I missed the boat with this place a few years back so I was thrilled to finally see inside. Much bigger than I had anticipated and much more epic than I could ever imagine. So much going on in here it's unbelievable, without question one of the most fascinating places I've ever seen. It's a bit like exploring the Event Horizon without the scary dude setting fire to your mates every 5 minutes. Bigups to @Maniac and @extreme_ironing, good times!
The Kingsway telephone exchange was built as a deep-level shelter underneath Chancery Lane tube station in the early 1940s. Although intended for use as an air raid shelter it was instead used as a government communications centre. Throughout the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, it became a trunk switching centre and repeater station with Post Office engineering staff totalling over 200 at its peak. The site had a staff restaurant, tea bar, games room and licensed bar as well as an artesian well and rations to maintain several hundred people for many months, ensuring a safe environment in case of nuclear attack. Its bar claimed to be the deepest in the United Kingdom, located at approximately 200 feet below street level.
By the early 1980s the site was subject to a phased closure after large quantities of blue asbestos were found on site. By 1995 only the main distribution frame was still in service. In October 2008, British Telecom announced that the tunnels were for sale.
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3. Retro canteen with its fake scenic views
4. Bar area
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7. Fake walls and doors hide the circular iron tunnel walls
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9. Servers marked 'Kingsway'
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16. Mercury arc rectifier
17. Goods lift out of order
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27. Cable alley, this bricked off tunnel leads into the BT deep level network which supposedly leads to 10 Downing Street amongst other places.
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30.
Guten Tag!
The Kingsway telephone exchange was built as a deep-level shelter underneath Chancery Lane tube station in the early 1940s. Although intended for use as an air raid shelter it was instead used as a government communications centre. Throughout the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, it became a trunk switching centre and repeater station with Post Office engineering staff totalling over 200 at its peak. The site had a staff restaurant, tea bar, games room and licensed bar as well as an artesian well and rations to maintain several hundred people for many months, ensuring a safe environment in case of nuclear attack. Its bar claimed to be the deepest in the United Kingdom, located at approximately 200 feet below street level.
By the early 1980s the site was subject to a phased closure after large quantities of blue asbestos were found on site. By 1995 only the main distribution frame was still in service. In October 2008, British Telecom announced that the tunnels were for sale.
1.
2.
3. Retro canteen with its fake scenic views
4. Bar area
5.
6.
7. Fake walls and doors hide the circular iron tunnel walls
8.
9. Servers marked 'Kingsway'
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16. Mercury arc rectifier
17. Goods lift out of order
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27. Cable alley, this bricked off tunnel leads into the BT deep level network which supposedly leads to 10 Downing Street amongst other places.
28.
29.
30.
Guten Tag!
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