Secrets of the London Underground - episode guide
Series 3
Secrets of the London Underground is returning for a third series! Tim Dunn and Siddy Holloway from our Hidden London team are back to explore the disused parts of London’s tube network.
This time, they’ll be exploring the world-famous tourist hotspot of Camden Town, marvelling at the stately South Kensington, delving into the secrets of Down Street – one of our Hidden London tours – and heading into the unknown at the abandoned British Museum station, among others.
Series 3 episodes
Episode 1: Camden and Sloane Square
Tim and Siddy discover the disused parts of London’s iconic Camden Town station - a labyrinthine junction on the Northern Line. As co-developer of Hidden London, Siddy has the keys to an original lift passageway which closed in the 1920s when escalators were installed at the station, but back above ground she has wrangled exclusive access. Together they explore the long-forgotten purpose built Second World War bomb shelter, which sits underneath the tracks and platforms at Camden Town. The intrepid duo reveal the secrets of the vast deep level shelter which was designed to hold 8,000 people.
Siddy visits Sloane Square station on the District and Circle Lines. Built in 1868, it survived a direct hit during a Second World War bombing raid. She also marvels at an amazing feat of Victorian engineering; reveals you could once buy a pint from its platform and unearths one of London’s forgotten rivers - suspended above the tracks.
Back at the Depot, Tim finds out about the heady days when West Londoners could take the Underground all the way to the Essex seaside, and steps inside an historic 1930s District Line carriage which is being painstakingly restored by a team of dedicated volunteers.
Episode 2: South Kensington and Marylebone
Tim and Siddy begin their journey at South Kensington, at the heart of one of London’s most expensive postcodes - home of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum. In 1868 the Metropolitan Railway opened the first station at South Kensington, before what’s now known as the Piccadilly line arrived in 1907. Over time, changes in station layout and improvements left some fascinating forgotten spaces, from platforms reclaimed by nature to brightly covered adverts preserved in dusty old lift shafts, and the remnants of what could have been an Edwardian Crossrail. Tim discovers the station’s incredible wartime purpose as home to the Chief Engineers and hears of their miraculous work restoring stations after bomb damage, from an engineer’s grandson.
Next, Siddy heads to London’s youngest terminus station, Marylebone. She reveals the original features on the platforms and the incredible tube infrastructure hidden within the walls of a hotel.
Back at the Depot, Tim boards a 1940s District Line carriage and discovers how the Underground became a lifeline for an immigrant family from the Punjab. Also, Assistant Director Chris Nix reveals the true colours of the Tube lines.
Note: Want to learn more about South Kensington? Follow our Hidden London Hangouts team as they explore the station on our YouTube channel.
Episode 3: Green Park (Dover Street) and Down Street
Historians Tim Dunn and Siddy Holloway are heading to a stunning station you won’t find on modern-day tube maps - Dover Street, now known as Green Park. During the Second World War the abandoned passageways and lift shafts of the original station had an incredible second life as the base for the London Passenger Transport Board whose essential work kept London’s transport moving against all odds. Siddy shows Tim remarkable glimpses of wartime use still evident within the maze of sealed-off passageways.
Next, Siddy explores the atmospheric abandoned corridors and platforms of Down Street, one of our Hidden London tours. Closed to the public in 1932, the war brought it back into service as a bunker for the Railway Executives and it was the scene of some of the most pivotal decisions of World War II. With modern-day Tube trains rushing past just metres away, Siddy will hear from Assistant Director Chris Nix, co-developer of Hidden London, about how research prior to the tour unearthed Churchill’s request to create his own private bunker and the mystery that remains of who actually used it. If only those walls could talk!
At the Museum Depot, Tim will learn of the luxurious meals served in these off-ration bunkers and Chris demonstrates the 1940s equivalent of email.
Note: Keen to follow Tim and Siddy’s footsteps? Book a place to explore Down Street on one of our Hidden London tours.
