Secret World War II tunnels to open to public (9 photos)

London could be home to its most impressive underground historical landmark: former spy tunnels mile is going to be turned into a major tourist center. Price The project costs 268 million dollars.





The Kingsway Exchange Tunnels, which were once so secret that they were protected by the UK Official Secrets Act, will be refurbished by a team from The London Tunnels Ltd consortium. The project will be possible if it receives approval at the end of this year. planning.



Kingsway Exchange Tunnel Extension, 1952

Kingsway Exchange Tunnels, located approximately 40 meters below Chancery Lane tube station in High Holborn, were built in 1940s to protect Londoners during the Blitz (German bombings). This was the last time they were open for the general public.





This is what an underground tourist site could look like an attraction that will use the latest technology. They will recreate the sounds, sights and smells of the tunnel during its use in war time.

Later the tunnels housed a research center British Secret Service, an offshoot of MI6 (remember Q Branch research center in James Bond, whose head supplies Agent 007 with useful spy equipment).



Test switchboard at Kingsway Trunk station Exchange, located in the tunnels under London's Holborn, pictured in April 1968.

They were then expanded and became a telephone exchange Kingsway, which served as a domestic communications station in the 1950s during the Cold War. There was even a hotline here, directly connecting the leaders of the USA and the USSR.



General view of the construction of the Kingsway Tunnel in London, England in 1942.

The station housed an extensive network of 5,000 main lines. cables and a staff of 200 people servicing telephone lines.

In the 80s, the British company took over the management of this place. Telecom. The world's deepest licensed bar was created here. civil servants - with a games room with snooker tables and aquarium with tropical fish. The height of 80s luxury!



A bar inside a tunnel created by an artist. British company Telecom first put the site up for sale in 2008, but was unable to find a buyer.

By the end of the decade, the technology behind the telephone center, became outdated and was taken out of service. But now Angus Murray, CEO of The London Tunnels, wants to bring history to life tunnel for visitors using immersive high-rise screens resolution, interactive structures, odor technology and hundreds of spot speakers.

"The history of the tunnels, their scale and location between London Holborn and the historic Square Mile can do these tunnels one of London's most popular tourist destinations,” Murray said in a statement.



It is planned to use giant curved screens, interactive designs, aroma emission technologies and use hundreds of point acoustic speakers.

The plan is to invest £140 million sterling ($170.5 million) for restoration work, and then another £80 million ($97 million) in all the immersive bells and whistles.



General view of the Kingsway Tunnel bar in London, England. Presumably the photo was taken in 1970.

With Wilkinson-Air architects on board, there is certainly a stellar team for this very ambitious project, which is far superior to anything else on offer in London.

The most developed permanent underground tourist London's current landmark is the military Churchill's premises, located just 3-4 meters below ground level and occupying only a small part of the Kingsway tunnels (total areab tunnels are 8000 sq. meters).



Operators work on power equipment and racks central office at the Kingsway Tunnel station, January 1957.

London Underground also runs periodic tours of Hidden London, exploring the city's abandoned tube stations and tunnels. Tickets for such tours always sell out instantly. If large-scale the London Tunnels project will be completed (by 2027), it may become the city's most popular underground attraction.