Practically Classics Forum

Luxobarge wrote:

Martin Evans wrote:If the Banks are closed for the day, then it's a Bank Holiday, plain and simple.

Actually, Bank holidays have nothing to do with Banks specifcally, and never have.

Yes they have; they were the only business days when banks were allowed to close.

Martin Evans wrote:

Luxobarge wrote:

Martin Evans wrote:If the Banks are closed for the day, then it's a Bank Holiday, plain and simple.

Actually, Bank holidays have nothing to do with Banks specifcally, and never have.

Yes they have; they were the only business days when banks were allowed to close.

Ah well then - as per my previous post, perhaps you should write to Bill Bryson and tell him his research is wrong!

I didn't make any comment on said post but is not true to say that bank holidays have nothing to do with banks. There was a time when banks were only allowed to close on Bank Holidays and required the permission of Parliament to close all their branches on business days that were not bank holidays (Even on strike days, banks would usually manage to keep some branches open, by using managerial staff and strike breakers). Whether this still applies I know not; I sometimes wonder whether Parliament is now subordinate to the banks. So far as I am aware banks still only close at weekends (Some offer Saturday service) and on bank holidays.

I'm quite looking forward to it, what with the school holidays and the bank holidays now I only have to work a handful of days in April