Aldwych Underground station (tour) nov 2011

Hey. First post for ages! Went on the Aldwych tour at the weekend. To be honest wasn't that great, they really usher you about and only let you take pictures for a few minutes at a time, it was packed and most of the stuff down there is film props!

Aldwych was formally known as the Strand, it was off on a junction from the circle line, and never really used, or completed. It was used as an air raid shelter during both wars, and contained works from the British Musuem, including the Elgin Marbles.

Hope you like the pics. Sorry not that many, they are really anal about letting you taking Digital SLR cameras down (other types are fine?) so only snapped a few on my phone.



map showing how the station was on a junction off the main line, so never really popular. There was plans to link it with Waterloo, but it never happened.



one of two entrances on the Strand. There are many other stations built to the same design still in use, such as Covent Garden



One of two platforms. This was the one that held the marbles



Second platform, used for training. (1960s tube train)



fake posters

Oh dear, I was given tickets to this for my birthday. Perhaps being an old fart will make it more apealling to me

There seems to be so many places that get the arse if you get a camera out. Non have ever given me a sound reason so expect it is lack of understanding - best not to ask!

I just dont get it..you are given a tour and they are anal about taking pics?WTF?

really really anal! I could understand if they said no photos, or you can take photos, but to discriminate against camera types i've not seen before!

highcannons said:

There seems to be so many places that get the arse if you get a camera out. Non have ever given me a sound reason so expect it is lack of understanding -

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Some of them are terrified that you're going to make money from 'their place'. I suspect that's the reason why no DSLRs are allowed, as that's the best and only method used for reportage and publication now.
I once had a jobsworth verger try to stop me taking photos in a church for that same reason. Even though I use 35mm my camera looks professional, and I doubt the old guy knows much about digital media anyway.
Nice to see your report, Drypulse.

At least you can say you have been without risking life and limb & getting a talking to by armed police lol.

Good pics for the phone, you get a sense of what it was like.

Another note on cameras, there are plenty of point & shoot cameras that take amazing pictures, so at least people are now pre-warned to go prepared.

Were they arsey about tripods? When I went down the Brunel tube tunnels they banned tripods (even to TV film crews) but did allow SLR/professional video cameras.

I went on Saturday, it was a good jaunt and in spirit of not being allowed a dSLR, I took a film SLR.

Hope you dont mind me tacking mine on the end?

From my inferior point and clink powershot A800 borrowed from work ...

I love the Madame Tussauds poster. Real 'Yellow Submarine' stuff. Fab pics, Lilli.

I love the idea of these abandoned tube stations! I wonder if someone has listed how many there are. There was a TV drama, oh, a long time ago now that featured "London below". It was quite surreal - the Angel Islington was a real angel! Ah well.. rambling a bit now. Thanks for posting these.

whitelaw said:

I love the idea of these abandoned tube stations! I wonder if someone has listed how many there are. There was a TV drama, oh, a long time ago now that featured "London below". It was quite surreal - the Angel Islington was a real angel! Ah well.. rambling a bit now. Thanks for posting these.

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Some Good Pictures here of the other deep level abandoned stations

http://underground-history.co.uk/front.php

Would love to visit some abandoned tube stations!

Thanks for posting

whitelaw said:

I love the idea of these abandoned tube stations! I wonder if someone has listed how many there are. There was a TV drama, oh, a long time ago now that featured "London below". It was quite surreal - the Angel Islington was a real angel! Ah well.. rambling a bit now. Thanks for posting these.

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That was Neil Gaiman's Otherworld.

The no photos bit reminds me of Caves of Drach in Mallorca where the minders there dressed in uniforms would scream & shout at at anyone who tried to take a single shot!

Derelict-UK said:

At least you can say you have been without risking life and limb & getting a talking to by armed police lol.

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Yeah but where is the fun in that (A tour I mean)

Total respect to the LON lot who bust balls to see this sort of stuff

very interesting i realy like old underground stations brilliant

nice...always fancied doing this one...