Our History

1690 John Freame and Thomas Gould start trading as Goldsmith bankers in Lombard Street in the City of London.

1728 Freame and Gould move to 54 Lombard Street at the sign of the Black Spread Eagle.

1736 James Barclay, John Freame’s son-in-law, becomes a partner in the business.

1864 The company builds a new banking house in Lombard Street.

1896 The company joins with 19 other private banking businesses to form a new joint-stock bank called Barclay and Company Limited.

1905 The rapidly expanding bank takes over Bolithos Bank in the South West of England.

1916 Barclay and Company takes over the United Counties Bank in the Midlands.

1918 The bank amalgamates with the London, Provincial and South Western Bank to become one of the UK’s ‘big five’ banks. By 1926 the bank has 1,837 outlets.

1925 Our international operation is formed by the merger of three banks – the Colonial Bank, the Anglo Egyptian Bank and the National Bank of South Africa. This goes on to add business in much of Africa, the Middle East and the West Indies.

1961 Barclays opens Britain’s first computer centre for banking in Drummond Street, London.

1966 Barclays launches Barclaycard, the UK’s first credit card.

1967 Barclays unveils the world’s first cash machine, offering “Barclaycash” from its Enfield branch.

1969 Barclays acquires Martins Bank – the largest UK bank to have its head office outside London – in Liverpool.

1972 Barclaycard is the first UK credit card to use TV advertising.

1977 Barclays is the first UK bank to introduce Personal Bankers in its UK branches.

1981 Barclays becomes the first foreign bank to file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission and raise long-term capital on the New York market.

1985 Barclays UK and International are merged to form Barclays PLC.

1986 Barclays becomes the first British bank to have its shares listed on the Tokyo and New York stock exchanges. The creation of BZW gives the bank’s global expansion added impetus. BZW evolved into Barclays Capital, the investment banking division of the bank, managing larger corporate and institutional business.

1994 The telephone banking service, Barclaycall, is introduced.

1995 Barclays buys fund manager Wells Fargo Nikko Investment Advisers. The business is integrated with BZW Investment Management to form Barclays Global Investors.

1997 Online banking begins at Barclays. Thanks to the introduction of Barclays Private Bank and Premier Banking, customised services are also developing fast.

2000 Barclays takes over the Woolwich, a leading mortgage bank and former building society.

2001 Barclays forms a strategic alliance with Legal & General to sell life, pensions and investment products throughout its UK network.

2003 Barclays acquires Banco Zaragozano, one of Spain's largest private sector banking groups.

2003 Barclaycard launches a five-year deal card with Manchester United FC.

2005 Barclays Head Office moves to the iconic Canary Wharf building in London’s regenerated Docklands. Barclays also acquires a majority stake in Absa Group Ltd, South Africa’s largest retail bank with more than eight million customers.

2006 A benchmark year when 50 per cent of Barclays profits is made outside the UK.