Episode 4: British Museum and Leinster Gardens
Tim Dunn and Siddy Holloway embark on an incredible night-time adventure with serious Underground bragging rights. When the service stops they walk along the tracks for a jaw dropping exploration of the abandoned Central London Railway (now Central Line) station British Museum. Located between Tottenham Court Road and Holborn, trains haven’t stopped there since the 1930s. The pair discover enormous 1930s hand-painted adverts and evocative white tiling. During the Second World War it served as a shelter, and spine-tingling clues to the children who stayed there during the Blitz can still be seen.
Siddy visits the elegant, white-stuccoed houses of Leinster Gardens, which are hiding a stunning secret of the London Underground behind their walls. These aren’t real houses at all: they are in fact an incredible quirk of the Underground’s history of steam.
At the Museum in Covent Garden Tim discovers just what went into taking steam locomotives billowing smoke and soot under the ground - and at the Depot he views some of the ways women have been encouraged to use the network.
Episode 5: West Ashfield and Oval
Tube fans would be right in thinking there are 272 Underground stations on the network, but Siddy Holloway has such unique access that today she is taking Tim Dunn to the 273rd. This station only has a westbound platform, no customers and no members of the public will ever board its trains. Situated on the 3rd floor of an unassuming tower block in west London, this is TFL’s state-of-the-art training facility. The pair will try out the immersive Tube classroom, walk beside wooden tracks and use model trains to visualise signalling. Finally, the duo test their mettle as drivers in a state of the art simulator… it might be a while until they’re allowed at the helm of the real thing.
Siddy also heads to one of the oldest and friendliest deep level stations at Oval. She reveals unusual brick lift shafts, surprising ventilation and the international phenomena that started life on a simple station white board.
At the Depot, Tim explores the wild world of experimental and innovative trains and has a mind-blowing experience when he samples hot sauce, homegrown on a Tube station platform.
Note: Want to learn more about West Ashfield? Follow our Hidden London Hangouts team as they explore the station on our YouTube channel.
Episode 6: Leicester Square and Hyde Park Corner
Today Tim and Siddy are exploring the station in the beating heart of London’s theatreland - Leicester Square. It’s a place adored by tourists and culture lovers, but very few know the secrets hidden below ground. Siddy reveals the extraordinary previous life of the station office – as a display cabinet for V&A antiquities. The pair then ride what was once the world’s longest escalator at 54m, explore layers of the station’s design history hidden in unassuming cupboards and see the unique wartime communication infrastructure still stored in abandoned lift shafts. Tim learns more about the work to preserve the network’s heritage from TFL’s Ann Gavaghan.
Siddy visits the tourist hot spot of Hyde Park Corner, where the stunning oxblood Leslie Green station building has had a renaissance as a high-end hotel. She delves into its abandoned cross passages, adorned by stunning original tiles, and reveals enormous fans and gloriously aging stair shafts.
Back at the Museum Depot Tim admires some of the museum’s iconic poster collection, enticing people to visit the theatre and, crucially, to travel by Tube during off-peak hours. Finally, Tim goes back in time with Assistant Director Chris Nix to explore innovations in station clocks.
Note: Want to learn more about Leicester Square? Follow our Hidden London Hangouts team as they explore the station on our YouTube channel.
Episode 7: Heathrow and Swiss Cottage
Tim Dunn and Siddy Holloway pack their bags to go on a trip around the sprawling Heathrow Airport underground stations - the first ever underground rail link between an airport and a city. They start their trip at the original Heathrow Central, now Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3, stopping off at Hatton Cross, with its eye-popping 70s mosaic tiling and speedbird logos, before they finally reach the futuristic 80s design of Terminal 4. Finally, they embark on a special trip along the Heathrow loop, the Tube tunnel link which passes underneath the runway. Climbing through the driver’s cab, they alight at a secret platform to explore a ventilation shaft and emerge above ground to the sound of aircraft.
Next, Siddy heads to north west London to delve into Swiss Cottage station, one of the first stations to be built on the expanding Metropolitan Railway. With those original platforms closed to the public 80 years ago, she explores what remains of that forgotten world.
