Subterranean London
Encyclopedia
The metropolis of London
has been occupied for millennia, and has over that time acquired a large number of subterranean structures
.
These have served a number of purposes:
As the city developed from a cluster of villages, many of the existing rivers were buried or canalized: see subterranean rivers of London
.
The rivers failed to carry the sewage
of the growing metropolis. The resulting health crisis led to the creation in the late nineteenth century of the London sewerage system
, designed by Joseph Bazalgette
, one of the first modern sewer systems in the world.
The Thames Water Ring Main
is a notable modern piece of large-scale water supply infrastructure, comprising 80 km of wide-bore water-carrying tunnels.
was the first underground railway
in the world, and remains one of the most extensive. Its construction began in 1860 with the 3.7 miles (6 km) Metropolitan Railway from Farringdon to Paddington. It was opened in 1863, having caused much disruption by the use of "cut and cover" techniques, which involved digging large trenches along the course of existing roads, and then constructing a roof over the excavation to reinstate the road surface. Tube railways, which caused little disruption because they were constructed by boring a tunnel, arrived in 1890, with the opening of the City and South London Railway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) line from Stockwell to King William Street. It was planned as a cable hauled railway, but the advent of electric traction resulted in a simpler solution, and the change was made before the cable system was built. It thus became the world's first electric tube railway. Although the system comprises 249 miles (400.7 km) of track, only about 45 per cent is actually below ground.
Kingsway
has an almost intact underground passageway for trams which is rarely open to the public. See Kingsway tramway subway
Numerous tunnels underneath the River Thames
have been created, ranging from foot-tunnels to road tunnels and the tunnels of the Underground. The first of these, the Thames Tunnel
, designed by Marc Brunel, was the first tunnel known to have been successfully constructed underneath a navigable river. It ran for 1200 yards (1,097.3 m) from Rotherhithe
to Wapping
, and was opened in 1843. It was used as a pedestrian subway, as the finance was not available to allow the company to build the intended access ramps for horse-drawn traffic, and was later used by the East London branch of the Metropolitan Railway from Shoreditch to New Cross.
have been built under London. Few are acknowledged to exist and even fewer open to the public. One exception is the famous, and now very popular tourist destination, Cabinet War Rooms, used by Winston Churchill
during the Second World War.
During the Second World War, parts of the Underground were converted into air-raid shelter
s known as the deep-level shelters
. Some of these were converted for military and civil defence use, such as the now-disused Kingsway telephone exchange
.
Other civil defence centres in London
are wholly or partly underground, mostly as a legacy of the Cold War
. Many other subterranean facilities exist within the centre of government in Whitehall
, many linked by underground tunnels.
In 1980 a journalist for the New Statesman
revealed the existence of secret tunnels linking government buildings, which he claimed would be used in the event of a national emergency. It is believed these tunnels link to Buckingham Palace
.
Books written about these facilities include Beneath the City Streets
by Peter Laurie and War Plan UK by Duncan Campbell
.
, natural gas
supply, water supply
, and telecommunication
s, including the BT copper local loop
s and optical fibre from numerous suppliers.
Starting in 1861, Victorian engineers built several miles of purpose-built subways large enough to walk through, for running gas, electricity, water and hydraulic power pipes through. These works removed the inconvenience of continually excavating highways to allow access to underground utilities.
Individual sites of interest:
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
has been occupied for millennia, and has over that time acquired a large number of subterranean structures
Subterranea (geography)
Subterranea refers to underground structures, both natural and man-made . Some subterranea include:* Bunker* Casemate* Catacombs* Caves** Ice caves* Cave dwellings, Cave house* Cave temple* Cellar* Cenote* Dungeon...
.
These have served a number of purposes:
Water and waste
Since its foundation, the Thames has been at the heart of London. Many tributaries flow into it and over time these have changed from sources of water to open sewers and sources of disease.As the city developed from a cluster of villages, many of the existing rivers were buried or canalized: see subterranean rivers of London
Subterranean rivers of London
The subterranean or underground rivers of London are the tributaries of the River Thames and River Lea that were built over during the growth of the metropolis of London...
.
