The hidden spy tunnels used by Winston Churchill’s secret army that could be London’s next big tourist attraction: the underground network that housed the Special Operation Executive during World War II is set to open to the public under a £100m plan 220 million
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A network of hidden spy tunnels used by Winston Churchill’s secret army could soon become London’s next big tourist attraction under a £220 million plan.
The mile-long series of secret, underground paths known as the Kingsway Exchange lies beneath High Holborn and was built to protect Londoners during the Blitz.
Measuring seven meters in diameter (the equivalent of three London buses), the exchange was expanded at the start of the Cold War in the 1950s and housed the world’s first transatlantic telephone cable, which was used for a ‘hotline’ connecting the White House connected to the Kremlin.
The passage, which served as a base for MI6 and was shrouded in secrecy for seventy years under the Official Secrets Act, was also the inspiration for author Ian Fleming’s Q Branch in the James Bond novels.
Now the BT Group has agreed to sell the Kingsway Exchange to a consortium called The London Tunnels Ltd, which promises to transform the underground site into a major tourist destination.
A 1952 image shows the expansion of the Kingsway Exchange in London, England
The plans unveiled yesterday show what the tunnel could look like as a tourist attraction, using the latest technology to evoke the sounds, sights and smells of the tunnel during its wartime use
The trunk test switchboard at the Kingsway Trunk Exchange, located in tunnels beneath London’s Holborn, pictured in April 1968
A general view of the construction of the Kingsway Tunnel in London, England, in 1942
Designers plan to use the latest technology to recreate the sights, sounds and smells of the tunnel during wartime use as part of an immersive visitor experience, with the plans open to public consultation.
Features include giant curved screens, interactive structures, scent-emitting technology and hundreds of acoustic, precision speakers.
The backers of the plan hope that as many as two million visitors will be attracted to the site every year.
The London Tunnels says it wants to invest £140 million in restoring the site’s layout, while a further £80 million will be set aside for the interactive screens.
If all goes according to plan, the visitor could open in 2027.
The takeover was led by Angus Murray, an Australian banker and former head of asset management giant Macquarie, with backing from his private equity firm Castlestone Management.
The plan will be subject to planning permission from the City of Camden.
An artist’s rendering of a bar in the tunnel facility. BT first put the site up for sale in 2008, but struggled to find a buyer
Features include giant curved screens, interactive structures, scent-emitting technology and hundreds of acoustic, precision speakers
A general view of the Kingsway Tunnel bar can be seen in London, England. The image is believed to have been taken in 1970
Operators work on the power equipment and central equipment racks at the Kingsway Tunnel power station in January 1957
Murray said: ‘The history of the tunnels, their size and location between London’s Holborn and the historic Square Mile, could make them one of London’s most popular tourist destinations.
“We now want to work with local stakeholders and residents to make this a reality and look forward to hearing their views as we finalize a planning application.”
The tunnels lay dormant for many years until they were acquired by BT in the 1980s.
The telecom group first put the site up for sale in 2008, but had difficulty finding a buyer.
BT has so far refused to say how much the site was sold for. One source said difficulties in obtaining planning permission for the site exacerbated the drawn-out sales process.