The cool new map that shows you where and what is happening underneath the city.
You know all about London’s best attractions, museums and restaurants, but there’s more to this city than meets the eye. Have you ever wondered what’s going on beneath your feet? (And no, we’re not talking about the tube.) Turns out you could be missing out on some of London’s best secrets…
City Cruises, London’s floating sightseeing tours, have created an interactive map to show us some of the best underground locations that our capital has been hiding, from abandoned stations to cocktail bars.
Here are just a few of the locations that City Cruises have uncovered:
1. London Underground ‘Ghost Stations’ – these are tube stations that are closed, unused and totally abandoned. There are supposedly about 49 of these under the city.
2. Kensal Green Catacombs – part of one of the oldest public burial grounds, the Kensal Green Catacombs sit beneath The Anglican Chapel and can be visited on Sunday afternoons.
3. London’s Post Office Railway – the Mail Rail has been open to the public since July 2017 and gives visitors a real insight into the hidden history of the first ‘social network’.
4. Ladies & Gentlemen Underground Bar – Ladies and Gents is a old bog turned boozer in Kentish Town, and it’s a pretty good place to spend a penny… on a few cocktails. It kept the same luminous sign, but you’ll find a very different place at the bottom of those steps than you would have once before. (Here are some more reasons to head to Kentish Town.)
5. Churchill War Rooms – an underground bunker that sheltered Winston Churchill from the German bomb raids and allowed him and his war cabinet to plot the allied route to victory during the Second World War.
6. Nursemaid’s Tunnel – this secret passage will lead you from Park Square – a small private park underneath Euston Road – into Park Crescent, another private part of Regent’s Park. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait for Open Garden Squares weekend to see it, which happens every June.
Take a look at the full map here – it’s got a fun slidey tool that will keep you entertained for hours (or maybe that’s just me).
Or take a look at these other (mostly useful and interesting) tube maps:
- The one that shows you how unaffordable London really is
- The one that shows you where to find all of London’s weird and wonderful food trends
- The one that shows you exactly where all of London’s tube trains are right now
- The one that will show you London’s best avocado spots (it’s exactly what your life was missing)