The Brunel Museum

The Brunel museum is situated above the Thames Tunnel, Brunel's amazing feat of engineering which saw him construct the oldest tunnel under water in the oldest metro system in the world. A visit to the museum tells visitors how he built the tunnel, which took 18 long years and cost many lives, and if you book a guided tour, you can climb down in to the shaft which used to serve the tunnel, and listen to an actor guide recreate the conditions that Brunel and his workers faced more than 185 years ago when they started construction. It is a fascinating piece of history and the museum is simply but fascinatingly done. There is also a gift shop where you can buy books which tell you even more about the history and a delicious cafe serving Turkish and English food, light bites and afternoon tea. The museum also runs various special events, from pop up opera, to guided walks through Brunel's old tunnels which now house the busy East London Line underground railway.