A London sewer worker exploited a hidden drain to access the Bank of England vault in 1836. He didn’t steal anything.
The gold in the vaults is worth a lot. People think it is over £100 billion. Each gold bar weighs 12kg. The bank has never been robbed in its history. This is because the vault walls are very thick. The bank also uses complex locks.
A sewer worker once got into the vaults. This happened in Victorian times. The bank was quite embarrassed by this, and they had to change the vault design. We don’t know the sewer worker’s name. The bank’s website tells the story.
In 1836, the bank received strange letters. Someone claimed they could access the vault. The first time, the bank ignored it. Then, the person offered to meet them inside the vault. He said they could choose the time. The directors were curious, but unsure. They cautiously agreed to the meeting.
The directors gathered in a vault and were shocked by what happened next. A sewer worker climbed up from under the floorboards. He had been fixing sewers near the bank. He found an old drain leading into the building. It went right under the vaults.
The drain was an easy way in and out. A thief could have used it to steal. However, the worker did not steal any gold. He found all of England’s gold instead, but he left it untouched.
The bank rewarded him for his honesty. They gave him £800, which is like £80,000 today. The story may not be true, and we don’t know who the man was. This makes the story seem doubtful.
Records show sewer work near the bank in 1836. Maybe the bank didn’t record the incident because it was too embarrassing for them. Now, only rumors tell the story.