From January 2022, London Transport Museum will resume its exclusive Hidden London tours of four fascinating disused sites on the Tube network, after a hiatus of almost two years.
Tours of Down Street, Aldwych, Euston and Moorgate stations will return, offering visitors the chance to go where few have ventured before and explore underground locations with incredible stories to tell about London’s past, such as Down Street station – once a top-secret government headquarters that sheltered Winston Churchill during the height of the Blitz.
Led by expert guides with a wealth of fascinating facts and tales to share about these ‘forgotten’ parts of the London Underground, visitors will explore disused tunnels, platforms and lift shafts steeped in history that lie concealed just a stone’s throw away from unknowing modern day commuters.
Euston: The Lost Tunnels, 15 January – 13 February 2022
Discover a secret side to a station you think you know on a tour that explores a century of Euston’s history. Wind through a labyrinth of atmospheric passageways beneath the present-day station that were once used by the travelling public. Glimpse a bygone era through a gallery of vintage advertising poster fragments, and see the original Leslie Green station facade before the site is transformed for the arrival of HS2.
Down Street: Churchill’s Secret Station, 15 January – 13 February 2022
Get an intimate peek into one of London’s most intriguing hidden spaces. Situated between Hyde Park Corner and Green Park stations, Down Street had a short life as a working station from 1907 to 1932 but became critical to winning the Second World War when covertly transformed into the Railway Executive Committee’s bomb-proof headquarters. Experience the warren of narrow tunnels where the nation’s railways were co-ordinated and Prime Minister Winston Churchill secretly took refuge at the height of the Blitz.
Aldwych: The End of the Line, 2 – 27 March 2022
Experience a relic from London’s past. Opened to the public in 1907, Aldwych station was never heavily used and closed in 1994, after almost 90 years. The station has had a varied history; from providing shelter to Londoners during the Blitz, to being used for film and TV shoots including Darkest Hour, Sherlock, and Atonement. Explore the original ticket hall, lift shafts, abandoned platforms and tunnels of this former termini of the Piccadilly line.
Moorgate: Metropolitan Maze, 2 – 27 March 2022
Explore the many wonders of Moorgate station, one of London’s first Underground stations. See an original Greathead Shield left abandoned from a planned tunnel extension in 1904 – the only complete one of its kind on the Underground network. Explore a maze of disused tunnels and track left behind from station upgrades through the years, glimpse corridors lined with original glass tiles of the City and South London Railway – the world’s first deep-level underground railway – and discover how long-disused areas of the station have been ingeniously repurposed for a modern London.
Secrets of London Walking tour, 15 January – 27 March 2022
A new season of the Secrets of Central London walking tour of Covent Garden, Kingsway, Lincoln’s Inn Fields and Victoria Embankment will start in January 2022. Join an expert guide and tour off the beaten path, down inconspicuous back streets to locations steeped in history hidden in plain sight. Find out how the area has transformed over the last 200 years and see abandoned transport infrastructure and remarkable feats of engineering that have shaped London.
Hidden London fans wishing to own a bit of disused train history can treat themselves or their friends and family this Christmas with an illustrated Hidden London Book. The book – as well as a selection of other gifts inspired by the heritage tiles in disused Tube stations – is available from the London Transport Museum’s shop in Covent Garden and online.
Fore more information on the tours please visit ltmuseum.co.uk/hidden-london.
