The Deep Level Shelters were eight air-raid shelters built under London tube stations during the Second World War.
In the early years of the war the British Government was against the use of tube stations and underground tunnels as public bomb shelters because they believed that terrified citizens would refuse to leave them and return to continue their everyday tasks. However, in the face of civil disobedience the government was compelled to change its mind and instigate the deep shelter extension policy, closing short sections of the line and fitting some stations with beds, toilets and first aid facilities.
There was a fear that a breach in an under river tunnel would lead to terrible flooding on the underground and floodgates were therefore installed at strategic stations. A bomb did indeed fall on a disused railway tunnel and only huge concrete plugs, built on William Halcrow’s recommendation, saved the line from disaster.
In October 1940, as part of the new policy, the Government decided to construct a system of deep shelters. Halcrow were the joint consulting engineers on the project and the London office of about 15 staff was turned over to “tunnel work only” to cope with the capitals subterranean requirements.
Eight new shelters were built and the linked stations were chosen on a route that would make it possible to connect them up as a new railway when the war was over. Each shelter comprised two parallel tubes 3.8m in diameter and 366m long. They were placed below existing station tunnels at Clapham South, Clapham Common, Clapham North, Stockwell, Oval, Goodge Street, Camden Town, Belsize Park, Chancery Lane and St. Pauls. The shelters were started in 1940 and completed in 1942.
Each tube had two decks and was fully equipped with bunks, medical posts and kitchens and accommodated about 8000 people. They were originally all used by the government but, as bombing intensified in 1944 with V1 and V2 rocket assaults, five of the shelters were opened to the public.
Goodge Street, which was designed by William Halcrow, was possibly the most important of all, as it was from there that General Eisenhower directed the D-Day landings in 1944.
One of Goodge Street's pill box entrances has now been decorated and is named The Eisenhower Centre in memory of the American General and President.
Since the war several of these deep level tunnels have been used to store archived material and Goodge Street's tunnels are now used to store films and video tape.