Across London there are eight deep level shelters dating back to the early 1940s. These were constructed to shelter the population during the Second World War. Each of them could accommodate up to 8,000 people but they only saw limited use due to the timing of their construction. After the end of the war the buildings were never demolished.
In the years since the end of WWII there have been a number of plans for the structures. When they were initially designed it was hoped that they could be connected in the future to create a new tube line. Unfortunately the funding for this did not appear. Instead a number of them were utilised for document storage and other uses.
You can see several of these shelters along the Northern Line. They each have two entrances, some of which are easy to spot and others are hidden. Camden has a pair exactly like this. The first can easily be found on Buck Street whilst the second is in a car park behind the Jazz Cafe. Strangely both of them are not whitewashed, instead leaving the bricks bare.
Stockwell has one of the most interesting shelters from the exterior. It is covered in paintings by celebrated muralist Brian Barnes. It is colourful and has images of many local heroes including Roger Moore.
Clapham Common has the most incredible interior of any of the shelters. In 2015 a hydroponics farm was set up in the tunnels. It is now producing herbs and salad vegetables using cutting edge hydroponic growing techniques.
London is full of buildings with an interesting history. This is one of the reasons why it is such a special city. It also helps to make it very diverse.
At Finefair we love providing information about buildings like these. We gain a lot of experience with them as part of our services exploring the local areas for investment opportunities for our clients. This effort has paid off, making us one of the best teams for council leasing Camden has. We provide advice about the service and the advantages it can offer.
If you would like to find out more about us please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
