London Silver Vaults
Encyclopedia
The London Silver Vaults opened as The Chancery Lane Safe Deposit in 1876. Originally renting out strong rooms to hold household silver, jewellery
and documents, it transitioned to housing silver dealers in secure premises a few years later. It is located on Chancery Lane
, London
, WC2A 1QS
. One vault was used to store a farthing, with the owner paying over over the years for the vault.
With 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) thick walls lined with steel
, the vaults were never broken into
. The building above the vaults was struck directly with a bomb during World War II
- however this did not damage the vaults at all, despite the building being destroyed. A new building, Chancery House, was constructed ten years later, and since 1953 it has been in its present format, with shops based underground. All the shops have been owned for at least 50 years by the same families. It said that it has "the largest single collection of silver for sale in the world", contained within more than forty shops.
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
and documents, it transitioned to housing silver dealers in secure premises a few years later. It is located on Chancery Lane
Chancery Lane
Chancery Lane is the street which has been the western boundary of the City of London since 1994 having previously been divided between Westminster and Camden...
, London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, WC2A 1QS
WC postcode area
The WC postcode area, also known as the London WC postcode area, is a group of postcode districts in central London, England. It includes parts of the London Borough of Camden, City of Westminster, London Borough of Islington and a very small part of the City of London. The area covered is of...
. One vault was used to store a farthing, with the owner paying over over the years for the vault.
With 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) thick walls lined with steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, the vaults were never broken into
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
. The building above the vaults was struck directly with a bomb during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
- however this did not damage the vaults at all, despite the building being destroyed. A new building, Chancery House, was constructed ten years later, and since 1953 it has been in its present format, with shops based underground. All the shops have been owned for at least 50 years by the same families. It said that it has "the largest single collection of silver for sale in the world", contained within more than forty shops.