Really interesting video, but rather claustrophobic. Another interesting thing to mention about the tunnel is that the bends in it were included so that horses wouldn't see daylight ahead and try to make a bolt for it!
That was interesting I never knew about that tunnel. It certainly does look scary. The pavement so narrow !!! I bet they never envisaged 34, 000 vehicles a day in 1908
I have had the dubious honour of having broken down during the evening rush hour & completely blocked the Northbound lane of the Rotherhithe Tunnel some years ago. The Police towed me out & when I got going again, I heard on the radio that somebody had broken down in the Tunnel and there were X amount of delays affecting the local area. Whoops!
In 1982 I broke down in the centre of Sheffield during rush hour in the centre of five lanes ~(in the same direction) of traffic. Trying to push my car slightly uphill on my own to the left side. Its amazing how many people sound their horn at you in such a situation. However, no matter how many horns were sounded it didn't make my disabled car go! Presumably they are cross because I'm quite clearly holding them up on purpose!
Drove through once and found it fumey and more than slightly claustrophobic. Thank you for videoing your walk-through. You have saved countless thousands the bother of having to do it for themselves, and more than likely, a few lives.
With such a restrictive speed limit, I'd think twice about doing this by car, sheesh! There's a similar tunnel (pedestrians barred because they have a seperate tunnel) which connects my burrough (Linkeroever) to the rest of the city of Antwerp. It has a 50km/h (roughly 33mph) speedlimit and it's torture if someone ahead actually sticks to that (most people drive 45mph+). At rush hour I take the bus or the pedestrian tunnel, because I just can't be arsed to deal with it.
You’re a far braver man than me, Morthren! I’ve driven through the Rotherhithe Tunnel a ‘few’ times since the 1980s but would NEVER dream of trying to walk through it!
...tunnel CCTV control-room: "we got a walker!" ..."oh no, not another one!" ..."yep and looks like he a vlogger too!" "geez...just what we need...another video on CZcams" ..."exactly...just encourages more to perhaps do the same" ...conversation reported by "undisclosed sources" ;)
I've walked, thumbed a lift and drove through Rotherhithe tunnel many times. I've also used the ventilation shaft entrances when they were in use. Lorries and double decker buses (number 82) used to run through it. At the two staircases just before the southern entrance, those low walls are hiding the Rotherhithe Overground (formally East London Line) station and is very close to Marc Brunel's tunnel. If anybody isn't aware Brunel's tunnel is part of the rail system and you can journey through it by train. My favourite tunnel!
Great video, brave man. Got to admire the brick tiles in the tunnel, that are 111 years old, and still look in good nick now. Quality workmanship for sure.
Living near Wapping, friends and I used to play down in this tunnel in the early 1970's - the Vent Shaft 3; housing 4 massive extractor fans; used to have around 300 steps leading up to 'Shadwell (King Edward Memorial) Park'. Although probably not as much traffic as now, cars back then were hardly as enviromentally friendly - the fumes were unbelievable. Years of course passed by; my favourite memory was driving a Hillman Avenger through it (around 1982) with only half an exhaust still hanging on. I'm still trying to regain my hearing! Many thanks for this broadcast. Happy, happy memories from when life was so much simpler and oh so much more fun. 👍👍👍👍
I used to drive thro it at nights in the early 80's, driving a station shuttle bus from the city to the island. and for a long time there was a guy that looked like ben gunn actually living in it! great vid.........!
My father in the 1960s took me for a walk through this tunnel. His inspiration was the “Pool of London”, a 1950’s British film about the river underworld of London. The film is set in the tunnel with scenes and stunt work focussed on the ventilation shafts. Visiting London, I’d rather have gone to the Zoo. Strange man with strange interests. You’d have obviously got along very well!!!
an interesting follow-up for some enterprising pedestrian would be to walk through the tunnel wearing a high-grade mask and see what the filler looks like after the trip!
You must love the smell of exhaust fumes in the morning. Ever wondered what its like to stand inside an exhaust pipe? A stroll through Rotherhithe tunnel will give you a good idea.
Hey!! that REALLY takes me back...I was living on the Pepys estate south east London late 70s early 80s..a mile or so along the Thames from the tunnel..had to cycle to and from the A13 5..sometimes 6 times a week...always remember witnessing a van broadsiding a motor on that sharp right@ 8.30 on your video..completely blocked the tunnel with nothing moving in either direction..including emergency services!! I'm surprised it's still open considering...so thankyou for posting..keep it up⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐👍👜👀
Not tiles but ceramic glazed engineering bricks, also found in many Underground Stations, fired to a very high temperature they are stronger than normal stock bricks and are non porous. Used in Swimming Pool construction in the 20's and 30's ( Empire Pool, Wembley now Wembley Arena, Earls Court Exhibition Hall, both also used as Ice Rinks ) and Bridge/Embankment construction.
