The security officers of the Bank of England were busy in their daily work when a letter from a mysterious letter came their way. The letter was not an ordinary one but something that made officers go weak in their knees. The mysterious sender wanted to reveal a secret about the prestigious institution. He asked the officers to meet him inside the gold vault. The very vault that was shielded with high security. How was he going to reach inside the vault? The officers decided to meet him not knowing a big surprise that was awaiting them.
The Bank of England was founded when the nation's navy got defeated. There was a Battle of Beachy Head that included dozens of warships taking place on 10 July 1690. It was during the Nine Yetjars’ War- France when France made Dutch and their English allies bite the dust. The French navy sent many ships of enemies to defeat without losing one of their own.
It was after that England shifted its focus on making its navy strong enough to face any war. Clearly, they were going to make their new navy stronger than the previous one that made them lose the Battle of Beachy Head. But there was a problem.
The plan was ready but they had no fund to invest in its execution. The government led by William III failed to borrow the required £1.2 million ($1.5 million). It was then the government came up with a big plan.
So in order to fight the money issue, the government founded The Bank of England in 1694. The lenders could contribute the money to the bank with cash. They would get bank notes against government bonds. And in less than a couple weeks, William III managed to gather £1.2 million required to make the navy of country stronger.
The Bank of England happened to be country's big turning point. It motivated the citizens to fund the industries that would help in strengthening their navy. The part of this initiative was to boost the agricultural growth of the country and along with that getting started with the ironworks that gave material for manufacturing of ships.
The Kingdoms of England and Scotland united in 1707 and emerged as the Kingdom of Great Britain. Consequently, with an ever-growing industry and helping bank, this newly built state turned out to be very powerful.
William III did whatever in his power to make the navy of Great Britain the most powerful one that would ultimately emerge as the main player around the global stage around the 19th century.
In 1946, the Bank of England went on to become a nationalized organization. Things changed when in 1998 it was declared an independent public organization. The changes introduced most recently implied that the bank was owned by government’s Treasury Solicitor. However, the bank was entitled to make its own policies related to finance.
The Bank of England still hasn't lost its value even after all the changes it has gone through. And among all that has retained its value, stock of gold bars tops the list. There is a vault of gold bars inside the bank. Thanks to a number of traders investing in gold when the market turns volatile.
Gold has many benefits of its own. It can be exchanged between countries. It is also famous as universal currency as its value does not degrade even after crossing the borders. The London Good Delivery standard of the bank make way for the easiest path of the transaction of gold bars as now they also have their identical gold bars.
Gold trading might sound a difficult task but in reality, it is the easiest way one can think about. Did you know the bars never leave regardless of the change in their ownership? The bank keeps track of each bar by giving them a serial number. When a person goes on trading their bullion, the bars are officially named as a possession of a new owner.
The Bank of England secures 4,600 tons of gold that makes it the world’s 15th-largest keeper of gold reserves. The gold bars have a value of £156 billion. Interestingly, half of them are kept in a vault built beneath the busy city.
It was in 1734, the Bank of England relocated to London’s Threadneedle Street. And since then has been there. In today's time, the underground station in the vicinity to the Bank is counted as one of the busiest places in England. That definitely puts the vault in a risk. For obvious reasons, the financial institution was in need of a number of security measures to keep its assets safe.
This gold vault is very much popular in the city and that is why the Bank of England came up with an app in 2013 that enabled users to undertake gold vaults' virtual tour. The app's images were clearly showing many stacks of gold bars lying on the shelves. And it is because of that, the metal never gets dirty. There is no chance it gets oxidized.
However, no matter how much the shelves look vulnerable the security around the gold vault is the best one can think of. One can open its doors with a key. This might seem very normal but it is not. The length of the key is about 3 feet. In order to get the key turned one has to use the verbal password to a voice-recognition software that would permit the entry of the person.
It is a fascinating sight inside the vaults. The vaults have covered a massive expanse of square footage. To make it clear, it is bigger than Tower 42, the 13th tallest building of London. This vast space does not go in waste, the Bank of London needs all of the space.
If the bank keeps all the bars in one area then there are high chances that the bars would begin to tumble down on the ground. Which is obviously not safe.
