Churchill's underground bunker full tour, secret room included

[@Gadgetmumma]

As a bricklayer, my dad worked on Churchill’s bunker during the war. My mum told me this about 15 years ago. (She turns 100 in two weeks.) My dad died in 1961 at age 42 from asbestosis. He was also tasked with rebuilding those bombed during the blitz.

[@louise_rose]

Oh, you have a family connection to this amazing place! I visited the bunker around ten years ago, it is truly fascinating!.

[@jlurenzjr]

The woman giving this tour is fantastic. She’s so good at describing what we are seeing and she seems very excited and happy to do it. Really cool. Thank you!

[@sunspot42]

SIGSALY, the computer system that scrambled communications between Roosevelt and Churchill, was a massive technological breakthrough. It was the first time pulse code modulation was used to transmit audio data, a fundamental technology that’s still in use today on CDs and streaming audio over the Internet. The computer was massive and housed offsite in the basement of the nearby Selfridges department store. After the war, it was discovered that the Nazis had intercepted SIGSALY signals, and couldn’t determine what they were. They thought it might be some kind of telegraph. They had no idea it was a voice communication system or how to decode it.

[@nicolasboullosa]

Thanks. Fascinating.

[@scottallpress3818]

What a brilliant tour , but the guide makes it . Very informative and well spoken . Thanks

[@lissanne9769]

This video is a good historical tour of the WW2 secret inner works. This was such a terrific place for working against the war with Germany and Hitler. I was very surprised by all of the well placed rooms. The meeting rooms, the radio room, and each of the specialized areas for working. It was probably not a nice place for sleeping or rest. Thank you for this wonderful tour.

[@labla8940]

I goita say that the movie nailed it perfectly

[@BenWeeks]

It is amazing to obsserve the similarities and differences between this and the Fuhrer bunker. I also am curious as to what the detectives role was for Churchill.

[@daffyduk77]

@@BenWeeks Apparently they were kind of personal protection, & as such I'd expect were armed

[@Britbabe53]

Fascinating video. As a Brit living in Canada, I often think that as a generation, we owe our lives to Churchill. I know he is often vilified by many, but I know a lot of us wouldn't be here without his sheer grit and determination to guide the British people out of that war.

[@Gods2ndFavoriteBassPlyr]

He was definitely the right guy .. at the right time.

[@phil6506]

What would Churchill have thought of your present day prime minister ? He would have probably said lets forget it, their going to to give up their freedom anyway.

[@andriandrason1318]

@@phil6506 Don't know about that, but He would most definitely think you where a featherbrained, ignoramus individual.

[@zeitgeistx5239]

Lol as the dead Bengalis.

[@phil6506]

@@andriandrason1318 Typical lefty, too low an intellect to put forward an intelligent reply, just attack on a personal level.

[@victoriasanchez1111]

What a delightful surprise! Thank You so much Kirsten I appreciate you so much! I am a Churchill nut Loved the old guy he was relentless. I've read and watched most every book and movie about him. Thanks for this rare treat!

[@henrygingold6549]

Have you read, "Churchill: Struggle for Survival" by Charles Moran his doctor. It is wonderful and tells you so much more and at then end your admiration for him will increase 100 fold.

[@victoriasanchez1111]

@@henrygingold6549 Thank You Henry!

[@daffyduk77]

He might have showed genuine appreciation & concern for ordinary people when he encountered them, but he was about as far removed from being "a man of the people" as it's possible to be. My understanding is most were terrified by him, rightly or wrongly

[@libertyblueskyes2564]

Kirsten, this is incredible. Thank you.

[@marymack4105]

This was fascinating. And what an awesome tour guide.

[@assistanttrailerparksuperv6839]

Yes she’s quite attractive

[@lindanelson3092]

I had visited Churchill’s War Rooms summer of 1984 when it opened as a small self guided museum. Fun to revisit via your YT channel, as it has really expanded in size. Fascinating place!! Thank you!!

