A subterranean slice of British history is set to become London’s newest visitor attraction. The London Military Intelligence Museum, in partnership with the London Tunnels company, will open a sprawling underground experience that delves into the secretive world of wartime espionage and Cold War communication.
Picture/Kingsway Exchange Tunnels/David Levene/The Guardian
Slated to open in 2028, the £220 million (R5.2 billion) project will unlock access to a section of the historic Kingsway Exchange Tunnels—an 8,000sqm network lying beneath High Holborn and Chancery Lane tube stations.
According to The Guardian, the tunnels were originally used by the Special Operations Executive, a covert organisation formed during World War II and believed to have inspired Ian Fleming’s Q Branch in the James Bond novels.
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In the decades that followed, the complex took on new roles: as a secure telephone exchange during the Cold War in the 1950s and later, in the 1980s, as the site of the world’s deepest licensed bar for British government employees, thanks to British Telecom.
Visitors can expect interactive exhibitions showcasing spy equipment, weapons, and once-secret documents. The museum will also explore Ian Fleming’s intelligence background and literary legacy, offering a real-world link between the tunnels’ shadowy past and the glamorous world of Bond.
The venue will include a themed bar and immersive displays chronicling the evolution of military intelligence from WWII through the Cold War.
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