London Underground Air Raid Shelter Final

3D Model

When bombing began in September of 1939, thousands of Londoners took shelter in the Underground network, and the city started developing special deep-level shelters to house more civilians and government officials. Construction started in 1940 but was not completed until two years later. The tunnels were to be approximately 16 and a half feet wide and almost 1,200 feet long, slated to contain two levels each for medical stations, kitchens, sleeping quarters, and sanitation areas. They were originally meant to house around 9,600 people in each shelter for a total capacity of 96,000 between all 10 planned, but that number ended up closer to 8,000 per shelter, and only 8 of the 10 bunkers were completed. When bombing once again started to pick up in 1944 as the Allies invaded Germany, five of the shelters opened to the public. The station that I created here is meant to be one of the public Underground stations that inspired the deep-level project.