Lord Mayor celebrates silver anniversary with visit to vaults
LORD Mayor of the City of London Roger Gifford and Lady Mayoress, Dr Clare Gifford paid a visit to the London Silver Vaults this week to mark the 60th anniversary of the world’s largest collection of antique silver for sale – right in the heart of the City.
The collection of 25 silver shops is housed in a vaulted building in the heart of London’s legal district on Chancery Lane, and some of its dealers have worked there since it was established back in 1953.
With its 1.2m thick walls lined with steel, the vaults’ history dates back as far as 1885 when it was built as one of the first companies in England offering safety deposit boxes to the public.
Though the rooms are now home to everything from candelabras to full silver armchairs, an early depositor once hired an entire vault to house a single farthing – paying more than £100 for the privilege.
■ AS you settle down to read The Capitalist on the tube, train or bus this morning, spare a thought for a team of City workers who are trekking as far as 50 miles to get to their desks. Keen walkers from firms including derivatives exchange CME Group, prop traders OSTC and lead sponsors Eurex and Traiana will be swapping the central line for a pair of walking boots to take part in the annual Futures for Kids Walk to Work event, raising money for children’s charities Hope HIV, Everychild, Demelza and Variety. To sponsor the teams visit http://www.justgiving.com/teams/w2w2013