South Sea bubble, Northern Rock bust

In 1720, the Bank of England's attempts to rescue the overstretched South Sea Company nearly brought it to its knees. History has much to teach us, says Adrian Ash.

Dealing with a banking crisis used to be such a simple affair for the Bank of England not least when the crisis rolled up at its own front door!

Back in Sept. 1720, just as the South Sea Company was hurtling from bubble to bust and hurtling into the history books as a result the Bank of England faced a 'run' from anxious depositors.

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Adrian has written all things gold related from if it’s worth buying, what the real price of gold should be and what’s the point of gold for MoneyWeek. He has also written for other leading money titles on his gold expertise including Business Insider, Forbes, City A.M, Yahoo Finance and What Investment Magazine. Now Adrian is head of the research desk at BullionVault, a physical market for gold and silver for private investors online.