9 hours ago
World's deepest bar to open in the UK as part of huge new £120million attraction
A NEW underground attraction is coming to London and it will be home to the world's deepest bar.
Set to open by 2028, The London Tunnels will be a mile-long series of tunnels that "have been kept secret for 70 years", according to The London Tunnels website.
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The new tourist attraction is set to cost £120million and will reopen tunnels built between 1940 and 1942 by the Government to protect the public from the Blitz during World War II.
Formerly known as The Kingsway Exchange Tunnels, plans include creating a variety of historical heritage experiences and a cultural, multi-sensory, digital experience.
In addition to the new exhibits and experiences that immerse visitors in the decades gone by, the destination is due to open the world's deepest bar.
The bar is set to be in the deepest part of the tunnels - 30metres below the streets of London - and will have a unique nightlife experience.
The bar will aim to attract both tourists and history enthusiasts keen to see one of the most historically significant sites in the capital.
In total, the tunnels span 90,000 square foot and stretch deeper than most of the city's tube stations.
The tunnels themselves are large - with the height in parts tall enough to fit a double-decker bus - allowing the attraction to restore them as well as create an expansive visitor experience.
The cultural exhibition space is expected to have a World War II memorial dedicated to the 40,000 people who lost their lives during the bombings and an immersive experience that combines history and entertainment, according to Tour and Travel World.
The British Military Intelligence Museum is also expected to relocate into the tunnels to showcase over 300 years of British Military intelligence including rare artefacts and cases of espionage.
By 1942 the construction of the tunnels was complete but the Blitz were no longer occurring and so the tunnels were never used for shelter.
World's most luxurious apocalypse-proof bunkers
But two years later, in 1944, the tunnels housed spy headquarters when James Bond author Ian Fleming worked in them for naval intelligence.
The tunnels are believed to have inspired Q Branch - where 007 goes to get his specialist equipment.
They were also home to a special bunker that would protect Government officials in the case of a nuclear attack.
Currently the tunnels boast a maze of old generators, pipes, rusty bolts, bundles of cables and switches and levers.
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There are also the remains of a staff bar and canteen doe the 200 workers who used the tunnels in the 1950s and 1960s when it was a telephone exchange.
The project aims to revitalise the historic spot and hopes that up to three million people will pay over £30 each year to visit the new attraction.
The tunnels are located between London's West End and the Square Mile - stretching between Fulwood Place and Furnival Street, deep below Chancery Lane tube station.
The team behind the project includes one of the UK's leading architectural firms - WilkonsonEyre - who were also responsible for the major restoration of London's Battersea Power Station.
In the mean time, a beautiful new water attraction will also soon open in Europe with lagoons, 40C pools and waterfalls.
Plus, London's newest tourist town is in a 'forgotten' district and is a £1.3bn attraction with hotels, theatre and rooftop bar.
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