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Ilkeston NatWest hole in wall rises up TripAdvisor rankings | Ilkeston NatWest hole in wall rises up TripAdvisor rankings |
(32 minutes later) | |
Internet jokers have turned a circular hole in a wall outside a bank into a tourist attraction. | Internet jokers have turned a circular hole in a wall outside a bank into a tourist attraction. |
Since December 2018, wags have been posting glowing reviews on TripAdvisor for the hole at NatWest in Ilkeston. | Since December 2018, wags have been posting glowing reviews on TripAdvisor for the hole at NatWest in Ilkeston. |
"NatWest hole" is now ranked fourth out of 16 attractions in the Derbyshire town based on user reviews. | "NatWest hole" is now ranked fourth out of 16 attractions in the Derbyshire town based on user reviews. |
One reviewer on TripAdvisor offered the spoof advice: "Can get very busy and you can queue for hours, but it's worth the wait." | One reviewer on TripAdvisor offered the spoof advice: "Can get very busy and you can queue for hours, but it's worth the wait." |
Another wag wrote: "The city of Agra has the Taj Mahal, Paris has the Eiffel Tower and Sydney has its Opera House. | Another wag wrote: "The city of Agra has the Taj Mahal, Paris has the Eiffel Tower and Sydney has its Opera House. |
"But they all pale in comparison to the impact on the soul of first laying eyes on Ilkeston's Hole in the Wall." | "But they all pale in comparison to the impact on the soul of first laying eyes on Ilkeston's Hole in the Wall." |
Paul Miller, chairman of the Ilkeston and District History Society, said he was "gobsmacked" at the hole's high ranking. | Paul Miller, chairman of the Ilkeston and District History Society, said he was "gobsmacked" at the hole's high ranking. |
"It doesn't really say a lot about the area if it's number four," he said. | "It doesn't really say a lot about the area if it's number four," he said. |
"It's beat Bennerley Viaduct. | "It's beat Bennerley Viaduct. |
"I think it looks like a 1970s idea of something to look different. It doesn't really beat the pyramids though does it?" | "I think it looks like a 1970s idea of something to look different. It doesn't really beat the pyramids though does it?" |
A NatWest spokeswoman clarified the hole was 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. | A NatWest spokeswoman clarified the hole was 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. |
It is not the first time tongue-in-cheek reviews have propelled an unlikely attraction up the TripAdvisor rankings. In 2018, a plastic tunnel outside a Bude supermarket became the highest ranked place to visit in the Cornish resort - although TripAdvisor bosses later suspended reviews for the see-through walkway. | |
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. | Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. |
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