At the museum Tim has a ride on an Elizabeth Line train simulator, and at the Museum Depot he meets contemporary artist Mark Wallinger, who created the ubiquitous labyrinths which adorn the walls at 270 Underground stations.
Episode 8: Shepherd’s Bush and Elephant and Castle
Shepherd’s Bush is a fabulous example of how the network has changed and adapted over time and Siddy Holloway, who co-wrote our Hidden London tour of the station, knows where all the best bits are. Just off the platforms the pair discover Victorian glass tiles, long abandoned passenger tunnels from the original Central London Line, epic vents with an eye-level view of people on the platforms and a lift shaft with an escalator through the middle. They visit a gigantic cavern hidden within the body of the station and the perfect example of how nature sometimes beats the best laid engineering plans.
Siddy delves into Elephant and Castle, a small station that packs a big punch. She discovers what it takes to be at the helm of a train from driver Jennifer, reveals the only original 1890 tiles still visible to the public and the spooky discoveries hidden behind a platform door.
At the Museum Depot Tim hears about one of the most captivating parts of TfL: the Art on the Underground programme. He has the time of his life with Assistant Director Chris Nix as they rev up the special road and rail vehicle currently being restored by the museum.
Note: Keen to follow Tim and Siddy’s footsteps? Book a place to explore Shepherd’s Bush on one of our Hidden London tours.
Episode 9: Acton Works and South Acton
Today, Siddy Holloway has arranged incredible access for railway historian Tim Dunn to snoop around TfL’s gargantuan maintenance facility - Acton Works. This city-like structure was built in the 1920s to maintain the Tube’s rolling stock. Today it is the cutting-edge workshop that keeps our trains in sparkling condition, but incredible evidence of its long and fascinating history remains. Tim and Siddy explore the enormous Railway Engineering Works, the workplace of hundreds of engineers and maintenance staff, see a train moving sideways and visit a Second World War bunker which found a second life as a model railway club.
Staying in Acton, Siddy reveals the quirky history of the Acton Town to South Acton shuttle that ran until the 1960s. It was known as “the tea run”, as drivers could boil a kettle in the time it took to make one return trip on the single carriage train.
At the Museum, Tim gets his hands on the 38 Stock, which was the most advanced electric train in the world when it was first built at Acton Works. At the Museum Depot he learns of the world beating advancements TfL are working on to keep the network sustainable.
Episode 10: Archway and Emergency Response Unit
Today, Tim Dunn and Siddy Holloway explore the hidden parts of Archway underground station - and there’s a lot to see. It’s a station that has changed and adapted over the years: it was once called Highgate to encourage more people to travel there before an actual Highgate station existed. The duo will explore some of the original passenger tunnels, now put to somewhat grimy use as ventilation for the Northern line, see the top and bottom of a cavernous lift shaft, unearth old communication technology hidden at the end of a platform and meet area manager Ayo who explains what it takes to run a busy suburban station.
Siddy experiences first-hand what it’s like to serve with the Underground’s very own rescue service, the Emergency Response Unit, delving into their cutting-edge kit and pushing herself to the limit, donning protective gear and crawling under a train.
Back at the Museum Depot’s cornucopia of delights, Assistant Director Chris Nix reveals some retro safety measures that still influence modern day emergency warnings. Contemporary curator Ellie Miles unearths some of the latest gems to reach the museum’s collection – including some pertinent advice for ladies.
Note: Want to learn more about Archway? Follow our Hidden London Hangouts team as they explore the station on our YouTube channel.
Series 2
Join Tim Dunn and Siddy Holloway as they visit abandoned stations, so secret and long forgotten, most Londoners have no idea they exist. In well-known stations, they explore disused tunnels that sit right under passengers’ noses, just through a door or behind a wall.
In this season, Tim and Siddy poke around the hidden parts of bustling Charing Cross (one of our Hidden London tours) and Kings Cross, the disused stations of Brompton Road and Marlborough Road and even explore new Elizabeth Line stations before they opened to the public, as well as rooting through the archives at our Depot.
