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As it stands, Greenwich foot tunnel looks less like where you’d want to make your daily commute and more like something straight out of the Backrooms. With failing lighting and constantly out-of-order lifts (as well as its own ghosts), the passageway is in dire need of some TLC.
Luckily, the Royal Borough of Greenwich Council and Tower Hamlets Council have finally agreed to give it the glow-up it deserves.
Both councils agreed to a ‘full regeneration’ of the tunnels, with improved lighting and steps to ‘improve heritage aspects’. More than surface level, the makeover will include new lifts with a dual-shaft. Gone will be the days of constant lift maintenance work!
The tunnel was built in 1902 (making it a whopping 124 years old) and was originally intended for a 15-man workforce to access north London docks no matter the weather. Nowadays, around 4,000 people use the tunnel daily.
One of only four pedestrian tunnels which pass under the Thames, the footpath links Greenwich to the Isle of Dogs with exits at Island Gardens and near Cutty Sark. On either side, the tunnel has glazed dome exits, with glass roofs.
At 370 meters, it should only take you ten minutes to cross and defo saves you the tube fare – once it’s been spruced up that is. Currently, passersby must often take the stairs up and down, due to maintenance issues with the lifts.
Locals have been calling for TfL to take control of the tunnel, with a campaign called ‘Lifts Now!’ gaining over 1,800 signatures. Karin Tearle and Maureen O’Mara, the women behind the campaign, told The Greenwich Wire
During the Blitz, the tunnel acted as a refuge for Londoners until a bomb damaged the northern end. Locals like to claim the subterranean passageway is haunted, but honestly? I’d do anything to avoid taking the ferry.
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