Saturday, November 26, 2011

Aldwych Underground Station Tours - November & December 2011

Well done if you managed to get tickets to London Transport Museum's Tube station tours of closed London Underground station Aldwych which sold out within a few days of going on sale. Such is people's interest & passion for discovering more of hidden London right now, it bodes well for projects like Ajit Chamber's Old London Underground Company which, in consultations with the Mayor of London & TfL, is attempting to re-open closed Tube stations like Old Brompton Road for tours.

IanVisits was one of the first people to go on the new round of Aldwych Tours which started on Friday 25th November and run until Sunday 27th November.  Visits from Friday 2nd December to Sunday 4th December are also sold out.

Original Strand tiling under posters. by IanVisits

His full set of pictures are on Flickr He said of Aldwych "Although only closed in 1994, it holds a special fascination for most people as it is still visible above ground, and even when open was hardly ever used so even the heaviest of tube travellers are unlikely to have been there.

It is also one of those stations that has a dual hidden history, as even when open, only one of two platforms was in use – so you have one old platform, and one even older one
."

Other photographs from pencefn show a view looking south at the Eastern platform and the disused lift shaft.

Eastern platform by pencefn


Bottom of the centre lift shaft by pencefn

Alan Perryman's pictures show the popularity of the tours and some of the beautiful old posters still preserved the Tube station walls


100_0140 by Alan Perryman

100_0128 by Alan Perryman

More old Posters at Aldwych can be seen on Minifig's set of pictures


Posters by minifig


And at Copwatchers set

100_2265 by copwatcher

Even the less well preserved posters have a sense of mystery & fascination


100_2285 by copwatchet

Have fun if you are going along today and next weekend.

Through Londonist I discovered a great video of the loast day that Aldwych was in operation back in 1994 "Watch about 40 seconds in as the station attendant casually drops down onto the tracks and clambers all over one of the rails."


More old London Transport videos can be found on Fred Ivey's YouTube Channel

You can keep up to date with The Old London Underground's progress and activities by following them on Twitter @oldunderground, subscribing to  their blog or liking their Facebook page.

You might also like
Aldwych Tube Station - Blitz Tour
Photos of Ghost Tube Station Brompton Road Tour
Old Tube stations could be Re-Opened 
Old Posters found at Richmond Station
Guided Tours of Tube Poster Artists at Museum Depot Acton 

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