Brunel Museum to Present Autumn Season of Underground Events

Returning for an autumn season of talks, comedy and interactive experiences, the Brunel Museum invites visitors to discover the hidden histories and rich stories beneath the Thames. Set within the historic Thames Tunnel Shaft and Engine House, the programme brings together a set of fascinating events and installations that reveal the people, ideas and innovations behind one of London’s most remarkable engineering achievements.

An new permanent installation in the Museum’s main gallery from October time, the Caisson Interactive brings the methods behind the Thames Tunnel’s construction to life. Through this hands-on experience, visitors can discover how Marc Brunel and his team used caissons to build beneath the river, revealing the ingenuity and challenges behind one of the world’s most remarkable engineering achievements. 

Director of the Brunel Museum, Katherine McAlpine comments, We’re so excited to launch our Autumn season of events. Following the success of our sold-out show Engineering is a Joke back in March, we’re really excited to invite some more of London’s most exciting new comedic talent to the Museum. We’re also delighted to be collaborating with Editor at large of Londonist Matt Brown to bring a pub quiz with a difference to the Brunel Museum this autumn.

A new production of The Lost Boy (18th September) brings an intimate story of love and loss to the Museum’s historic Tunnel Shaft. Set in a fictional 1980s fishing village, the opera follows two teenage boys, Harrison and John, as they navigate love, family duty and the fears surrounding the emerging AIDS crisis. With a score blending 1980s synthesisers and contemporary classical music, the production explores grief and the enduring question of how we let go and move on. A collaboration between JAM and North Wales International Music Festival, the work was developed on the south coast of Kent and draws inspiration from its coastal landscape, as well as writers Derek Jarman and Caroline Bergvall.

Following the success of previous comedy events, Underground Comedy (23rd September) returns to the Museum for an evening uncovering the surprising stories hidden beneath our feet. Hosted by science communicator Steve Cross (Science Showoff and The Philosophy Playdate podcast), the event brings together comedians, researchers and museum experts to explore the underground world through the engineering, science and history. Headlined by Iszi Lawrence (Radio 4, BBC World Service and Discovery Channel), the evening blends sharp comedy with fascinating insights, continuing the Museum’s tradition of bringing unexpected stories to life in extraordinary spaces.

Also returning, will be DEBUT’s monthly Secret Concerts (10th September and 15th October), bringing intimate classical performances to the historic Tunnel Shaft. Founded by soprano and creative producer Lizzie Holmes, DEBUT creates welcoming, story-led concerts that connect audiences with emerging musicians and outstanding classical music. With guest musicians, relaxed atmospheres and fresh Korean bites served alongside the Brunel Bar, the concerts offer a contemporary take on classical music in one of London’s most distinctive historic spaces.

In October, Underground Pub Quiz (7th October) invites teams to test their knowledge of subterranean London from beneath the city itself. Hosted by Editor of the Londonist Matt Brown, the quiz will challenge audiences with 50 questions exploring everything from Tube stations and sewers to wartime bunkers and tombs. Taking place inside the historic Thames Tunnel Shaft, the evening offers a unique quiz experience in one of London’s most atmospheric underground spaces.

Matt Brown, Editor-at-Large of Londonist, and author of history newsletter Londonist:Time Machine comments, "I’ve spent 22 years exploring and writing about London’s subterranean spaces, and they don’t come more atmospheric or historically important than the Brunel shaft. I can’t wait to welcome guests to London’s deepest quiz."

For Halloween, The Dark Side of Rotherhithe (31st October) a spooky walking tour will invite visitors to swap trick-or-treating for a lantern-lit journey into Rotherhithe’s dark and grisly past. Led by guides in Victorian costume, the walk takes in tales of murder, a graveyard and mortuary before heading underground into the historic Thames Tunnel Shaft. Here, visitors will hear about the terrifying reality of digging by hand beneath the Thames, with millions of gallons of water threatening to burst through and huge sailing ships passing overhead. With spooky stories, Victorian guides and one of London’s most atmospheric underground spaces, it’s a Halloween walk with plenty to be scared of.

Alongside the autumn programme, visitors can also discover a selection of fascinating new objects on display from the Museum’s collection. Highlights include a rare 1815 portrait print of Marc Isambard Brunel, an Isambard Kingdom Brunel commemorative £2 coin, Marc Brunel’s personal shoe buckles and Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s Great Western Railway seal, each offering a unique insight into the lives, achievements and enduring legacy of one of Britain’s most influential engineering families.

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