Series 2 episodes
Episode 1: Charing Cross and Kennington
Siddy and Tim explore a Tube station in the heart of London: Charing Cross - one of our Hidden London tour locations. Originally two separate stations called Strand and Trafalgar Square, they came together under one name in 1979 when Charing Cross became the Jubilee Line’s terminus. But when the new line was re-routed in 1999, those Jubilee platforms became disused.
The whole area is still there, locked away, but these days, it’s a major filming location for blockbuster movies like Skyfall and The Bourne Ultimatum. Tim and Siddy also scout out the line’s original construction tunnel as it snakes around the foundations of Nelson’s Column and underneath Trafalgar Square; and they get exclusive access to the overrun tunnel towards Aldwych, which was originally planned as the second phase of the Jubilee Line and would have gone to South East London.
Siddy heads to Kennington station which is the oldest surviving building on the deep-level Tube. She explores its recognisable dome and does a night-time track walk around the famous Kennington Loop. Back at the depot, Tim looks at some original plans for other loops elsewhere on the network.
Note: Keen to follow Tim and Siddy’s footsteps? Book a place to explore Charing Cross on one of our Hidden London tours.
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Episode 2: Waterloo & City and Mark Lane
It’s a weekend and the perfect opportunity for Tim and Siddy to explore the subterranean world of the Waterloo & City line. Like the Underground in microcosm, everything the line needs is there, with no connection to the rest of the Tube.
At Waterloo, the pair snoop around the depot that services the five trains, see the hoist that lifts trains in and out of the ground, explore the empty platforms and, since it’s a Saturday and power is off, jump down on the tracks to walk through the tunnels. It’s a dark and damp experience and goes some way to explain why this line’s nickname is “the drain.” On the Bank side, they learn how the tunnels were built and ride the infamous moving walkway up the steep slope to the station.
Next, Siddy heads to tourist hotspot the Tower of London to see Mark Lane Station, abandoned since the 1960s. An incredible amount of its structure remains below ground, just beside the passing District Line trains, including some stunning emerald Victorian tiles.
At the depot, Tim and Siddy rifle through the London Transport Museum’s collection of unscanned photos before Tim learns about the iconic Underground moquette.
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Episode 3: King William Street and Knightsbridge
King William Street was the original terminus of the first deep level electric Tube in the world. But its awkward position meant it barely lasted 10 years before closing in 1900 – the first deep station to be abandoned.
Out of bounds for years, Siddy has wangled access to show Tim its Second World War shelters, original Victorian tiles and steep running tunnels; they also see where it goes under the Thames, and the river water that’s collected inside. In the 2020s, this station serves as an incredible entry point for the Bank upgrade project. With those works nearly complete, Tim and Siddy witness the historic moment when workers break through, connecting the old and new tunnels. They glimpse Bank’s brand new platforms, new passenger concourse and explore the network’s latest stretch of tunnel to be abandoned.
At the museum, Tim learns more about the highly experimental electric locomotives that once ran on that original track and, bringing things right up to date, hears about the museum’s contemporary collection.
Siddy also visits Knightsbridge, where old lift shafts taken out of service in the 1930s are now being put back into use to make the station accessible for all.
Note: Want to hear more about King William Street? We run regular virtual tours of King William Street station as part of our Hidden London programme.
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Episode 4: Brompton Road and St Paul’s
Tim and Siddy embark on an incredible night-time adventure. When service ends, they walk along the tracks of the Piccadilly Line for a jaw-dropping exploration of the abandoned Brompton Road station.
Nestled between Knightsbridge and South Kensington, trains haven’t stopped here since 1934 – but they’ve continued to run right through the station. That includes during the Second World War, when Brompton Road had a second life: as an incredible yet totally secret home to the Anti-aircraft Division protecting the skies above London. Dodging maintenance workers, Tim and Siddy explore the fascinating war rooms left behind in what was once a lift shaft. These rooms are a true time capsule, with staging still in place, projection screens and a map still clearly visible. If the walls could talk!
Staying with wartime secrets, Siddy then explores the disused parts of St Pauls, which was used by the electricity board as a base to avoid bombing raids on the surface.