Great video! Love those steps at the start, always love it when a sunken road has something like that along the sides of it. The "reduce speed now" signs are also interesting. Kinda reminds me of how some towns and counties down here in the SE are too cheap to higher an engineer to determine the safe speeds around sharp curves, so they'll just put a "slow" or "slow down" placard underneath a warning sign.
Not only a really good video generally but amazingly stable too, considering that you were walking and, further that you did so in such an highly toxic environment. I do so hope that you continue to produce more highly informative and detailed material along the same lines.
Yup. Got a penalty fine in June 2021: drove a small hire van through that I didn't realise had a gross weight of 2.3 Tonnes. The weight limit signs are the HGV symbol ones - so at a glance without reading the "2T", you can easily assume it only applies to lorries.
Walked through and back again in 1963 with a couple of mates when I was 12. Decided on the spur of the moment to walk to London from Chatham. A lot less traffic in those days; but probably just as much pollution!
Thank you for sacrificing your lungs so we could see this tunnel. Amazing, not a fence or anything what so ever between you and the cars. . Interesting!!!
Wouldn't really need a fence, not often pedestrian to protect, extremely unlikely target for terrorism (running over people). Plus in an emergency it allows room to pull over for emergency vehicles to get past or pull over if you break down (while not strictly legal, I think it would be justified)
I walked through there in the seventies. I would definitely recommend the London Overground from Rotherhithe to Wapping as a better alternative, through Brunell’s tunnel.
IIRC during the 1950's one of the ventilation shafts came up in Shadwell Park and pedestrian access to the tunnel was by walking down metal stairs which ran around the ventilation fan shaft which to a young child seemed enormous, probably about 30-40 foot in diameter. The whole contraption was completely visible as it just had a wire mesh fence surrounding it.
thanks for posting this. Did'nt know you could walk through that tunnel and i've lived in London all my life. Have driven through it multiple times and never seen anyone walking through it! :)
When I was little my Dad used to drive us through here nearly every weekend when he played football in Ewell. This was pre-M25 (which I saw being constructed). The Rotherhithe tunnel always fascinated me because of how narrow it is and how precarious the bends were. I also wanted to know where the steps went, so this video has tied up a few loose ends for me, thanks! I have driven through it myself latterly for old time's sake.
"Finally out" after feeling like you have smoked 200 cigs in rapid succession. Quite a few times i have been through that tunnel in a car and it has looked like the old time Smog had returned, it can get rather thick in there at times although we are talking about 5 to 10 years maybe more was the last time i see that so may have improved heavily since then.
I Just picked up this video on you tube, took me right back to 1988 & 1989 when I was delivering joinery to building site on the old Surry docks. Even worse fumes in those day as there was not so many environmental rules in those days.
I've driven through the tunnel, but never walked through it. I'd forgotten how close the traffic was to the pathways. I'm pleased that there are restrictions in place now as regards weight and dimensions of vehicles and a 20 mph speed restriction backed by cameras. I guess you were relieved to be out of the tunnel, you did mention the fumes. Good video as always.
At least they should try to lover the number of bloody smoky diesels. They used to be very popular because diesels were deemed to be less harmful and more economic. Some government subsidies were in place too so the UK has the highest percentage of diesel powered cars in Europe. It looks like the taxis are mostly diesels, skunky smoky black cabs.
I took a long wheelbase Transit through there, back in the day. That dog-leg in the middle is fun. Especially if another van is coming the other way......
I used to walk through here in the eighties after a night out in Limehouse, it was bad with time at one o'clock in the morning, could write your name on the tiles which where thick with diesel/petrol dirt,ya must be mad, but it brings back good memories
Another great video Morthren 👍 I was considering walking this tunnel and videoing it but I probably won't bother with what looks like risking suffocation for myself 😷 Might have a look at the tunnel entrances though.
Thanks! I would honestly say it was really horrible walking it. The fumes really are bad and make you feel sick afterwards. It'll be nice to see the WigWags working. I didn't include it but the Limehouse end has a narrow Forest City which I've not seen before.
@@morthren Yeah, I did notice the narrow types as I past the Limehouse entrance on the DLR not long ago. I think the only time you'd see these lights work is when the tunnel is closed for maintenance and they stop traffic.
@@morthren I have some video (unfortunately at night) of the wigwags working from earlier this year when the tunnel was closed for "emergency ventilation works' - I might upload them if anybody was interested.
In the 1960's, this is one of the local walks my dad used to take us on. I was always thrilled to be able to climb up and down the ventialtioin shaft stairs! Sadly, no longer possible, as this video says. Also, there were probably far fewer vehicles using it back in those days. It was normally a Sunday afternoon walk we were on.
I have driven through here many times back in the 1970 when I lived locally. I did once walk through it after a party south of the river and it’s no fun when drunk , it took so long to walk it I could have sworn both ends had been joined up. On a side note my grandfather worked as a stoker on one of the many steam engine cranes used during construction.
I've walked though this tunnel once in my teens, not knowing how long it was etc. The air quality is horrific and when I got home in the evening I fell ill and was sick too. Not a good idea!
