The Bank of England is also known as 'The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street'.

Synonymous with strength and security, the Bank of England lies right in the heart of the City of London, one of the premier financial centres in the world.

The 'Old Lady' in question was a real person, Sarah Whitehead, whose brother Philip was a disgruntled former employee of the Bank.

He was found guilty of forgery in 1811 and executed. Sarah became mentally disturbed by the shock and scandal of the whole affair, and every day for the next 25 years she appeared at the bank, asking for her brother.

Following her death she was buried in the old graveyard that later became part of the Bank's gardens. Her ghost has been reported on many occasions in the area.

As far as is known the secure vaults in the Bank of England have only ever been breached once, but not by a thief! It is said the Directors received a letter from someone who claimed he had gained entry to the bullion vaults, and included documents from the vaults to prove it. He left instructions for the directors to wait in the vaults at midnight on a certain day and he would suprise them.

Sure enough, at the allotted time, the directors were gathered in the vaults when one of the flagstones in the floor lifted and a workman emerged. He explained that whilst working in the sewers, he came across a small disused tunnel that led to the vaults. He was well rewarded for his honesty and the tunnel was completely filled in!

The last time the Bank of England was under serious threat was during the Gordon Riots of 1780, when for days an anti-Catholic mob led by George Gordon terrorised London. After they had burnt down a number of prisons, including the notorious Newgate Prison, the mob turned its attention to the Bank of England. However, the Government was able to despatch a small force of soldiers that managed to repel the attacks.

Since then the Bank has been guarded by the Bank Picquet, a detachment of soldiers usually drawn from the Guards regiment stationed in London.