Slip below the city’s bright lights and pavements pounded by millions into an underground world ripe for adventure, says Kathryn Conway.
If the inclement weather at this time of year has you wondering how best to escape it, the perfect solution lies right beneath your feet. Whether it’s exploring secret government bunkers and disused stations frozen in time or enjoying romantic trysts in an atmospheric vault turned hot dining spot, London’s subterranean spaces provide a thrilling way to put an entirely new spin on the city.
Because while the capital’s history is plain to see in the architecture that makes up its famous skyline, there’s something irresistibly thrilling about witnessing that history stretching back millennia below ground. At the London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE, we see the very beginnings of the city the Romans named Londinium, laid bare in the uncovered artefacts and the atmospheric reimagining of the ancient Temple of Mithras.
The site once served as a gathering place for the mysterious, exclusively male cult of Mithras, a deity worshipped for killing a primordial bull, and its excavation yielded the discovery of the earliest handwritten document recorded in Britain and a tablet bearing the first known reference to Londinium, both on show. It’s entirely fitting then that Dutch artist Mark Manders is presenting Room with All Existing Words (from 22 Jan) in the space, a site-specific installation that plays with the ambiguity of objects that could be mistaken for ancient relics, pondering how our understanding of history is imagined from the fragments that survive.
Where Time Stands Still
There is no ambiguity about the history of the Churchill War Rooms and the Churchill Museum. Once the clandestine hub of Britain’s operations during World War II, and housing spaces such as the Cabinet War Room and Map Room that have been frozen in time since 1945, you can follow in the footsteps of Winston Churchill and get a sense of what underground life was really like for those at the sharp end of the war effort.
If you fancy wandering around before the doors open to the public in the company of an expert guide, book a spot on The Secrets of Churchill War Rooms tour. Or, if afternoon jaunts are more your speed, secure a seat in the Harmsworth Room for afternoon tea (20 February) and do gourmand Winston Churchill proud by polishing off the decadent treats.
Also serving as something of a time capsule is Aldwych Tube station. Originally called Strand station, this terminus of the Piccadilly line provided refuge to Londoners and the nation’s most valuable artworks during the Blitz before it was shuttered in 1994. Today, the Edwardian-era tiled corridors, abandoned platforms and vintage signage have made it many a movie director’s dream location, providing evocative backdrops for films such as Sherlock and 28 Weeks Later. To see it all for yourself, join Aldwych: The End of the Line, part of the London Transport Museum’s brilliant Hidden London tours series.
And while this might be taking poetic licence with the word ‘underground’, now seems like the perfect time to mention Supperclub.Tube. Transporting you to Latin America via a six-course tasting menu, this hugely popular spot in Walthamstow transforms a vintage Victoria line Tube carriage into a memorable dining experience that only London could serve up.
Sticking with the tunnel theme and saluting one of the great engineering dynasties of the Industrial Revolution, The Brunel Museum Thames Tunnel is your portal to learning more about a truly daring feat: the world’s first tunnel dug beneath a navigable river. The brainchild of Marc Brunel and steered by his son, the young Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the Thames Tunnel linked Rotherhithe and Wapping and, in 1827, it became the stage for the first-ever underground dinner concert.
While the tunnel now forms part of the London Overground network, you can still step into the vast original shaft – an atmospheric performance space. Usually only open on weekends, pop by every day during half-term for a whole heap of activities designed to keep kids entertained (16-20 Feb can’t confirm). Plus, there’s also a special Valentine’s Day Tour – complete with a complimentary glass of Prosecco, naturally – detailing the love story between Marc Brunel and his beloved wife, Sophia.
Hidden Playgrounds
As the city is proving, its subterranean depths are a hive of activity guaranteed to spark the imagination of young explorers. Take Chislehurst Caves. A trip here might require a 30-minute train ride to the suburbs, but these man-made chalk caverns feature a labyrinth of tunnels that seem to wind through history. By the glow of a lantern, knowledgeable guides impart tales of hidden treasures and ghostly spectres, and detail how bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Who have performed here.
From here, it’s back to the metropolis to travel back in time courtesy of The Clink Prison Museum. As one of London’s oldest prisons, chilling (but child-appropriate) stories of medieval prisoners and the shadowy cells that once held them await. Or, why not try the Old Royal Naval College’s Victorian Skittle Alley, a hidden highlight of the 600 Years of History tour?
Located in the Chalk Walk, a long, vaulted basement room in the bowels of the college, the alley is still very much in action. So, roll wooden balls down wooden lanes and see how many skittles fall in your bid to claim victory. Finally, cap off the kid-friendly fun with a trip into the bright lights of Babylon Park, an underground playground where neon rides, bumper cars and arcade amusements let the young at heart become intergalactic adventurers. It feels worlds away from the streets above.
Romance Runs Deep
With the hint of romance on the horizon, London’s subterranean spaces come into their own for those keen for an intimate tête-à-tête, as though you’ve slipped into a world that only you know. But first, if you’re in the market for a thoughtful trinket, The London Silver Vaults, housed in the former home of The Chancery Lane Safe Deposit Company, sees a stellar collection of dealers offering everything from antique heirlooms to contemporary silver pieces, some with price tags that you might be pleasantly surprised by.
For vaults where sustenance rather than shopping is on the agenda, meanwhile, head to The Libertine in The Royal Exchange. Granted a royal license to sell alcohol by Elizabeth I, this merchant’s drinking den now plays host to a grand, brick-arched restaurant and bar where cocktails, seasonal fare and a hint of old-world drama set the mood.
Finally, we can’t think of a more fitting spot to conclude your underground adventure than at the Blood Orange Bar below The Orange pub in Belgravia (reportedly named after William of Orange). With its signature citrus-led cocktails and warm, cocooned feel, this is the ideal way to unwind and let the bustle of London fade into the background. So, slide into one of the orange banquettes, order a Queen’s Paloma made with Mezcal Reina Espadín/Tobasiche Ensamble, agave syrup, orange marmalade, pink grapefruit soda, fresh lime juice and rosemary, and settle in for a night of live music. This is London at its best.