After seeing this, I am glad that the Clyde Tunnel in Glasgow has separate tunnels for walking/cycling underneath the roadway. I hate to breath air in the tunnel there!
Tunnels with traffic in both directions through one tube generally have a ventilation problem. The vehicles circle the exhaust fumes around and that causes local concentrations of them -depending on the amount and density of the traffic- rather than helping the vents to get them out. Ventilation in tunnels with a one-way traffic generally works better. However: the tunnel and the infrastructure around is meant to use it both ways so there is no way to change that anyway. Maybe it gets better when all people have electric cars ... ;-)
@Gordon Aitchison Aotocorrect, probably. Apostrophe abuse drives me mental, but autocorrect still makes me do it. Its/it's and were/we're are two of its favourites on my Samsung. It's very easy to miss. No need to assume stupidity.
10:30 - I would have loved to see how the tunnel "looks like" from above... E.g. were would that middle walking entrance be located. Would there be something to see if you went the stairs up? 12:14 - Funny that there are those poles outside the tunnel separating the roadway and the sidewalk but not in the tunnel. When you were walking in it, I was thinking that some kind of separating poles would add sense of security for possible pedestrians.
Great video as always. I can only imagine how vile it was walking through there with that much exhaust fumes. I hope you went somewhere nice to get some fresh air afterward.
I hope everyone has a chance to read Iain Sinclair's description of the approach and on-foot entrance of Rotherhithe Tunnel in his book, Downriver -- absolutely hilarious.
In the old days the walls were tiles and there weren’t size restrictions like there is now, as well as the fans not working so well. Often walked through it from Surrey docks back to the east end after the pubs closed, good fun when a bit pie eyed.
The London Underground East London Line was being upgraded in the late 1990's and single deck Mercedes SR buses were driven through this tunnel, its was terrifying for any oncoming vehicle to encounter my colleagues and i driving through. For sure it was the most dangerous tunnel in Europe when i was on duty
That was terrifying! No railing and the curb looks very low. Very few drivers were following the speed limit. I don't know if I would have walked through that tunnel.
I remember when I first started driving trucks, took both the door mirrors off driving through here. Back in the late 1970's you could drive lorries through here.
Very interesting video. One additional note @ 2:50 the road crosses over the London Overground with Rotherhithe station on your left. I'm surprised they still allow pedestrians given the atmosphere.
id love to know what is behind the little padlocked doors at the entrances to the tunnel, stunning tile work and funny little alcoves that seem to have no purpose.
If we had more foot/Bicycle tunnels linking north and south London at strategic points, so many people will just leave their cars at home and walk to work. At the moment, there's only Greenwich and Woolwich foot tunnels
cheesh! Finally, my first time e v e r at watching somebody's recording of c l e a r blue sky over GB, and the fella's compelled to film some dark, dank tunnel..oh well.
I have walked past the tunnel entrace/exit at Limehouse many times on my way to the DLR station, and with the amount of traffic that uses the tunnel around 15-18 hours a day I really cannot recommend walking through it.
Back in the 60s I used to drive through in a removal lorry - Too long, too high, too wide and too heavy now. Those bends are tight for such a narrow roadway and I often had to stop and wait for traffic in the opposite direction to break, so that I could cross the centre line.
A brilliant video: well shot, no music, informative sub-titles. Thanks for going through that experience! The house behind the phone boxes at the end - has that got anything to do with the tunnel? It looked Georgian design but the tunnel was built in Victorian times?
@@TheAlfsterino No worries Alf. I've travelled down the tunnel a few times in the mid 1980s. I was having a go at the London Knowledge to train as a London cabbie. The air down there could get rather thick during traffic holdups. I was on my motorbike and I did feel vulnerable, there was not much room for error, what with that and the odd drop of spilled diesel fuel on the carriageway things could get interesting. 😀👍
Thank you for posting this, I'm an expat Londoner so these videos make me homesick! I wonder what the tunnel was like in its early days, with horsepower instead of engines?
My father and I used to walk upstream from Greenwich and explore most weekends in the early '70s - we came down VS2 one time - once was enough. After that I walked the entire length one other time and spent the next 2 days coughing up smuts. With that in mind, I always made a point of closing all the windows on the P14 bus whenever we went through - pity the poor dockers on the old 82 back in the day - that was a narrow and low double decker as well :-(
I walked through once back in the late 1980s from work. There was a story about a homeless guy living there - I think where vent shaft 3 is. If true he could have secreted himself up those stairs, also easier before CCTV?
