The prestigious Central Bank of England, the institution on which most other banks of modeled on, celebrated its 300th birthday. Back in 1994. All throughout the decades and centuries, it blazed its own trail as a semi-independent entity, existing by act of a Royal Charter and entrusted with ever-greater responsibilities for the management of the national economy, yet not made a national institution until after the second world war.

On this day, February 14, in 1946, the Bank of England was nationalized – put under public ownership. Its stock was transferred to the Treasury, and a Court of Directors, all forbidden from owning Bank shares, was appointed to govern its affairs.

During construction of the bank’s headquarters in London, its builders came upon an interesting find: ancient Roman ruins that turned out to be a temple to the Roman god Mithraeum — appropriately enough, the god of contracts. The Mithreaeum ruins were largely preserved and built around, and remain open to the public to this day.