London’s labyrinth of tubes, tunnels, platforms, and passageways is filled to the brim with secrets and surprises. Our pioneering public transport network is the oldest of its kind in the world – and there is plenty to discover beneath the streets of the capital city. If you’re in need of a little nudge in the direction of where to look, though – please allow me to introduce you to the London Transport Museum. And more specifically: their Hidden London tours.
Hidden London tours
Granting transport-lovers behind-the-scenes access to a plethora of places across the transport network that are usually off-limits to the public; the Hidden London Tours have been carefully-created by the experts at the London Transport Museum. Led by an expert-guide, visitors can have a coveted peek behind the curtain of some forgotten fragments or the city’s transport tapestry; learning interesting facts by the carriage-load as they do so.
Charing Cross: behind the silver screen
There are a variety of Hidden London tours on offer, but one that has got my interest particularly piqued is Charing Cross: behind the silver screen taking place in June. This fascinating tour will explore the history of Charing Cross station and the rather surprising new uses of some of out-of-action platforms.
Visitors will have the chance to visit the disused concourse, platforms, and passenger tunnels that were once served by the ‘Fleet Line’ (the line that would later become the Jubilee Line) – and learn the backstory of how the silver line came to be (and why Charing Cross is no longer perched upon it). Tour-goers will also get to walk down secret escalators, pay a visit to areas of the station that have been closed to the public since 1999, and see the secret tunnels that run beneath Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery.
Possibly the most exciting element of the Charing Cross: behind the silver screen tour is that guests will get to step into a real life movie set. The disused platforms and passageways at Charing Cross are no stranger to the big screen, having featured in many iconic movies and TV shows. TfL’s film office has transformed it into many different stations for the legendary likes of Skyfall, Paddington, Creep, and Killing Eve (just to name a few). A pretty impressive CV, don’t you think?
Charing Cross: behind the silver screen tours are taking place on selected days and times between June 3 and June 11. Find out more and snap up a ticket here.
