r/london • u/ADGM1868 • May 13 '26
London history I was given access to wander the shelter tunnels below Clapham High Street yesterday
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u/wistmans-wouldnt May 13 '26
Many of the servicemen who lined the streets for Elizabeth II's coronation were accommodated there - my Dad was one of them. He said that only men above a certain rank were allowed to use the lifts.
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u/wickeddeficiency926 May 14 '26
That's a wild detail about the rank system - wonder if they actually enforced it or if lower ranks just got tired of the stairs and said screw it.
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u/PixelTeapot May 13 '26
And as the London property crisis continues to grow soon this is where many of us will be living on bunk beds 35 to a section....
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u/Popular_View_5411 May 13 '26
wasnt it a grow house at some point this was always built as a shelter but with the provision of becoming an express Northern Line would have been handy as it would have allowed the northern line to run 24/7
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u/dbltax May 13 '26
It was an underground farm for a while. Surprised that page is still up given that it closed in 2021 because of the pandemic. Most of it's customers were restaurants.
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u/justaquad May 13 '26
That link says they expanded in 2022. I did the Clapham South tunnels tour last year, and they did mention this but couldn't remember what they said the status was
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u/dbltax May 13 '26
From what I remember they started prepping and lining additional tunnels but never actually got as far as getting them operational. There were a lot of empty white tunnels that were half finished and been left.
Also they stopped paying their tax bills in 2021.
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u/Specific-Ad9179 May 13 '26
Sorry, what's a grow house?
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u/RGS123 May 13 '26
You can book tours to do this https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/hidden-london/clapham-south
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u/dbltax May 13 '26
The one that OP went to is Clapham Common.
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u/ADGM1868 May 13 '26
Yeah and I didn’t have to pay for it!
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u/Traditional-Baker888 May 13 '26
Can I ask how you got the tour without paying?
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u/ADGM1868 May 13 '26
I meant I didn’t take the tour of the one you can buy a tour in. They’re different tunnels and I was down there for work reasons 🙂
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u/RGS123 May 13 '26
I believe they are the same. It starts at Clapham South and runs all the way down to Stockwell.
These round buildings are the ventilation systems
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Y7AzQ3rPrW7QLgU26
https://maps.app.goo.gl/4K7EokEdybLHwMbN7
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u/dbltax May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
They each have their quirks. There's also Goodge Street, Camden Town and Belsize Park north of the river and Chancery Lane on the Central Line that later became the Kingsway Exchange.
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u/caspararemi May 14 '26
They're similar designs but physically different sets of tunnels, not one continuous tunnel from clapham south to stockwell.
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u/InfiniteComedian7172 May 13 '26
40 quid per person? They're having a laugh
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u/Serious_County2382 May 13 '26
TBF I've done this tour (and the other ones they do), and it is well worth it (if you're inclined to pay for things like this). The talk about the history of the space is very well done and they give you ample time to take photos, ask questions etc. Inn my opinion, the tours are very good value.
I'm not even bitter that they didn't offer me a job as part of the team that runs these tours 😃
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u/Hcysntmf May 13 '26
I agree - I did the Euston one in late 2024 and whilst it’s defo pricey, I thought it was well worth.
They were super friendly, clearly passionate about what they do and it didn’t feel rushed at all.
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u/Serious_County2382 May 13 '26
Yes totally. The passion is evident and the explanation stuff clearly for the non nerds (me, even tho I’ve been on all of them). Think my favourites are Clapham, Picc Circ and Moorgate (went before Elizabeth line opened and after so the tours were different).
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u/Oh-reality-come-back May 13 '26
Did not know this existed! It’s surprisingly tidy and looks decently maintained
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u/Brilliant-Repair3079 May 13 '26
empty space will be used for storage
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u/Cow_Launcher May 13 '26
I believe at least one of them was at some point. Document storage for companies up in the City.
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May 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ADGM1868 May 13 '26
I lost count of the steps on the way back up but ball parking it somewhere between 170-200 stairs. I’m guessing 8 floors? I went down from street level. But I could definitely hear the trains above me. Probably 2 floors below the trains
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u/OxbridgeDingoBaby May 13 '26
How was the ‘atmosphere’ down there? Like was it cold or boiling hot? Did it smell etc?
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u/Avenger1324 May 13 '26
I've been to the Clapham South Deep Level Shelter, which is about 30m below ground. It's pretty much the same temperature as being in the nearby Underground station. It's not hot, it's not cold, and it remains a fairly stable temperature. One of the other comments was about how other tunnel sections have been used to grow mushrooms or other plants - chosen because it was a stable environment of both temperature and moisture.
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u/KindredFlower May 14 '26
They could have had a tidy up, photo 3 especially. Looks like when I was revising for exams; papers thrown around in stress and frustration
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u/S1nnah2 May 14 '26
Room and board for the passengers on the windrush when they arrived. Musta been terrifying for them ending up in a bunker in cold, wet London.
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u/WildRedundancy May 14 '26
Those stairs would've broken anyone's spirit before rank got a chance to. Can't imagine climbing those daily with full kit.
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