Deep beneath the streets of the capital, London tube stations protected the residents from the Luftwaffe’s onslaught at the height of the Blitz. Today, a Clapham North deep-level bomb shelter welcomes subterranean dwellers of a different kind.
blogs.telegraph.co.uk With LED lighting technology, and the pleasant temperature found 100ft below ground, plants are thriving. The Second World War air raid shelter is being transformed into the capital’s first underground farm, which covers an area of 2.5 acres. The project, Zero Carbon Foods, has already harvested some of its first crop of peashoots, micro radish and mustard redleaf.
Celebrity chef Michel Roux Junior, one of the stars of "Masterchef: The Professionals", took a keen interest from the start and is now a director of the company. In the future, the firm plans to bring subterranean herbs, shoots, miniature vegetables, edible flowers and other delicacies to Britain’s high-end restaurants and food stores.
The subterranean farm is housed in a shelter which, at its peak in July 1944, kept more than 8,000 Londoners safe from German V1 and V2 rocket attacks.
However, instead of offering refuge to Londoners while bombs were buzzing overhead, it will soon grow crops of other exotic plants and produce, including Garlic Chives, Red Vein Sorrel, Thai Basil and Red Amaranth, for some of London’s top restaurants as well as the nearby New Covent Garden market.
Celebrity chef Michel Roux Junior, one of the stars of "Masterchef: The Professionals", took a keen interest from the start and is now a director of the company. In the future, the firm plans to bring subterranean herbs, shoots, miniature vegetables, edible flowers and other delicacies to Britain’s high-end restaurants and food stores.
The subterranean farm is housed in a shelter which, at its peak in July 1944, kept more than 8,000 Londoners safe from German V1 and V2 rocket attacks.
However, instead of offering refuge to Londoners while bombs were buzzing overhead, it will soon grow crops of other exotic plants and produce, including Garlic Chives, Red Vein Sorrel, Thai Basil and Red Amaranth, for some of London’s top restaurants as well as the nearby New Covent Garden market.
www.dailymail.co.uk During the Blitz, Londoners would buy platform tickets for a penny halfpenny and camp on the platforms for the night. They would rest in the dry, warm stations, escaping from the noisy chaos above ground. In some cases underground stations were closed down and given over to the public to use during air raids.
However, the tube stations were not as safe as people thought. High explosive bombs dropped by the Luftwaffe could penetrate up to fifty feet through solid ground. On 17th September 1940, a bomb killed twenty people sheltering in Marble Arch station. The worst incident took place at Balham in October 1940 when 600 people were killed or injured. The following year 111 people were killed while sheltering at the Bank underground station. One night 178 people suffocated at Bethnal Green station after a panic stampede.
However, the tube stations were not as safe as people thought. High explosive bombs dropped by the Luftwaffe could penetrate up to fifty feet through solid ground. On 17th September 1940, a bomb killed twenty people sheltering in Marble Arch station. The worst incident took place at Balham in October 1940 when 600 people were killed or injured. The following year 111 people were killed while sheltering at the Bank underground station. One night 178 people suffocated at Bethnal Green station after a panic stampede.
selling biscuits - www.telegraph.co.uk Luckily, none of this affected my husband. Born in London in 1938, he remembers sheltering underground when he and his brother heard the sirens announcing another raid. His mother would bundle them up and shepherd them to safety. Sometimes, they'd spend the whole day and night in the closest tunnel. His mother would often leave them with friends and pop above ground, prepare a meal and bring it back. After the 'all-clear', he'd play in the daylight amongst the rubble, always listening out for the noise of a doodlebug.
When the sound cut out, anyone below the bomb would be in peril. That's when it would dive and explode.
I can only imagine such horror. My childhood in Australia led me to believe the world was a safe place.
I think the new project is a good thing to come out of the bad times. New growth will erase troubling memories.
When the sound cut out, anyone below the bomb would be in peril. That's when it would dive and explode.
I can only imagine such horror. My childhood in Australia led me to believe the world was a safe place.
I think the new project is a good thing to come out of the bad times. New growth will erase troubling memories.
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