The Brunel Museum has secured grants to research and preserve two ‘kerchiefs’ sold at a mysterious, sub-aquatic Victorian shopping arcade.
The two silken squares of cloth, displayed at the Rotherhithe museum, date back to the 1840s, when Londoners could walk through the Thames Tunnel.
Completed in 1843 the 1,300 ft long tunnel, connecting Wapping with Rotherhithe, contained a shopping arcade selling trinkets to tourists.
Designed by engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the tunnel was a convenient pedestrian thoroughfare for working people, but also a source of intrigue thanks to its reputation for criminality and vice.
With grants from the Costume Society and the Association of Dress Historians, researchers will uncover the secrets of the two ‘kerchiefs’ once sold from its shops.
Textile historian Katie Anderson said: “I am so excited to be working with the Brunel Museum again on this research project, having volunteered with them previously.
“I look forward to seeing what I can uncover about these surviving souvenir textiles of the Thames Tunnel. Thank you so much to the wonderful team at the museum and the generous internship grant from the Association of Dress Historians.”
In 1865, the tunnel was purchased by the East London Railway Company who wanted to link passengers and goods between Liverpool Street and the South London Line.
Nowadays, those taking the overground train from Wapping to Rotherhithe are actually passing through the Thames Tunnel.
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