My old stamping ground before like so many us old lot driven out by the new lot, used to love taking me Vespa thru there as often would go thru Rotherhithe and come back Blackwall or wander down and get the ferry back to decent surroundings ;) Can be hellish in rush hour and you need to have your recycling air setting on the heater controls as it can pump fresh lorry juices right in yer birds nest and have you coughing like you're bringing up an ace. I got banned from Greenwich foot tunnel for riding me Vespa thru there, liftman was a decent chap who didn't mind us going down and up other side on lift as long as we walked the bikes, I decided to chance it and no one about so I thought and started her up and nipped up Greenwich side to turn it off and get an absolute shellacking by the lift man who was full on wanting to call the local law and have me done. Did it loads times in the Woolwich one, they didn't care there so it seems hehe One foot tunnel I would love to see is the Gravesend-Tilbury one, its a cable tunnel now but fully walkable but the company don't do visitors :*(
Seems weird but I lived in Rotherhithe and went to school in Stepney in the mid 60's and for 3 years I cycled to school every day and never even noticed the fumes! Nearly 70 now and it doesn't seem to have caused me any damage. Don't think I would dream of walking thru nowadays tho.
I always close the air vents when I drive through. I've always imagined the air to be unbreathable but I suppose the movement of vehicles must aid ventilation a bit.
About the bad air quality: This is yet another reason why we should stop using petrol to power our cars and use electricity instead. It would probably get higher usage that way and would make everything better in general.
Finally somebody who doesnt blame the building, but the vehicles themselves for making that tunnel a nightmare. Things like this tend to be forgotten about, think of all the money that goes into keeping that ventilation up and running, cleaning the walls from the exhaust gases, all these things wouldn't be necessary if we started going electric (and also reduced traffic).
Trouble is, we have nowhere near the necessary generating capacity in the UK to charge 30 million road vehicles overnight, as well as doing all the 'usual' stuff like lighting, charging other appliances, etc.
I recall walking through the tunnel, and then back when I was a kid - a long time ago. Very noisy. I think I walked the Blackwall tunnel too. I seem to recall the walkway was elevated above the traffic by a few feet and had a handrail. It was a long time ago and maybe my memory is hazy here.
It would be nice if there was some sort of barrier between you and the cars. Can you imagine the smell of horse droppings trapped in there in the old days! Not as poisonous as exhaust fumes though. Fascinating video.
Whilst convenient crossing point, the air quality does suck. Back in my youth I would motorcycle through it, I found that holding your breath and sprinting between ventilation shafts was the least obnoxious way to get through it. But with speed cameras, etc that would be an expensive proposition these days! Since they've reduced max vehicle height, they could put some ventilation fans along the roof, like you find in modern tunnels, to make the air more breathable. If you do it again, take a CO detector and see how bad it is!!
Really interesting video, but rather claustrophobic. Another interesting thing to mention about the tunnel is that the bends in it were included so that horses wouldn't see daylight ahead and try to make a bolt for it!
flashylite That’s a myth.
I've heard the same thing about the old bore of the Blackwall tunnel
That was interesting I never knew about that tunnel. It certainly does look scary. The pavement so narrow !!! I bet they never envisaged 34, 000 vehicles a day in 1908
I cycled through this once, I felt like I was coming back to life when I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Never, ever again.
I have had the dubious honour of having broken down during the evening rush hour & completely blocked the Northbound lane of the Rotherhithe Tunnel some years ago. The Police towed me out & when I got going again, I heard on the radio that somebody had broken down in the Tunnel and there were X amount of delays affecting the local area. Whoops!
In 1982 I broke down in the centre of Sheffield during rush hour in the centre of five lanes ~(in the same direction) of traffic. Trying to push my car slightly uphill on my own to the left side. Its amazing how many people sound their horn at you in such a situation. However, no matter how many horns were sounded it didn't make my disabled car go! Presumably they are cross because I'm quite clearly holding them up on purpose!
The guy on the moped waving at you haha!
Drove through once and found it fumey and more than slightly claustrophobic. Thank you for videoing your walk-through. You have saved countless thousands the bother of having to do it for themselves, and more than likely, a few lives.
Exhaust Fumes
Do Not Loiter.
I rather think they do.
Driven through this a few times, not sure I would walk it! Jeez :)
That was the first and last time for me! 🙂
Nice to see you on other videos haha!
Especially with the exhaust emissions
@@ericpickles9616 Lol i thought you were the real Eric Pickles for a split second XD
With such a restrictive speed limit, I'd think twice about doing this by car, sheesh!
There's a similar tunnel (pedestrians barred because they have a seperate tunnel) which connects my burrough (Linkeroever) to the rest of the city of Antwerp. It has a 50km/h (roughly 33mph) speedlimit and it's torture if someone ahead actually sticks to that (most people drive 45mph+). At rush hour I take the bus or the pedestrian tunnel, because I just can't be arsed to deal with it.
That is nuts! Awesome that you made this video! You are a real trooper!!
Thanks!
You’re a far braver man than me, Morthren! I’ve driven through the Rotherhithe Tunnel a ‘few’ times since the 1980s but would NEVER dream of trying to walk through it!
think it was in the 80s that i last drove thru it...never again methinks
its crazy that at some point this had avarage of 14000 pedestrians per day! now its just 20!
