Built to commemorate the Thames Tunnel and other achievements of Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the Brunel Museum is a transport museum located in the London borough of Southwark. It’s housed in the Brunel Engine House, which was originally part of the tunnel itself.
The main focus (as can be seen above) is the Thames Tunnel. This was the first ever tunnel built under a navigatable river, and was the project that inspired later work on the London Underground and various other underground transport systems due to its revolutionary design and construction. It ended up being seen as the ‘eighth wonder of the world’ (when it opened) and is actually still used by London Overground railway trains in the area.
The museum also covers other Brunel projects too, with models of famous bridges made by the Brunels and information about the actual Tunnel Shield used to dig out the tunnel during its construction.
It’s an intriguing museum, and one that provides a fascinating look into the construction of the Thames Tunnel (and other Brunel projects) through pictures, models, artifacts and a video presentation. One for anyone even remotely interested in the British railways or engineering (and others besides).
Tickets cost £3 with concessions being £1.50.