Holborn: The Secret Platforms...

Every underground station has evolved. There are disused and reused areas that are usually off-limits which is why the London Transport Museum ‘Hidden London’ tours are so fascinating.

 

A couple of months ago Stuart and I took a trip down into the bowels of Holborn tube station in London's glitzy West End to see one third of the station that is usually out-of-bounds to you and me but we can now explore thanks to the ‘Hidden London’ guided tours.

 

This tour is a culmination of years of exclusive historical research from the museum’s experts, based on findings from the museum’s, TfL, and the national archives.

 

There’s an unexpected view of the Piccadilly line and the two closed platforms of the former Aldwych branch. There were vintage posters, original Leslie Green Edwardian design features and an original early 20th-century signalling cabin.

 

Aldwych was, of course, the branch line from Holborn that closed in 1994. Holborn station is the ‘bookend’ for the short 800-metre line. There are sometimes tours available of Aldwych station too.

 

Highlights of the tour: 

 

- The old emergency staircase (180+ steps) and the original tile colours for the station.

- The chance to go through secret doors on working platforms to reveal hidden areas to old connections.

- The now bricked-up tunnel that stored national treasures from the British Museum and the National Gallery during WWII.

- We spent time on Platform 6 which was already out of use before WWI. It had accommodation and offices for transport staff with full plumbing which is impressive as this is 40 metres below ground level.

- We heard about a nearby station that closed so the Central line could run through Holborn station

- We found out why some doors are watertight (you might be able to guess!)

- There were images and video footage from the 1987 film Superman IV with Holborn being used as the New York subway. And I particularly liked 1980s Howard Jones music video to New Song that used the space too.

- We also saw the signalling cabin that was used to operate the Aldwych branch line. If you can face watching the 2014 horror movie The Creep, this gets featured.

 

There was cool London Underground poster where the number of flights on the arrow gave us a clue to the age. Before 1933, four or five flights were used. After 1936, three flights were the norm. And by the 1960s, it was one or two.

 

Great fun.