Who knew that an urban tunnel could be so filled with curiosities? From its celebrated opening in 1897 to today, the Blackwall Tunnel has played host to a mass underwater luncheon, caused various kinds of chaos, and been home to a ghostly hitchhiker who flagged down a motorbike and then disappeared. Do spirits really lurk in this modern-day traffic hotspot underneath the River Thames?

📢 Get in touch & support the show Have a story idea or just want to say hello? Drop us an email at curiousbritainpodcast@gmail.com – we’d love to hear from you!

💡 Support us on Patreon
Enjoying Curious Britain? Help us keep the show going by joining us on Patreon. Your support allows us to keep exploring Britain’s most intriguing stories. https://www.patreon.com/CuriousBritainPodcast

💰 Make a one-off contribution
Every little bit helps! If you'd like to make a one-time donation, you can do so via PayPal here: https://paypal.me/curiousbritain

🙏 Thank You!
Your support means the world to us and helps keep the show alive. We truly appreciate it!

Sources:

“Blackwall Tunnel”, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwall_Tunnel
“Blackwall Tunnel Dangers”, Southwark and Bermondsey Reporter, Friday 4th May 1928, British Newspaper Archive
“Bomb incidents”, Historic Hansard, API Parliament.UK.com, HC Deb 18 January 1979 vol 960 cc1988-94, https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1979/jan/18/bomb-incidents “Centenary of the opening of the Blackwall Tunnel”, Greenwich Peninsula History, July 2013, https://greenwichpeninsulahistory.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/centenary-of-the-opening-of-the-blackwall-tunnel/
Huggett, Poppy, “Blackwall Tunnel reported as haunted hotspot in London”, News Shopper, 24th October 2023
Icy Sedgwick Blog, “Who is the phantom hitchhiker that haunts the Blackwall Tunnel?”, September 2019, https://www.icysedgwick.com/phantom-hitchhiker/
Isle of Dogs Life, “The Blackwall Tunnel – The Twenty First Wonder of the World”, https://isleofdogslife.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/the-blackwall-tunnel-the-twenty-first-wonder-of-the-world/ Isle of Dogs Life, “The Mystery of Sir Walter Raleigh’s House in Blackwall”, https://isleofdogslife.wordpress.com/2014/11/27/the-mystery-of-sir-walter-raleighs-house-in-blackwall/
Kendrick, Lauren, “The Hidden Secrets of the Blackwall Tunnel”, March 2022, LondonXLondon, https://www.londonxlondon.com/blackwall-tunnel/
Mansfield, Ian, “Today’s the 125th anniversary of opening of the Blackwall Tunnel”, May 2022, IanVisits, https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/todays-the-125th-anniversary-of-opening-the-blackwall-tunnel-54863/
Noble, Will, “A Brief History of the Blackwall Tunnel”, February 2023, Londonist.com, https://londonist.com/london/transport/blackwall-tunnel-125-years-anniversary
The Shady Old Lady’s Guide to London, “The Blackwall Tunnel”, http://shadyoldlady.com/location.php?loc=1104
Westwood, J & Simpson, J, The Lore of the Land: A Guide to England’s Legends, 2005, Penguin Group, London

22 | The Haunted History of Blackwall Tunnel: Ghostly Hitchhiker & Hidden Secrets