[@Brendissimo1]

Thanks for this! I visited the war rooms as a teenager in the 2000s but I didn't get to see a couple of the areas as closely as you did and didn't have a guide, so this was great!

[@elizadances]

One of the most fascinating places I had the pleasure to visit when in the UK, so great to see the War Rooms again. Thanks for taking us through them!

[@mwmentor]

That was really interesting.. Thanks Kirsten - cool that you were taken into areas that the average member of the public wouldn't be invited. Very cool. Thaks for sharing and I am looking forward to your next video!! 👍🙂

[@incandesantlite]

I visited this place in 2008 and they have done a lot of great work on making it even better! So many magnificent updates! I hope to return some day soon!

[@jamiehicks3533]

Absolutely fabulous! I love nearly all of your videos, this is a bit of a departure from the norm but wonderfully done. What an extraordinary time with an extraordinary leader. Thank you!

[@bonnieo452]

I loved learning about this. Thank you for filming and for the tour.

[@marthareyes4024]

Interesting. Love History. We have a Churchill museum and part of the Berlin Wall that came down, here in Fulton, Missouri. Also, the church that was bombed, was transported here and reassembled. It is beautiful. Churchill gave a speech here. Located on the Westminster college campus. * comprises three elements: the Church of St Mary Aldermanbury, the museum itself, and the Breakthrough sculpture.

[@RockPhonic]

Wow! Great video. Fasinating stuff, learnt a lot. Plus the woman giving the tour and explaing the history was great!!

[@jenelllorman1448]

Thank you for sharing this. I had no idea this existed. The person whom gave the tour was a wonderful guide.

[@HLR4th]

Scary that the "bomb shelter" was just a basement. Thank you for sharing.

[@Jeromeeb]

Honestly with the technology of the day it might have been all that was needed 🤷.

[@john_smith1471]

@@Jeromeeb Bank and Sloane Square shallow sub-surface underground stations had direct hits and suffered total destruction, with much loss of life.

[@alanaldpal950]

I very much liked this and hope you will do more tours/videos of other historical buildings/locations.

[@jonchalk3855]

Great episode. History is also important. Especially nowadays. I heard about Churchill's Bunker, but I never seen it before. The tour guide was very knowledgeable in her historical facts.

[@SillyPutty3700]

18:58 The reason the phones didn't have dials is not because they were a "direct line" it is because when you picked up the phone it went to an operator that routed the call to where ever you told her to

[@john_smith1471]

Yes our phone at home was on a manual exchange, no dial we picked up the handset and waited for the operator to say ‘number please’ same with the red public telephone kiosks.

[@sw6188]

You are correct that back then, calls were routed through operators and as a result the phones didn't need or have dials. However, telephones like this with no dials were also used for direct-line connections - where the phone only connected to one other distant phone - effectively an intercom. Picking up the phone at one end would cause the phone at the other end to ring, and the receiving party would pick up. It is more likely in this instance that these phones were used for direct-line applications given the nature of the place they are in, as well as the fact that there are multiple phones - if calls were being routed through an operator you would only need one phone.

[@M0M0F2P0Ms]

HIGHLY recommend this if you're looking for something cool to do in London. Thanks for taking us behind the scenes, I didn't notice a lot of this stuff when I was there because it was a self-guided walk through. Great tour!

[@ronaldgarnes8809]

Fascinating, Thank You and Thank the lady who was the guide for such a wonderful look back at one of the most critical times in history.

[@barbarabauling7513]

Lovely tour of the War Rooms, The guide was tremendous, although she didn't mention the significance of the 'windy' weather slide, (7:20) which was only used when air-raids were in progress upstairs. British humour at its best, :)

[@andrewpriester6994]

My parents & I got to visit Churchill’s Bunker in 2007 on our last day of our European vacation It was amazing to see all of that stuff & see what it was like during WW2 in the UK, we admire Winston Churchill very much We love history It was a treat

[@3generations393]

Fascinating! Thank you for such great coverage.

