The Blackwall Tunnel is a pair of road tunnels, which run beneath the River Thames in East London, linking Greenwich and Tower Hamlets. The original northbound tunnel was built by the London County Council between 1892-1897 in response to the growing need for improved free road communications across the Thames and was opened by HRH The Prince of Wales on 22 May 1897.

Although adequate for the predominantly horse-drawn traffic of the nineteenth century, the tunnel could not meet the growing demands of twentieth-century motorised traffic. The LCC decided to build a second Blackwall Tunnel. The southbound bore was built between 1960-1967 and was opened by Desmond Plummer, Leader of the Greater London Council on 2 August 1967.

This gallery shows the construction of both tunnels below and above ground as well as images of how busy the tunnels were, even back in the 1950’s. There are over 500 further images available on LPA which show the construction, sketches, maps, plans, and architectural models.