Exploring the abandoned tunnels of Clapham North deep level shelter.

Deep beneath the city streets of London lie a tangle of vast subterranean tunnel systems.

During the early 1940s, eight deep level air raid shelters were built, holding up to 8,000 people each.

Thirteen distinct structures can be found at ground level, inside are double spiral staircases, which descend over 100 foot underground.

After venturing down all 176 steps, we are four storeys below clapham north station.
Tube lines surround us and the roar fills the otherwise silent hallways.

Two rows of seemingly infinite tunnels are on either side of you once you reach the bottom.

The round tunnels were divided in half horizontally, creating an upper and lower floor, ‘street’ names were used to help shelterers navigate.
Each shelter had eight canteens, eight lavatories, two medical bays, and rows of three tiered bunkbeds.

Its hard to imagine being inside of here with so many more people, the constant noise of echoed voices, the confined space, the heat generated by such a large group and the complete lack of privacy.
But these deep level tunnels were a safe haven for so many, a community was formed and fond memories were made, even in the darkest of times.

The initial plan of joining each of these eight deep level bunkers and transforming them into an express rail route was abandoned due to the lack of money after the war.

A number of the shelters have been leased out to companies and are being used for document storage.
Clapham South, which we visited early in 2020, has been turned into a museum.
This one was being used for the first time since the war, as a mushroom farm but has been emptied and deserted ever since.

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