Hidden London - The Kingsway Tram Subway

19th August 2021

At the junction of the A4200 Southampton Row and A40 Theobald’s Rd. there is a set of metal gates flanked by ornate lamps beyond which a cobbled slope runs down to the darkened portal of a tunnel. Set into the cobbles (yes, I know they’re properly called setts) there are metal rails for this is the north entrance to the Kingsway Tram Subway and is somewhere I’ve long wanted to get into. Thanks to London Transport Museum’s resumed Hidden London tours, I now have.

 

 

 

A bit of history:

The Kingsway Tram Subway was built by the London County Council and opened in 1906, as part of the regeneration programme for the Holborn and Aldwych areas, which had become slums. The building of the new roads gave the opportunity to link the tramways in the north with those in the south but the occupants of the fancy new buildings wouldn't want to have to look at all those working class people who mostly travelled by tram. So after the pattern of New York and Boston it was decided to put the tramway below ground in a subway. The southern end of the subway emerged on the Embankment next to (later under) Waterloo Bridge, permission for the lines to continue over the bridge having been refused.
It had relatively short active life, closing in 1952, but despite this, the Subway underwent several major upgrades during its time, in particular the enlargement to enable the passage of double deck trams in 1930-31.

 

 

 

More than half of the subway still exists to this day - complete with original features such as the longest section of surviving tram track in London (Croydon doesn't count in this context) and the remains of Holborn tram station with its steps to street level. Part of the southern section of the subway was repurposed in 1962-1964 as part of the Strand Underpass road and the very southernmost section between the underpass and Embankment under Waterloo Bridge was converted into a bar/restaurant, currently it is Proud Cabaret Club 

 

 

The northern section visited on the tour is mostly used for storage by Camden Council and others and has also been used as a film set several times. The tour isn't allowed to continue south into the part of the remaining tunnel which lies in Westminster council area. 

 

 

 

 

 

As usual with Hidden London tours it was all well organised and guided. If you get a chance go and have a look in the Kingsway Tram Subway yourself, it’s the only one of its kind in the country.

 

Flickr Album is here with 40 photos.