During the Second World War, the bulk of Britain's gold reserves was moved to the bank's vault as part of Operation Fish.

In 1940, under threat of Nazi invasion, 280 tons of the United Kingdom's gold reserves were transported to Liverpool and stored within the bank's vaults ready to be shipped to Canada for safekeeping.

[7] Since being vacated by Barclays, plans were announced in 2017 for the unused building to be transformed into the city's first five star hotel.

[8] The £50 million plan would have seen the former bank converted into a hotel with over 138 bedrooms a restaurant and spa.

[9] However, no work was started on the scheme and by May 2018 it was announced that the building's owners, Starwood Capital, had sold the building as part of a package of 14 properties to a French property company, Foncière des Régions.