You’ve heard about The Werewolves of London. How about The Silver Vaults of London?
Hidden beneath Chancery Lane, in London’s jewelry and traditional silver smithing district, The London Silver Vaults are the home of silver shopping. It is open to the public, and offers the largest selection of antique, modern, and contemporary silver items in the world.
History of The Silver Vaults of London
The London Silver Vaults don’t just sell silver, they are part of London’s history. In 1882, two stories below ground, the Chancery Lane Safe Deposit Company opened for business. The company leased safety deposit boxes and secure strong rooms. Wealthy people stored their silverware, jewelry, personal documents, and valuables when they left London to go to their country homes. Originally, the vaults looked like a row of prison cells with walls about four feet thick lined with steel, and iron doors. The guards carried truncheons and rifles. The Vaults have never been burgled, and are considered the fourth most impenetrable safe in the world after the Fort Knox bullion depository, the New York Federal Reserve vault, and the Bank of England gold vault.
The underground tunnels where the Vaults were built was not originally intended for such a purpose. They were part of an underground railway to rapidly deliver mail from one part of London to another.
The railroad proved unreliable, and in 1874, the project was abandoned. Businessmen purchased a section of the tunnel and converted it into the Chancery Lane Safe Deposit Company.
Many of the original wealthy clientele had disappeared by the 1930s. They were replaced by London’s silver dealers who needed more than just a safety deposit box and started to use the large vault rooms to store their stock.
During WWII, bombing destroyed the original building above the vaults, but the underground vaults remained intact along with their contents. A replacement building was reconstructed above ground in 1953, and the official name of the complex became The London Silver Vaults. The vaults morphed into retail spaces.
Clientele
Many famous people have patronized the Vaults including Mick Jagger, J K Rowling (The London Silver Vaults are rumored to be the inspiration for Gringotts bank in the Harry Potter books), Anthony Hopkins, Diana Ross, Woody Allen and Gregory Peck. Liberace bought his trademark candelabra at the Vaults!
The London Silver Vaults have provided the silverware to lend authenticity to film and TV productions such as “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Downton Abbey.” They are featured in Ben Aaronavitch’s ”Rivers of London” urban fantasy novels.