I remember the days when full-size lorries with trailers where allowed to use it and lead was in all car fuel
...tunnel CCTV control-room: "we got a walker!" ..."oh no, not another one!" ..."yep and looks like he a vlogger too!" "geez...just what we need...another video on CZcams" ..."exactly...just encourages more to perhaps do the same" ...conversation reported by "undisclosed sources" ;)
Vincent de Guard lol yep we have a another pedestrian not paying attention, best get the shovel ready.
I've walked, thumbed a lift and drove through Rotherhithe tunnel many times. I've also used the ventilation shaft entrances when they were in use. Lorries and double decker buses (number 82) used to run through it. At the two staircases just before the southern entrance, those low walls are hiding the Rotherhithe Overground (formally East London Line) station and is very close to Marc Brunel's tunnel. If anybody isn't aware Brunel's tunnel is part of the rail system and you can journey through it by train. My favourite tunnel!
Always walk on the side with traffic flowing towards you, you can't see if a car is coming right at you from behind..
Does help
Great video, brave man. Got to admire the brick tiles in the tunnel, that are 111 years old, and still look in good nick now. Quality workmanship for sure.
Living near Wapping, friends and I used to play down in this tunnel in the early 1970's - the Vent Shaft 3; housing 4 massive extractor fans; used to have around 300 steps leading up to 'Shadwell (King Edward Memorial) Park'. Although probably not as much traffic as now, cars back then were hardly as enviromentally friendly - the fumes were unbelievable. Years of course passed by; my favourite memory was driving a Hillman Avenger through it (around 1982) with only half an exhaust still hanging on. I'm still trying to regain my hearing! Many thanks for this broadcast. Happy, happy memories from when life was so much simpler and oh so much more fun. 👍👍👍👍
I used to drive thro it at nights in the early 80's,
driving a station shuttle bus from the city to the island.
and for a long time there was a guy that looked like ben gunn
actually living in it!
great vid.........!
As you panned up to the fans I thought "That's the tunnel in the Professionals", five seconds later... Solved a mystery I've had for years!
Thank you for the interesting walk. The subtitles gave me enough info, for questions I probably would have asked.
My father in the 1960s took me for a walk through this tunnel. His inspiration was the “Pool of London”, a 1950’s British film about the river underworld of London. The film is set in the tunnel with scenes and stunt work focussed on the ventilation shafts. Visiting London, I’d rather have gone to the Zoo. Strange man with strange interests. You’d have obviously got along very well!!!
an interesting follow-up for some enterprising pedestrian would be to walk through the tunnel wearing a high-grade mask and see what the filler looks like after the trip!
You must love the smell of exhaust fumes in the morning. Ever wondered what its like to stand inside an exhaust pipe? A stroll through Rotherhithe tunnel will give you a good idea.
...congrats ...probably more people have been to the top of Everest than have walked thru the tunnel
I walked through with 3 friends last July. Bad idea!
..were you all sober?
Hey!! that REALLY takes me back...I was living on the Pepys estate south east London late 70s early 80s..a mile or so along the Thames from the tunnel..had to cycle to and from the A13 5..sometimes 6 times a week...always remember witnessing a van broadsiding a motor on that sharp right@ 8.30 on your video..completely blocked the tunnel with nothing moving in either direction..including emergency services!! I'm surprised it's still open considering...so thankyou for posting..keep it up⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐👍👜👀
My aunt lived in Aragon Towers, lifts were always broken 👍
@@samanthamcphie9520 Take me back...Oxestall Rd, Eddystone Tower hahahahaha... Didn't realise how much of a laugh we were having 👉☮️👈👉💎👈
@@alexmarshall4331 Real lives, just existing. Beautiful people
I like the idea of putting a loading gauge at the entrance so if anything won't fit it'd hit that before it gets stuck in the actual tunnel
1:25 Although over 100 years old the construction of that arch is still cutting edge.
A truly terrible pun. Congratulations.
I like the tiling on the walls of that tunnel. So much smarter than the boring concrete we have today.
I like it too. The whole tunnel used to be tiled when it was first built
Would be expensive to do this today.
noob gamer cos they’re lazy and boring. It used to be possible, therefore it should still be
Not tiles but ceramic glazed engineering bricks, also found in many Underground Stations, fired to a very high temperature they are stronger than normal stock bricks and are non porous. Used in Swimming Pool construction in the 20's and 30's ( Empire Pool, Wembley now Wembley Arena, Earls Court Exhibition Hall, both also used as Ice Rinks ) and Bridge/Embankment construction.
@@tonys1636 Thanks for the info.
Great video! Love those steps at the start, always love it when a sunken road has something like that along the sides of it. The "reduce speed now" signs are also interesting. Kinda reminds me of how some towns and counties down here in the SE are too cheap to higher an engineer to determine the safe speeds around sharp curves, so they'll just put a "slow" or "slow down" placard underneath a warning sign.
Wow, here's a man willing to die for his art.
Not only a really good video generally but amazingly stable too, considering that you were walking and, further that you did so in such an highly toxic environment. I do so hope that you continue to produce more highly informative and detailed material along the same lines.
