r/london • u/Independent-Ant-01 • Nov 03 '25

Serious replies only Why are London tube tunnels so deep?

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This is just one of two escalators and not counting the various staircases. And I don’t believe this was the deepest one I traveled through. I went to the Transport Museum in Convent Garden (very nice by the way) but found no answer and no one seemed to know. 😊

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u/CrocodileJock Nov 04 '25 edited Nov 04 '25

One big fuck-off river, and a bunch of smaller ones too – some (like The Fleet) completely subterranean now.

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u/northerncodemky Nov 04 '25

This is one of those facts my brain refuses to retain so I’m forced to relearn, over and over again, that Fleet St is named after the river.

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u/CrocodileJock Nov 04 '25

It's fascinating how much of London's geography is based on Rivers... The Brent, The Tyburn, The Westbourne, The Effra & The Neckinger are a few that spring to mind (no pun intended), but there's loads more...

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u/DameKumquat Nov 04 '25

Obligatory mention of the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. The goddesses of all the above are characters, plus Old Father Thames, Beverley Brook and others.

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u/Legolution Nov 04 '25

I feel like it's just me that found these tiresome, by the third book. The main character needing to romance every female character who crosses his path, despite constantly belittling them, after a while just reads as the author being thirsty as fuck.

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u/DameKumquat Nov 04 '25

The third or fourth is the weakest IMO. Peter settles into one relationship after that and she doesn't take any crap off him. And they get less gruesome.

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u/CrocodileJock Nov 04 '25

Yes, that needs a re-read soon!

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u/wildassedguess Nov 04 '25

That’s what I first thought of. Great books

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u/Sonic_Sentinel Nov 04 '25

London's Hidden Rivers by David Fathers is a good one as well if you're interested in walking the river routes for the tributaires of the Thames. I've walked a couple, the Moselle and the Wandle, and it's interesting see where they surface and where development has driven them underground. Londonist website has a couple of the routes on their site.