The London Tunnels and the Museum of Military Intelligence (MMI) announced the transformation of former London tunnels into a spy museum. These underground passages, dug between 1940 and 1942 to protect the London population from German bombings, had been transformed into an intelligence base of the Special Operation Executive (SOE) by Winston Churchill and the famous Mi6.
London Tunnels, a company created specially to manage the tunnels, takes up the history responsible for the place. The project is designed in collaboration with the MMI, a national museum dedicated to the history of military intelligence in the United Kingdom and attached to the British army. The latter will participate in the development of spaces with objects from his collection. Its expertise should also be used in mediation.
Although the project is carried out in collaboration with MMI, funding is private. They amount to 220 million pounds sterling (260 million euros). All of the underground passages must be renovated, as a priority, lighting, ventilation and accessibility. The problems of humidity, stability and fire safety are also integrated into the budget. 80 million pounds should be invested in digital tools and infrastructure, the future museum wishes to be immersive and interactive.
The different galleries should exhibit collectibles such as equipment, weapons or documents. These elements will be staged thanks to digital devices and will retrace the history of British intelligence. Starting with the Second World War and the landing, they should also evoke the Cold War, the operations of the Falklands as well as the fight against terrorism. The issue of cyberspionage should be developed. By highlighting unknown intelligence figures, the museum intends to unveil the history, tools and techniques of the secret services. London Tunnels also plans to add a space on James Bond and Ian Fleming as well as a bar.
A total of 8,000 m² of surface surfaces at 30 meters underground will open to the public in 2028. With a target of 3 million visitors per year, according to London Tunnels, the frequentation of the National Gallery in London.
It will not be the first spy museum in the world that already has several including the Spy Museum in Tampere, Sweden, or the KGB Spy Museum in New York.