I have no idea why I found this so interesting …
Yup. Got a penalty fine in June 2021: drove a small hire van through that I didn't realise had a gross weight of 2.3 Tonnes. The weight limit signs are the HGV symbol ones - so at a glance without reading the "2T", you can easily assume it only applies to lorries.
Walked through and back again in 1963 with a couple of mates when I was 12. Decided on the spur of the moment to walk to London from Chatham. A lot less traffic in those days; but probably just as much pollution!
Thank you for sacrificing your lungs so we could see this tunnel. Amazing, not a fence or anything what so ever between you and the cars. .
Interesting!!!
Wouldn't really need a fence, not often pedestrian to protect, extremely unlikely target for terrorism (running over people). Plus in an emergency it allows room to pull over for emergency vehicles to get past or pull over if you break down (while not strictly legal, I think it would be justified)
I walked through there in the seventies. I would definitely recommend the London Overground from Rotherhithe to Wapping as a better alternative, through Brunell’s tunnel.
The amount of times I have walked across the mouth of the tunnel ..and never had the nerve to walk through it let alone cycle it !!
Your videos are just so relaxing. Thank you!
Have you tried asmr?😂
IIRC during the 1950's one of the ventilation shafts came up in Shadwell Park and pedestrian access to the tunnel was by walking down metal stairs which ran around the ventilation fan shaft which to a young child seemed enormous, probably about 30-40 foot in diameter. The whole contraption was completely visible as it just had a wire mesh fence surrounding it.
I remember going up those stairs
thanks for posting this. Did'nt know you could walk through that tunnel and i've lived in London all my life. Have driven through it multiple times and never seen anyone walking through it! :)
When I was little my Dad used to drive us through here nearly every weekend when he played football in Ewell. This was pre-M25 (which I saw being constructed). The Rotherhithe tunnel always fascinated me because of how narrow it is and how precarious the bends were. I also wanted to know where the steps went, so this video has tied up a few loose ends for me, thanks! I have driven through it myself latterly for old time's sake.
I cannot believe that this is open to foot traffic yet there it is!
morthren: I'm going inside, I may be some time.
"Finally out" after feeling like you have smoked 200 cigs in rapid succession.
Quite a few times i have been through that tunnel in a car and it has looked like the old time Smog had returned, it can get rather thick in there at times although we are talking about 5 to 10 years maybe more was the last time i see that so may have improved heavily since then.
I Just picked up this video on you tube, took me right back to 1988 & 1989 when I was delivering joinery to building site on the old Surry docks. Even worse fumes in those day as there was not so many environmental rules in those days.
I've driven through the tunnel, but never walked through it. I'd forgotten how close the traffic was to the pathways. I'm pleased that there are restrictions in place now as regards weight and dimensions of vehicles and a 20 mph speed restriction backed by cameras. I guess you were relieved to be out of the tunnel, you did mention the fumes. Good video as always.
I guess this is the reason the UK wants every car to be electric in a few years!
At least they should try to lover the number of bloody smoky diesels. They used to be very popular because diesels were deemed to be less harmful and more economic. Some government subsidies were in place too so the UK has the highest percentage of diesel powered cars in Europe. It looks like the taxis are mostly diesels, skunky smoky black cabs.
I took a long wheelbase Transit through there, back in the day. That dog-leg in the middle is fun. Especially if another van is coming the other way......
I used to walk through here in the eighties after a night out in Limehouse, it was bad with time at one o'clock in the morning, could write your name on the tiles which where thick with diesel/petrol dirt,ya must be mad, but it brings back good memories
Brian Wilder bloody hell that would be even scarier at that time with all the drink drivers!
Another great video Morthren 👍 I was considering walking this tunnel and videoing it but I probably won't bother with what looks like risking suffocation for myself 😷 Might have a look at the tunnel entrances though.
Thanks! I would honestly say it was really horrible walking it. The fumes really are bad and make you feel sick afterwards. It'll be nice to see the WigWags working. I didn't include it but the Limehouse end has a narrow Forest City which I've not seen before.
@@morthren Yeah, I did notice the narrow types as I past the Limehouse entrance on the DLR not long ago. I think the only time you'd see these lights work is when the tunnel is closed for maintenance and they stop traffic.
@@morthren I have some video (unfortunately at night) of the wigwags working from earlier this year when the tunnel was closed for "emergency ventilation works' - I might upload them if anybody was interested.
@@secondbackwaterdivide Sure, it'll be interesting to see
@@morthren Here it is - unfortunately not much as my camera failed to record: czcams.com/video/vSS0zZTW0C8/video.html
In the 1960's, this is one of the local walks my dad used to take us on. I was always thrilled to be able to climb up and down the ventialtioin shaft stairs! Sadly, no longer possible, as this video says. Also, there were probably far fewer vehicles using it back in those days. It was normally a Sunday afternoon walk we were on.
I have driven through here many times back in the 1970 when I lived locally. I did once walk through it after a party south of the river and it’s no fun when drunk , it took so long to walk it I could have sworn both ends had been joined up. On a side note my grandfather worked as a stoker on one of the many steam engine cranes used during construction.
