10 of London’s best underground secrets

This crypt dates back to 1042 (Picture: Markus Milligan/Heritage Daily)

As commuters rattle past on the Central Line near Fleet Street, most have no idea their train is travelling close to an underground graveyard, left there by Medieval churchgoers to house their dead.
The crypt beneath St Brides Church is just one of the subterranean secrets the capital hides beneath a network of choked up roads.
Photographer Markus Milligan, from Heritage Daily, scoped out some of the most dramatic and unexpected sites of underground London – and here’s what he found.

1.Billingsgate Roman Bathhouse

Secrets of London Underground Link: http://www.heritagedaily.com/2016/02/10-hidden-underground-sites-in-london/109524 Credit: Markus Milligan — It dates back to when London was still Londinium (Picture: Marcus Milligan/Heritage Daily)

These ancient Roman baths near London Bridge date back to 200 to 300AD, when the Romans controlled the capital.
They were discovered in 1848 while building the London Coal Exchange and became the first protected heritage site in London.

2. Crystal grotto in Painshill Park

This cave looks like it was formed thousands of years ago with stalactites and stalagmites.
But actually the listed monument is manmade, created as a folly between 1738 and 1773 by the Hon. Charles Hamilton MP.

3. Fleet Street Ossuary and Charnel House

An ‘ossuary’ literally means where bones are kept, and they are usually formed when there isn’t enough space for traditional graves.
This one is buried beneath St Brides Church and was rediscovered in the 1950s.

4. Pennington Street Vaults

This grade II listed warehouse and vault is by St Katherine’s Docks near Tower Bridge, and was used to store wine and imported goods for merchants.
It dates from the early 1800s and covers more than 20 acres.

5. West Norwood Catacombs

These catacombs are beneath West Norwood Cemetery in South London, where a church to stand before it was damaged in the Blitz.
The cemetery was consecrated for burials in 1837.

6. Roman Amphitheatre

This was London’s first Roman amphitheatre, built in AD70 and designed to entertain more than 7,000 thousand people with spectacles such as gladiator duels, animal fights and executions.
You can visit it beneath the Guildhall gallery near St Paul’s, where it was discovered in 1998 during building work.

7. Paddock (a bomb-proof bunker)

This secret war bunker in Dollis Hill, north west London, was built in 1939 during WW2 in case Whitehall was destroyed by Hitler’s forces.
It is so large it could fit the whole government into its two floors and 40 rooms which could house the cabinet and military leadership.

8. All Hallows-By-The-Tower

Yes, there is an entire underground Anglican church as well.
Founded in AD 675 by monks, it is next to the Tower of London and has been rebuilt several times, including after the Blitz.

9. Guildhall East Crypt

Grade I-listed Guildhall near St Paul’s has been used as a town hall for hundreds of years. Beneath the complex lies the East Crypt, as well as the amphitheatre we mentioned earlier, dating back to 1042.
The largest medieval crypt in London, it was destroyed in the Great Fire of London and later renovated.

10. Whitehall Palace Undercroft Cellar

The Palace of Whitehall used to be the London home of the English monarchy and was the largest palace in Europe.
However, it was almost completely gutted by fire in 1622 and only a few rooms survived, including this undercroft.
Now known as Henry VIII’s Wine Cellar, you can find it underneath the Ministry of Defence building.
To see all the images visit Heritage Daily.

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