History Shorts: snippets of local history

The Covid-19 lockdown and economic downturn have affected most strands of society, including museums and other cultural venues. How can they remain relevant in a post pandemic world while trying to generate much needed income? A dynamic digital offering is one answer. London Transport Museum is trying just that with a series of 'virtual' tours from its Hidden London portfolio ; in effect, an intimate series of Zoom meetings focused on two disused underground stations that can't be visited in real life. At £30 a head, these aren't particularly cheap but I couldn't resist buying a ticket to find out if an online visit was worth it. I chose a visit to Brompton Road, a Leslie Green designed station on the Piccadilly line which was open to passengers between 1906 and 1934 (the other available tour is of King William Street station). Passenger numbers at Brompton Road were lower than expected for a station initially built with four lifts (it gradually lost these and other

Seventy-five years have now passed since the publication of a little guide book entitled Walks Around London , written and illustrated by Joan Bloxam [Joan Mary Bloxam, 1884-1948] and published by the Athenaeum Press. My 1936 first edition was possibly bought by an A Groves in 1937, judging by the signature on the inside cover. As a guide book, this edition of Walks Around London is no longer particularly useful: pre-World War II and a transformation in commerce and transport, the London it describes is radically different from that swarming with tourists and shoppers today. But it is a quaint delight, punctuated with lovely little illustrations and a sense of the more simple pleasures in life, with no foreboding of the dark days that would visit the city in only a few short years. The introduction by Howard Marshall observes, "Her charming sketches will remind us happily, in days to come, of London as we knew it before the town planners set to work. It may even rouse Londo

I had read a lot about the secret side of ‘underground London’ for a while without tasting too much of the real thing: the odd surface remnant of a disused tube station being the height of it. So I was delighted then to stumble across news that London Transport Museum were again hosting visits inside the disused Aldwych station, which had closed to passengers in September 1994. The tours sold out sharpish but I managed to get a couple of tickets in time! There is definitely a sense of excitement about getting a glimpse of something that has been ‘hidden’, even in relatively recent history. Even when in use, Aldwych (which opened as the Strand station in November 1907 on the site of a demolished theatre) had an aura of sadness about it, and not just because the ghost of a theatre actress allegedly haunts one of the platforms!. Despite bigger plans on several occasions, it only ever existed as a small branch line from Holborn and was under-used by passengers throughout its hi

Kilburn Grange Cinema , a photo by bishib70 on Flickr. Wanting to indulge in some first-hand historical sources, I once bought an old photo album off a well known online auction site. I still have no idea to whom it originally belonged - frustratingly, there are no names attached and I can't identify most of the places in the photographs. A couple of images immediately stood out however: the Radcliffe Camera in Oxford, and this shot of Kilburn Grange cinema in London. I scanned the image to try to establish what films were showing - the only title I can identify is Passions of Men , a short film released in 1914, the very year the cinema actually opened! I have also scanned and posted the Radcliffe Camera photo to my Flickr account, but hopefully I will soon find the time to look through and possibly publish some of the other photos from the album - my contribution to Flickr Commons, hopefully with the blessing of whomever originally took the photos!

The Greenwich Foot Tunnel was opened in 1902. This photograph shows a section that was bomb damaged during World War 2 and then repaired with large steel walls, but further down the tunnel you can see original walls and the tunnel's original breadth.

My last station was Brompton Road, this photograph of the Leslie Green designed facade taken on Cottage Place. The building was used as an Anti-Aircraft Operations Room during the Second World War, and apparently was also used to question Rudolf Hess. It was a long day, sore on the feet, and yet I had covered so little. Hopefully this little project can be revisited in the future. Update 17/11/2011 : The Today show on BBC Radio 4 had a feature on this station, in the context of a developer who wants to open restaurants and visitor attractions at some of these ghost stations. Interesting to hear, but would have enjoyed photos! Inside a 'ghost' Tube station

Old railway sign , a photo by bishib70 on Flickr. A relic of the Metropolitan railway at Gloucester Road station.

South Kentish Town disused tube station on Kentish Town road featuring the distinctive ox-blood facade of a Leslie Green designed building. It first opened in 1907 but was abandoned in 1924 as a result of low passenger numbers - a timely strike at a local power station took the station out of use and it wasn't returned to operation. During the Second World War, it served as an air raid shelter while in 1951 it featured as the subject of a short story written and performed by John Betjeman on the BBC Home Service. Retail units now occupy the surface building that once led to the underground railway. Its basement currently hosts an Escape Room . The Abandoned Stations website has photos from inside the former station.

Back on the street, I had to take a photo of the Eisenhower bunker on Chenies street. Used during the Second World War as a deep level shelter and by Eisenhower as a command centre, it was more recently used to store documents and television news footage.

Spirals , a photo by bishib70 on Flickr. Stupidly, I never took a picture of the Nationwide Building Society building on High Holborn which stands in the vicinity of the old British Museum tube station. I did spend some time wandering around looking for spooks, and much more time in the Museum itself admiring the roof.

Strand entrance , a photo by bishib70 on Flickr. This was the entrance to the Strand/Aldwych underground station on the Strand itself.

Aldwych station , a photo by bishib70 on Flickr. First called Strand station, then Aldwych station, this Tube station was closed in 1994. During the Second World War it served as an air raid shelter. It has also been used for testing Tube services and as a filming location. This photo was taken on Surrey Street.

Down Street , a photo by bishib70 on Flickr. This disused Tube station was on the Piccadilly line. During the Second World War it was used as an air raid shelter, including by Churchill's War Cabinet. The frontage is Leslie Green era.

Alleged secret passage door , a photo by bishib70 on Flickr. The door up close.

Duke of York column in full, with now closed viewing platform at the top , a photo by bishib70 on Flickr. A doorway at the base of this column has been rumoured to be the exit/entrance to a secret passageway to nearby Buckingham Palace. Could it be so? In case of aerial bombardment, it's a safe bet the Royal Family would be escorted to safety... The door in the base was certainly used as an entrance to the viewing platform around the foot of the statue. This has long been closed. Security in this area of London is particularly heavy as it is in the environs of landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, Horse Guards Parade, the back of Downing Street etc. Maybe just one or two of these security agents are also keeping an eye on who emerges from this door...

My fascination with the history of London extended a few years back to its history underground. A number of excellent books have been written exploring this hidden side of the city, from secret passages to rerouted rivers and of course disused railway lines. In May 2008, I took a day trip to London to try to find some of the signs of this aspect of London for myself. Suffice to say, a day is nowhere near long enough! But here is a short photoblog series of what I managed to cover. 1.  Hidden History Day: Duke of York column 2. Hidden History Day: Alleged secret passage door 3. Hidden History Day: Down Street 4. Hidden History Day: Aldwych Station 5. Hidden History Day: Strand entrance 6. Hidden History Day: British Museum spirals 7. Hidden History Day: Eisenhower bunker 8. Hidden History Day: South Kentish Town 9. Hidden History Day: Old railway sign 10. Hidden History Day: Passing Brompton Road