On the night i explored with Paul but yet again we have Kev to thank for putting in the effort to find a way into a Thames tunnel (not to mention one of the most elusive sites in London!)
Tower Subway should, in my opinion, be well known to all explorers but as i have rather rose tinted glasses when it comes to that sort of thing i will do a little explaining anyway. This tunnel was originally the first ever railway built inside a bored 'tube' tunnel (as opposed to cut and cover!) It was also the second ever tunnel to be successfully bored under the river Thames and the first ever tunnel to be bored using a Gratehead Shield. There is no doubt it is certainly historically significant! The original railway worked on a cable pulley system and carried passengers across the Thames in the days before Tower Bridge was built. When the bridge came along the trains stopped running and the tunnel was bought by the Hydraulic Power Company which used it to run pipes across the river. Much like the other hydraulic tunnels in London latterly it has been used to run water mains and comms/power cables.
For more info see its wiki entry or simply look at Kevs excellent report!
The north portal to the tunnel has always been really obvious but rather impenetrable. The southern portal was rumoured to have been lost during development on that side of the river as it certainly didn't come up where it was supposed to but as we found out, it had simply been moved a few hundred meters! I must admit the tunnel didn't hold many epic finds. It was a tunnel with pipes in it at the end of the day, unfortunately the lights only worked in the modern section and the middle section was a foot under water! However i still really enjoyed the chance to circumnavigate the mighty Thames by another means that very few people ever have or indeed will. Thanks to all involved!
Tower Subway should, in my opinion, be well known to all explorers but as i have rather rose tinted glasses when it comes to that sort of thing i will do a little explaining anyway. This tunnel was originally the first ever railway built inside a bored 'tube' tunnel (as opposed to cut and cover!) It was also the second ever tunnel to be successfully bored under the river Thames and the first ever tunnel to be bored using a Gratehead Shield. There is no doubt it is certainly historically significant! The original railway worked on a cable pulley system and carried passengers across the Thames in the days before Tower Bridge was built. When the bridge came along the trains stopped running and the tunnel was bought by the Hydraulic Power Company which used it to run pipes across the river. Much like the other hydraulic tunnels in London latterly it has been used to run water mains and comms/power cables.
For more info see its wiki entry or simply look at Kevs excellent report!
The north portal to the tunnel has always been really obvious but rather impenetrable. The southern portal was rumoured to have been lost during development on that side of the river as it certainly didn't come up where it was supposed to but as we found out, it had simply been moved a few hundred meters! I must admit the tunnel didn't hold many epic finds. It was a tunnel with pipes in it at the end of the day, unfortunately the lights only worked in the modern section and the middle section was a foot under water! However i still really enjoyed the chance to circumnavigate the mighty Thames by another means that very few people ever have or indeed will. Thanks to all involved!
