A former NatWest building in Ryde has been turning heads for years – and it’s no wonder, due to its high security and vault and facilities. The vault itself is designed to withstand break-ins, natural disasters and fires. Even though it’s no longer in operation, this sturdy building is still standing, waiting to be snapped up as a filming location. It’s got the full bank setup: the original safes used by the establishment, and a large vault door, making it perfect for heist movies and other media productions.
Bank Vaults on the Big Screen
Although the bank vault in Ryde is yet to be featured in any Hollywood blockbusters, vaults as a whole are a common theme in action movies. An example would be Heat: this 1995 movie follows professional bank robbers as they make their way through Los Angeles.
There have even been games inspired by bank vaults, a famous example of them being Hitman 2. In this game, a side mission involves you infiltrating a bank in New York, where you find a vault filled with cash. Another example would be Action Bank. This vault-themed slot game has 20 paylines with numerous bonus features. Match five scatters and you will unlock special features. You also have the option to gamble your free spins, which helps to bring you the thrill of a bank heist straight to your fingertips.
The Ryde Vault As a Filming Location
Even though the bank in the Ryde hasn’t made its film debut yet, it’s got everything a film producer could dream of. The underground vault, which can be seen on the Film Wight website, is complete with its grand old features, which makes it an intriguing space for filming projects and storage. The vault has all the original characteristics intact, including thick walls and numerous safekeeping facilities.
Historically, this vault served as a safe deposit facility for customers, who had the option of being able to rent a deposit box. The box could then be used to store documents and other prized items. With demand for these boxes dwindling over recent years due to online banking, banks like NatWest have phased them out. Today, vaults are mainly used for internal storage, but it would be interesting to see these vaults still being used, even if it’s for a different purpose on the big screen.
What’s Next?
Ryde Council have expressed that they are keen to turn the building into a community hub, but with numerous abandoned banks across England being used as filming locations, including one in Wales, it’ll be interesting to see if this is explored.
NatWest is known for implementing numerous security measures with its banks, including biometric scanners and digitally-supported passcodes. With that being said, this particular vault doesn’t have those features, as it shut down long before they were implemented across its major branches. This could however help to give the vault a more traditional feel, especially in movies that are set in the past, or for sets that need that classic bank vault theme.
