THE ETERNAL OLD LADY

War created the Bank of England. Had King William III possessed enough money to combat France's Louis X1V, the first public bank may have never emerged.

The Bubble burst. Sword Blade Bank went bust in 1712 and there was a run on the Old Lady. To stem the flow, staff made payments in sixpences and shillings to friends who carried them round to the Bank's back door to enable the tills to be replenished.

She stayed steadfast in the heart of the City of London to develop, arguably, the most envied and admired reputation in the world today.