[@jonthebru]

Lovely work Kirsten. I wonder how many people these days know that Churchill held an American passport. and citizenship. His Mother was American. He was definitely the man for the job at the right time.

[@henrygingold6549]

Sorry but he held only one passport and that of the United Kingdom. His mother was indeed American and he could have claimed US nationality through her but never did. He travelled during the war on a diplomatic passport or sometimes a false one to fool spies although he was so recognisable it's had to see how he could be mistaken for someone else.

[@TheLadyAlchemyChannel]

@@henrygingold6549 I agree.

[@MrDellasc]

We were able to visit the bunker in 2017. It’s simply amazing. As soon as the war was over in Europe, they closed shop so to speak and left everything as it was. My kids were in middle school and high school at the time. Both were able to use the experience they had in world history when they had to write an essay on the Battle of Britain.

[@ycc247]

This is a really great tour of the bunker. Very informative, fascinating in fact. Thank you

[@joysmith1213]

The tour guide is so eloquent in her descriptions of the underground war rooms. Amazing what the United Kingdom had to go thru. Can't imagine having to live with bombs going off here in the States. What a fight against evil.

[@Janmification]

My husband was a war baby and the shock from a bomb falling near by blew his cot into a cupboard and the door shut behind him.

[@andrewjones-productions]

You will find that the entire United Kingdom, including Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland went through this war too. Not just England. 😡

[@joysmith1213]

@@andrewjones-productions I'm sorry, i meant United Kingdom, I get my countries mixed up over there, so i corrected it😵‍💫

[@capmarketer5038]

Iraqi's or a number of countries subject to Western bombs and evil BS can imagine it easily

[@andrewpriester6994]

@@capmarketer5038 Oh please 🙄

[@miketackabery7521]

That was a marvelous tour! Thank you for it!

[@dilihopa]

This was very interesting. Both my parents survived the blitz. Many sad and somber stories were told. Lest we forget.

[@bernardobonixe6873]

Awesome video as always. Loved the way you ended the video with "frozen in time", just perfect

[@davidimhoff2118]

I've seen a video of some of this but this video is well documented. This guide is awesomely knowledgeable. I actually appreciate her telling all the stories and not being asked too many questions. It kinda would make it Moreno hectic to follow. So I appreciate it. I do like questions lol but I live in the United States so I just enjoy her talking. She's very intriguing.

[@cynmalin5728]

this is a public museum i highly recommend visiting. i met people there who survived the Blitz. my dad served in the pacific as a radio man whom i learned from to have a healthy respect for WWII & the British war effort. the guide mentions the Enigma Code which was made into the Benedict Cumberbatch movie about Alan Turing. when France fell & the US had not entered the war, Britain was all alone against Germany & did everything they could w/ the resources they had to more than survive. the politics were not pretty. probably as many arguments as we have now in congress on how to solve issues. the pressure of knowing that the decisions you make meant life & death for your own citizens.

[@peterphilstacey4698]

If you believe that,,,

[@jamesthackeray7421]

I think it is fantastic they have preserved this for younger people to see keep up the good work with the videos much appreciated from me a military buff👍😉

[@elaineparker2681]

This was fascinating! Thank you so much for sharing this.

[@SuperJohnnyO]

I visited the Secret Wartime Tunnels at Dover Castle in 2019, and - WOW! So much history! I was blown away! Churchill's personal bunker looks just as fascinating! Thanks for posting!

[@kendramiller1830]

This reminded me of Definbunker, it's a bunker build near Ottawa for the cold war. The war room, the old maps, the disconcerting separation from time and weather is fascinating. The Definbunker was built later 50~ so they have an early example of a computer and the style was very atomic 50s. Really neat and thank you for sharing. If I ever get to go to the UK, I'd love to check it out. If any of you are in Ottawa Canada, you should visit Definbunker, it is huge and super cool.