I wonder how many of the special Double Deck Buses that were built for use through the tunnel still exist.
I've walked though this tunnel once in my teens, not knowing how long it was etc. The air quality is horrific and when I got home in the evening I fell ill and was sick too. Not a good idea!
I might try it one day!
That was the first and last time I'm walking it. I felt sick for the rest of the day after walking through it.
@@morthren Yeah! I bet it's not pleasant!
After seeing this, I am glad that the Clyde Tunnel in Glasgow has separate tunnels for walking/cycling underneath the roadway. I hate to breath air in the tunnel there!
Tunnels with traffic in both directions through one tube generally have a ventilation problem. The vehicles circle the exhaust fumes around and that causes local concentrations of them -depending on the amount and density of the traffic- rather than helping the vents to get them out. Ventilation in tunnels with a one-way traffic generally works better. However: the tunnel and the infrastructure around is meant to use it both ways so there is no way to change that anyway. Maybe it gets better when all people have electric cars ... ;-)
At least you got out before that very smokey BMW X3 came through. :)
The many bends in the tunnel ,we’re for the days of horse drawn traffic,to stop the horse bolting if they could see daylight
@Gordon Aitchison Aotocorrect, probably. Apostrophe abuse drives me mental, but autocorrect still makes me do it. Its/it's and were/we're are two of its favourites on my Samsung. It's very easy to miss. No need to assume stupidity.
10:30 - I would have loved to see how the tunnel "looks like" from above... E.g. were would that middle walking entrance be located. Would there be something to see if you went the stairs up?
12:14 - Funny that there are those poles outside the tunnel separating the roadway and the sidewalk but not in the tunnel. When you were walking in it, I was thinking that some kind of separating poles would add sense of security for possible pedestrians.
woowooNeedsFaith - you meant kerb fencing through-out this tunnel, I would agree to that 😉
Great video as always. I can only imagine how vile it was walking through there with that much exhaust fumes. I hope you went somewhere nice to get some fresh air afterward.
I nearly got an asthma attack by just watching this...
I hope everyone has a chance to read Iain Sinclair's description of the approach and on-foot entrance of Rotherhithe Tunnel in his book, Downriver -- absolutely hilarious.
Did I see a sign which said max. speed 20mph? Some of those drivers were flying through the tunnel. Great video.
In the old days the walls were tiles and there weren’t size restrictions like there is now, as well as the fans not working so well. Often walked through it from Surrey docks back to the east end after the pubs closed, good fun when a bit pie eyed.
The London Underground East London Line was being upgraded in the late 1990's and single deck Mercedes SR buses were driven through this tunnel, its was terrifying for any oncoming vehicle to encounter my colleagues and i driving through. For sure it was the most dangerous tunnel in Europe when i was on duty
That was terrifying! No railing and the curb looks very low. Very few drivers were following the speed limit. I don't know if I would have walked through that tunnel.
I remember when I first started driving trucks, took both the door mirrors off driving through here. Back in the late 1970's you could drive lorries through here.
Very interesting video. One additional note @ 2:50 the road crosses over the London Overground with Rotherhithe station on your left.
I'm surprised they still allow pedestrians given the atmosphere.
I can feel the exhaust fumes from here O_O Well done for walking this so we don't have to? And well informative too :D
id love to know what is behind the little padlocked doors at the entrances to the tunnel, stunning tile work and funny little alcoves that seem to have no purpose.
If we had more foot/Bicycle tunnels linking north and south London at strategic points, so many people will just leave their cars at home and walk to work. At the moment, there's only Greenwich and Woolwich foot tunnels
I love your videos. You must be fun to hang out with. Especially since I’m from USA you could show me all sorts of stuff.
cheesh! Finally, my first time e v e r at watching somebody's recording of c l e a r blue sky over GB, and the fella's compelled to film some dark, dank tunnel..oh well.
Now up the ante, and do a walk through the Dartford Tunnel! 😂
Then the channel tunnel, lol
I have walked past the tunnel entrace/exit at Limehouse many times on my way to the DLR station, and with the amount of traffic that uses the tunnel around 15-18 hours a day I really cannot recommend walking through it.
Back in the 60s I used to drive through in a removal lorry - Too long, too high, too wide and too heavy now. Those bends are tight for such a narrow roadway and I often had to stop and wait for traffic in the opposite direction to break, so that I could cross the centre line.
One of the examples where you want to admit emission-less vehicles only.
A brilliant video: well shot, no music, informative sub-titles. Thanks for going through that experience!
The house behind the phone boxes at the end - has that got anything to do with the tunnel? It looked Georgian design but the tunnel was built in Victorian times?
With respect Queen Victoria died in 1901. I suppose we could say it's Edwardian.
AG! . Thanks!
