Secret Tunnels

Secret tunnels are a trope of local folklore – many a town in the UK has its story about long-lost underground passages, doubtless providing the inhabitants of a monastery or castle an escape route from their confinement. Occasionally, local rumour proves to be true. A couple who bought a newly constructed house in Folkestone were told by locals that there was something buried in their garden, and during lockdown they decided to investigate. Under a concrete slab they discovered steps leading to large and well-constructed air-raid shelter. Newspaper archives revealed that the 160ft tunnel was built by volunteers during the Second World War to provide shelter for 200 women and children during the Blitz.

The Folkestone tunnel is not open to the public (though more than 2 million people have since viewed it via a TikTok video: @bexh5) but, in Stockport, the huge public shelter known locally by the euphemistic name ‘the Chestergate Hotel’ has become a must-see visitor attraction. Excavated in 1939 from the sandstone that underlies the city centre, the extensive network of tunnels and rooms could accommodate 6,500 people. Guided tours are available, or you can find your own way through the maze of kitchens, nurses’ quarters, and dormitories lined with rows of iron bunkbeds. An audiovisual introduction, static displays, and an audio-guide recall the experience of sheltering there during Second World War aerial bombing raids through the memories of air-raid wardens, children, and adults.

London’s miniature Mail Rail is another underground experience straight from a children’s adventure story. Completed in 1927, the original railway connected Mount Pleasant Sorting Office with London’s mainline railway stations, avoiding the congested streets above. In its heyday, the railway carried 4 million letters and parcels a day. A ride on the train is included in the price of admission to the nearby Postal Museum, but adults can sign up to the more extensive walking tours that explore other parts of the railway.