RBS HQ vault to go from bankers’ basement to respectable drinking establishment in capital

IT SOUNDS like a crime on the scale of London’s Hatton Garden heist in which a gang drilled a hole into a vault to steal an estimated £35 million worth of jewellery.

The vaults of the former Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters in Edinburgh were broken into in the space of 10 days by a specialist team.

But this time there was nothing to steal as the vaults are closed down, and in fact, the “heist” was perfectly legitimate – as it was part of plans to turn it into a bar.

The building in St Andrew Square is to be converted into 50 serviced apartments as part of a £60 million redevelopment, which will boast a gym as well speakeasy-style bar.

Due to the significant security features of the basement vaults, a near 5ft-thick section reinforced with steel rods took a specialist team nearly as the two weeks to break through. Using diamond cutting wire, they painstakingly sliced blocks from the wall and drilled out the concrete sections bit-by-bit.

During the renovation of the bank into apartments, developers Lateral City will transform the underground space into a fitness studio and gym.

The bar will be placed in the second, smaller vault, which will also be open to members of the public.

Speakeasy-style bars, named after secretive US prohibition drinking dens, now describe the cosy ambience of a hidden-away bar.

The scaffolding surrounding the development will soon be removed and the build is expected to be complete by the end of the year.

Gavin MacLennan, general manager of Lateral City Apartments, revealed architects and designers have used detailing from the old building in the new design.

He said: “We want to keep the story going from it being the National Bank to the Royal Bank of Scotland and now the Edinburgh Grand, because the history is fascinating.

“We are using some of the artwork and details to feed back into the building, allowing guests and the public to enjoy the unique heritage.”

Interior designer for the development, Karen Brown, added: “The building is brimming with original features from the monumental entrance doors to the bronze balustrade lining the atrium.”