Underground Overground: Exploring vents and public buildings in Lambeth
Sat 28 Mar
|Exit 4, Vauxhall Tube (street level)
Have you ever noticed the Brutalist ventilation shaft at Vauxhall, or wondered about the former London Fire Brigade HQ on Albert Embankment? Join me to discover clues to the city’s subterranean infrastructure and learn about the public buildings designed to keep us safe and healthy.
Time & Location
28 Mar 2026, 10:30 – 12:30
Exit 4, Vauxhall Tube (street level), London SW8 2BW, UK
About the event
Join Judy Ovens, co-author of two books about ventilation shafts, to discover why vents, whilst often overlooked are crucial to our modern world, and to investigate the buildings dedicated to saving lives and keeping us moving.
The tour starts with a big Brutalist welcome from the Victoria Line ventilation shaft at Vauxhall’s famous transport hub – a great introduction to the world of vents. Making our way to Waterloo we’ll encounter more vents, each with its own infrastructure story to tell. As well as hearing about the hidden systems that keep the capital working, we’ll be looking at the buildings designed to house Lambeth’s vital public services.
The tour will end with a return to transport at Waterloo where we’ll celebrate the iconic first Eurostar terminus.
Please note, this tour is dog and child friendly, although children must be accompanied by an adult. It is flat and accessible although some…