Back at the depot Tim meets a woman who remembers, as a child, sheltering from the doodlebugs inside Hampstead Tube station. And he hears of yet more incredible wartime uses for the partially built Central Line extensions’ tunnels.
Note: Want to hear more about King William Street? We run regular virtual tours of King William Street station as part of our Hidden London programme.
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Episode 5: London Bridge and Ongar
Tim and Siddy explore the hidden parts of London Bridge Underground station - and there’s a lot to see, including some features not found anywhere else on their travels. They explore some of the oldest deep level Tube tunnels on the network, once a wartime shelter and now put to new use as ventilation for the Northern Line.
An ordinary cupboard off a major concourse reveals a glimpse into the 1990s and some unusual magnetic tiles. Finally, the intrepid duo head back, deep into the ground, to the cavernous and eerie Jubilee Line construction tunnel, full of algae, strange noises and terrifying cobwebs.
Siddy also visits Ongar and Blake Hall stations in rural Essex, which were once the easternmost part of the Tube network; these days they’re the location of a heritage railway. Blake Hall is now a private home but still holds the title of having been the least used Tube station: we also meet the stationmaster who once knew all eight passengers by name.
Back at the depot, the pair meet a Jubilee Line driver with deep family connection to the Tube. And Tim delves into the museum’s incredible, vibrant poster archive.
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Episode 6: King’s Cross and Marlborough Rd
King’s Cross St Pancras is a stunning example of how the Underground network has adapted over time and Siddy knows where all the best bits are, ready to show Tim. Just off the busy platforms, the pair discover glass tiles from the early 1900s, long-abandoned passenger tunnels from the original Piccadilly Line, the only freight siding on the Underground network and a secret door concealed within an artwork.
They visit the old Thameslink station, once the site of the very first steam-powered Underground line. They also learn the tragic history of the King’s Cross fire in 1987 and find out how that dreadful event changed not just this station, but the whole Underground network.
Siddy also visits the atmospheric Marlborough Road, which she says is ‘temple-like’. Once a stop on the Metropolitan Line, it closed in 1939 when nearby St John’s Wood opened – but Marlborough Road’s unmistakable archways and open roof can still be glimpsed from trains as you hurtle by.
At the depot, Tim steps inside a 1904 carriage that would have stopped at Marlborough Road many times. And he delves into the fascinating and innovative history of the Victoria Line, the world’s first fully automatic passenger railway.
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Episode 7: Elizabeth Line and Angel
Before it opens to the public, Tim and Siddy experience the breath-taking design, and stunning secrets of London’s newest east-west railway, the Elizabeth Line (previously known as Crossrail).
The enormous spaces are completely empty giving a unique view of the stations. They begin at the state-of-the-art station at Liverpool Street, whose platform is so vast it stretches all the way to Moorgate; they discover the enormous engineering challenges the builders faced and get tantalisingly close to a test train as it pulls into the station. They then head to Farringdon, where they snoop about in one of the hundreds of hidden back rooms and ride the innovative inclined lift up to street level.
Next, Siddy delves into the atmospheric hidden areas of Angel, closed to the public in 1989 when the station was extensively remodelled. She walks the disused track to within a few metres of a passing train and discover some delightful historic remnants original ticket office.
Back at the depot Tim and Siddy learns waste heat from Northern Line trains has an innovative and sustainable use. And some recently unearthed documents from 1947 show just how long Crossrail has been on the cards.
Note: Want to hear more about the construction of the Elizabeth line? Don’t miss our virtual Hidden London tours of Liverpool Street and Tottenham Court Road stations.
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Episode 8: Quainton Road and Kingsway
Today, the tables are turned and it’s Tim who’s the tour guide, showing Siddy around two long lost Underground station. It’s somewhere very close to his heart, but situated a long way from central London, 50 miles in fact. The Buckinghamshire countryside is where Tim’s love affair with trains started and he meets Siddy in a field full of cows.
