Money or rather the lack thereof is probably uppermost in people's minds at the moment. Which brings us to William III who, in 1694, passed the Bank of England Act, thereby establishing the Bank of England as the world's first national bank.

Although thought to be invented by the Chinese in the 7th Century, the first modern printed paper note appeared in Britain in 1855 and it bore the immortal line 'I promise to pay the bearer the sum of...'

Early bank notes were rather uninteresting affairs: one-sided pieces of paper with a promise to pay the relevant sum.

Then in 1914, there came the Currency and Bank Note Act which introduced the ten shilling and one pound note.

Designs were improved upon thereafter and the 20's and 30's saw the design of some beautiful bank notes.

1961 saw the appearance of Queen Elizabeth II on the one pound note and it was designed by Professor Robert Austin, the then Professor of Engraving at the Royal College of Art.

Britannia, who hitherto appeared on the front of bank notes, was put on the reverse, to be replaced in 1970 by a different historical figure on each denomination.

But what's really remarkable about money is the very idea of money itself. Its value is illusory. Its worth as a medium of exchange depends ultimately on a consensual agreement that it has value. So any chance of a loan? www.bankofengland.co.uk