Looks like celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's latest restaurant was making money before it even opened its doors. British newspapers are reporting that during the construction of his latest Italian-focused restaurant in Manchester, England, workers encountered treasures worth £1.1 million — or roughly $1.7 million — housed in the building's basement.
It might not be too surprising given the eatery is housed in a former Midland Bank that was taken over by HSBC in 1992. During the renovation, construction workers reportedly uncovered hundreds of safe deposit boxes that dated as far back as 1935. Owners were not easily traceable, so officials from the Bank of England got out their power tools and drilled open the steel cases to find gold — lots of it. Along with that, they also discovered jewels, master tapes from bands like New Order and Joy Division, and one mysterious gun.
Were the items intentionally left behind? Apparently so. A spokesman for HSBC allegedly told the UK Sun, "We were moving to a new site and wanted to transfer the safe deposit boxes. However [because the building is a Grade II listed building] National Heritage said we were unable to take the actual boxes with us, because they were part of the structure." Currently HSBC does not have rightful possession; all of the safe deposit boxes and their contents have been passed to the Treasury. The department will attempt to find their rightful owners or relatives of the owners.
According to the Huffington Post UK, Oliver's new digs will keep the monied atmosphere intact. Diners will be able to visit the vault downstairs and tables will fill the main banking hall and the mezzanine's antechambers in the old clerks' offices. The restaurant had been in the works since last March and is set to open today.
Moral of the story: If you're going to build a restaurant, consider converting an old bank into that eatery.
It might not be too surprising given the eatery is housed in a former Midland Bank that was taken over by HSBC in 1992. During the renovation, construction workers reportedly uncovered hundreds of safe deposit boxes that dated as far back as 1935. Owners were not easily traceable, so officials from the Bank of England got out their power tools and drilled open the steel cases to find gold — lots of it. Along with that, they also discovered jewels, master tapes from bands like New Order and Joy Division, and one mysterious gun.
Were the items intentionally left behind? Apparently so. A spokesman for HSBC allegedly told the UK Sun, "We were moving to a new site and wanted to transfer the safe deposit boxes. However [because the building is a Grade II listed building] National Heritage said we were unable to take the actual boxes with us, because they were part of the structure." Currently HSBC does not have rightful possession; all of the safe deposit boxes and their contents have been passed to the Treasury. The department will attempt to find their rightful owners or relatives of the owners.
According to the Huffington Post UK, Oliver's new digs will keep the monied atmosphere intact. Diners will be able to visit the vault downstairs and tables will fill the main banking hall and the mezzanine's antechambers in the old clerks' offices. The restaurant had been in the works since last March and is set to open today.
Moral of the story: If you're going to build a restaurant, consider converting an old bank into that eatery.
