NatWest Bank Rotherham: Eerie photos show inside vaults at abandoned bank, including scary warning to staff

NatWest closed the bank on Corporation Street, Rotherham, in 2014, and the building went on sale for £225,000. But eight years later, the early 20th century stone Edwardian classical property remains empty as it is left to rot. A board outside the building advertises it as ‘to let’, describing it as a ‘retail/leisure opportunity’.

The urban explorer behind the popular Lost Places & Forgotten Faces Facebook page ventured inside and took these amazing photos giving a rarely seen glimpse of the safes used to keep our money safe. The walls may be peeling but the safes themselves still look to be in good condition and show just how seriously security is taken by banks.

The urban explorer, who shared these photos with The Star but asked to remain anonymous, said: “It was a really cool, but eerie place. I think it's one of those derelict buildings people walk past every day and wonder how it looks inside!” He added: “The lower floor is a maze of vaults protected by thick steel Chubb security doors. Upstairs, it's a stripped building with not much left to document. The third floor is the worst, as it's overrun by pigeons and is flooded with water.”

The immense width of the safe doors, the number of key pads, and the metal bars guarding the highest security areas are all visible in these photos, as are a number of the old staff signs. One ominous message asks: “Are you alarmed? Remember to pick up a personal alarm every time you enter the public space and/or an interview room.”

Another advises ‘before locking up strong rooms, keyholders must make certain that no one is left inside’, with the fact there is a warning in place suggesting at least one unfortunate individual did get locked inside. It adds that ‘smoking in the strong room is strictly forbidden’, presumably to eradicate the risk of people’s money going up in smoke. Intriguingly, one of the pictures shows what appear to be more than two dozen old RSPCA charity collection boxes, each with a picture of a horse on the side, discarded on the floor.