Amazingly, for over 40 years, this agricultural landscape was the north-western frontier of London‘s Underground network. Back in the 1890s, the Metropolitan Railway line stretched from Baker Street in central London, right out to Verney Junction. A few stops from there was Quainton Road, which is now a heritage railway centre and their base for the day. From here, a light railway branch line went to the village of Brill; and it’s along that branch that Tim shows Siddy the remains of a disused Underground station which is now used to store garden furniture in someone’s back garden.
Siddy also explores the cavernous Kingsway Tunnel, which once served as the main artery for the city’s extensive tram network.
In the depot’s extraordinary archives, Tim learns the fascinating history behind a true icon of London, the Underground Map.
Note: Keen to follow Siddy’s footsteps? Book a place to explore Kingsway Tram Tunnel on one of our Hidden London tours.
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Episode 9: Greenwich and Notting Hill
Today, Siddy has arranged incredible access for her and Tim; they have special permission to explore Greenwich Power Station. This cathedral-like structure was built in 1906 to power trams in south London but became part of the wider transport network in 1933. Today, it is the only power station to remain under TfL’s control, ready at a moment’s notice to provide electricity for the Underground if called upon.
Tim and Siddy explore the jaw-dropping turbine hall, once full of hundreds of people and enormous engines, now ghostly quiet and empty. In the old boiler room, they witness a turbine test, just like standing next to a jet engine at take-off. And finally, Tim conquers his fear of heights to climb out onto over 100-year-old coal jetty, proudly jutting out over the Thames. At the depot, Tim learns how the power reached trains, using a pioneering mercury arc rectifier.
Later, Siddy explores the subterranean world beneath Notting Hill Gate – including a truly enormous chamber hidden right beneath the street – and tells the tale of the hidden posters.
And Tim learns how all about ticketing – including how London Underground helped bring contactless payments to the world.
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Episode 10: Baker Street and Edgware Road Signal Cabin
Tim and Siddy explore the disused parts of Baker Street. A granddaddy of the Underground, Baker Street has more platforms than any other station on the network with ten, including those that belonged to the very first line, still evocative of those first days of underground steam travel. But Tim and Siddy are more concerned with the bits not on public view: abandoned lifts last used on VE day, adverts preserved since the 1930s, a footbridge not used in over a century, and a mysterious staff shooting range. All hidden away through locked doors to which Siddy has the keys.
Back at the depot, Tim discovers the fabulous histories of two London Transport institutions, that were both once based at Baker Street: the sheer scale of London Transport’s post-war catering operation and the fascinating tales of the Lost Property Office.
Just one stop from Baker Street, Siddy visits Edgware Road. Until 2019, this busy station was controlled by one of the last hand-operated signal cabins on the network. It looks much as it did when it was first built in the 1920s. Siddy is given a special tour by Charley Monroe, the last signaller to operate it.
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Episode 1: Holborn
Tim Dunn and Siddy Holloway explore the shortest branch line on the London Underground network.
The disused stretch of the Piccadilly line ran for just a third of a mile between Holborn and Aldwych. But few people used it and it eventually closed in 1994. Tim and Siddy start 35 metres below the surface at Holborn where the abandoned platform is now used to trial new platform furniture like acoustic panelling and lighting before it’s rolled out on the network.
The journey to Aldwych took less than a minute – but nowadays feels a world away; it’s eerily quiet, used only for training and as a movie location - and it’s where the Elgin Marbles were hidden during the war. As well as the Underground’s only surviving original Otis lifts, Siddy also shows Tim a little-known tunnel overrun which could have seen the line extend as far as Waterloo.
Siddy also shows us around the disused parts of the station that inspired her own name, Holloway Road. It’s also the site of one of the Tube’s most bizarre inventions: a spiral escalator.
At the depot, Tim explores some of the tube’s iconic artwork and meets the man who drove the last Aldwych train.
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Learn more about the stories, stations and places Siddy and Tim visit.
- Collections
Spiral escalator: An engineering wonder ahead of its time
In 1988, the rusty remains of an engineering experiment were found buried at the bottom of a lift shaft at Holloway Road station. Laura Sleath explores more about this engineering wonder ahead of its time.