[@Kim-lc3fv]

Very fascinating. I had just been in London right before this video was published. Now I know what I must try to see next time.

[@pattin4015]

This history is a reminder how much "high tech' can change in 70+ years. What a world the next 70 years might bring (if we survive it) is probably beyond our wildest dreams and imagination. Thanks for this - it was so interesting!

[@Drewsky840]

@@jackdotblue agreed

[@richardsimms251]

I have seen this with my family. Wonderful site to see. Great video. Thank you. RS. Canada

[@woooster17]

As a Brit with a huge passion and interest in all matters relating to WWII, particularly the history of the RAF, I find this stuff fascinating! I have always wanted to work or be a curator in an historic place such as this. I did apply some years ago to volunteer at Duxford Air Museum.. Excellent video.

[@janeingram7331]

Churchill is my man of the century. I have his photo and a bronze bust of him in my bookcase, along with a whole shelf of books he wrote. I did visit the Cabinet Rooms about 15 years ago and visited his grave in Bladen about 30 times as I spent many of my Thanksgivings and Christmases at Woodstock, a mile away. Thanks for showing this. I'm amazed at the few people I know know so little about WWII. King Charles once said that only 47% of Brits know the history of WWii. Jane, Philadelphia

[@bonjourtoi3894]

Londres, quelle magnifique ville et un très beau pays. J'économise mes sous et je compte bien aller y faire un séjour. C'est mon souhait. J'adore l'Angleterre. Merci pour la visite.

[@maryhall4074]

Wow! What fascinating history. Showing the actual historical area where non of us watching your video right now could imagine how and where managing a war happened. Thank you for this video. I thoroughly enjoyed it. ❤️ Mary Hall from the USA. I would certainly welcome more videos like this one.

[@306champion]

6:00 Cigar smoke! Beautiful, I recon I could work in that all day and love it. Great video and thank you. PS, Oh how I miss a good cigar but you need an oilwell to afford one these days.

[@DavGreg]

Thanks for an amazing tour. Not sure if the guide is one of the regular guides, but she is very good.

[@cherylsemrau7100]

Thank you for this most informative video. So much information. Well done to the tour guide. Greetings from Canada.

[@kirstendirksen]

I agree that Kate was a great tour guide. She was able to relay her knowledge in such a personable way. It was a fun morning.

[@wildbill23c]

This was an extremely interesting mini-documentary...could have watched and listened for hours about this. Thank you for sharing with us.

[@golden50snomad52]

How absolutely interesting. The mannequins are downright creepy images! Kudos for voyaging down there to document all of this for us.

[@peterxyz3541]

Churchill, I want to see his steak dinners, win bottles and cigar ash tray. 😂. Fascinating

[@kathleenchapman1343]

Dear Kristen, I love all of your videos and explorations, but honestly this was fascinating. I'm going to watch it again.

[@Kerry0101]

Thank you for that tour. I have not made it to London but when I do I will visit this place for sure.

[@TeamFish15]

One of the most fascinating docs I’ve seen on YT! Well done!!

[@tiogoala7654]

That was an incredible tour! Thank you so much for taking us there.

[@free2bfree583]

Entertaining and educational video. Tour guide shares so much interesting and fun information. Thank you for sharing..

[@murraywagnon1841]

That was great!! The presenter was amazing!!

[@Sasha-jk6wo]

That was really really interesting to see that place. It's hard to imagine the stress and anxiety that everyone must have felt while working there.

[@danielraiter]

Fantastic, what a wonderful video, thank you!

[@macdansav1546]

What a brilliant post. Thanks for the amazing tour! I'd love to visit one day.

[@salty6pence672]

You have done it again, Amazing video.

[@lancedaniels]

Thanks for posting and sharing. Very interesting to hear about this building.

[@geraldinefields1730]

Great tour of historicsl event. Thank you.

[@janebishop5885]

So interesting and thought provoking with a guide who knows her subject and evokes a sense of awe and appreciation for the men and women of the times who were so dedicated and determined much like the Ukrainians, today.

