Eighth wonder of the world - Brunel Thames Tunnel talk

On Tuesday 1st February 2011, London Transport Museum are giving a talk by the extremely entertaining Robert Hulse, Director of The Brunel Museum. If you were unlucky enough to miss the sell-out  walk through the Thames Tunnel last year, this might be the next best thing.


Brunel's Thames Tunnel walk by Emily Webber
Built between 1825 and 1843, and now part of the new London Overground line, the tunnel that links Rotherhithe to Wapping was originally designed for cargo. The Thames Tunnel is considered the crowning achievement of 19th century engineering pioneer Sir Marc Brunel and it is the first project of his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel and his father Sir Marc Brunel.

Called the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’, huge crowds flocked to see this engineering marvel of the age. It was the first tunnel in the world to be constructed under a navigable river using Brunel’s innovative tunnel shield. Huge crowds also flocked to walk through the tunnel last year as the tunnel hadn't been walked through by the public since 1865.

Robert Hulse at Rotherhithe London Underground Station
Robert's talk will cover the tunnel’s whole history from its construction phases in early Victorian times, - when working conditions were lethal, to the modern day use of the tunnel as part of the reborn East London Railway.

The talk starts at 6.30pm and tickets are £8.00 for adults; £6.00 for senior citizens; and students £4.00 for students. You can book tickets by calling 020 7565 7298. It's at the Cubic Theatre, London Transport Museum, Covent Garden Piazza, London WC2E 7BB.

Update - Pete from The Londoneer went along to the talk and you can read his report of the night here.

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Brunel's Wapping Shaft - Robert's hilarious puntastic guide & talk on the Thames Tunnel
Brunel Thames Tunnel Tour in Words & Pictures