The rivers failed to carry the sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
of the growing metropolis. The resulting health crisis led to the creation in the late nineteenth century of the London sewerage system
London sewerage system
The London sewerage system is part of the water infrastructure serving London. The modern system was developed during the late 19th century, and as London has grown the system has been expanded.-History:...
, designed by Joseph Bazalgette
Joseph Bazalgette
Sir Joseph William Bazalgette, CB was an English civil engineer of the 19th century. As chief engineer of London's Metropolitan Board of Works his major achievement was the creation of a sewer network for central London which was instrumental in relieving the city from cholera epidemics, while...
, one of the first modern sewer systems in the world.
The Thames Water Ring Main
Thames Water Ring Main
The Thames Water Ring Main is a major part of London's water supply infrastructure that consists of an approximately 80 km system of mostly concrete pipelines used to transfer potable water from water treatment works in the Thames and River Lee catchments to distribution within London.The...
is a notable modern piece of large-scale water supply infrastructure, comprising 80 km of wide-bore water-carrying tunnels.
Transport
The London UndergroundLondon Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
was the first underground railway
Underground railway
Underground railway may refer to:*The Underground Railroad, a network of clandestine routes by which African slaves in the 19th century United States attempted to escape*Rapid transit, urban railways that sometimes use tunnels...
in the world, and remains one of the most extensive. Its construction began in 1860 with the 3.7 miles (6 km) Metropolitan Railway from Farringdon to Paddington. It was opened in 1863, having caused much disruption by the use of "cut and cover" techniques, which involved digging large trenches along the course of existing roads, and then constructing a roof over the excavation to reinstate the road surface. Tube railways, which caused little disruption because they were constructed by boring a tunnel, arrived in 1890, with the opening of the City and South London Railway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) line from Stockwell to King William Street. It was planned as a cable hauled railway, but the advent of electric traction resulted in a simpler solution, and the change was made before the cable system was built. It thus became the world's first electric tube railway. Although the system comprises 249 miles (400.7 km) of track, only about 45 per cent is actually below ground.
Kingsway
Kingsway (London)
Kingsway is a major road in central London in the United Kingdom, designated as part of the A4200. It runs from High Holborn, at its north end in the London Borough of Camden, and meets Aldwych in the south in the City of Westminster at Bush House. It was built in the 1900s...
has an almost intact underground passageway for trams which is rarely open to the public. See Kingsway tramway subway
Kingsway tramway subway
The Kingsway Tramway Subway is a cut-and-cover Grade II Listed tunnel in central London, built by the London County Council, the only one of its kind in Britain...
Numerous tunnels underneath the River Thames
Tunnels underneath the River Thames
The table below lists many of the tunnels under the River Thames in and near London, which, thanks largely to its underlying bed of clay, is one of the most tunnelled cities in the world. The tunnels are used for road vehicles, pedestrians, Tube and railway lines and utilities...
have been created, ranging from foot-tunnels to road tunnels and the tunnels of the Underground. The first of these, the Thames Tunnel
Thames Tunnel
The Thames Tunnel is an underwater tunnel, built beneath the River Thames in London, United Kingdom, connecting Rotherhithe and Wapping. It measures 35 feet wide by 20 feet high and is 1,300 feet long, running at a depth of 75 feet below the river's surface...
, designed by Marc Brunel, was the first tunnel known to have been successfully constructed underneath a navigable river. It ran for 1200 yards (1,097.3 m) from Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe is a residential district in inner southeast London, England and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is located on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping and the Isle of Dogs on the north bank, and is a part of the Docklands area...
to Wapping
Wapping
Wapping is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets which forms part of the Docklands to the east of the City of London. It is situated between the north bank of the River Thames and the ancient thoroughfare simply called The Highway...
, and was opened in 1843. It was used as a pedestrian subway, as the finance was not available to allow the company to build the intended access ramps for horse-drawn traffic, and was later used by the East London branch of the Metropolitan Railway from Shoreditch to New Cross.
Defence
Many underground military citadelsMilitary citadels under London
A number of military citadels are known to have been constructed underground in central London, dating mostly from the Second World War and the Cold War...
have been built under London. Few are acknowledged to exist and even fewer open to the public. One exception is the famous, and now very popular tourist destination, Cabinet War Rooms, used by Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
during the Second World War.