[@AntManBee19]

Super interesting. Really gives you the perspective. The height of technology of 1940s vs now. Crazy!!

[@aliharriman]

Wow, I can’t begin to imagine what it was like for folks in Europe and the U.K. during the 2nd World War. I’ve read some real horror stories of how bad it sometimes got for ordinary people in the civilian air raid shelters. That “bunker” looks positively luxurious by comparison. The tour guide is outstanding too.

[@henrygingold6549]

A lot of people got really creative with their shelters. My grandparents whose shelter was in the basement of a large tenement, managed to get the hold of some old bus/coach seats and painted the walls gloss green. They also used spare carpets from other house and also had the lighting from the building too with Tilley lamp and candle back up. The also had primus stoves for heat. Of course, they never knew if they were going be able get out and this was reinforced by the fact that after one night of the Blitz they emerged to discover that a landmine (parachute mine) had fallen around the corner and most of the street was gone together with 200 people. The only survivors were a mother, her baby and the family dog. He toddler was dead without a single mark on him.

[@michaelwatson6966]

Wonderful! Thank you so much for the tour!

[@celebrityrog]

When I hear bunker, I think of something at least a few levels underground, not just the basement first level or directly under the sidewalks. The bunker is fascinating however it may be and the ingenious designs, simple luxuries, trying to make it as tidy, well informed, organized and almost prim and proper is so unbelievably British. It makes me really appreciate the care that went into making this bunker as comfortable as possible in that also very British, keep calm and carry on type of mentality, just underground. To be honest, I wouldn't mind spending the night in a place like that.

[@alidapurdy]

When we think of bunkers today, we think of nuclear weaponry. That wasn't a thing at this point. This bunker was sufficient for the type of bombs used in the blitz. I was born post atomic bomb. So to me, this bunker is just a basement. To them, it was the perfect shelter.

[@tomhenry897]

Don’t think the furher bunker was much deeper

[@henrygingold6549]

They were shored up with very thick RSJ (rigid steel joists) which were reckoned to be able to withstand a direct hit.

[@GHOSTDOG637]

Brendan Bracken, Churchill’s private secretary, was an interesting person. Born in Ireland into a staunch Irish Republican family he reinvented himself after emigrating to Australia then became a newspaper mogul in London. He bankrolled Churchill through hard times and became Minister for Information. Eric Blair (George Orwell) worked in Bracken’s ministry and was apparently the inspiration for O’Brien in 1984.

[@classifiedinformation6353]

Fascinating! What an opportunity to see a bit of history. The pre-transistor technology was impressive. The dedicated phone lines caught my attention. I am curious to know if there was a dedicated phone for ordering pizza. If I were down there for weeks, a pizza phone would seem important.

[@miketackabery7521]

🤣🤣🤣 awesome comment!... although pizza wasn't terribly popular then

[@terry94131]

I've been on this tour, and if you are in London, it is well worth taking the time.

[@totaltouring829]

Excuse the pun, but am blown away by the stunning walkthrough narrated by the very , highly intelligent attractive woman. The detailed explanation she gave is the best I’ve ever seen on KZbin. Absolutely wasted talent. She should have her own TV show.

[@bluesoddity2094]

Agreed.

[@TheMangazixy]

"attractive" is not necessary, she is doing her job not a photoshoot for a fashion book.

[@bluesoddity2094]

@@TheMangazixy Not necessary but it doesn't hurt. WACKA WACKA 😀

[@capmarketer5038]

I love your work! You should go see the recently discovered underground ancient city in Turkey!

[@marcjoseph6836]

What a great video, fascinating! That's now on my to do list for this summer! Thanks guys!

[@mikemiller6483]

Amazing video! Thank you for sharing!

