London developers are running out of space above ground, it seems
There’s already a lot going on underneath London – you’ve got the Tube, old Victorian streets and even subterranean hotels – and now some forgotten tunnels that have been closed off for decades will be added to the city’s roster of underground attractions. In the £120 million plan for ‘The London Tunnels’, a mile-long system of tunnels, in parts tall enough to fit a double-decker bus through, is reimagined as a museum about the history of London, as well as a bar.
The tunnels date back to the 1940s when they were built below High Holborn as a deep-level air-raid shelter during World War II. However, they ended up being used as a government communications centre instead (thought to be the inspo for Q Branch in Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels) and went on to be known as the ‘Kingsway telephone exchange’ when, in 1956, they became the UK termination point for TAT-1 (the first transatlantic phone cable). The tunnels were used for various other purposes throughout the 20th century before becoming disused in the 1990s and put up for sale by British Telecom in 2008.
In the 1980s, the tunnel system housed Kingsway Computer Centre and featured a staff restaurant, tea bar, games room and licensed bar which was claimed to be the UK’s deepest licensed bar (at 60 metres below ground level). That title is set to be reclaimed, as The London Tunnels proposes reopening the fully licensed bar (though this one will reportedly sit at 40 metres below ground level). The rest of the tunnels will be used as a museum that will retrace the timeline of the system’s life, from the 1940s up to the present day. There’ll also be an exhibition space, with a display on James Bond reportedly in the works.
The London Tunnels CEO Angus Murray is hoping that the attraction will be as popular at the London Eye, which currently gets around 3 million visitors in a year. It won’t be opening until late 2027 or early 2028 so for anyone hoping for some subterranean urban exploration, the London Transport Museum’s Hidden London tours will have to do for now.
Key Information
Opening date | late 2027 / early 2028
Address | High Holborn, London
For more information | thelondontunnels.com
