What connects the 90s pop band Aqua with Vin Diesel and Superman? Answer – closed London Underground station Aldwych.
Aldwych, is a now-defunct station close to Holborn, and this was where we started our tour with “Hidden London”. Run by the London Museum, these tours focus on exploring closed underground stations dotted all around (or under) London. A few years ago we’d done a tour around Old Moorgate and found it so interesting we’d come back for another one.
After the usual introductions, we were handed our special passes, led into Holborn and down some stairs, before slipping through a side door, into an area usually inaccessible to the public.
A complicated history
The development of the London Underground was done by private companies and as such, there was a lack of an overall plan, leading to anomalies like Aldwych. It was a short Piccadilly line branch from Holborn, that was never very successful. Several planned extension projects also never reached fruition and it was closed in the early nineties.
Trundling along
The station and branch line opened in 1907, with trains shuttling through to Holborn station and back again. Take up was never very high, and non-peak services began to be withdrawn over the subsequent years, with the eastern platform being closed in 1917. It was considered for complete closure in 1929, 1933, and 1958, and from 1962, it only offered services during weekday peak times.
It finally did close in 1994, and near the end of the tour, the guides played recordings of people who’d worked on the trains and station before it closed. One speaker recalled the last trip being like a party, with people drinking champagne and having a jolly good time!
Wartime shelter
Like many others, the tunnels and platforms around Aldwych and Holborn were used as shelters during World War two. The line to Aldwych was closed completely to allow it to be turned into a proper shelter without the worry of trains passing through. Facilities like kitchens and toilets were added.
But the tunnels were also used to shelter artworks and artefacts from nearby museums and galleries, including the Elgin Marbles.
Star of the silver screen
Because the station was self-contained and not always in use, it was a popular filming location even before it closed. Up until 2021, an old tube train from was kept there so it could be driven up and down.
And this is where the answer to the question in my intro comes in. Some of the films that made use of Aldwych included Superman IV and Fast and Furious 6, alongside 28 Weeks Later and V for Vendetta. And the music video for Aqua’s track “Turn Back Time” was also recorded here.
At one point during the tour, we sat before a makeshift projector screen (aka a tunnel wall) and were shown clips from some of these films and music videos.
Testing, testing
Aldwych is still used for filming, but other stations have also become popular for this, especially as it no longer has a train available. However, Aldwych is still used by the London Underground to test out things like lighting or ventilation for use across the wider network.
A Fascinating Tour
The tour was a mix of small, narrow corridors and wide open tunnels, finishing with Aldwych station itself. The temperature shifted from blisteringly hot to refreshingly cool within the space of a few meters, and there were various boards displaying images and information about the history of the tunnel. Our guides were all immensely knowledgeable, and shared the presenting as we moved from place to place.
The tour lasts about 75 minutes and costs around £45 per person. It’s mostly walking, including a long trudge down a spiral staircase (but not back up again fortunately), but, like our previous adventure in Moorgate, it’s a rare opportunity to see behind-the-scenes at the iconic London Underground. If you’re into history it’s worth going. The connections to film and TV certainly heightened the interest for me.
What do you think? Have you been on any tours of abandoned places? Let me know in the comments.
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