Brunel tunnel on show for two days

THE spirit of Victorian Britain was invoked yesterday as the historic Thames Tunnel – once a hub of vice and iniquity – was re-opened to visitors for two days as part of a festival in East London.
By The Newsroom
Published 12th Mar 2010, 19:43 BST
Updated 12th Mar 2010, 19:43 BST

Known at the time as the Eighth Wonder of the World, the engineering triumph of Sir Marc Isambard Brunel and his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel has been closed to the public for 145 years.

But visitors yesterday harked back to the days when the first

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underwater tunnel drew thronging crowds who indulged in the hedonistic pursuits of the 19th century.

Initially intended for cargo, the project – the first for the 19-year-old Isambard – ran over budget and was swiftly turned into a famed entertainment venue under the Thames.

The exotic mixture of dancers, sword swallowers, Chinese singers and tight-rope walkers caught the nation's imagination.

The tunnel, which opened to pedestrian traffic in 1843, was visited by Queen Victoria that year.

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The tunnel, now part of the East London underground line, has been closed for refurbishment for the last three years and the two

days of public access have been arranged before it re-opens to trains in the next few weeks.