Abandoned Tube station used by Churchill awaits new tenant

An abandoned Underground station used by Winston Churchill as a bunker during World War II could become London’s latest go-to bar or gallery under a plan launched by the city’s transport agency. Tucked away in the luxury Mayfair area, Down Street was opened in 1907 but closed in 1937 and its dark warren of tunnels have gathered a thick layer of black dust in the 83 years since. Now Transport for London (TfL) hopes it will be the first of seven or eight off-limits empty stations under the capital to be leased for commercial use.

For me it would be brilliant if we can find a use for this station that reflects its history, its location, the unique space that we have.

Graeme Craig, TfL’s commercial development director

During the war, the station was first used as the emergency headquarters of the British rail system. It was then used by Churchill and his war cabinet for meetings to avoid Nazi bombing before the better known Cabinet War Rooms in Whitehall were built. The station is equipped with a kitchen, a dining room and a bathroom used by Churchill and his staff. The plan is for the parts of the station of greatest historical interest to be opened to the public for tours, while some 400 square metres (4,300 square feet) would be leased for commercial use.

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