A series of underground tunnels in London that have not been open to the general public since World War 2 are set to become the British capital’s newest tourist attraction, if a £120 million (€136 million) development goes ahead.
The Kingsway Exchange Tunnels were dug below the area of London known as Holborn (pronounced həʊbən), starting in 1940, when the UK’s population and infrastructure was being bombed by the Nazi Germany’s Luftwaffe in an aerial campaign that became known as the Blitz. For safety, Londoners had taken to descending into the tunnels of the London Underground transport network to hide from the destruction and so authorities decided to construct another purpose-built, mile-long network of underground shelters.
From air-raid shelter to telephone exchange
But by the time the tunnels were complete, in 1942, the Blitz was over. Instead of providing solace in an air-raid, the tunnels were given new life, becoming part of the secret service MI6 and known to some as James Bond-creator Ian Fleming’s office when he worked for naval intelligence. They were also a telephone exchange during the 1950s and 60s and its canteen and staff bar are still in evidence.
Other than that, today, thirty metres below London’s busy streets, there is not much to attract anyone other than urban explorers. In arched vaults that have seen few visitors since the 1970s, dusty old electrical and plumbing works, wires, and pipes seem to sprout from the walls like strange creatures, amid intriguing dials, buttons and levers.
Planning permission granted
Another set of levers has been working behind the scenes though. Planning permission has been granted for what is due to be come known as “The London Tunnels” to be transformed into Blitz memorial, which, according to Angus Murray, chief executive of The London Tunnels, will see the spaces turned into a museum, exhibition, and entertainment venue.
Slated for late 2027 or early 2028, Murray predicts three million visitors a year will pay over £30 (around €36) to venture down into the historic labyrinth by the time the attraction is operational, meaning the investment could pay for itself in just a handful of years. The tunnels are described by Murray as an experience that is “real” and “emotional,” it is possible the site will inscribe itself into the current trend for authentic and experiential, even dark, tourism, as guests challenge themselves to relive a bombardment that cost 40,000 lives.