- Hidden London
Aldwych - The end of the line
As we launch a new virtual tour of Aldwych station, Dave Olney, lead Hidden London guide, gives you a taste of the station's history, from its opening in 1907 to its permanent closure in 1994, plus reveals the previously hidden parts of the station now accessible with our virtual tours.
The Piccadilly is the second longest line on the Underground after the Central line, but it has more stations, which are closer together on average. Read more about the the Piccadilly line.
- Museum Depot
More than storage - Behind the scenes at our Museum Depot
As we're getting ready to reopen our Museum Depot to families this May half term, find out what has been going on behind the scenes during winter in lockdown.
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colour transparency
Episode 2: North End
Siddy takes Tim on a mystery tour of a secret station deep beneath Hampstead Heath.
North End is an extraordinary place: no one ever visits and unless you have James Bond level security clearance, you wouldn’t know how to find it. Construction was never completed so it doesn’t look anything like an Underground station and it certainly doesn’t feel like one!
But the Northern line thunders through here and was the only way to access this place until the 1950s; then, a shaft to the surface was dug - to aid North End’s secretive new role keeping London safe during the Cold War. Tim and Siddy explore the hidden room that controlled London’s floodgates, and the former platform areas in one of the deepest part of the entire underground network.
Back at the depot’s archives, Tim rifles through the original drawings for North End; he also discovers plans for the floodgates at the capital’s riverside stations; Siddy then takes us on a tour of one such station, Embankment; not only does she see the floodgates and learn the story of the District Line, but she reveals it as the unlikely location for a love story.
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Learn more about the stories, stations and places Siddy and Tim visit.
The Northern line serves some of the busiest commuter routes on the Underground, joining the suburbs of north and south London to the West End and the City. Read about the history of the Northern line.
- Museum Depot
More than storage - Behind the scenes at our Museum Depot
As we're getting ready to reopen our Museum Depot to families this May half term, find out what has been going on behind the scenes during winter in lockdown.
Episode 3: Piccadilly Circus
Tim and Siddy explore the disused parts of Piccadilly Circus.
Widely regarded as being at the heart of the capital, this station has always been the flagship of the London Underground. It’s grand, it’s opulent, it’s art deco. But it wasn’t always this big. A major expansion in the 1930s involved extraordinary feats of engineering to ensure the tube continued running and the traffic on the busy road junction above wasn’t disrupted.
The station’s size meant it provided shelter for lots of people during the Blitz, who travelled far and wide looking for a space on the platforms here; it was so busy, people even made their beds on the escalators.
Siddy also visits the abandoned surface station directly above Highgate tube station. It was supposed to be a major interchange station but the war stopped that, the station became derelict and nature has now taken over. But through the undergrowth, the platforms, station building and tunnels are clearly visible.
The Highgate tunnels have become a bat roost and, at the depot, Tim and Siddy find out more about how TfL protects London’s city wildlife. Tim also finds out about London Underground’s iconic signs and special typeface.
Note: Keen to follow Tim and Siddy’s footsteps? Book a place on our Hidden London tour exploring Piccadilly Circus.
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Learn more about the stories, stations and places Siddy and Tim visit.
Piccadilly Circus: The Heart of London
Explore one of the most iconic stations on the Underground and see the marvels of the Grade II listed building in person
The Piccadilly is the second longest line on the Underground after the Central line, but it has more stations, which are closer together on average. Read more about the the Piccadilly line.
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Episode 4: Euston and York Road
Tim and Siddy explore the hidden parts of Euston underground station - and there’s a lot to see, including some features not found anywhere else on the London Underground.
The tunnels were abandoned in the 1960s and this place is a time capsule of that period, with brightly coloured posters stuck to the walls. Euston is an excellent example of how the network has adapted over time.
There’s the only surviving interchange ticket window, a traverser which shunted engines to opposite tracks when Euston was still a tube terminus, and Tim and Siddy have special access to the building that’s about to be demolished to make way for HS2, and, inside, it’s not at all as expected. Tim also sees the Victoria line from a unique angle!