[@drdesmo8489]

Fantastic and intimate viewing of the secret war bunker . I definitely plan on doing this tour but I must ask who is your tour guide ? She is the only one that I wish to have being told all this. She is absolutely passionate of everything she is explaining. Thank you for such a great video ❤

[@labla8940]

Ya Sure, thats why you want her. for her brains

[@john_smith1471]

That was a private tour costs £600 to £1100, visitors normally use the self guided version, under £30 walking around and listening into a phone handset.

[@prixmyo]

Just be aware about queues during 'busy' hours in London. We sadly didn't have the time to visit.

[@john_smith1471]

@@prixmyo The CWR has been using a choose and book system in 30 minute arrival slots, reducing walk -up queuing.

[@drdesmo8489]

Thank you all for the heads up on this. Wow that can get expensive quickly. I’ll bring taking this advice when booking. Like I said many thanks 🙏

[@LCB01ChannelAsik]

Bangunan yang sangat indah masih banyak pohon pohon salam dari Indonesia 🇮🇩

[@Jeromeeb]

Thanks for the video, cool stuff.

[@alexius23]

Been there. It was a fun tour. Well worth your time.

[@kokonana4086]

Love the efficiency of the entire place. Everything packed in just one tiny bunker. Really shows how Brits were very practical back then.

[@jeffclark7888]

@@jackdotblue hmmm…

[@tomhenry897]

They converted a basement Like we knew how to build a bunker in WW2 We weren’t being bombed

[@stephenmanning1553]

Fantastic video very many thanks. I have not been back to my home city of London for 35 years but remember my father who worked in the Royal Exchange (just across the road from the Bank of England) after his service in the Royal Navy showing me this ENORMOUS concrete blockhouse that was also part of the war government infrastructure. Any ideas? This was no ordinary air raid shelter or military installation and I do not remember seeing any doors or windows. It was built next to a park and camouflaged with ivy and trees.

[@daneelolivaw602]

It is called The Citadel, it is on the corner of Horse Guards Parade, with St James`s Park just across the road. i have always found it a very mysterious place, but would love to see the inside of it, not sure if it is still in use.

[@stephenmanning1553]

@@daneelolivaw602 Thank you. It must have made an impression on me as well as I probably have not seen it for 55years.

[@jamesbernie9465]

I don’t think it’s open to the public, so I suspect that it still has a military use.

[@jeffreysokal7264]

Fascinating. Thanks for the info on an aspect of WWII that hasn't been shown before. Great job!

[@58Barroco]

¡Great video, thank you for sharing!

[@SequoiaElisabeth]

Almost as good as being there. Thanks for sharing.

[@petesmith9472]

I visited these rooms about 45 years ago when the entrance was just sandbags.…there’s definitely more become available to see since that time.

[@Chereese0808]

Very interesting. Love this kind of stuff. The technology was better than expected. Thank you.

[@setsuro.splice]

was able to visit here in 2018 and I'm glad i did. I remember it started to rain a bit while queuing outside. Good times, good times X)

[@elizabethmartineau-marshal341]

This was lovely! Thank you.

[@joewoodchuck3824]

I wonder what the original entrance looked like, and how people got in and out without being noticed.

[@doktorzappergeck492]

There is no toilet in the alleged toilet of Churchill, so he had to use another one. I don't think this would have been unnoticed.

[@Schultz-ko3ve]

Visited London in 2014, the War Rooms was one of the highlights of the trip. Fascinating.

[@maryannchaisson6742]

Such an awesome video. I was born in 1940- however been a history buff since I first started to read. I so admire W. Churchill. I totally believe he saved the world., cannot imagine anyone else doing the job he did with such grace and finesse! Thanks again for sharing this. 🇨🇦👏👏💐🇨🇦

[@abernathymonsoon4638]

Ok, that was WAY cool. Thanks!

[@chrisbgifford7387]

Amazing history, great video.

[@BethVonstaats]

Amazing video! Thank you.

[@dagwood1327]

I have been a longtime subscriber. Love your work.

[@glennda1939]

Thank you for sharing this! Very interesting!