CLAPHAM NORTH
(deep level shelter)

One of seven shelters built during World War II underneath Northern Line stations, the plan was to incorporate them later into an express version of the Northern Line.

The list of shelters built on the Northern Line is:
- Belsize Park
- Camden Town
- Goodge Street
- Stockwell
- Clapham North
- Clapham Common
- Clapham South

Surface level ventilation structure.

The access point just behind Clapham North station was via a lift shaft with emergency stairs built into it. There is a separate staircase leading into the station itself (at low level) and there is a separate entrance on Clapham Road.

Downward view showing the ventilation slats at the top.

View back up the wide flight of stairs.

The stairs lead down to a small landing. There are two entrances to the circular stairs. The stairs are actually in the same bore but one on top of the other (as at Finsbury Park station between surface and sub-surface lines). One of the entrances leads to the upper level of the tunnels, the other the lower level.

Note the amateurish mistake of the photographer getting his shadow in the photo!

View of the circular emergency stairs. The level directly opposite the photographer through the grill is the 'alternative' route. Following the stairs on the photographer's side down to the left and up to the right will illustrate that the stairs do indeed alternate with the other route.

View of emergency stairs at the bottom. The shuttered gates are all that is left of the lift that was once in service here.

View of the lift shaft looking from bottom to top.

The upper level. There are two of these tunnels running parallel with each other and they are 1,200 feet long.

Upper level. The width of these tunnels is 16 feet. This far exceeds normal deep level tube tunnel width but is not wide enough to incorporate station platforms. Indeed these sites were chosen as they would not have express line stations built on them, they would just become part of the running tunnel.

Upper level. The boxes seen here are for testing the rate of decay in the damp air of the shelter. This shelter has significantly more water ingress than the other six 'Northern Line' ones.

One of the cross passages between the two longitudinal tunnels.

Manufacturers date stamp on the tunnel segments.

The whole site has been renovated recently: extra lighting has been installed, there was evidence of new plumbing, and much of it has been painted. However, there are still signs of water seepage as seen by the emergence of stalagtites on the ceiling here.

Upper level and some stairs leading down to the lower level.

One of the ventilation panels lifted to show the division between top and bottom levels.