(CNN) – About 73 meters from London’s Piccadilly lie silent corridors and pitch-black rooms, rarely seen, rarely visited, but playing an important role in the course of the century’s history. 20.
Now came the opportunity again to slip behind the doors of the abandoned Down Street Underground station and descend by torch into the World War II hideout that coordinated campaigns such as the D -Day and Dunkirk evacuation.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was hiding here secretly – in November and December 1940, when the German bombing campaign known as The Blitz was at its peak, and a team of 40 staff members did. working here day and night in the war effort.
CNN Travel got a preview of the experience, ahead of a new series of London Transport Museum tours that go on sale December 3.
An ideal bunker
Tickets for the latest Down Street tours go on sale on December 3.
Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
Historian and guide Siddy Holloway meets us on the ground floor, where Leslie Green’s distinctive oxblood tiled arches on the facade remain the same as at many of the other famous Edwardian Underground stations he designed, including Covent Garden and Russell Square.
Down Street opened in 1907 and served the Piccadilly line but by 1932 it had closed. In the heart of affluent Mayfair, a short walk from what are now Hyde Park Corner and Green Park subway stations, it was an unused station. In addition, it is exceptionally deep underground and there are long passages that lead it under the busy Piccadilly road.
However, after seven years of disuse, Holloway explains, “All of the things that made it untenable as a station made it absolutely perfect for secret World War I bunkers. two.”
When war was declared in 1939, Down Street was converted in just a few days into the new headquarters of the Railroad Commission. The REC acted as an intermediary between the War Office and the British railway companies and would be crucial to the movement of troops, horses and equipment in the war ahead.
Underground office
Descending from today’s platforms, it’s clear this is a Metro station unlike the others. Ancient signs indicating “To the Office” and “Committee Room”, the draftsman’s pencil mark can still be seen in some areas. Mustard plaster clung to the tiles – a vestige of an effort to create an office-like environment – while the floor has been leveled to create a typing pool where up to eight secretaries will sit and type their keys.
Staff have lived and worked here, working shifts of up to 12 hours, often overnight, perhaps only showing up in the high world every ten to 14 days. Dirty bathtubs and toilets are the remains of restroom facilities, while soot obscures patterned wallpaper in the executive sleeping quarters.
Still, there’s extravagance here, in fashion. “Baskets and bunkers are places that don’t exist in war,” Holloway said. There was a food that was far superior to the commoners on the ground here. REC is also the company behind many of Britain’s major rail hotels, and staff have been able to dine on crystal dishes and wash at the Royal Doulton’s sink.
There is a fully staffed kitchen and two mess rooms, there are also wait staff, and 27,000 meals are prepared and eaten here each year.
Spirits and cigars
The War Rooms, just a mile or more from Down Street, across from Buckingham Palace, are underground but not bombproof. “If they get a direct hit, you wipe out everyone in there,” Holloway said. “By November 1940, people [had] began to fear for the life of Winston Churchill. ”
Ralph Wedgwood, Down Street grassroots chairman and brother of British member of parliament Josiah Wedgwood, convinced Churchill to come Down Street “because it was so close to a position of power,” Holloway said. It is very comfortable, it is very private, it is very well supplied with spirits and cigars and the like. “
Churchill stayed here overnight at least five times during the winter of 1940, being snuck in on the ground floor and subsequently, his presence obscured from most of the Down Street staff. While sleeping on a modest camp bed, in the messy room, at least, he was able to live a good life. Public servant John Colville recalled in his diary that at Down Street they were treated to caviar, Perrier-Jouet champagne and 1865 brandy.
Unused stations in London
Throughout the London Underground, you’re just one step away from the Secret Maze of Forgotten Tunnels and Axes
The other Hidden London tours that will restart for the first time since March 2020 are unused stations and tunnels at Euston, Moorgate and Aldwych, all with their own unique character and history. they.
Aldwych, most famously, provided shelter to ordinary Londoners during the Blitz, and has been used for film and television sets including “Darkest Hour” and “Sherlock”.
Down Street tours cost the highest, £85 for adults and £80 in discounts ($112 and $106), while other station tours are £41.50 full price and £36, 50 discount.
Down Street and Euston tours run on select dates January 15 to February 13, 2022, while Moorgate and Aldwych tours will run on select dates between January 2 and March 27, 2022.
If you miss the trips to the station, there are also walking tours and the Hidden London exhibit at the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden.
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