Siddy also visits nearby York Road station. Its design was years ahead of time but passengers haven’t used it in nearly 90 years. Until the 1960s, it was part of the Piccadilly line’s signalling operation, but that meant someone had the eerie job of working down there alone in total darkness.
At the depot, Tim and Siddy learn about ventilation and signalling with Transport for London’s experts.
Note: Keen to follow Tim and Siddy’s footsteps? Book a place on our Hidden London tour exploring Euston.
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Learn more about the stories, stations and places Siddy and Tim visit.
Euston: The Lost Tunnels
Explore tunnels lined with vintage 1960s advertising posters that lie below Euston Station, the busy travel hub that serves over 42 million passengers each year.
The Victoria line was the first deep-level Underground line to be built across central London for more than 50 years. Read more about the Victoria line.
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The Northern line serves some of the busiest commuter routes on the Underground, joining the suburbs of north and south London to the West End and the City. Read about the history of the Northern line.
Episode 5: St Mary's, Aldgate East and Oxford Circus
Tim Dunn and Siddy Holloway have a night-time adventure as they go on a late-night exploration of two of London’s least known stations: St Mary’s and the original Aldgate East, they’re only a few hundred metres apart but trains haven’t stopped at either since 1938.
There’s nothing on the surface to suggest the stations exist so the only people who know about them are tube maintenance workers. St Mary’s is spooky, with fallen staircases and the intricately designed footbridges hidden high up in the tops of the running tunnel.
The original Aldgate East has no surface access these days, so the only way in is by walking along the tracks and that means waiting until the end of service, after midnight. But it’s here that Tim learns about the extraordinary way 900 men lowered the track level by 2 metres in just one night.
Siddy also shows us the sprawling disused parts of Oxford Circus. Possibly the best-known station in all of London, it’s the third busiest. And once behind the scenes, Siddy shows the location of the most complex construction project in the whole history of the Underground – when the Victoria line was built.
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Learn more about the stories, stations and places Siddy and Tim visit.
The Victoria line was the first deep-level Underground line to be built across central London for more than 50 years. Read more about the Victoria line.
Episode 6: Clapham South and Moorgate
Tim and Siddy are deep beneath Clapham Common; in fact, they’re so deep, the Northern line is running above their heads. This is Clapham South deep level shelter, an enormous, purpose-built air raid shelter. During the Second World War, as rockets landed on the streets above, thousands of people could sleep down here in more than a mile of tunnels - all built by London Transport in the same way they dug tube tunnels.
Tim and Siddy find out what life was like for the shelterers, where they slept and ate and how they bathed. The shelter’s story doesn’t end with peace in 1945 though, it went on to accommodate hundreds of Caribbean migrants from the Empire Windrush as they started their new lives in London.
Back at the depot, Tim finds an original London Transport recipe book and meets a food historian to talk more about what was served in the shelters, including things like jam roly-poly!
Siddy also visits the hidden parts of Moorgate station where the highlight has to be the legendary Greathead tunnelling shield that helped dig the deep parts of the station and, when finished, was just left in the ground.
Note: Keen to follow Tim and Siddy’s footsteps? Book a place to explore Clapham South and Moorgate on our Hidden London tours.
Discover more
Learn more about the stories, stations and places Siddy and Tim visit.
Journey 11 stories underground at Clapham South to explore one of eight deep-level shelters that exist below the streets of London.
Moorgate Station is one of the earliest Underground stations, and this tour reveals not only a portal into the City, but also a complete Greathead shield from 1904, the only one of its kind on the London Underground Network.
Tunnelling developed from mining. In the nineteenth century it was costly, unpredictable and very dangerous. Learn how James Greathead, developed a tool just for the job.
- Hidden London
New discoveries at Clapham South's deep level shelter
Did you know that the deep-level shelter at Clapham South was also used as an archive? The recent removal of some of the archive shelving by our Hidden London team revealed something unexpected. Siddy Holloway tells you more about the findings in this blog.
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Join the conversation using hashtag #SecretsOfTheLondonUnderground on social media.
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