List of oldest banks in continuous operation
Depending on the definition, the world's oldest bank is either Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena or Berenberg Bank. Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena was founded in its present form in 1624, but traces its history to a mount of piety founded in 1472. The Berenberg company was founded in 1590 and has operated continuously ever since with the same family as owners or major co-owners. Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena is today a large Italian retail bank, while Berenberg Bank is primarily involved in investment banking and private banking for wealthy customers; in any event Berenberg Bank is the world's oldest merchant bank or investment bank. The world's oldest central bank is the Sveriges Riksbank, which was founded in 1668.
Borough Road
London South Bank University was established on Borough Road as the Borough Polytechnic Institute in 1892, soon after Borough Road College had moved. The associated National School of Bakery was founded two years later in 1894 and is now the oldest bakery school in the world. The Institute expanded and became the Polytechnic of the South Bank (1970), South Bank Polytechnic (1987), attaining university status as South Bank University in 1992, before adopting its current name in 2003. A bust of Joseph Lancaster, given by the Victorian philanthropist John Passmore Edwards, remains at the University.