Situated on the River Erewash between Derby and Nottingham, Ilkeston was once a prominent coal mining town, with numerous collieries operating in the region.
While the coal mining, iron working, and lace making industries have faded, Ilkeston retains strong connections to its past.
Ilkeston was also once the largest town in the UK without a railway station, before receiving one in 2017.
The area has a rich history of lines that formerly connected its industries, with the Erewash Museum preserving items like lamps and photographs from the ‘golden age’ of rail.
Another well-known attraction in the area is the Grade II-listed Bennerley Viaduct, a 1877 wrought-iron railway bridge, known as the ‘Iron Giant’.
But surprisingly, neither Erewash Museum nor the Bennerley Viaduct are the top-rated attraction in Ilkeston on TripAdvisor.
Instead, this title belongs to the famous ‘NatWest Hole’, which is literally a hole in a wall near the bank.
And now, locals have been left stunned after a metal bar was placed through the hole.
The ‘NatWest Hole’ in Ilkeston is a hole in a wall by the bank’s cashpoint
The wall was built during a 1990s refurbishment so people could see if anyone was standing on the other side when using the ATM
The NatWest hole gained fame as the town’s top-rated attraction on TripAdvisor
On Monday, photos posted on social media showing a bar screwed to the inside of the hole prompted hundreds of stunned comments from devotees.
But by Monday afternoon, the bar had been removed with a NatWest spokesperson telling the BBC the hole had been restored and ‘customer and community feedback is very important to us’.
Since December 2018, glowing write-ups of the hole in the wall outside a NatWest branch in Bath Street, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, have propelled it to the top of Tripadvisor‘s rankings for the town.
One review reads: ‘Move over Stonehenge, step aside Eiffel Tower — Ilkeston has its own architectural marvel: The NatWest Hole.
‘This circular wonder may be the town’s answer to the mysteries of the universe. Nobody quite knows why it’s there, but everyone agrees it’s roundly magnificent.’
In a Reddit post which has been upvoted more than 9,000 times, one user wrote: ‘Many of you will be familiar with – and have travelled to witness – the wonder of the NatWest Hole, the world famous #1 rated TripAdvisor attraction here in Ilkeston.
‘Drama unfolded today, when workers unknown showed up and installed a safety bar across the hole!
‘The people of Ilkeston compared this affront to our own Sycamore Gap. Within a couple of hours, another party took it upon themselves to remove it, however.
On Monday, photos posted on social media showing a bar screwed to the inside of the hole prompted hundreds of stunned comments from devotees
By Monday afternoon, the bar had been removed with a NatWest spokesperson telling the BBC the hole had been restored and ‘customer and community feedback is very important to us’
‘Our local MP has now gotten involved and sent a letter to NatWest demanding an explanation!’
The post has received comments from people across the world.
One user wrote: ‘I’m from the US and have never heard of this hole but after reading this I’m extremely invested. How dare someone add a pole?’
Another added: ‘That’s a lot of drama for one hole. I do hope someone is looking into it.’
NatWest previously said the hole had been introduced during a mid-1990s refurbishment as a safety feature so people using the cash machine could see if anyone was lurking behind the wall.
The influx of reviews saw TripAdvisor temporarily block new posts about the hole but the ban has since been lifted.