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Are you trying to find a somewhat various viewpoint of London? Although a lot of the city’s most noteworthy websites are above ground, you will discover that there is a lot of history, exceptional works of engineering, and stories to be told, underneath the Earth.
No we’re not speaking about Television (the affectionate name for London’s Underground Metro), we’re talking about London tunnel trips, which allow you to walk below the ground and see what lies beneath.
Under London’s streets are the oldest metro on the planet, previous air-raid shelters utilized throughout the 2nd world war, and dirty passages as soon as used by previous British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.
Craig all set to check out on television If riding in black cabs and queuing at Madame Tussauds is not your thing anymore, then attempt looking listed below the surface to get away the crowds and reveal an unique side of London and discover it’s lower known history.
To assist you out, I have actually noted some of my preferred underground London tours that take you through lost tunnels and reveal parts of London you didn’t understand existed.
The Best London Tunnel Tours
You’ll discover a hidden world of secret tunnels, scary tombs, sophisticated train paths, and ancient cave systems on one of these underground London tours.
1. Cabinet War Rooms
Interior view of the shelter which housed the Cabinet War Rooms during WW
II. Immerse yourself in the environment of the Blitz with a trip down into the historic Cabinet War Rooms. This warren of tunnels and bunkers under Whitehall was the headquarters for Britain’s war effort throughout WW2. The tour begins at Westminster Millennium Pier, just a short walk from Westminster Underground Station, and then you take a short walk around London overground by going to Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, 10 Downing Street, and lastly to explore the War Cabinet Space from where Winston Churchill planned Britain’s next move.
You can in fact see the chair (total with scratch marks on its arms), which he utilized throughout highly demanding meetings.
In the Map Space, absolutely nothing has actually changed because 16 Aug 1945, when the lights were lastly switched off.
Wartime maps, colour-coded telephones, and even rationed sugar cubes stay exactly as they were when the war ended.
2. Chislehurst Caves
< img width="710"height ="533"src ="https://www.ytravelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Chislehurst-Caves-710x533.jpg" alt="carvings in a rock"/ > Image: Flickr The Chislehurst Caves are a network
of 8000-year-old collapse the Greater London area. The caves, which extend for 20 miles, were at first produced as a result of flint and chalk mining.
You can take a lamp-lit tour deep into this labyrinth and explore the caverns’ varied history; from their origins as mines to their subsequent use as an ammo depot and then as an air raid shelter during WW2.
3. The London Bridge Experience and London Tombs
This spine-chilling historical trip takes you
through the early days of London. Begin by finding the most haunted bridge in the world– London Bridge– then you’ll be taken through Roman, Viking, and Victorian times and you can see Queen Boudicca defeat the Romans in fight and see the great fire of London appear before your extremely eyes.
For a really terrible time, you’ll require to go deeper underground into the depths of the London Tombs.
This previous plague pit has been offered a Hollywood-inspired remodeling and now boasts modern special impacts and live stars, to bring London’s bloody history to life.
Although The London Bridge Experience doesn’t have any age limitations, all children under 14 must be accompanied by a grownup. The London Tombs is not appropriate for children under 11.
We went to the London Bridge Experience with our 14- and 10-year-old. It was one of our teen’s favorite things to do in London.
Our tween was a little frightened. however she still likes sharing her memories from it.
4. London Underground Walking Tour
You make certain to have a restored respect for the tube after this 2.5-hour trip of the world’s earliest underground metro system.
This task of engineering has actually been transporting passengers for 150 years and you’ll have the ability to see its original plans together with the steam engines that were first utilized.
On this small group walking trip, you will go to the world’s oldest underground railway, peek the exterior of Down Street Station, a disused station that was known to be where Churchill would travel throughout the Blitz.
Your specialist guide will inform you about the production of the tube, reveal you where you can find ‘ghost’ platforms, and hear historic anecdotes.
You will likewise find out about the building and construction of the Thames Tunnel, the world’s oldest underground system and the very first tunnel to be built under a river.
Along your path, keep an eye out for the ghost station at the British Museum and discover the secrets behind the original hand-dug tunnels.
The tour begins at the meeting point outside historic Baker Street Station
5. Brunel’s underground tunnel
< img width=" 640 "height="426"src ="https://www.ytravelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Brunel's-underground-tunnel.jpg"alt= "Brunel's underground tunnel"/ > Picture: Flickr Discover how Isambard Kingdom Brunel helped his daddy Marc develop one of the world’s first tunnels under a river.
The Thames tunnel, which opened in 1843, was initially created to allow individuals and horses to cross the Thames without blocking the passing ships.
As soon as known as the 8th marvel of the world, the tunnel was resumed in 2010 as part of the London Overground.
You can now descend into The Grand Entryway Hall at the tunnel shaft and even find a secret chamber.
Tours can be arranged through the Brunel Museum.
6. The Hidden London Tours by London Transportation Museum
If you wish to leave the beaten course, then the London Transport Museum, run by Transportation for London, have a number of underground tours you can take part in to learn about the fascinating history of the London Underground.
The trips are created to take individuals to obsolete stations and secret sites, it’s a metropolitan explorer’s dream come true.
You can select to check out any of the following stations on a small group strolling tour:
- Aldwych Station, which opened in 1907 but closed in 1994, and was the former “end of the line.” It was used as a shelter throughout the Blitz of WWII and is now a deserted tube station. It has been included in a number of movie and television, such as Sherlock and Atonement.
- Baker Street, this is the first underground station, and takes you to some of the blocked locations of this 160+ year old station.
- Charing Cross is still in usage today, however became well-known after it was used in the James Bond film, Skyfall. There are 2 trips of Charing Cross, both takes you to closed-off locations and the disused spaces. One tour is where you can find out about the station’s history and the other tour is about how it was used in movie sets.
- Clapham South which opened after the second world war and includes 8 deep-level shelters and miles of passages.
- Dover Street Station, also called Winston Churchill’s secret station. It’s located in between Green Park and Hyde Park Corner stations and was utilized as an air-raid shelter for the prime minister and was also the Railway Executive Committee’s bomb-proof head office.
- The lost tunnels of Euston. You can walk down the passageways and tunnels from Euston Station that are no longer in use, and still see vintage marketing posters embellishing the walls.
- Holborn has a third of its station unopened to the public. This tour takes you to reveal movie areas and unused platforms and tunnels.
- Moorgate has a labyrinth of disused spaces, consisting of tunnels and tracks, that have been left after a series of upgrades.
- Piccadilly Circus has a network of tunnels that have been closed to the public because 1929, this is your chance to check them out!
- Kingsway cable cars tunnel trip. Before trains, the city used trams which subsequently closed down. You can walk down the only remaining cable car tunnel in London on this trip.
Tickets for the London Transport Museum’s London Underground tours are launched throughout the year, so you will require to inspect their site and sign up for their newsletter to discover when tours are taking place.
Final Thoughts on Underground Trips of London
I bet you didn’t realize how much of London’s underground world was accessible to travelers? I was pleasantly surprised too.
If you think of it, much of London’s history was served underground. During the 6-months of the Blitz, these underground stations were a location of sanctuary and security.
Rather of being obsolete stations, they have been turned into tourist attractions so tourists can see the city’s engineering triumphs and historical landmarks.
Whether you’re looking for an enjoyable activity for a Saturday night or you’re curious about the history of the world’s earliest city system, these tours make certain to be a highlight of your London trip.
Trips of London
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More London Travel Tips
Are you preparing a journey to London however require more motivation for your journey? Then you may find these other guides handy …
Are you seeking to check out London’s underground attractions? Which of these trips sound interesting to you? Let us know in the remarks.