London’s loveable labyrinth of tubes, tunnels, platforms, and passageways is filled to the brim with stories, secrets, and surprises. And for the past decade, avid transport-enthusiasts have been able to have a peek behind the curtain turnstiles of some of the most surreptitious sections of the network, courtesy of the London Transport Museum’s highly-popular ‘Hidden London‘ tours.
These unique behind-the-scenes tours allow members of the public to head beneath the streets of the city to discover some of the forgotten fragments of London’s intricate transport network. Up until now, however, these tours have only been available to adults – but that, my friends, is about to change.
It turns out that your next family day out could be set against the rather fascinating backdrop of the abandoned Aldwych station. Inspired by the museum’s much-loved ‘Aldwych: the end of the line’ tour, a new tour has been carefully created by the transport-aficionados. But this one has been specifically designed for families with children aged between 10 and 14.
The tween (and early-teen) friendly guided tour will explore over a century of history through a series of interactive activities. Visitors will unlock different parts of the station – which was opened in 1907 and last used by the public over 30 years ago – though completing a selection of riddles, clues, quizzes, and teamwork.
Remnants of Aldwych station’s storied past are scattered throughout the tour. And families can step back in time whilst visiting the former platforms, old lifts, and original ticket hall. Lasting around 75 minutes, the tour will tell the story of the station (and how it’s been used as the likes of a war-time shelter and a Hollywood film-set over the year) – serving up interesting facts by the carriage-load throughout.
The London Transport Museum’s Aldwych: the end of the line family tours will be running throughout the summer. Find out more and plan your visit here.