| Information | |
|---|---|
| Type: | Transport for London (Northern Line) |
| Station code: | ZCA |
| Opened: | 1926 |
| Platforms: | 2 |
The station is Grade II listed.
 |
| A Northern Line train prepares to depart |
 |
| Escalators to the surface |
 |
| The way up, lit by these nice lamps |
 |
| Down the platform |
Clapham South Deep Level Shelter
Clapham South was the site of one of eight deep shelters built in 1941 to protect the public from bombing in the Second World War (two others were planned but not built). The shelter was built using the same techniques as London Underground used for the tube and also some of the same materials including tunnel linings.
The shelter is substantial, consisting of a number of four hundred metre long tunnels around thirty metres below the surface. The shelter included sleeping accommodation, washing and catering facilities and a medical area.
The shelter was completed and opened in 1942. By now the Blitz was over but the shelter was needed in 1944 when the German V-1s began falling on London. After the war the shelter had a new role as initial accommodation for migrant workers who had arrived on the MV Empire Windrush without anywhere else to stay [2]. The shelter was also used as a hotel for visitors to the Festival of Britain in 1951 and later on for document storage.
Clapham South was the site of one of eight deep shelters built in 1941 to protect the public from bombing in the Second World War (two others were planned but not built). The shelter was built using the same techniques as London Underground used for the tube and also some of the same materials including tunnel linings.
The shelter is substantial, consisting of a number of four hundred metre long tunnels around thirty metres below the surface. The shelter included sleeping accommodation, washing and catering facilities and a medical area.
The shelter was completed and opened in 1942. By now the Blitz was over but the shelter was needed in 1944 when the German V-1s began falling on London. After the war the shelter had a new role as initial accommodation for migrant workers who had arrived on the MV Empire Windrush without anywhere else to stay [2]. The shelter was also used as a hotel for visitors to the Festival of Britain in 1951 and later on for document storage.
 |
| The shelter was made using the same techniques (and materials) as the tube |
 |
| Access to the tube station from the shelter |
[1] Jason Cross, London Underground Guide 2017 (Train Crazy, 2017) p. 112
[2] Chris Nix, Clapham South Deep-Level Shelter (London Transport Museum, 2017) p. 11
