Bell

Today, a group from work which included Bigred and myself, got a tour of the old railway tunnels under St James railway station.

The tunnel heading towards Central via Museum that were prepared to be used as civilian air-raid shelters still has some sections divided by concrete walls, these were constructed in World War II to protect against bomb blasts. They also have interesting passages running between them, designed to stop the force of an explosion in one chamber travelling into the adjacent chambers. Immediately after World War II, the soldiers who had run the bomb shelters in the tunnels were set to work demolishing them, primarily to give them something to occupy themselves with until they could be demobilised. But the work was never completed; several of the chambers in the tunnels still contain piles of rubble the soldiers left behind. They also left graffiti on the tunnel walls.

Other interesting uses for the tunnels have included its use by ABC sound engineers in the 1960s to fake the sound of Big Ben for a TV series. This is the bell used. You know I just had to find a bit of pipe and hit it! Having never been to London, I can't tell you if it sounds like it or not.

(Thanks Mike for the information!)

An excellent way to kill a morning :)