Although Londoner’s love to complain about the Tube, it’s difficult to deny that the world’s oldest Underground system is also its most interesting. Each year, an average of 1.34 billion passengers use the Tube on 11 lines connecting 270 stations. So it’s not surprising that it holds some subterranean secrets. (Ones that you can experience first-hand!) Subway stations you didn’t know existed have been used for multiple purposes since London Underground opened in 1863. They hide alongside abandoned tracks where ghosts are rumored to roam.

Ghost Stations

Transport for London (TfL) estimates that up to 40 London Underground Stations are disused. These stations are out of service for a number of reasons, which include low passenger numbers and rerouting, but some have seemingly disappeared without a trace. Aldwych is one of the most famous ghost stations. It housed artifacts, such as the famous Elgin Marbles, from London’s national museums during both World Wars and now it’s a film location for music videos and movies, like the post-apocalyptic ‘28 Days Later’.

The 150-year-old Grade II listed station, Crystal Palace, was originally opened to provide access to the Victorian era’s legendary exhibition center of the same name. When the building burned down in 1936, the station slowly fell into disuse having been used as a bomb shelter, and suffered the comparative indignity of hosting illegal raves in the 90s. After recent fundraising efforts, the stunning vaulted walkway with its patterned orange and white bricks is now occasionally open to the public.

Bomb Shelters

The Second World War played a big part in the repurposing of London Underground stations where they became a matter of life and death in protecting citizens from air raids.

Top secret bunkers meant the government could fight the war from within the capital. The now disused stations of Down Street and Brompton Road were closed in the early 1930s. They reopened as a bunkers and control centers complete with a direct line to the White House and Churchill’s own personal bathroom.

Haunted Stations

There are ghost stations and then there are ghost stations. Bethnal Green was the location of a mass stampede when 172 people were killed during an air raid test during WWII. Passengers and staff still report hearing those people screaming.

The British Museum’s abandoned station hasn’t been used since 1932 and has taken on an almost mythological reputation. It’s rumored to be haunted by the ghost of an Egyptian Pharaoh named Amen-Ra, or his screaming daughter, depending on who’s telling the story.

If the spirits of Egyptian mummies sound too far-fetched, some stations have more evidence to back up their spooky reputations. In fact, Aldgate is Grand Central Station for supernatural weirdness and apparently has an official ‘ghost log book’. Paranormal experiences have been attributed to its location on top of an ancient plague pit storing over a thousand bodies. Not all the activity is bad; a luminous figure known as the ‘Elderly Angel’ reputedly saved a worker who had slipped onto a live rail sending over 20,000 volts through his body.

A Bizarre Stash Of Lost Property

In 2015, more than 300,000 items were left on London’s transport network and not all of it was the usual mundane collection of mobile phones and umbrellas. Some of the things TFL have been left with over the years include musical instruments, false teeth, prosthetic limbs and an envelope containing £15,000 in cash.

But wait, it gets weirder: a judge’s wig, an urn of ashes, a human skull, a wedding dress and breast implants were also left behind. The good news is that any kids toys left behind are eventually donated to charity…we’re not sure what happens to the unclaimed breast implants though!

Secret Lines

The Post Office operated its own private line between 1927 and 2003. The Mail Rail transported parcels between Paddington and Whitechapel. A short section beneath Mount Pleasant Post Office in Clerkenwell will open for tours from spring 2017 as the star attraction of the new Postal Museum.

Tube Hacks Save Time and Money

Hardened commuters have become savvy at saving time on the Tube. The iconic London Underground map is not drawn to scale, so stations that look far apart are actually walking distance above ground.

Paddington is only a five-minute walk from Lancaster Gate but on the Underground it will take fifteen minutes with a line change. By the time you’ve gone up and down the neverending escalators it’s quicker to walk between some stations. Also, if you want to know where the train doors will open, look for the scuff marks on the platform’s painted yellow line.

More Tube Secrets

• Did you know that more of the Underground network (almost 60%) is actually above ground?

• Both trespassers and casualties are referred to as “person on the tracks” to avoid upsetting people.

• Fake house facades blend in with the other real townhouses and hide the tube tracks at 23 and 24 Leinster Gardens in Bayswater.

• Commuters are familiar with the sight of tiny little rodents scurrying around the tracks. It’s estimated that around half a million mice are living across the Underground network.

• The Tube’s mosquitoes have become ‘Tarantinoesque’ in their badassery. They’ve evolved into a unique subterranean (and bloodthirsty) species named Culex pipiens molestus.

• Leicester Square to Covent Garden is only a 20-second ride making it the most expensive and impractical Tube journey – walking is much quicker when you factor in entering and exiting the stations.

• The phenomena affectionately known as ‘black snot’ is a familiar sight for all Tube commuters. However, it’s probably a souvenir that tourists are less thrilled about taking home.

Do you know any other secrets…? Everyone likes a little gossip. Dish it out in the comments section below!!

If you enjoyed this article, we bet you’ll also love our piece about the top literary locations in London. You can read the article here to discover where reality merges with fiction.

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