LONDON'S WINE VAULTS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3799, 18 September 1883, Page 4

LONDON'S WINE VAULTS.

Tho wine vaults of London are one of the most interesting sights, but they are not to bo soon every day, nor by everybody. A recent visitor was fortunate enough to Hccuro a tasting order, and, in company with two others, made a tour of the St. Kathorino and London Dock vaults. He saw over 6,000,000 packages of port and sherry, over 1,000,000 of claret, and 500,000 of spirits, and the total quatity was 200,000,000 gallons. In fact, there were C.'f gallons for every man, woman, and child of tho population of Great Britain. Somo of it had been in store for years. The owners had forgotten about it, and the old and mouldy casks had rotted away at their chines and had been several times replaced. One lot of 1000 gallons of sherry had been in the vaults for nearly fifty years. It was brought from the south of Spain by the owner, who had fallen dead in the vaults. Tho wine, along with his other property, had passed into chancery, and the litigation, which has continued for nearly half a century, is as far from being ended apparently as when it begun. But the wine lias been growing old and valuable, and if sold now would probably bring- nvo guineas a gallon. These vaults arc simply great cellars under the dock-houses. In area they aggregate some thirty-fire acres. They extend under the Thames on one side and well under Tower Hill on the other. They are about lGft. from floor to roof, and are by no means regular in form, but reach out in strange passages and alleys in all directions. They are bonded by the Government, and owners can have their property in them as long as they like without paying Customs duties.