Is there really a secret underground tunnel?

I believe that there is no evidence to suggest that this tunnel exists at all. There are many abandoned tunnels and indeed tube stations on the network that are well documented. The nearest disused tunnel in that area is the one from Charing Cross that runs almost all the way to Aldwych which was to be the extension of the east London Line. There are some great websites which cover these and many others. You must go to:

http://www.starfury.demon.co.uk

http://www.abandonedstations.org.uk

Andrew Duncan has written a brilliant book which includes a section on subterranean London called ’ Secret London’ plus check out http://www.subbrit.org.uk which is the website for Subterranea Britainnica who arrange walks, climbs and tours to some great underground and abandoned destinations across the UK.

Hope this helps.

G

Posted over 3 years ago by whenthiswasfields

More ‘evidence’ for the existence of the network of tunnels under Whitehall: Once, when at Westminster tube station, a friend of mine wandered off down a side tunnel on a whim and found a door. Expecting it to be locked, he was surprised to find that it opened to reveal a rather posh looking room, with wood-panelled walls, another bigger door and a concierge-type person behind a reception desk.

Needless to say he got a strange look and got out of there sharpish. Upon revisiting the door at a later date, he found it locked. What’s that all about then? Private tube station for MPs? Or is it a member’s club for tube drivers, where they can sip expensive brandy between shifts?

Batfink

Posted over 3 years ago by whenthiswasfields

In relation to the secret passageways rumoured to wind underneath Westminster, I once shared a flat with a chap who had worked in Harrods over his school holidays, and who reported that below the streets of Knightsbridge lie a vast network of subterranean corridors and storage areas.

The gentleman supplying this information was unreliable at his very best, and at his worst an outright liar – he earnestly claimed to have made love to a number of beautiful and celebrated actresses during his time with Al-Fayed and Co – so I cannot vouch for the veracity of his claims, but remain curious to know the extent to which our Egyptian guest’s secret corridors really do stretch.

McTeague

Posted over 3 years ago by whenthiswasfields

There is a cellar below the Leather Exchange pub in Bermondsey that stretches right along the road. It used to be a mortuary and the stone beds are still there.

Me and my mate tried to explore it once by Zippo light, but got too freaked out and had to retreat. Apparently they used to lynch people in the pub…

Clefty

Posted over 3 years ago by whenthiswasfields

The huge complex of tunnels under Whitehall does exist. If you visit The Cabinet War Rooms you are in a small part of a massive underground office network centred beneath the Treasury. This complex reputedly has over 200 rooms, many of which are still used by the government today. It’s quite likely that there is an entrance to the complex in Westminster station for civil servants based in those offices. When Batfink’s friend wandered off down that side tunnel on a whim he may well have found the door. That would also explain the rather posh wood-panelled room and the concierge behind a reception desk.

Leading away from the central office complex are a series of tunnels which provide access to other Government buildings in Westminster. One runs North, connecting to the government underground telephone exchange and main telephone network. It has a number of branches and it’s rumoured one of these leads directly Buckingham Palace to enable the Royal Family to escape to Charing Cross and safety in the country.

Connected to this network is the Post Office bomb proof telephone trunk system. Stemming from a headquarters near Waterloo Station are two tunnels. One leads to Trafalgar Square and the Government tunnel complex, the other to Faraday House in the City. Another tunnel runs from Shepherds Bush to Shoreditch connecting telephone exchanges from west to east.

This system was built during the cold war and consists of a 16 foot diameter tunnel that also connects with the Kingsway telephone exchange which was built 100 feet under High Holborn in the early 1950s.

For more information on what’s under High Holborn and other abandoned tube stations and lines take a look at http://underground-history.co.uk/front.php

Auawsha

Posted over 3 years ago by whenthiswasfields

I worked at Harrods for all of about two weeks when I was a seventeen. Staff have to enter the building via a door on the other side of the road from Harrods, go down some stairs and along a maze of tunnels (underneath the road) to finally come up from the basement of Harrods itself.

According to the staff info pack, Harrods is also completely self sufficient – it has its own power generator, its own water supply, etc. So if London ever went to war again or for some reason all utilities were stopped, the store could keep functioning as normal.

I’m not sue why or when this was built as it is, but next time you walk down Knightsbridge, think of all the Harrods staff to- ing and fro-ing underneath the pavement beneath you.

Charl

Posted over 3 years ago by whenthiswasfields

Going back to Batfink’s comment about Westminster tube station, my ex-girlfriend sometimes does consultancy work at the Palace of Westminster/Houses of Parliament. One Winter evening, when she was about to leave the building after a fairly late stint and the weather was particularly ‘orrible, one of the security guards asked if she knew about the indoor route to Westminster tube station. She said she didn’t, so he led her to an underground door out of one of the Palace of Westminster buildings, which led straight out into the tube station. I guess that’s the door Batfink’s friend found from the other side.