During the Second World War, parts of the Underground were converted into air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelters, also known as bomb shelters, are structures for the protection of the civil population as well as military personnel against enemy attacks from the air...
s known as the deep-level shelters
London deep-level shelters
The London deep-level shelters are eight deep-level air-raid shelters that were built under London Underground stations during World War II.-Background:...
. Some of these were converted for military and civil defence use, such as the now-disused Kingsway telephone exchange
Kingsway telephone exchange
Kingsway telephone exchange was a Cold War-era hardened telephone exchange underneath High Holborn in London.-History:The Kingsway telephone exchange was built as a deep-level shelter underneath Chancery Lane tube station in the early 1940s...
.
Other civil defence centres in London
Civil defence centres in London
During the Cold War every London Borough was obliged to have a Civil Defence centre. These were controversial structures as it was widely believed that planning for the aftermath of nuclear war was both expensive and pointless....
are wholly or partly underground, mostly as a legacy of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. Many other subterranean facilities exist within the centre of government in Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
, many linked by underground tunnels.
In 1980 a journalist for the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
revealed the existence of secret tunnels linking government buildings, which he claimed would be used in the event of a national emergency. It is believed these tunnels link to Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
.
Books written about these facilities include Beneath the City Streets
Beneath the City Streets
Beneath the City Streets: A Private Inquiry into the Nuclear Preoccupations of Government is a book by British author Peter Laurie. It details the existence and necessity of underground bunkers, food depots, and government safe havens throughout underground London.-External links :*...
by Peter Laurie and War Plan UK by Duncan Campbell
Duncan Campbell (investigative journalist)
Duncan Campbell is a British freelance investigative journalist, author and television producer who, since 1975, has specialised in the subjects of intelligence and security services, defence, policing, civil liberties and, latterly, computer forensics. He was a staff writer at the New Statesman...
.
Utilities
London, like most other major cities, also has extensive underground infrastructure for electricity distributionElectricity distribution
File:Electricity grid simple- North America.svg|thumb|380px|right|Simplified diagram of AC electricity distribution from generation stations to consumers...
, natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
supply, water supply
Water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
, and telecommunication
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
s, including the BT copper local loop
Local loop
In telephony, the local loop is the physical link or circuit that connects from the demarcation point of the customer premises to the edge of the carrier or telecommunications service provider's network...
s and optical fibre from numerous suppliers.
Starting in 1861, Victorian engineers built several miles of purpose-built subways large enough to walk through, for running gas, electricity, water and hydraulic power pipes through. These works removed the inconvenience of continually excavating highways to allow access to underground utilities.
Disused
Some underground structures continue to exist in London even though they are no longer in use- The London Hydraulic Power CompanyLondon Hydraulic Power CompanyThe London Hydraulic Power Company was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1883 to install a hydraulic power network of high-pressure cast iron water mains under London. It was the successor to the Steam Wharf and Warehouse Company, founded in 1871 by Edward B Ellington...
, set up in 1883, installed a hydraulic power network of high-pressure cast iron water mains under London. These were bought by Mercury CommunicationsMercury CommunicationsMercury Communications was a national telephone company in the United Kingdom. The company was formed in 1981 as a subsidiary of Cable & Wireless to challenge the monopoly of British Telecom which was privatised in 1984...
for use as telecommunications ducts. - Some sections of the London Pneumatic Despatch CompanyLondon Pneumatic Despatch CompanyThe London Pneumatic Despatch Company was formed on 30 June 1859, to design, build and operate an underground railway system for the carrying of mail, parcels and light freight between locations in London...
tunnels linking the General Post Office and Euston Railway stationEuston railway stationEuston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
. - An extensive private underground railway, the London Post Office RailwayLondon Post Office RailwayThe Post Office Railway, also known as Mail Rail, was a narrow-gauge driverless private underground railway in London built by the Post Office with assistance from the Underground Electric Railways Company of London to move mail between sorting offices...
