Are there tunnels under the River Thames?

The first underwater tunnel opened 175 years ago, on March 25th, 1843, under the Thames in London, then the world's largest city. An engineering marvel, the Thames Tunnel saw some 24 million pedestrians pass through before it was converted to rail use for the Underground in 1865.



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Today, trains continue to go through the railway tunnel several times an hour, making it difficult to see the original tunnel, but the Brunel Museum tells the story of the creation of the Thames Tunnel, on the site of the Engine House and the original tunnel shaft sunk into the ground.

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The Royal Borough has two foot tunnels at Greenwich and Woolwich which are used by 1.5 million people a year to cross underneath the river Thames. From Greenwich, you can use the foot tunnel to walk to Island Gardens on the north of the river for the famous Canaletto view of Greenwich.

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Further wooden supports are preserved in the mud a few hundred metres upstream, and are thought to be from a bridge structure on 1,500 BCE. Various human remains have also been found in the Thames from this distant era. Most recently, a 5,000-year-old thigh bone was recovered.

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If you're anywhere near as obsessed with subterranean London as we are, you'll be bursting with excitement at the prospect of exploring London's abandoned tube tunnels. These disused stations and platforms spend most of the year in peaceful quiet, but on certain days, tour groups are allowed in to get a look.

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On 18 May 1827, after a rising tide, the Thames Tunnel's ceiling collapsed under the weight of the river and a torrent of water filled the structure. Brunel narrowly escaped with his life.

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The River Thames, known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At 215 miles, it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn.



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In 1825, French engineer Marc Brunel started work on the Thames Tunnel, the very first underwater tunnel anywhere in the world. Beset by financial difficulties, frequent flooding and several deaths, the project wasn't completed until 1843.

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The tidal Thames is a fast-flowing waterway and the busiest inland waterway in the UK accommodating over 20,000 ship movements and hosting over 400 events each year. It is for these reasons the PLA restricts swimming throughout the majority of its jurisdiction for the safety of swimmers and river users.

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Subterranean London refers to a number of subterranean structures that lie beneath London. The city has been occupied by humans for two millennia. Over time, the capital has acquired a vast number of these structures and spaces, often as a result of war and conflict.

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An engineering marvel, the Thames Tunnel saw some 24 million pedestrians pass through before it was converted to rail use for the Underground in 1865. The reason all those people went through the tunnel—some more than once! —was to get to the other side, obviously, but also because it was a destination in itself.

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The Congo is the deepest river in the world. Its headwaters are in the north-east of Zambia, between Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyasa (Malawi), 1760 metres above sea level; it flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

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