Nick CatfordSecret Underground London

If you have never realised the world of "secret" structures hidden from view underground in our capital city, you should get this book. It's an eye opener. I knew a little about there being some disused underground stations in London, but much of the information in the book was quite new to me. It is both interesting and sometimes rather shocking to learn of how many underground stations were decommissioned after as few as 10 years of use, due to inappropriate sites and therefore insufficient passenger numbers to make them financially viable. King William Street station is a case in point, work being started on the line from Elephant and Castle and Borough to the terminus at King William Street in 1896 and closed in 1900. Looking back, it's easy to think that market research into potential and likely passenger traffic was either still in embryo, or a very new and untried experiment. However, much more recently, there was the bank of escalators to take passengers from Charing Cross underground on the Jubilee line up to the Bakerloo line. Because the plan to continue the Jubilee Line from Charing Cross was changed and the Jubilee Line continued instead from Green Park, the new banks of escalators connecting Charing Cross to the Bakerloo Line were simply not needed. The Charing Cross station on the Jubilee line and the banks of escalators were closed to passenger traffic in 1999, though they were practically new at the time, just no longer needed. The line between Green Park and Charing Cross and the banks of escalators are now let out from time to time to film companies wanting a reasonably modern-looking set for a film of the underground. The pictures throughout this book are stunning - the author Nick Catford is to be highly commended for taking the trouble to visit so many intriguing places under London and photograph them for us to enjoy. There are in addition to old underground workings and stations some wartime bunkers scattered across the London area, and pictures showing how some of the now disused tubes were converted into accommodation for the London public as air-raid shelters. There is a stunning picture of a subway at Crystal Palace, where the ceiling is supported by pillars in the manner of an undercroft, and the most beautiful ornate patterning of the tiled brickwork fans from the top of the pillars to the roof itself, which we are told was done by Italian craftsmen, expert in such work, specially brought to England from Italy for the purpose. In addition, Nick Catford ranges out from London to give a general idea of the various Surrey stone quarries, Gatton Park and Godstone Hill, which were at one time served by a railway known locally as "the quarry line". There are also pictures of "ops" rooms at RAF Uxbridge, Royal Observer Corps monitoring posts at Northolt, Hounslow, Elstree, Morden and Knockholt, a set of Great Eastern Railway personnel files mouldering to dust on shelves at Bishopsgate Goods Station, RAF Fighter Command Bunkers at Bentley Priory, in a remarkably good state of preservation, and the old GPO underground railway back in London. A further item of interest is shown on the front cover as well as in the book itself - old coffins stacked on shelves at West Norwood Cemetary, catacombs now disused, but still with plenty of room for more coffins! The book is not cheap, but such good value for the price. It is a real pleasure - the paper is heavy china-clay finish, and smells delicious, the pictures are without exception clear and informative, as is the text. My sole gripe is that it is so weighty, it is impossible to hold it for any length of time without getting aching wrists, so if you're going to get it, have a cushion handy, or get a book stand to prop it on! Highly recommended.

As there are many websites covering the subject matter (including the authors own) I was a little wary of purchasing this book given the price.However I can thoroughly recommend it.The book is clearly the result of thorough research on top of a detailed understanding of the subject matter. The many photographs are of a high quality supported by relevant captions and text together with a number of clear diagrams.In brief the book consists of 24 chapters covering transport, government, military and industrial facilities plus a couple of outliers in the form of catacombs and unexplained tunnels.The book itself is printed and finished to a very high quality.There is a small element of duplication with similar books from the same publisher but, as each individual book needs to stand on its own, this is to be expected. After all, some people will perhaps not buy them all.Inevitably there are some locations which I would like to have read about, but you can only fit so much into a single book.I didn't think books of this depth and quality were produced anymore.Well worth the money.

This is an expensive book which is very well produced and nicely written. The photography is amazing and there are countless pictures here which cannot be found anywhere else. You will learn amazing things about underground tunnels and vaults in London. The caveat is whether you really need to do so. There are only so many brilliant pictures of mysterious ventilation shafts, of disused wartime control centres and former railway yards that can keep me gripped. My view is that it is a little over-zealous and that the pictures could have been scaled back by 50%, the 24 chapters by about 25% and the price similarly and this would have been a 5 star book.

This is a great book for those that are interested in London and trains and tunnels.Some good photos too. Good history as to what the underground was like and how it has changed.

Really very pleased with this book. Hundreds of great photos of subterranean London structures. The text, which is ideal as to the point and not long winded, does the trick. It is amazing how much lies hidden under our great capital city! Recommended!

I bought this as a present for someone, who absolute loves it. It is excellent quality with hundreds of colour photographs throughout but also quite a lot of informative text, sketch maps and other information.For those with an interest in the underground generally you could not go wrong with this book and I suspect the others in the series are of the same quality.

I bought this book as a present for my husband. He is absolutely fascinated by both the photographs and information and says that, having read it all the way through, he will keep dipping in and out of sections in order to learn more. It is an excellent read and explains clearly that 'other world' under London and the hidden history of bygone times.

A much welcome birthday present for an enthusiast