The Bank of England makes sure that there is a tough layer of outer protection as a final security measure. The walls of vaults are 8 feet thick. According to popular belief, its walls are bombproof. As they all had refuge in the vaults at the time of World War II air raids. When Germans began to destroy the capital with bombs.
Clearly, the Bank of England has a sense of pride in its different layers of security. Their confidence over their security measure can be gauged by the fact that they once removed the entire Brigade of Guards soldiers who used to secure the institution at night. The institution has never been robbed since its foundation in 1964. The organization claims it with an overtone of pride.
Despite all, there is a rumor that makes one doubt the security measures. It began when the directors of the organization received a letter in 1836. The letter made everyone uncomfortable. The sender claimed in the letter that they had found out an alternative way to enter the gold vault of the bank.
The Bank of England has never been robbed, let alone the gold vault. The gold vault was already under high security. It was impossible for anyone to enter the premises without getting unnoticed. What was the sender talking about?
However, the directors did not take it seriously. In fact, they laughed it off. They were sure that because of their security measures, it was impossible for a non-employee to get into the vault. So, clearly, they did not pay much heed to the letter. However, the real surprise came when the second note came their way. This particular note had a specific request.
The person asked the authorities to choose a particular time to meet him in the gold vault. The directors' trust over the security measures did not shake a bit. They were still adamant that nobody can break into the vault. But then they decided to confront the sender.
However, the letter had actually invoked curiosity in them. So they gave this mysterious person time and date to see them in the vault. They knew someone was tricking them but still, they wanted to see what is it all about.
They were still taking it as a prank someone had pulled on them until some strange noise beneath the vault captured their attention. The officials were yet to believe what they were hearing when a plank of the floor began to move. They took a few steps back and looked at each other only to confirm that they were not dreaming.
They all had their eyes glued to that moving plank when they saw a man emerging from beneath it. The officers were still in their doubts while the man without any efforts rose from the floor. The officers were still struggling to accept it.
This was happening for real, the man actually was standing amongst them inside the vault in the middle of those gold bars. The heavy security measures installed could not stop him. But the question was how did he manage to do that?
The man was a sewer worker. How come a sewer worker found the secret way inside the vault? Was their security measures so obsolete? This was the first time when the officers actually doubted their security measures. They wanted how he had managed to pull this off.
The man explained bit by bit. He told them that he had been repairing sewers on Threadneedle Street that neighbors the institution. He was inspecting underground plumbing when an old drain grabbed his attention. It was then the truth dawned upon him. The man was standing under the vault of Bank of England. The vault that was storing its precious gold.
He not only found the vault but also believed that he can easily get inside it. Unsurprisingly, his discovery proved to be a big blow for the directors. They were more than sure that their security system can never be breached.
This discovery shook the belief of the officers. It was then they realized that the measures they had put in to secure the vault were not enough. They also wondered if the gold from inside ever went missing as the entry to the vault was always accessible for the general public. The directors checked the gold bars to see if any of them was missing. Luckily, all the pieces were there. None of them was missing.
The sewer worker could have stolen some of the pieces but he did not do that. Instead, he decided to inform the officers about this big loophole. He had multiple opportunities to do so and moreover no one would have suspected. They double checked the bars whereas the man kept standing there.
The directors of the Bank of England was taken aback by the man's honesty. A man with so many needs decided to stay at the side of right even when he had the opportunity in abundance. They rewarded him with £800 ($1,000) that equals to £90,000 ($115,000) in 2019. No need to say, the amount was immensely big for the worker.
Nobody knows whether this story is actually true or just a part of people's imagination. Despite that, it is very famous. The Bank Of England does not hold any record of giving money to him. Nobody knows anything about that honest man, nor is there any record of his existence. So many people take it as a story only. The Bank of England has put this story on their website but there is no validation for it.
Possibly, the Bank of England refrained from recording it as they feared that people would not take its security measures seriously. Nor did they want to let the world know that they actually had security loopholes in their system.
However, it is a well-known fact that the construction work actually happened around the Bank of England at the same time when the incident took place. This fact angles the scale in favor of people who call it a real incident.
People also assume that the Bank of England has closed that hidden entrance point for good. Now there is no other or secret path to get into the institution. You can enter the building only if you are a worker or if you are willing to make an exchange of an outdated Bank of England bill. For visitors, they can learn a great deal about the organization via the Bank of England Museum.
