The Kingsway Exchange Tunnels, about 40 meters below Chancery Lane tube station in High Holborn, were built in the 1940s to protect Londoners from bombing raids.
London’s most stunning underground tourist attraction project yet: a €253 million conversion of one-kilometre-long World War II tunnels into an immersive experience.
So secret that they are protected by the UK’s Official Secrets Act, the old spy tunnels will be redesigned by a team including the architects responsible for Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, and Battersea Power Station in London – if planning is given approval this autumn.
The Kingsway Exchange Tunnels, 40 meters below Chancery Lane tube station in High Holborn, were built in the 1940s to protect Londoners from bombing during the Second World War.
It was the last one opened to the public. Its next wartime role was as the headquarters of Britain’s top-secret Special Operations Executive, a branch of MI6 and the real-life inspiration for James Bond’s Q Branch.
“Hotline” hideout
They later expanded into the Kingsway Telephone Exchange, which served as an internal communications center during the Cold War in the 1950s. It even ran a “hot line” directly connecting the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union.
The exchange has a network of 5,000 trunk cables and a busy community of 200 workers operating the telephone lines.
British Telecom took over the site in the 1980s, creating the world’s deepest licensed bar for use by government employees, with snooker tables and a games room with a tropical aquarium – the height of 1980s luxury.
The technology behind the telephone exchange became obsolete by the end of the decade and was phased out. But now, finance manager Angus Murray is the chief executive London UndergroundIt wants to bring the story of the tunnel to life through high resolution immersive screens, interactive structures, aroma emission technology and hundreds of speakers.
No expense is spared when it comes to immersion magic. DBOX/London Tunnels
London Underground
“The history of the tunnels, their size and location between Holborn and the historic square mile make the tunnels one of London’s most popular tourist attractions,” Murray said in a statement.
The plan is to invest £140 million (€161 million) in refurbishment works and a further £80 million (€92 million) in all high-speed details.
Led by architects Wilkinson-Eyre, they have assembled an all-star team for the most ambitious project – one that will surpass anything on offer in the city. Currently, it is a specially developed permanent underground tourist attraction in London Churchill War Rooms – Part of the 8000 square meter space occupied by the Kingsway Exchange tunnels and located 3,600 meters below ground level.
London Underground also organizes occasional excursions Hidden London Explore the city’s abandoned metro stations and tunnels. Guided tours are always very popular and oversubscribed, and tickets sell out as soon as they become available.
However, this is the best chance to go on an underground adventure for a few years, as the London Tunnels project – if it goes ahead – will only welcome its first visitors in 2027. But it looks like the wait will be worth it.