Hidden London (TFL Down Street Churchill's Secret Station) — Attraction in London

If you are an Underground nerd like me then you'll want to do as many of these wonderful TFL Hidden London tours as you can.

This one takes you back to the dusty but quite well preserved Down Street which closed before the war but was repurposed as an important secret command centre; it's off-Picadilly location was a failing as a Tube station but was ideal for wartime requirements of the executives based in and around Mayfair.

You'll get a pretty good idea of what life was like for those who spent 2 week shifts underground, living and working within metres of passing trains on the network for 20 out of every 24 hours.

Much of the infrastructure is still in place from the kitchen and bathrooms to the telephone switchboards. Where it has been dismantled, the excellent guides explain what would have been there which helps evoke a picture.

This is my second tour, I visited The Strand earlier in 2024, and I will be doing more. Highly...

This is a genuinely interesting tour, and I say that as someone who would not voluntarily go to a museum or seek out any sort of educational activity in my spare time. Yes, it is on the pricey side but that does keep the numbers down and deters the casual tourist, so it’s a small group of engaged people. The guides were great, especially Eeser who was very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. The floor was a bit wet at some points, and the handrails are filthy - don’t use them for support unless you want a sooty hand 🤣 but it’s certainly a unique experience. Only one suggestion for improvement, it would have been a nice touch to have been able to keep the little torches they provide, as that would have been a handy memento. Book before September 2023 as this tour has to close for two years to accommodate rail...

It is an amazing once in a lifetime experience because you are not going to do it twice. However, for the price I would expect that it had been recreated as it was in wartime rather than derelict. It was good to see where Churchill and others ran the wartime railways. I needed to know where I was more explicitly in relation to the modern line so more maps and more explanation were needed as its disorienting down there. Also they lent you a small torch, I expected to keep that as a momentum. I suggest they watch 'Give em the Pickle' it felt mean at the price to take back the torch which would have been a good advertisement for them. Having said all of that I'm glad I did it and it included free entry to the Transport Museum...