People have managed to go inside the vaults multiple times. There is numerous example of that. For instance, in 2015, three elderly men took the world by surprise with their deed. The three men were named Terry Perkins, Daniel Jones, and John Collins. They would meet each other at The Castle. A pub situated in the Islington area of North London.
The group of these old people might look very innocent from outside but was tied by a devious purpose. three years before their meet up at The Castle, Jones had done a lot of online research work on drilling techniques.
He had learned the drill tactics that could put a hole even in the wall guarding a vault. And now he was willing to put his learnings to work. Everything was set and he wanted his friends to help him in the heist.
Scaringly, as Jones' meetings with Collins and Perkins, started so did the strange happenings in London’s Hatton Garden. This industrial place is renowned as the hub for capital's jewelry.
Not only that, but they also emerge as the center of the diamond industry in the United Kingdom. To be precise there are over 55 jewel stores in that area. It is decorated with beautiful shops.
A peculiar incident occurred in 2015 when a jeweler began to feel uncomfortable at the job. According to Lionel Wiffen, there were some people sitting in a parked car somewhere in the area. What happened next was even more peculiar.
While he was working he sensed that those people were constantly watching him at 88-90 Hatton Garden. This was not the only case, a woman also went through something unusual two months later.
A woman had been waiting for the lift for a long time. For some unknown reasons, the elevator was not coming down. Finally, the elevator came down and there was an old man inside the elevator. And the man was giving a very strange vibe.
The man was laced with work uniform and different types of tools. The man flashed a smile at her as it was getting difficult for her to move in the lift as it was already crowded with man's tools.
She could not understand at that time what was it all about but on April 7 of the same year, everything got cleared. There was a big blow waiting for the security guards when they opened the safe deposit at 88-90 Hatton Garden.
There was nothing inside it. It was all empty. The guards tried to look for signs of forced entry but initially, they could find nothing. It appeared to be a case full of puzzles.
After some investigations, authorities reached to the conclusion that the infiltrators had entered the premises by drilling a hole through 20-inch-thick walls of the vault. They made into the area through the elevator shaft of the building. Do I need to say more?
Luckily, police got their hand on a few closed-circuit television footages exposing the man who had dared to enter the safe deposit without any permission. The news went viral in no time. And everyone came to know about those three culprits.
Nobody knew their real identity, so the public gave them nicknames. They began to be called Mr. Strong, Mr. Montana, The Old Man, The Tall Man, and The Gent. It was to see whether the world was going to know about their real identity or not.
As soon as the job was done. Jones, Collins, and Perkins resumed their daily ritual of meeting at The Castle. Now the motive was not limited to drinking beers. They had serious stuff to discuss now.
They had made their plans of robbing the Hatton garden at the Islington pub. And now as they were done with their job they needed to figure out the safest way to sell their stolen good without coming in the eye of the police.
But as they say, every culprit always leaves some evidence. The officers had begun to track them by now. Officers were keeping a close watch on them when they were discussing their business. The officers confiscated vehicles of Collins and Perkins. They did not know that the police was following them closely.
The police hiding behind the vehicle overheard everything that the men said to each other regarding the burglary which happens to be the biggest one in the history of England. Clearly, the case was moving to its closure.
One thing leads to another. Soon the police had uncovered all the culprits when they found Hugh Doyle, the fourth one involved in the conspiracy. They finally got their hand on a bag full of stolen jewels.
Officers went on to find a couple of bags filled with gems under headstones etched on the graves of the Jones' partners family members. No there was not a single shred of doubt left. They arrested Jones, Collins, Perkins, Doyle and five others immediately.
The four old men who were primarily responsible for the burglary pleaded guilty. The court gave them prison sentences. It was a unique case on its own. So, naturally caught the interest of Hollywood as well.
Three movies have been made on burglary till now. The list includes King of Thieves too that got released in 2018. The film had starred Michael Caine. Maybe the story related to the 1836 Bank of England will turn into a picture someday.
We still wonder whether the story is a real one or just a fabrication. If it is true then we should admire the honesty of the sewer worker even though he had ample opportunities.