London's hidden tunnels are set to become a new attraction. The space, which once housed wartime operations, will feature a military museum and a memorial. Developers claim it will have the world's deepest bar. The tunnels were built in 1940 and served as both a shelter and a later communication hub. The attraction is set to open by 2028.
A long-secret network of tunnels under Central London is set to open to the public as a significant new attraction, combining military history, spy stories, and a record-setting underground bar. The 99,000 sq ft space situated 100 feet beneath Holborn once housed Britain's wartime communications and intelligence operations, and now it's being transformed into one of the city's most unique tourist sites.
Approved by local authorities, the site will feature the relocated British Military Intelligence Museum, an interactive World War II memorial and what its developers claim will be the world's deepest bar. The tunnels were first constructed in 1940 to shelter Londoners during nazi air raids. Designed to hold up to 8000 people, they were completed in 1942, but by then, subway stations had already been repurposed as shelters. Intrigued, the tunnels became home to the Special Operations Executive, Britain's covert wartime sabotage unit.
Naval officer Ian Fleming, who served as a liaison to the SOE, is believed to have drawn inspiration for his James Bond novels from his time in the underground complex. "This is the Q Branch of James Bond," said Angus Murray, CEO of the London Tunnel, which is developing the site.
After the war, the tunnels expanded into a secure communication hub. In the 1950s, they served as the terminus for the first trans-Atlantic telephone cable and later carried messages on the Cold War hotline between Washington and Moscow. At its peak, around 200 people worked underground, complete with a canteen and bar. An administration bunker for nuclear emergencies was also installed.
By the 1980s, British Telecom left the site, and the tunnels fell out of use. They remained untouched until a private enquiry group acquired them in 2023.
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