Brunel Museum, London

Brunel Museum is a museum in Rotherhithe, in the London Borough of Southwark. Formerly known as the Brunel Engine House, the museum is part of the Thames Tunnel built by Sir Marc Isambard Brunel and his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Brunel Museum, London
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brunel_Museum,_Rotherhithe_%288217_800%29.jpg
Author: Mrbryanejones


Burnel Museum is housed in Brunel's engine house, which was used to extract water from the tunnel. Brunel's Thames Tunnel was built between 1825 and 1843 by Brunel and Admiral Thomas Cochrane. It was the first tunnel ever built under a navigable river. The tunnel measures 1,300 feet (396 m) in length. It is 35 feet (11 m) wide, 20 feet (6 m) high, and runs 75 feet (23 m) below the surface of the River Thames. The construction was not without mishaps, and one in 1828 claimed the lives of six men, with 22-year-old Isambard Kingdom Brunel himself narrowly escaped drowning.

The Thames Tunnel was intended for horse-drawn carriages to cross the river, but this was never realised. Although an engineering marvel, it ran at a loss, having overblown its initial cost estimates. In 1865, it was bought over by the East London Railway Company, which was later absorbed into the London Underground, and became the East London Line. During its use, it was the oldest piece of infrastructure of the London Underground. In 2007 it became part of the London Overground.

Thames Tunnel, as seen during the Thames Tunnel Walk in 2010
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thames_Tunnel_walk.jpg
Author: Lars Ploughmann


The Brunel Museum opened in 1961 to provide information about the tunnel. On display are models of other Brunel projects such as the famous Brunel bridges.

How to reach Brunel Museum

The nearest station to Brunel Museum is the Rotherhithe Station served by the London Overground. The nearest London Underground station is the Canada Water Tube Station served by the Jubilee Line.

Brunel Museum is open daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Admission fee is £2 for visitors aged 16 and above. Walking tours are conducted every Thuesday between the Bermondsey Tube Station to Brunel Museum on Tuesdays at 6:15 pm.

List of Museums in London

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.