Sick of scratching the surface of the city? You can try exploring the underground attractions too! From glimpses of another world to sobering reminders of the wars, Britain’s underground spaces represent a layered tapestry of its history. Here's our guide to the best sites around.
1. Ride the postal railway, London
This is a little-known railway that ran under Londoners’ feet for almost a century.
Back in the Victorian Era, the Post Office had millions of letters to deliver in a day. So what was the problem? The crowded London Streets slowed things down. The solution? Well, they came up with a pretty intelligent way of working thing out – an underground rail system! It was an instant hit that air-blasted mail across the city on tiny cars, trundling 6.5 miles underneath. Though the line stopped running in 2003, from this year, visitors will get the chance to take a 15-minute ride through a small portion of this tunnel. Keep an eye on their website to check the opening dates.
2. Ghost stations, London
There’s something thrilling about an abandoned station, and London has a surprisingly large number of ghost stations that used to operate as part of the network but are now unused. London Transport Museum runs ‘Hidden London’ tours taking in stations including Euston (whose disused tunnels hold vintage posters), Down Street (the Mayfair bunker where Winston Churchill sheltered during the Blitz), Highgate (which is slowly being reclaimed by nature) and Clapham South (still operational, but with secret areas that were used during WWII). Tickets go fast, but you can sign up to the museum's newsletter to ensure you enjoy the eerily empty corridors and platforms.
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3. Underground hospital, Dover
Deep inside the white cliffs of Dover lies the Underground Hospital. Here you can get the real feel of how hospitals were like during the WWII. Recently, Dover Castle also unveiled its labyrinth of secret wartime tunnels, used during the Dunkirk evacuation in May 1940.
4. Churchill War Rooms, London
These are Winston Churchill’s underground emergency headquarters in Westminster. The Churchill War Rooms consist of 24,000 sq m of blast-proof rooms built 10 m below the street. You can see where all the action took place. The map room is just as it was on the day the lights were switched off in 1945.
5. Gough's Cave, Somerset
Discovered in 1890, this is a prehistoric cavern with chambers containing a variety of stalagmites, stalactites, and rock formations. This 2.1 km long tunnel is situated at a depth of 90 m. The skeleton of Britain's earliest known human remains that date back to around 7,150 years has been found in the cave.
6. Grime’s Graves, Norfolk
Grime’s Graves is the only Neolithic flint mine open to visitors in Britain. The grassy lunar landscape was revealed in 1870 and is home to 400 pits dug over 5,000 years ago. Visitors over 5 years can descend down into one of the excavated shafts to see the flint.
Conclusion
So, go ahead and unearth the hidden side of Britain on your next trip!
Note: This article was originally published as- Top 6 underground attractions in Britain