London underground: Seven things you didn't know you could do beneath the capital

1/6
Ailis Brennan12 June 2018

While the word “underground” has many Londoners groaning at the thought of their morning commute, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Beneath the city’s pavements, there are more historical wonders that you can shake a flashlight at – and quite a bit of fun too.

Keep your leisuretime activities on the low at one of these underground secret spots in the capital.

Go to the cinema

Shake up film night by heading to the regular Secret Adventures film screenings at the Brunel Museum every Thursday night, held inside a tunnel leading under the River Thames. At each event, they screen three award-winning adventure films back to back in the museum’s subterranean space. Enjoy cocktails in the above roof garden, before sinking into your own underground adventure.

Railway Avenue, SE16 4LF, secretadventures.org

Do as the romans do

There’s a hell of a lot of history under your feet in London – just ask the Guildhall Art Gallery. While redeveloping its site in 1985, workmen uncovered the remains of a Roman Amphitheatre, dating all the way back to the first century. The wooden theatre would have hosted 7000 spectators, who would have watched a range of bloody and barbaric entertainment. It’s all a little more civilised now, with visitors welcome every day of the week to discover ‘Londinium’ in its very first decades.

Guildhall Yard, EC2V 5AE, cityoflondon.gov.uk

Discover a First World War internment camp

You may well have attended a fair few gigs (or darts matches) at Alexandra Palace, but did you know you were standing on top of a First World War internment camp? You'll need to book a tour to enter the usually unused space, where you can see bread ovens, bunk beds and workshop machinery left behind from when the space was used as a means to hold German, Austrian and Hungarian enemies. They also run special events in the basement space, which will include an immersive theatre experience this July.

Alexandra Palace Way, N22 7AY, alexandrapalace.com

See an 80 metre art installation on a tube platform

G.G. Archard

Underground art may sound just about as edgy as it gets but, for many west Londoners, this contemporary installation is visible on your commute to work. As part of the Art on the Underground programme, artist Helen Phillipson has installed a colossal installation at Gloucester Road station, running the 80m length of a platform. It’s a feast for the eyes too: the work is all about eggs, and features too a 4 metre fried egg sculpture and a giant whisk.

Gloucester Road, SW7 4SF, art.tfl.gov.uk

Eat in a church crypt

You may have had some pretty divine dinners in your time, but Gremio de Brixton get pretty close to a religious experience. This south London tapas bar can be found in the crypt of St Matthews Church in Brixton. Diners can feed on bread and wine (and sangria) under the candlelit arches of the church’s vaults, before dancing the night away to live music and resident DJs.

Effra Road, SW2 1JF, gremiodebrixton.com

Watch a play in a former car park

Car parks don’t tend to be the first place you go for cultural stimulation, but in 2016 two young theatre impresarios looked to change this. The Bunker has been converted from a subterranean car park into a theatre space by Joel Fisher and Josh McTaggart. The London Bridge theatre hosts 110 audience members and supports emerging young writers and companies. Check the website for more details of what's on and when.

53A Southwark Street, SE1 1RU, bunkertheatre.com

Take a tour around a cave network

Courtesy of Chislehurst Caves

Bromley isn’t the first place that comes to mind when you want a lesson in rock’n’roll history, but a visit to Chislehurst Caves is the place to find a pretty unique one. This underground man-made cave network dates all the way back to the 13th century, when they were created as a means to mine flint and lime. More recently, they served as a 1960s concert space for rock and roll legends including David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones. The caves are open to visitor from Wednesdays to Sundays.

Caveside Close, BR7 5NL, chislehurst-caves.co.uk

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in