Thames Tunnel Reopens for the First Time in 145 Years

Thames Tunnel Reopens for the First Time in 145 Years

05 March, 2010
by: Spoonfed Arts Team

In line for the Spoonfed accolade of the coolest tunnel ever, the Thames Tunnel reopens for two days of underwater exploration and a recreation of the 1852 Fancy Fair.

Set to be a spectacular finale to London’s EAST festival, the Thames Tunnel, brainchild of engineer geniuses, Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, opens to the public from 12th-13th March for the first time in 145 years.

Thanks to funding from Renaissance London, for two days only, visitors can explore the bowels of this astonishing tunnel, submerged deep beneath the River Thames. Tunnel Tours from Rotherhithe to Wapping and back again, take place between 11-5pm and 6-10pm on both days and will enable walkers to take in the magnificent grand entrance hall and other unmissable architectural highlights including the 1867 arch at the Rotherhithe entrance.

To go alongside the re-opening of the tunnel the Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe will recreate the visual delights of the 1852 Fancy Fair and audiences can expect to be dazzled by performances from aerialists and jugglers, fill their bellies on historic food and drink and shop at stalls selling all sorts of Victorian paraphernalia; all to the accompaniment of the 1840 commissioned 'Thames Tunnel Waltz'.

The tunnel opened in 1852 to a furore of wonder and excitement, its 1,300 foot length adorned with a string of lights which drew over half the London population to saunter down the “shining avenue of light to Wapping”. The tunnel was even visited by Queen Victoria herself, accompanied by Prince Albert and Lord Byron and soon evolved into a shopping arcade and theatre, staging bawdy carnivalesque numbers.

Mayor Boris Johnson praised the re-opening as a “wonderful and rare opportunity to experience one of London’s great engineering achievements”.

The Tunnel Tour and the Fancy Fair will be on 12th-13th March. Tickets are available through London Transport Museum 0207 565 7298.

Images courtesy of Brunel Museum.

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Spoonfed Arts Team