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12/13 March: Walk through the Thames Tunnel at Rotherhithe

teuchter

teuchter

je suis teuchter
Looks worth a trip...

Thames-2.jpg


Thanks to funding from Renaissance London, Visitors to Rotherhithe have a last opportunity to experience one of the wonders of the Victorian age before it closes forever. One of Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s engineering triumphs, contemporaries of the age called it the Eighth Wonder of the World. The Thames Tunnel has been closed to the public for 145 years and will now reopen as the impressive finale of London’s EAST Festival.

Tours through the tunnel, from Rotherhithe to Wapping and then back again, will give walkers the chance to marvel at this astonishing achievement, including the grand entrance hall. This particular part of the tunnel was built above water and then submerged below ground under its own weight. The space is half the size of the Globe Theatre and was a place for actors and performers to entertain the thronging crowds. The 1867 arch at the Rotherhithe entrance to the tunnel is another highlight of the tour.

To mark this incredible occasion and the Brunels’ remarkable feat, the Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe will host a recreation of a Fancy Fair, originally held in the bowels of the tunnel deep beneath the Thames in 1852.

Audiences will encounter strange and wonderful Victorian characters, hear strains of the 1840 commissioned Thames Tunnel Waltz, enjoy cosmoranic views and music by steam, witness Victorian aerialist and juggler performances in the shaft itself, partake of historic food and drink and shop at stalls promising multifarious trumpery, cheroot boxes, spinning tops and other paraphernalia.

Opened in 1852, the tunnel gripped the nation’s imagination, nothing had been seen like it before and it created an atmosphere of excitement, wonder and joy, it was the first of an underground network that transformed the life of London. Illuminated by a string of lights running its 1,300 foot length, by the end of the first week of its opening over half the population of London had paid to walk “the shining avenue of light to Wapping”. The tunnel soon took on a life of its own with a shopping arcade, theatre and a reputation for the bawdy carnivalesque sideshows and entertainments the Victorians have become known for. The tunnel was even graced with a visit from Queen Victoria herself with Prince Albert and Lord Byron in tow. It is now classed as an International Landmark Site, one of six in the UK.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson commented: “A wonderful and rare opportunity to experience one of London’s great engineering achievements.”

Tickets are available through London Transport Museum 0207 565 7298 to book
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http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=36642


http://www.visitlondon.com/events/detail/7528907
 
Emailed my mum to see if she wanted to go not an hour ago :cool:

Obviously I emailed her an hour ago, not tried to walk the tunnel an hour ago, that'd be daft :hmm:

Still don't really even know what it is :oops:
 
Nice one!

You can book online here - https://ticket.ltmuseum.co.uk/peo/show_events_list.asp
It only worked for Internet Explorer so it took some faffing, but we're going on Friday, Woot!

Edit: if that doesn't work, try this link: https://ticket.ltmuseum.co.uk/peo/default.asp

Note:
No one under the age of 16 years old will be permitted on the tour. For two days only the Thames Tunnel opens to recapture the Victorian age. There are trip hazards on this tour, these will be highlighted with additional lighting in the tunnel, however please ensure you wear sturdy shoes anyone wearing trainers, sandals, high heels or any other footwear that is thought to be unsuitable, will not be permitted on the tour.
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Lord Camomile said:
Still don't really even know what it is :oops:
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It used to have the East London Line running through it; this has been closed for some time while they rebuild it; as I understand, this will be the last chance to walk through it before the new ELL reopens after which there will be trains going through it again.
 
Why can't kids go?

Are they scared that seeing an engineering marvel might ignite a spark of enthusiasm for engineering in our yoof?
 
I've been trying to buy tickets but every time I put in my details and press 'submit' I get a box with an exclamation mark that says 'Field is not in the right format'.

I can't see what I'm doing wrong :(
 
brix said:
I've been trying to buy tickets but every time I put in my details and press 'submit' I get a box with an exclamation mark that says 'Field is not in the right format'.

I can't see what I'm doing wrong :(
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I just got it to work ok but as Ed said it only seems to in IE.

I is going on teh Saturday :cool:
 
Blimey, what an awful website! Managed to get 4 tickets for Saturday. Well spotted Teuchter! I'd have never noticed this otherwise, and would have been gutted to miss it so thanks very much!:)
 
Glad I booked this from the office rather than batting with Firefox at home.

Diamond Geezer has a rant about the booking website with this important bit of information for ticketholders:

My ticket is now printed out and ready to use. Brilliantly it tells me the date of my visit but not the all-important time. That crucial detail is in an email, thankfully, otherwise I almost certainly wouldn't be able to remember which was the lucky timeslot in which I finally found a space.
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