SURPRISES OF THE SOUTHBANK
Brunel Museum, Thames Tunnel and Bermondsey

Adults: £14.00 Seniors: £14.00
Availability: All year, Monday to Saturday
Coach miles: 3
Wheelchair access: Limited

Bryan Jones, the Brunel Museum

Did you know that in Victorian times the Eighth Wonder of the world was to be found in Rotherhithe? Well, our mission today is to show you this and much more besides. Please meet our guide in Rotherhithe at 10.30a.m. for coffee. Then we visit the Brunel Museum and hear about the immense engineering feat achieved by Marc Brunel under the Thames in the 19th century. He built the first tunnel under a navigable river and the techniques he pioneered are still used today. His tunnel is a thing of beauty and is still used by London Underground. We take a unique train ride through the tunnel and see it flood lit to

appreciate the numerous smooth Doric columns, the plaster work and porticoes. There were originally 60 shops down here making it the world's first underwater shopping arcade. After our lunch break we explore Bermondsey on foot with our guide. This up and coming area of London has a long and interesting history. There are stories of tanneries, pleasure gardens, an abbey and royal patronage. It is also surprisingly close to Tower Bridge and the City of London with its ever-changing skyline. Then it's time for tea and you'll be waving goodbye to our guide by 4.45p.m.

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