The Bank of England Picket (colour photo)

The Bank of England Picket. One of the most interesting of London's picturesque customs is the Bank of England Picket. Its origin can be traced to 1780, when at the time of the Gordon Riots a special military guard was considered necessary for the protection of the Bank. This custom has persisted to the present time, despite an attempted termination of the guard soon after its inception. Every evening a small body of troops of one of the Brigade of Guards Regiments marches from barracks to the Bank of England. There the troops, known as the Picket, take up guard duty until the following morning. The Picket, supplied on this occasion by the Scots Guards, is shown in our picture entering the Bank. Illustration for one of a set of 50 cigarette cards on the subject of Interesting Customs and Traditions of the Navy, Army and Airforce issued by Lambert & Butler in 1939.