NEW BANK OF ENGLAND VAULTS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 71, 10 April 1937, Page 11

NEW BANK OF ENGLAND VAULTS

Safety by Flooding- Device j

JC^RITAIN'S reconstructed Bank of England — repository' of tlie naticn's gold — is being built to last 1000. years. Wben corapleted, experts say, it will be virfually impregnable and tbe ••trongpst building in the British Empire. Since 1925 workmen have toiled deep linder tbe ground, unseen by tbe hurrying tbousands in tbe narrow city •treetsj now tbe upper part of , tbe buildipg — the part which tbe public can ®ee — is nearing completion. The first obstacle to an intruder, after gaining entrance to the building, would be penetration of a wall of eolid concrete, 50 feet deep and eight feet thick, between him and tbe treasure in ,tbe vaults. He would find each concrete block "keyed" to its neighbour — a defence so strong that experts believe tbe bank's main vaults could withstand ooncentrated bomb attacks, and an enonnous charge of dynaraite. Beyond this' wall — at tbe end of a dark and winding corridor studded with foot-traps which set alarm bells ringing — are double steel grilles with twoinch eteel bars, then other doors of steel, xiddled with keyholes and each weighing -18 tons. These, which open at a ligbt toucb give direct access to tbe national's treasure house. Miles of alarm wires thread tbeir way through underground passages of fcb.e bank, pxmed patrols are always on duty near the bullion rooms, new and secret devicec are a constant trap for

tbe unwary. An invader of the vaults could be stopped at tbe toucb of a button, for tbousands of gallons of water can be poured into tbe strong rooms. Tbis water system is controlled from three points — from a secret point iuside tbe bank, from ScotJand Yard, and from tbe Governor's house, 10.1 miles outside the city. So strong are the 50 vaults of tbe Bank of England that it has been estimated 100 cracksmen would take a full year to penetrate them, even if there were no guards or alarms. Ever sincei 1780 tbe "bank picket" I has been a familiar sight in tbe city streets. These troops, furnisbed by one of tbe Royal Guard regiments, march daily to the bank in full-dress uniform — scarlet tunics and tall, black to protect tbe nation's gold ; actually their duties are purely ceremonial. No one knows just bow much gofd tbere is in London but latest Bank of England feturn gave its gold holdings at £314,-1 059,960.