The Tube An Underground History

[bigmarco]

I know the BBC gets a lot of stick but they do occasionally come up with some gems. Last night was a good one with 2 good programmes, this one and the programme on the Dambusters. Both available on I player

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01sjtzw/The_Tube_An_Underground_History/

[Dedworth]

I watch the Tube one last night v interesting :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Terpe]

I haven't seen this documentary but I'll definitely take time out to watch it. Thanks for the heads-up. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

I did spend a lot of business time with London Underground and did huge amounts of business with them and also with the suppliers of the trains.
Anyway the point is that I also did a lot of work with Royal Mail underground systems.
Not many people realise that Royal Mail operated a very significant underground system beneath London.

I met a lot of fascinating and interesting people at high levels of 'consulatncy jobs' I could never fathom, who seemed to circulate within London Underground and with Royal Mail Underground.

I wonder whether anyone here knows anything about the secret tunnels and underground systems beneath London that are available for Government and Royalty? (allegedly)

Any mention of this stuff in that programme?

[grahamw48]

Another fascinating documentary. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[RickyR]

I'll try to get that on iPlayer tomorrow. The BBC have a knack for good documentaries which get syndicated around the world. I always enjoy productions based around the underground and national rail network.

[Jamesey]

I also watched the documentary on the Tube. It was very interesting! :xxgrinning--00xx3::xxgrinning--00xx3::xxgrinning--00xx3:

[bigmarco]

I haven't seen this documentary but I'll definitely take time out to watch it. Thanks for the heads-up. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

I did spend a lot of business time with London Underground and did huge amounts of business with them and also with the suppliers of the trains.
Anyway the point is that I also did a lot of work with Royal Mail underground systems.
Not many people realise that Royal Mail operated a very significant underground system beneath London.

I met a lot of fascinating and interesting people at high levels of 'consulatncy jobs' I could never fathom, who seemed to circulate within London Underground and with Royal Mail Underground.

I wonder whether anyone here knows anything about the secret tunnels and underground systems beneath London that are available for Government and Royalty? (allegedly)

Any mention of this stuff in that programme?

Yes your right about the unmanned Mail Rail trains that were first used in 1927 and appear to have ceased in 2003
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2940958.stm
Nothing about the alleged secret stuff although people have been talking about these for years . There's a hell of a lot of building that went on underground that was "never used" and it does make you wonder. Charing Cross and Hyde Park Corner all have supposed disused lines and they're all in close proximity to Parliament and The Palace.

[Pete/London]

There was mention of the tunnels around London as they were all run by private companies until they were taken over and formed into the underground system we have today. The program is well worth a watch, it also shows station that were built but never opened.
In my early work years I worked in Post Office headquarters in St Martins Le Grand and it was linked by tunnels with King Edward Building, CTO building and Telephone headquarters in Gresham House. The post trains used to run from K.E.B. to Mount Pleasant and Liverpool St. Knew of them but never saw them.
London is fascinating:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[grahamw48]

There are other interesting constructions under the ground in London.

While I was working at the old Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on Horseferry road in the Westminster area of London, I was kept amused by the building of the three towers which were to become the HQ of the then Department of Environment. I was 18/19 years old then.

It was rumoured that the foundations of these buildings were in fact the WW2 air raid shelters of the Houses of Parliament (just up the street) . The shelters were apparently connected to the former by one or more tunnels.

Anyway, the good news was that these huge old underground shelters were also being totally refurbished for a new purpose.
They were going to be the new main Civil Service leisure facilities for central London....and right across the street from my office. :biggrin:

Included would be snack bars, restaurants, DISCO, pub, indoor tennis courts, snooker tables, etc etc. Open from mid-morning until late at night.

And so it came to pass, and my previously boring lunch hours were never the same again. :smile:

[Terpe]

I watched it on iPlayer last night. Brilliant, fascinating, interesting.
Really enjoyed it.
I need to get that put on DVD :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Slip]

Is the underground one a repeat? Just i watched something about the underground last year....