Calling all trainiacs, lovers of dark underground tunnels, and fans of both! The Postal Museum is unlocking the doors and inviting you down into the 100-year-old tunnels beneath the museum in special Tunnel Walks tours.
Passionate expert guides will lead you through the postal tunnels as they tell you stories of the staff who built, operated, and maintained the railway. You’ll get to explore the tunnels as you find out about their construction in the early 1900s, through to their prime during the middle of the century, and eventual closure in 2003.
What do you get to see?
The tour lets you explore parts of the railway on foot that are not accessible on the Mail Rail ride. (That particular experience sees you boarding a miniature train through to the original tunnels. During the tour, you will be led to an eerie yet fascinating train graveyardand you’ll be shown the floodgates that kept the workers from harm.
The Tunnel Walks tours give visitors a chance to get an in-depth insight into the workings of the postal tunnels and to explore a unique subterranean environment in the heart of London that many Londoners don’t know about.
Past visitors of the tunnels have remarked that the tunnels were ‘absolutely fantastic. The chap that ran the tour was so passionate about the tunnels. He took his time to answer any question, was informative and made the whole experience really enjoyable.’
When can you do a Tunnel Walks tour?
Until recently visitors could only enjoy the walks on select Tuesdays. But, thanks to booming interest, the Postal Museums will soon start operating more tours. Starting this April, tours will also run on select Fridays and Saturday evenings for the first time ever.
Spring dates for the Tunnel Walks tour currently include:
April
- Tuesday (April 2)
- Friday (April 12)
- Saturday (April 20)
- Tuesday (April 23)
May
- Friday (May 3)
- Tuesday (May 7)
- Saturday (May 18)
- Friday (May 24)
Tuesday (May 28)
June
- Friday (June 7)
- Tuesday (June 11)
- Saturday (June 22)
- Tuesday (June 25)
There are two tours each day, leaving at 6:30pm and 7pm. The tours last for between 60-75 minutes and will see you exploring 1.2 kilometres of tunnels. Protective equipment is (of course) mandatory – including a high-visibility jacket and hard hat.
How much are the Tunnel Walks tours?
Tickets cost between £58 – £60 per person.
It’s important to note that the experience is only open to those aged 12 years and above.
For more information and to buy tickets, head here.
📍 Find The Postal Museum on 15-20 Phoenix Place, WC1X 0DA. The nearest station is Russell Square.
