Barclays - 325 years

"You can't understand the history of business unless you understand the history of society and the whole economy and there's no company perhaps that better illustrates that than Barclays over the last 325 years"

Throughout its history, Barclays has been at the forefront of banking innovation, from funding pioneering industries such as the Stockton and Darlington Railway, to embracing new technologies such as the ATM. These stories, along with the many others that make up Barclays history, are the subject of this short documentary, featuring Professor Leslie Hannah and Group Archivist Maria Sienkiewicz. Professor Hannah, business historian and Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics, co-wrote with Margaret Ackrill, Barclays: The Business of Banking 1690-1996. Having closely followed the bank in the intervening years, he met with Maria to discuss Barclays longevity, highlighting some of the items that can be found in our archives, from Quaker half crowns to partnership agreements and balances dating from the 18th century.