That’s a-maze-ing.
A sprawling labyrinth of disused underground spy tunnels central to the James Bond novels could change into London’s next can’t-miss tourist attraction.
The neglected network, covering a subterranean area stretching to roughly 86,000 square feet, is about to be opened to the general public by 2028.
The down-below destination can be part museum, part memorial, part art gallery, part cultural hub and part nightlife spot, with the world’s deepest bar, CNN reported.
Construction is anticipated to begin late next yr, to the tune of about $149 million.
The team behind the project hopes the space will eventually have three million visitors a yr — on par with the National Gallery and more popular than the Tower of London, two other top local attractions.
Built between 1940 and 1942 as a deep-level air raid shelter, the tunnels were dug by hand by the British in response to the Blitz bombing raids — certainly one of eight similar structures.
Stretching over 365 meters long and 5 meters wide, the 2 parallel “streets” run alongside the town’s Northern and Central Underground lines.
Their original purpose was to offer safety from Nazi bombings, but with Germany’s attentions later turning toward Russia, the spaces were never needed as intended.
As an alternative, the tunnels found a recent, top-secret role, becoming the headquarters for the Special Operations Executive, an offshoot of MI6, the British intelligence agency.
Ian Fleming, the creator of the James Bond novels, worked there in 1944, inspiring the creation of Bond’s famous Q Branch.
The tunnels’ next claim to fame got here in 1949 once they became the house of Britain’s “hot line” to the USA throughout the Cold War — an important communication link throughout the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.
By the Eighties, British Telecom took over the location, transforming it into the world’s deepest licensed bar — but reportedly for workers only.
The bar, with billiard tables and a tropical fish tank, hosted a thriving social scene — which the team behind the brand new project wishes to revive, planning a big center bar with room for a pair hundred guests.
Most of the relics from the past — huge generators, mysterious machines, and bundles of wires — remain and can soon be available to visitors in a History and Heritage section.
Other areas can be used for rotating art exhibitions, interactive structures and immersive displays.
That’s a-maze-ing.
A sprawling labyrinth of disused underground spy tunnels central to the James Bond novels could change into London’s next can’t-miss tourist attraction.
The neglected network, covering a subterranean area stretching to roughly 86,000 square feet, is about to be opened to the general public by 2028.
The down-below destination can be part museum, part memorial, part art gallery, part cultural hub and part nightlife spot, with the world’s deepest bar, CNN reported.
Construction is anticipated to begin late next yr, to the tune of about $149 million.
The team behind the project hopes the space will eventually have three million visitors a yr — on par with the National Gallery and more popular than the Tower of London, two other top local attractions.
Built between 1940 and 1942 as a deep-level air raid shelter, the tunnels were dug by hand by the British in response to the Blitz bombing raids — certainly one of eight similar structures.
Stretching over 365 meters long and 5 meters wide, the 2 parallel “streets” run alongside the town’s Northern and Central Underground lines.
Their original purpose was to offer safety from Nazi bombings, but with Germany’s attentions later turning toward Russia, the spaces were never needed as intended.
As an alternative, the tunnels found a recent, top-secret role, becoming the headquarters for the Special Operations Executive, an offshoot of MI6, the British intelligence agency.
Ian Fleming, the creator of the James Bond novels, worked there in 1944, inspiring the creation of Bond’s famous Q Branch.
The tunnels’ next claim to fame got here in 1949 once they became the house of Britain’s “hot line” to the USA throughout the Cold War — an important communication link throughout the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.
By the Eighties, British Telecom took over the location, transforming it into the world’s deepest licensed bar — but reportedly for workers only.
The bar, with billiard tables and a tropical fish tank, hosted a thriving social scene — which the team behind the brand new project wishes to revive, planning a big center bar with room for a pair hundred guests.
Most of the relics from the past — huge generators, mysterious machines, and bundles of wires — remain and can soon be available to visitors in a History and Heritage section.
Other areas can be used for rotating art exhibitions, interactive structures and immersive displays.
