There was once a London Underground station constructed right in the middle of Mayfair, one of London’s most affluent areas. However, the residents who favoured alternative means of transport weren’t too happy with it.
The proposal for Down Street station came with strong opposition from Mayfair’s locals, who weren’t pleased about having a Tube station in the area because of worries that it would bring “undesirables” into their neighbourhood.
However, the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway continued with their plans to build a station with a line that was similar to the current Piccadilly line.
In the building proposals, the entrance of the station was meant to be on the main road. However, because of the opposition, they had to place it on a side road.
The station opened March 15, 1907, and right from the moment it did, it saw barely any passengers.
With more convenient stations like Hyde Park Corner close by, it only added to the low footfall the station saw, and 25 years later, the station was officially closed.
Yet, after its closure, the station still happened to be useful. In 1939, it acted as an underground bunker for the Railway Executive Committee, which was responsible for maintaining railway operations throughout the Second World War.
The tunnels of the station were turned into offices, bathrooms, dining rooms and dormitories and according to Atlas Obscura, the corridors were big enough for a tea trolley to get through.
Not only that, but to get into the bunker, there were two routes. The first was to enter at street level through the old building. The other one was a small section of the former platform which remained in use.
Trains on the former line would pass through and if an executive left a red lamp, the next train would stop. They would then board the train with the driver with no questions asked.
Winston Churchill himself along with other members of his government even used the Down Street bunker before the Cabinet War rooms in Westminster were completed.
Once the war was over, London Transport took over the bunker to use it for engineering access and as an emergency exit. Now people can experience tours of the abandoned London Underground station offered by The London Transport Museum.
