Inside Aldwych, London's abandoned Underground station

Business Insider was given a tour of London's abandoned Aldwych Underground station.

The station has quite the history, opening in 1907 and serving as a bomb shelter during the Blitz in the 1940s. It was also used as a hiding place for some of the British Museum's treasures including the Elgin Marbles.

The station used to provide services to the Picadilly line, having only one stop to Holborn, which is around a 10-minute walk away. The station was eventually closed in 1994, due to heavy maintenance costs.

The station is now used for various forms of training by different organisations - including the fire brigade and the police - and public tours from the museum.

Hollywood movies are also filmed in the station, previously providing scenes for "V for Vendetta" and "Atonement."

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Business Insider UK is the largest business news site for British readers and viewers in the UK. Our mission: to tell you all you need to know about the big world around you. The BI UK Video team focuses on business, technology, strategy, and culture with an emphasis on unique storytelling and data that appeals to the next generation of leaders.

[kent_hdd]

It is nice to finally get some insight about this abandoned station since I am passing by it day by day.

[rjpx]

This video reminded me of the Tomb Raider game series, that premiered in the 90's. Tomb Raider 3 had several levels in London, including Aldwych station.

[britannia]

Those toilets are cleaner than the ones on the main line trains..

[brianthesnail]

Blimey, I just watched two abandoned tube station videos back to back and I used both of them in real life. Suddenly, I feel old.

Fun fact. My grandfather helped transport some of the Elgin Marbles stored down that tube station to the USA in WWII on a battleship called HMS Rodney for safe keeping. They diverted to sink the Bismarck on the way. Well done Grandad! 👍

[liamlale]

THE PRODIGY band shot FIRESTATER Song here :) Awesome to see this.

[AvroYork]

I had a tour of Aldwych years ago, very interesting and unusual experience.

[shadymorsi]

i remembered when i was in London i told my friends of hey there is the Underground station because we where desperatly searching for one so we could go to our hotel i pointed at Aldwych and a bypasser said that Aldwych has been closed for decades

[grantrennie]

That is the tunnel and station that was used in the movie "V for Vendetta" with Hugo weaving starring as a guy fawkes character

[baha]

One of my favorite levels in Tomb Raider 3!

[WilliamHBaird-eqhp]

Cool indeed! The Department S episode "Last Train to Redbridge" was shot here in the 1960's

[philrobinson]

I used to work at Middle Temple and used Aldwych every weekday to save me crossing the Strand from Chancery Lane Tube Station.
There was usually 4 or 5 in the lift (if it was working!) and we nodded to each other rather than spoke.
On the last day BBC Radio (I think) interviewed the 30 odd passengers who were moaning that it was closing…I’d never seen any of them before and to be honest, it wasn’t a great loss as it only went one stop.

[oludotunjohnshowemimo]

The 1972 mk1 looks well as it did when it was on thr Northern line.

[gwynmaverickjames]

Used it years ago getting off at Hounslow East on the Piccadilly line back in the day

[JP_TaVeryMuch]

Lovely atmospheric shots back of house, thank you.
The pin which was placed on the map at 0:44 is a little too far north and should be on the corner of Strand and Surrey Street.

[julianaylor]

I once went this station on a London Open Day, it was an amazing place but there were some nasty smells coming from the toilets.
The station was.actually used for several Sundays in the late 1960s for the Dr Who story Web Of Fear.

[Ascertivon]

Interesting! I’m glad that this was shared.

[ailinos]

So interesting. Wish we had a metro in Ireland :(

[Maneru]

28-year-old abandoned toilet in Aldwych: still works.

6-month-old flushing chain mechanism from my toilet: breaks off all the goddamn time.

[alessandro]

The 1992 movie Patriot Games has a scene at this station with the winding stairway

[CancerGaming]

They filmed the Q-Branch scene in Die another Day here