, was constructed by the Post OfficePost officeA post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, but is now no longer used. - There are some closed London Underground stationsClosed London Underground stationsThe London Underground is a metro system in the United Kingdom that serves Greater London and adjacent counties of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. The system has many former stations, while others were planned but not opened...
which are no longer accessible to the public.
See also
General topics:- List of former and unopened London Underground stations
- Military citadels under LondonMilitary citadels under LondonA number of military citadels are known to have been constructed underground in central London, dating mostly from the Second World War and the Cold War...
- London deep-level sheltersLondon deep-level sheltersThe London deep-level shelters are eight deep-level air-raid shelters that were built under London Underground stations during World War II.-Background:...
- Tunnels underneath the River ThamesTunnels underneath the River ThamesThe table below lists many of the tunnels under the River Thames in and near London, which, thanks largely to its underlying bed of clay, is one of the most tunnelled cities in the world. The tunnels are used for road vehicles, pedestrians, Tube and railway lines and utilities...
- London sewerage systemLondon sewerage systemThe London sewerage system is part of the water infrastructure serving London. The modern system was developed during the late 19th century, and as London has grown the system has been expanded.-History:...
- Catacombs of LondonCatacombs of LondonThe catacombs of London are a series of subterranean spaces in London, United Kingdom. The city's high water table limits subterreanean construction....
- Subterranean rivers of LondonSubterranean rivers of LondonThe subterranean or underground rivers of London are the tributaries of the River Thames and River Lea that were built over during the growth of the metropolis of London...
- NeverwhereNeverwhereNeverwhere is an urban fantasy television series by Neil Gaiman that first aired in 1996 on BBC Two. The series is set in "London Below", a magical realm coexisting with the more familiar London, referred to as "London Above". It was devised by Neil Gaiman and Lenny Henry, and directed by Dewi...
, a story set in a fantasy underground London
Individual sites of interest:
- Kingsway tramway subwayKingsway tramway subwayThe Kingsway Tramway Subway is a cut-and-cover Grade II Listed tunnel in central London, built by the London County Council, the only one of its kind in Britain...
- Criterion TheatreCriterion TheatreThe Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has an official capacity of 588.-Building the theatre:...
- Tower SubwayTower SubwayThe Tower Subway is a tunnel, dug in 1869, beneath the River Thames in central London, close to the Tower of London. Its alignment runs between Tower Hill on the north side of the river and Vine Lane to the south...
- King William Street tube stationKing William Street tube stationKing William Street was the original but short-lived northern terminus of the City & South London Railway , the first deep tube underground railway in London and one of the component parts of the London Underground's Northern Line. It was in the City of London, on King William Street, just south...
- Holborn Viaduct Low Level Station
- Oxgate Admiralty CitadelOxgate Admiralty CitadelOxgate Admiralty Citadel is the name given to a military bunker constructed between 1937 and 1940, for the Admiralty, on the corner of Edgware Road and Oxgate Lane, in north London....
- Bishopsgate railway stationBishopsgate railway stationBishopsgate station was a railway station located on the eastern side of Shoreditch High Street in the modern London Borough of Tower Hamlets; the western edge of the East End. It was in use from 1840 to 1964 when it was destroyed by fire...
- Northern Outfall SewerNorthern Outfall SewerThe Northern Outfall Sewer is a major gravity sewer which runs from Wick Lane in Hackney to Beckton Sewage Works in east London ; most of it was designed by Joseph Bazalgette after an outbreak of cholera in 1853 and "The Big Stink" of 1858.Prior to this work, central London's drains were built...
- Southern Outfall SewerSouthern Outfall SewerThe Southern Outfall Sewer is a major sewer taking sewage from the southern area of central London to Crossness in south-east London. Flows from three interceptory sewers combine at Deptford and then run under Greenwich, Woolwich, Plumstead and across Erith marshes...
- Great ConduitGreat ConduitThe Great Conduit was a man-made underground channel in London, England, which brought drinking water from the Tyburn to Cheapside in the City....
External links
- Subterranea Britannica
- Disused stations on the London underground
- Subterranea Britannica research group book list
- Photographic gallery of disused tunnels at Euston tube Station
- Photographs from London's Subterranean Rivers and Sewers
- http://www.mailrail.co.uk Unofficial MailRail website