Plan for old 'spy den'

VISITORS: ENTREPRENEUR PLANS TO TURN IT INTO TOURIST ATTRACTION

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Behind a blue door in a narrow London passage lies a little-known network of tunnels deep underground, once home to British spies and a secret long-distance telephone exchange.

Some 30 metres below the UK capital's bustling streets, all that can be heard in the tunnels built to withstand a nuclear attack is the rumble of the London Underground's Circle Line.

The two main tunnels, five to seven metres in diameter, reached via some steps and then a lift, "were built to defend the British from the Nazis" during World War II, said Angus Murray, on a guided visit for a group of journalists.

The Australian-born entrepreneur's private equity firm bought the little-known Kingsway Exchange Tunnels in September 2023 from British Telecom. The price has not been divulged.