with people during the day, and lit up at night. As well as the ER monogram above the door (For ‘Edward Rex’, or King Edward), there’s also a banner reading ‘God Save the King and Queen’, celebrating the new King and his Queen, Alexandra.

A black and white photograph of the Bank of England at Threadneedle Street in 1902, during the day. The bank is decorated with banners and the initials E R, for the coronation of Edward VII. There are people walking in the outside the Bank and the Royal Exchange, which is shown to the right.
The Bank of England decorated for the coronation of Edward VII in 1902, in daytime. Bank of England Museum 0729/015
A black and white photograph of the Bank of England at Threadneedle Street in 1902, at night. The bank is decorated with banners and the initials E R, for the coronation of Edward VII. Most of the scene is in darkness but the illuminated banners and strings out lights show up clearly.
The bank of England decorated for the coronation of Edward VII, lit up at night. Bank of England Museum 0729/026.
The tradition continued in 1911, for the coronation of George V. Strings of lights adorned the Bank, and the initials of George and his Queen, Mary, were lit up on either side of the building.
A black and white photograph of the Bank of England at Threadneedle Street at night. The Bank is decorated with strings of lights for the coronation of George V in 1911. The illuminated banners and strings out lights show up clearly against the darkness.
The Bank of England decorated for the coronation of George V in 1911, lit up at night. Bank of England Museum 2000/007.

Eagle-eyed readers may notice that the building in these postcards looks very different from the Bank of England today. Before 1925, the Bank was a much lower structure, mostly two to three floors high. That building was created and extended between 1735 and 1828, until it covered the whole of our modern-day site. But 200 years later, it was no longer large enough for the Bank’s needs. It could not expand outwards, and so it was redesigned upwards. 

Architect Sir Herbert Baker and his team rebuilt the entire site as one monumental building, replacing the collection of structures added over the years by Sir John Soane. Baker’s new Bank stood seven floors above ground, high above the curtain wall that is one of the few remaining traces of Soane’s work. It stands out dramatically in a picture of the Bank illuminated for George VI’s coronation in 1937, lit by floodlights that bathe the new building in brightness. 

The Bank of England lit up for the coronation of George VI in 1937. The new building is a huge, modern structure completely lit up by floodlights and standing out brightly from the dark background.
The Bank of England illuminated for the coronation of George VI in 1937, by Charles Wynn Roberts. Bank of England Museum 2020/042.

Not only do we have this lovely drawing, we also have this magnificent crown! It’s one of the illuminated crowns that sat along the curtain wall, linked by strings of lights and visible in a close-up of the drawing. The jewels on the crown must have really sparkled at night.

A painted model of a gold crown sitting on a red cushion that has golden tassels. The jewels on the crown are made of glass, which shine when the model is lit up from the inside.
One of the plaster crowns that formed part of the decorations of the Bank for the coronation of George VI in 1937. Bank of England Museum 1977/054/001.
A detail of the drawing of the illuminations of the Bank in 1937. There are models of crowns along the wall of the Bank, joined by strings of lights.
A detail from the drawing of the illuminations in 1937, showing the model crowns along the Bank’s wall. Bank of England Museum 2020/042.

We don’t have a photo of the Bank during the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, but we do have an incredible object from the coronation itself. This gold bar was an offering, or oblation, presented by the monarch to the church during the coronation ceremony. It’s around 7 cm long, and weighs 12 troy ounces, nearly 375 grams (gold is very dense and feels heavy for its size). Gold bars are usually stamped with their purity and makers’ marks, but this unique bar is completely unmarked. It comes with a certificate by the refiners that testifies to its fineness (99.99% pure gold) and manufacture.

A shiny gold bar with smooth unmarked surfaces and rounded corners, that stands out brightly from a black background
The Coronation Gold Bar. Bank of England Museum 1981/038.
A certificate from the refiners Johnson, Matthey & Co testifying the purity of the coronation gold bar. It reads: We Hereby certify that the gold bar specially made by us for the Queen’s oblation at the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was melted from gold of 9999 quality and weighed 12.000 ounces troy.
A certificate from the makers of the Coronation Gold Bar, Johnson Matthey & Co, testifying the fineness (purity) and weight of the bar. Bank of England Museum D 1981/038a.
As for our new King, he has visited the Bank before, and signed a very special kind of visitor book. Since 1842, monarchs, statesmen and other distinguished visitors to the Bank have been invited to sign ceremonial banknotes. King Charles has signed notes on a number of visits. The first was in 1975, and the most recent was in late 2020. Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall visited the Bank of England, and each signed a ceremonial million pound note.
A black and white banknote pasted onto a page of a book, with an elaborate border around it. The signature on the banknote reads ‘Charles P’.
A black and white banknote pasted onto a page of a book, with an elaborate border around it. The signature on the banknote reads ‘Camilla’.

Two ceremonial one million pound banknotes signed by then Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in October 2020. Bank of England Museum.

The signature reads ‘Charles P’, with the P standing for the Latin princeps, or Prince. That P would now be replaced with an R for rex, or King.

On the weekend of the coronation of King Charles III, the Bank, like many other public buildings, will be lit up with red, white and blue lights for the occasion – keep an eye on our social media feeds for a picture! It will be another record of a historical moment to add to our collections.

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