Sorry for the rather dull explanation – I much prefer the idea of an illicit cognac and cigars club for off-duty tube drivers…

Posted over 3 years ago by My_Left_Foot

Batfink’s friend almost certainly found the pass-holder’s entrance to the palace of Westminster – it’s no secret, you walk past it if you following the signs to “Palace of Westminster” from inside the tube station. Mind you, for concierge read ‘policeman’, and for panelled walls read ‘concrete walls and two glass revolving doors’.

I can’t really imaging what else it would be. I mean, for a start, how many “side tunnels” are there in Westminster tube?

Hang on… Batfink’s friend didn’t just wander in to the gents loo did he?

Posted over 3 years ago by rfenwick tipped with 1K

Stuff like this completely fascinates me. And no, I’m not a 40 year old anorak-wearing trainspotter who lives with his mum and wears her dresses. There is a totally excellent website dedicated to all manner of Underground shenanigans. Here is their take on Clapham North deep level shelter- http://www.underground-history.co.uk/claphamn.php

Pretty groovy site all round. SubBrit has also been mentioned- that’s top quality.

Mamfer (down at the old Bull & Bush)

Posted over 3 years ago by Mamfer

how interesting… information sharing between (over 5 million) Londoners could certainly uncover a thing or two!... I’m off to have look Private tube station for MPs? hmmm…

p)

Posted over 3 years ago by Karlos

And don’t even START me on London’s underground rivers…...

Mamfer (near the Effra)

Posted over 3 years ago by Mamfer

This is a quote from a review of a book called Underground London by Stephen Smith:

‘If the dead stations of the Underground exert a fascination, how much more so an entire subterranean railway running the breadth of central London, decommissioned and shut down but still in perfect working order beneath the streets of the city? This deserted line I all the more intriguing for being pint-sized, a scale model, a miniature railway.’ No, this wasn’t some railway enthusiasts idea of a practical joke or a toy train hobbyist gone mad – it is the Mail Rail, part of the transport system for the Royal Mail throughout London, operated independently of the Underground, British Rail or other major transport systems.

Posted over 3 years ago by IsThatYourArm

I would (in theory) love to explore all the abandoned railways and underground stations etc etc. Unfortunately, the slight possibly of a ‘Creep’ situation freaks me out too much to ever act on it.

Posted over 3 years ago by ZaraElise

This is a fascination of mine as well. My prefered rumour is that there’s a tunnel from the palace under Pall Mall to Charing Cross Station, The Royals would then be whisked out on London on a what is supposedly a kind of express Northern Line that runs alongside the public one (but moves at more than the customary 3 miles an hour of it’s TfL brother). Whatever the truth is, I think it’s safe to say that there’s a great deal more underground around Whitehall and the Palace than we’ll ever get to hear about.

Posted over 3 years ago by auawsha

There’s not even anything on diamondgeezer, which makes me think it doesn’t exist. Cool, though.

Posted over 3 years ago by Simone

The tunnels! The tunnels! They’re everywhere! Ok, at 1pm tomorrow, let’s all go outside and simultaneously JUMP as high as possible. The combined force of landing should smash through numerous London-wide pavements and reveal these sneaky tunnels in all their shameful hidden glory. Hope we don’t upset any nice moles or badgers though. Edinburgh has whole streets you can visit underground. It’s a great day out for lovers of subterranean japery. I think it’s called Mary King’s Close, off the Royal Mile, a blatant tourist attraction, but a damn fine one. Sorr,y we’re only supposed to talk about London aren’t we? But let’s face it, Edinburgh is lovely, and has underground things too. I do digress.

Posted over 3 years ago by willster

Oh, and I forgot the catacombs in Paris, but blimey that freaked me right out for ages afterwards.

Posted over 3 years ago by willster

Willster

Edinburgh is a lovely city (I’m bias though having been born their). Yep the underdround streets are a good tourist attraction, also good to get out of the rain.

As for London, there are loads of underground tunnels, most date from before or during WWII time. A lot of disused TfL tunnels (a few used as storage, lke Goodge Street).

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites.shtml is a good site for such things as tunnels and underground bunkers. All over the UK but loads in and around London.

Posted over 3 years ago by cobo04

For more info on disused TfL tunnels – check this out.

http://underground-history.co.uk/front.php

Posted over 3 years ago by cobo04

The tunnels that run from the Cabinet War Rooms are real, I’ve been in them. I went there a few years back to do a reporting job, and the extremely enthusiastic curator took me into some of the tunnels and spaces below the upper levels that are open to the public. It’s really fascinating. I didn’t get anywhere near 10 Downing Street or the palace though, sadly. (Though I’ve been ‘below stairs’ in the palace too, again for work. It was well cool.)

Posted over 2 years ago by Tayto