Motoring Discussion > Disused underpass, Kingsway. London. Miscellaneous
Thread Author: bathtub tom Replies: 12
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New Sun 10 Mar 13 19:41 
 Disused underpass, Kingsway. London. - bathtub tom
I was on a bus today in Kingsway and noticed this disused underpass just north of Holborn station:tinyurl.com/bg57zom

It's got tracks in the cobbles! I presume they're an old tramway and probably disused for fifty years. I'm curious as to where they went and how they've survived. Can anyone enlighten me?
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New Sun 10 Mar 13 19:57 
 Disused underpass, Kingsway. London. - crocks
Wiki is your friend.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingsway_tramway_subway
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New Sun 10 Mar 13 20:02 
 Disused underpass, Kingsway. London. - Zero
Its all here.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingsway_tramway_subway


I went down the bit you saw, in about 1973, it was just used to store road furniture then.

The interesting thing around that way is the (then secret) underground kingsway telephone exchange!
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New Sun 10 Mar 13 21:45 
 Disused underpass, Kingsway. London. - Bromptonaut
There used to be a set of pictures about it displayed in the window of the Public Trustee Office on the corner of Kingsway and Sardinia St.

The site is now the LSE's New Academic Building.- new facilities behind the old façade.

I suppose the old pics were lost when the building was sold.
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New Sun 10 Mar 13 22:45 
 Disused underpass, Kingsway. London. - bathtub tom
Thanks for the replies.
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New Sun 10 Mar 13 23:05 
 Disused underpass, Kingsway. London. - swiss tony
>> There used to be a set of pictures about it displayed in the window of
>> the Public Trustee Office on the corner of Kingsway and Sardinia St.


Some pictures here...
www.flickr.com/photos/zefrog/sets/72157622554753070
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New Mon 11 Mar 13 07:22 
 Disused underpass, Kingsway. London. - sherlock47
A better pictorial history
www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/k/kingsway_tram_subway/

but be warned once you start browsing this site it almost becomes addictive. (Well, at least if you are a londoner!)
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New Mon 11 Mar 13 08:57 
 Disused underpass, Kingsway. London. - Dog
Interesting, I used to use the Strand underpass quite regularly in the early 70's and it's nice to know its history.
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New Mon 11 Mar 13 09:55 
 Disused underpass, Kingsway. London. - Cliff Pope
One of my earliest dimmest childhood memories is of travelling on a tram. I particulary remember the clanging metalic ride, in distinction from that of a trolley bus.
But family history cannot pinpoint whether this was in London, Liverpool or Glasgow.

An older generation of Londoners would often remark on Kingsway "where the trams used to go".
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New Mon 11 Mar 13 09:58 
 Disused underpass, Kingsway. London. - Zero
Thats quite a steepish short slope on that tunnel entry, I bet there was some traction on rails fun in the wet,
Last edited by: Zero on Mon 11 Mar 13 at 09:58
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New Mon 11 Mar 13 10:25 
 Disused underpass, Kingsway. London. - BiggerBadderDave
"I used to use the Strand underpass quite regularly in the early 70's"

Fascinating Dog. In the 90s I used the underpass the from Fulham Palace Road, towards the Broadway shopping centre. I regularly used the carpark around the Apollo, the toilets in the Distillers pub, by the river of the Riverside Studios, Rutland and Blue Anchor, the cemetery at Barons Court, Behind the Old Fire Station, a shop doorway on King Street, Novotel, in the XJS in the work carpark, in the lifts, in the darkroom and on countless Piccadilly line trains. I agree, it's nice to remember its history. But the real fun started in W1.
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New Mon 11 Mar 13 11:30 
 Disused underpass, Kingsway. London. - Dog
(hehehe!) I used the rear vehicle access to the Savoy Hotel once and got busted for possession of a minuscule amount of cannabis.

I should have gulped it like my m8 Mickey did!
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New Mon 11 Mar 13 11:48 
 Disused underpass, Kingsway. London. - Bromptonaut
Although used by Camden LBC as storage the Kingsway tramway is a 'listed' structure. It has occasionally been opened for visits by enthusiasts, the last occasion I recall was sponsored by 'Modern Railways' in the early noughties.

Unfortunately I could not make it.
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