The
Bank of England - and top of the range security by
Mather & Platt Ltd.
Known
colloquially as "The Old Lady of
Threadneedle Street", the building stands on
the corner of Princes Street and Threadneedle
Street in London and overlooks the Mansion House.
It
was founded in 1694 as an independent national
bank, and originally operated from the Grocers'
Hall in Princes Street but was greatly expanded
by the famous architect, Sir John Soanes when it
moved to its present site in 1734. It was
extensively modernised between 1925 and 1939.
Mather
& Platt was sub-contracted by Holloway
Brothers (who were contracted by The Bank of
England during its rebuilding and
modernisation in 1929) to build and supply
the Portcullis Doors at the main entrance
of the Bank.
As
these doors are still in use, no further details
are permitted at this juncture. Indeed, a
spokeswoman for the Bank of England writes, "I
have amended our catalogue entry to indicate more
clearly that the item presently must remain
closed."
It
is a fitting tribute, therefore, to the
company that it should have been called upon to
undertake this work and that the doors are still
in use and clearly valued as effective after more
than seventy years.
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Royal Visit photograph and
information from Eric
Sutcliffe - From right - William Mather (later
Sir William Mather - son of L. E. Mather) - H. M. Queen
Elizabeth II - John Taylor (grandson of John
Taylor M&P Chairman 1900). "The other lady in the picture, I think,"
says Eric Sutcliffe, "is one of the Queen's Ladies in Waiting.
The tall man to the left of 'Lady in Waiting' is Mr. J. D.
Paybody. Who the others are, I don't know, as the visiting party contained some of the
county dignitaries - i.e. the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire etc."