@@TheAlfsterino No worries Alf. I've travelled down the tunnel a few times in the mid 1980s. I was having a go at the London Knowledge to train as a London cabbie. The air down there could get rather thick during traffic holdups. I was on my motorbike and I did feel vulnerable, there was not much room for error, what with that and the odd drop of spilled diesel fuel on the carriageway things could get interesting. 😀👍
Thank you for posting this, I'm an expat Londoner so these videos make me homesick! I wonder what the tunnel was like in its early days, with horsepower instead of engines?
My father and I used to walk upstream from Greenwich and explore most weekends in the early '70s - we came down VS2 one time - once was enough.
After that I walked the entire length one other time and spent the next 2 days coughing up smuts.
With that in mind, I always made a point of closing all the windows on the P14 bus whenever we went through - pity the poor dockers on the old 82 back in the day - that was a narrow and low double decker as well :-(
Hopefully one day this will be a cycle and pedestrian tunnel, it was never designed for motor traffic and is totally unsuited to it.
Now I cant stop wondering what would happen if a fire started in the tunnel
It’s very bright in there!
Thanks for a fascinating video. I have to say this is not one I want to try for myself!
At least you didn’t need your wellies for this one.
I walked through once back in the late 1980s from work. There was a story about a homeless guy living there - I think where vent shaft 3 is. If true he could have secreted himself up those stairs, also easier before CCTV?
My old stamping ground before like so many us old lot driven out by the new lot, used to love taking me Vespa thru there as often would go thru Rotherhithe and come back Blackwall or wander down and get the ferry back to decent surroundings ;) Can be hellish in rush hour and you need to have your recycling air setting on the heater controls as it can pump fresh lorry juices right in yer birds nest and have you coughing like you're bringing up an ace. I got banned from Greenwich foot tunnel for riding me Vespa thru there, liftman was a decent chap who didn't mind us going down and up other side on lift as long as we walked the bikes, I decided to chance it and no one about so I thought and started her up and nipped up Greenwich side to turn it off and get an absolute shellacking by the lift man who was full on wanting to call the local law and have me done. Did it loads times in the Woolwich one, they didn't care there so it seems hehe One foot tunnel I would love to see is the Gravesend-Tilbury one, its a cable tunnel now but fully walkable but the company don't do visitors :*(
Very interesting but I can feel an asthma attack coming on just watching this.
3:51 friendly biker
Bet the pollution in the tunnel was terrible
I didn't spot that.
the pollution outside is terrible ...inside the tunnel it horrific
@@vincentdeguard4726 not surprised! Also id feel nervous with vehicles passing so close by and not being able to get out until the other end
I don't walk through long tunnels (if used by cars) because of the exhaust fumes
Seems weird but I lived in Rotherhithe and went to school in Stepney in the mid 60's and for 3 years I cycled to school every day and never even noticed the fumes! Nearly 70 now and it doesn't seem to have caused me any damage. Don't think I would dream of walking thru nowadays tho.
Ya madman. Starting my engine in my garage makes me feel ill sometimes.
I always close the air vents when I drive through. I've always imagined the air to be unbreathable but I suppose the movement of vehicles must aid ventilation a bit.
About the bad air quality: This is yet another reason why we should stop using petrol to power our cars and use electricity instead. It would probably get higher usage that way and would make everything better in general.
Finally somebody who doesnt blame the building, but the vehicles themselves for making that tunnel a nightmare. Things like this tend to be forgotten about, think of all the money that goes into keeping that ventilation up and running, cleaning the walls from the exhaust gases, all these things wouldn't be necessary if we started going electric (and also reduced traffic).
Trouble is, we have nowhere near the necessary generating capacity in the UK to charge 30 million road vehicles overnight, as well as doing all the 'usual' stuff like lighting, charging other appliances, etc.
I recall walking through the tunnel, and then back when I was a kid - a long time ago. Very noisy. I think I walked the Blackwall tunnel too. I seem to recall the walkway was elevated above the traffic by a few feet and had a handrail. It was a long time ago and maybe my memory is hazy here.
Interesting video, must have been quite daunting walking along that pavement in there! Look at all of those cars and take note, what can you see?
It would be nice if there was some sort of barrier between you and the cars. Can you imagine the smell of horse droppings trapped in there in the old days! Not as poisonous as exhaust fumes though. Fascinating video.
I read Diamond Geezer’s blog re walking the tunnel and he said the same thing. A big blast of pollutants. Well filmed though.
I can only imagine what the fumes are really like it’s a long tunnel omg 😮
Hope you were OK after that walk, thanks for sharing
Whilst convenient crossing point, the air quality does suck. Back in my youth I would motorcycle through it, I found that holding your breath and sprinting between ventilation shafts was the least obnoxious way to get through it. But with speed cameras, etc that would be an expensive proposition these days!
Since they've reduced max vehicle height, they could put some ventilation fans along the roof, like you find in modern tunnels, to make the air more breathable.
If you do it again, take a CO detector and see how bad it is!!
Neil Harbott - along the ceiling ✅
Really enjoyed your video!
Don’t think I will be doing that after all May if there where horse and cart still
Horse and carts bring their own Pollution. Imagine the smell in the early days.