The once secret Kingsway Exchange Tunnels are set to be transformed into a cultural space and open to the public for the first time since World War II. And rumours are that a 007 exhibit is part of planned transformation of the tunnels into an underground museum. 30 years ago this week, Pierce Brosnan was unveiled as the new James Bond to the world's press, taking over from Timothy Dalton as 007.
Now, as we all await a new announcement on the identity of the seventh actor to portray the famous spy – with rumours that – there is mounting speculation that a new James Bond exhibition could be arriving to London. This teased exhibition would be part of the transformation of Kingsway Tunnels, some of London's secret wartime tunnels. The Kingsway Tunnels run 40 metres under High Holborn, below Chancery Lane Tube station.
They cover about 7,000 square metres and were used to shelter Londoners during the Blitz in WWII, before being utilised as a telecommunications centre for the Special Operations Executive (SOE). 007 creator Ian Fleming referenced these very same tunnels in his first Bond book " " in 1953 – as Fleming was a liaison officer to the SOE at the time. The tunnels were then taken over by British Telecom and closed in the early Eighties.
Last year the tunnels were bought by Australian fund manager Angus Murray, who invested about £12 million (€14 million) of his own money and additional funding from his private equity company, which operates under the name of his .
