Greenwich & Woolwich foot tunnels

The Greenwich Foot Tunnel was designed by Sir Alexander Binnie, who also designed the original Blackwall tunnel and Vauxhall Bridge. The tunnel was opened in 1902 and it runs for 370 meters beneath the River Thames. The entrances on both sides of the river sit under huge glazed domes, with 87 steps down on the North side and 100 on the South. The original lifts were installed in 1904 and kept running until they were replaced in 1994. These were then replaced in 2010, however, it seems there is ongoing work to keep these up and running.

Once in the tunnel, you will see over 200,000 white glazed tiles lining the walls. The North end of the Greenwich Tunnel suffered bomb damage during the war, with the whole tunnel filling with water. The tunnel was repaired and you will notice the width reduces in this area. These same repairs can still be seen today.

The foot tunnel at Woolwich was designed by Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice, who also designed the Rotherhithe Tunnel. Woolwich foot tunnel opened in 1912 and at 504 metres, is 134 metres longer than that of Greenwich. At its deepest point, the tunnel sits about 3 metres under the river bed. Both tunnels were excavated by hand, with workers managing to dig approximately 10ft every 24 hours.

Similarly to Greenwich, both tunnel entrances are circular red brick buildings and it is said that the entrance on the South side is one of the oldest remaining buildings along the riverfront. The entrances for both tunnels are all Grade II listed.

Woolwich Foot Tunnel is used slightly less than Greenwich however an estimated 1.5 million people still use the tunnels each year.

Ghosts are said to haunt the tunnels, especially Greenwich. A Victorian man and woman are said to be seen late at night walking through the tunnel with their footsteps heard echoing off the walls.