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Thread: What lies beneath - London

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    What lies beneath - London

    From deep-level air raid shelters to the colossal Crossrail construction, beneath London lies a labyrinth of tunnels.



    Transport for London doesn't pin down the exact number of disused underground stations, but says there are "in the region of 40". Some of these were relocated so their names live on, but 20 on the list won't be found on a current Tube map, as this ghost map of the London Underground shows. And here it is, all of London’s abandoned, demolished and relocated Underground stations, marked on the classic London Underground schematic, with all the other station names removed. Who would have thought the District Line used to run all the way to the coast?




    Here's a link to that underground map so you can see it better:
    http://usvsth3m.co.uk/images/ghost-tube-map-large.jpg


    More London subterranean spaces
    • London Post Office Railway - 23 miles (37km) of track remains under London with plans afoot to develop them into a tourist attraction
    • Lost rivers - Dozens of rivers including the Fleet and Walbrook were buried beneath London's streets more than a century ago
    • Camden catacombs - Beneath Camden lies a network of catacombs used as stables in the 19th century
    • Pindar - A bunker beneath the Ministry of Defence in Whitehall, where Henry VIII's wine cellar can be found - The shelter could hold up to 8,000 people with facilities including toilets, a nursing point and a canteen, where jam sandwiches were served. But it was never used to its full capacity. The name of this bunker is riveting for obvious reasons.

    Finally, here is a link to 1945 walk around map:
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25551751

    The next and obvious question must be: If this lies beneath London then what lies beneath that?
    Last edited by Calabash, 2nd November 2014 at 09:02.

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    Re: What lies beneath - London

    Fascinating! I'm sure there must be a railway under Buck House and all their castles as well. I remember reading a few weeks ago that most of the disused underground tunnels had been sold to a wealthy consortium who were going to transform them into nightclubs. Or so they said. Who knows what the real agenda is.

    Many years ago, I remember making the daily schlep from Slough (Near Windsor Castle) to the central London district, and back, working at among other places, Rothschild Bank! The managers used to tinkle their hand bell they kept on their desk, if they wanted a minion to fetch them a cup of tea, lol....I couldn't believe it.
    Last edited by Sooz, 2nd November 2014 at 09:51.

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    Re: What lies beneath - London

    A bunker underneath the Ministry for Defence in Whitehall, called Pindar?

    Pindar - The Lizard King:

    http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/su...reptiles01.htm

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    Re: What lies beneath - London

    when I saw the thread title I thought you meant this:


    Billionaires' basements: the luxury bunkers making holes in London streets
    - this trend has become rumpant among the milli/billionaiers these days..see below and elsewhere.



    http://www.theguardian.com/artanddes...s-architecture

    not sure it lit would show up, if not I'll edit up later

    It's the blighters like this (read below) who apply for planning permissions. After all, their kitchens etc are too small .

    "Caan, 52, is one of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs, with an estimated personal fortune of £65m. He and and his wife, Aisha Caan, have two grown up daughters who both live at home.

    Mrs Caan, 54, told Homes & Property that the work was necessary to upgrade the house as the existing kitchen is very small. The studio, she said, will give her a suitable place to work from home, and the gallery will be a place to exhibit her own work. “I have a lot of completed works and it would be nice to have it displayed rather than stacked up on the floor,” she said.

    The family have lived in the property for 16 years, during which time they have not carried out any significant building work. “But we have been subjected to very disruptive projects carried out by both our neighbours over many years, and we have never ever complained,” Mrs Caan said. “I am not being stupid and ridiculous and creating space for the sake of creating it.”


    http://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/pr...ment-extension

    they are not the only ones..

    William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, the fifth Duke of Portland, took over the estate of Welbeck Abbey in north Nottinghamshire when his father died in 1854, and began an eccentric reign of excavation. He dug an extensive web of tunnels beneath the grounds, connecting a series of underground chambers and stretching up to 24km – including a passage through which he could ride his carriage all the way to the station, hidden from public gaze.

    Like today's residents of Kensington Palace Gardens, the Duke also had a subterranean ballroom constructed, 50m long and 20m wide, with a ceiling painted like a giant sunset. He even installed a hydraulic lift, capable of bringing 20 guests at a time down into the hall from the worldly realms above.



    or:


    Having bought a palatial villa on Kensington Palace Gardens, the most expensive street in the country, he was not to be outdone by his neighbours. Lakshmi Mittal's nearby "Taj Mittal" already featured an underground complex of Turkish baths and a pool lined with marble from the same quarry as the Taj Mahal. A few doors down, property mogul Leonard Blavatnik had bought up three former Russian Embassy buildings and since added an underground swimming pool, gym, private cinema and extensive garaging.


    Astonishing one might think and I wonder what else may be going on within these bunkers?
    Last edited by Elbie, 2nd November 2014 at 11:33.

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    @ Sooz:

    Yes, naming it Pindar is odd, given what we've heard about him and also that it was completed in 1994, which is fairly recent.
    Here's a link to wikipedia info about it and other interesting info :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militar...s_under_London

    Here's another link to the top 10 uk secret bunkers although they're all ww2-type constructions.
    http://www.nettleden.com/articles/to...ecret-bunkers/
    It's unthinkable that they wouldn't be linked underground and it's also unthinkable that these not-so-secret bunkers haven't been renewed/refurbished with the most up to date technology.n
    Last edited by Calabash, 2nd November 2014 at 12:56. Reason: typo

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    @ Elbie

    Thanks for the info. All information relating to what lies beneath is relevant to this thread and, where possible and where there's interest, it could be valuable to know what there is and where.

    I live very near the Oval in South London and in the early hours when it's quiet a low vibrational noise is discernable - maybe like a generator - that has 20 second bursts. It's been that way for the last 28 years since moving in . . . . I used to think it was the underground, although the line doesn't run directly under the house (that I know of).

    It's been common knowledge for instance that there is a tunnel underneath Marble Arch to the Palace, and I think Hyde Park nearby also has access. But where to, and how deep . . . . .?
    Last edited by Calabash, 2nd November 2014 at 12:57.

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    Astonishing one might think and I wonder what else may be going on within these bunkers?

    Quite ! Makes my blood run cold , just thinking on it

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