New UK WW2 attraction lets tourists experience what life was like in the Blitz – as wartime raid shelter reopens
An underground London wartime raid shelter has reopened to the public after getting a fresh revamp.
Visitors can now experience what life would’ve been like for Londoners in WW2 during the blitz like never before.
With incredible details and immersive surroundings this experience is truly one of a kind.
The shelter that originally opened in 1944, was designed to hold and protect 8,000 people from the air raids above.
Throughout its 80 year existence the Clapham South shelter has held wartime Londoners, Caribbean migrants arriving on the Empire Windrush, and later visitors to the Festival of Britain.
The site is one of just eight shelters across the city of London hidden under the streets of the capital.
Visitors will need to make their way down a whopping 180 steps to reach the shelter from street level.
The historical site is also kitted out with genuine Second World War artefacts that have been carefully restored.
The shelter has been designed to follow reports from the war to make the experience as realistic as possible.
Tickets range from £35 to £38, which will include entrance to the shelter and a tour by a guide portraying 1940s warden.
The tour lasts 75 minutes and is not currently available for children 13 and under, with 14 to 16-year-olds needing to be accompanied by adults.
Six other huge UK attractions that cover the history of World War Two
- Dover Castle
Explore Dover Castle in Kent, where Operation Dynamo was planned to evacuate troops from Dunkirk in 1940.
Walk through secret wartime tunnels and experience the underground wartime hospital’s sights and sounds. - Bletchley Park
Visit Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, home of the World War Two codebreakers. - The D-Day Story
This Portsmouth museum has interactive displays and personal stories from D-Day 1944.
See a Landing Craft Tank from D-Day, and learn about Portsmouth’s wartime history. - The Tank Museum
The Tank Museum in Dorset features over 300 tanks from 26 nations, including World War Two models. - Royal Air Force Museum
Choose between Cosford, Shropshire, or London to learn about the RAF’s role in World War Two.
Discover stories of the men and women who kept Britain’s skies safe. - Imperial War Museum
IWM London’s Second World War Galleries showcase over 1,500 items from the global conflict.
Hidden London, who are featuring the location on their tours, said: “Retrace the footsteps of wartime South Londoners spending their first night there.
“Get a sense of what the space looked and felt like 80 years ago thanks to meticulously recreated spaces such as the warden’s booth and canteen, which have been newly reconstructed based on historical photographs and extensive archival research.
“Handle authentic wartime artefacts sourced by historical experts, discover what an Anderson shelter looked like, handle genuine Second World War torches, and experience sitting on the bunk beds turned benches that families would spend their evenings on during air raids.”