2-324-829 - The London Archives (City of London)/Heritage Images

The Thames Tunnel under construction, London, c1835. Cross section showing the Thames Tunnel, connecting Wapping and Rotherhithe, being built; with a view of its position beneath the River Thames. In the background boats can be seen on the river. Beneath the main view there are three smaller images associated with the tunnel. The Thames Tunnel, connecting Wapping and Rotherhithe, was the first underwater tunnel in the world. Completed as a foot tunnel in 1843, it was converted to a railway tunnel for the East London Railway in the 1860s. Sir Marc Isambard Brunel designed the tunnel, and his son, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was site engineer.