Collection
Discover our collection of objects.
Thames Tunnel Medal
White metal medal depicting Marc Brunel (obverse) and the Thames Tunnel entrance (reverse)
Four lithograph views of the Tunnel
This group of four lithographic drawings was drawn by William Westall (signed Wm. Westall A.R.A.) in 1827. Published both individually and separately, they were an important tool for promoting one of the most complex and challenging engineering projects ever undertaken. The uppermost drawing (no. 1) envisions the Tunnel in its entirety when completed, something which …
Lithographic sheet showing progress of the Tunnel
If you’d like a print of the artwork displayed above, you can purchase one from the ArtUK online shop.
Side view of the Thames Tunnel after flooding
If you’d like a print of the artwork displayed above, you can purchase one from the ArtUK online shop.
Cross-section of the Thames Tunnel after flooding
If you’d like a print of the artwork displayed above, you can purchase one from the ArtUK online shop.
Side view of the flooded Tunnel
This watercolour shows a longitudinal section of the tunnel with two individuals inspecting the shield after the first flood of 18 May 1827, and is attributable to Brunel’s chief mechanical draughtsman, Joseph Pinchback. It is one of several pieces in this collection about the first flood, with others including LDBRU:2017.16 and LDBRU:2017.24, as well as …
Cross-section of the Tunnel and displaced ground
This watercolour shows the effect the first flood of 18 May 1827 had on the riverbed, and is signed by Brunel’s chief mechanical draughtsman, Joseph Pinchback. It is one of several pieces in this collection which show the effects of the first flood. Others include LDBRU:2017.17 and LDBRU:2017.24, as well as Brunel’s descent in the …
Watercolour cross-section of the Tunnel
This is a cross-sectional view of the Thames Tunnel mid-construction, believed to have been drawn by Brunel’s chief mechanical draftsman, Joseph Pinchback, during or shortly after 1831. By this point in the Tunnel’s history, progress had come to a complete standstill. A second flood and subsequent failure to secure additional funding had ended in the …
Sketch of a descent in the diving bell
This sketch, drawn with pen and ink on wove paper, is signed and dated 1827 by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It depicts his descent in a diving bell to inspect the damage following the first flood that occurred on the 18 May 1827. It shows the bell lowered and suspended by a boat crewed by twenty …
Sectional Model of Second Thames Tunnel Shield
Model of part of Marc Brunel's Thames tunnel second shield installed 1836 Scale 1/2" to 1ft
Sectional Model of Thames Tunnel Under Construction
Sectional model of Thames tunnel, 1826, by Severn-Lamb Limited, England
Polyorama Panoptique et Diagraphique pour Dessiner d’Après Nature
When placed in a special viewer with the lid closed, The Thames view is seen; when the lid is raised and light enters the box, the front image disappears, revealing the hidden image behind. In the Spooner Protean View presented by the Art Fund the tunnel
Spooner’s Protean View No. 28: The Thames Tunnel
Spooner produced several examples although little is known about the artist. This work depicts a view of The Thames Tunnel which changes into the Coronation Procession from Buckingham Palace when the lithograph is lit from behind.
Thames Tunnel commemorative kerchief
Cream cotton/linen handkerchief with printed design in red, commemorating: "The Thames Tunnel opened the 25th day of March 1843.” The central illustration of the grand staircase is most similar to an engraving by Thomas H. Ellis, with additional figures added to the scene. The diagram of the Thames Tunnel is similar to one by William Westall. The quality of the handkerchief suggests it was a mass-produced, relatively cheap souvenir for visitors to the Thames Tunnel, that could have been bought within the tunnel itself.
Thames Tunnel Peepshow with barge
A contemporary paper peepshow, circa 1843, depicting the Tunnel
Tile from Thames Tunnel
Terracotta tile taken from the lining of the Thames Tunnel, removed in the course of early work to prepare for renovation of the Tunnel in the 1990s.
Brunel tunnel watercolour
Watercolour of the Thames Tunnel and river above, signed by Marc Brunel, 1835
Yates shaft watercolour
A fine and important topographical water colour of the Shaft of the Thames Tunnel by George Yates, dated 1835
Thames Tunnel Stereoscopic Peepshow
A contemporary peepshow circa 1852, with a vista of the Tunnel
Tunnel guide French
Illustrated French-language guidebook to the Thames Tunnel Works, printed 1839.
Thames Tunnel Dual-Layer Peepshow
A contemporary dual-layer peepshow before 1843, with vista above and below the Thames
Blue-rimmed pottery plate Thames Tunnel
Pottery plate showing the TT and with blue rim and alphabet embossed on plate
Pottery plate Thames Tunnel
Pottery plate showing the Thames Tunnel with decorative rim and with text starting '1200 Feet Long'
German lithographic print of the Thames Tunnel
Two-colour German lithographic print of twelve views of the Thames Tunnel with descriptive text, printed in March 1828 by Rudolph Schlicht in Mannheim and entitled 'Drawings of the Road linking Rotherhithe to Wapping in London under the Thames, called The Tunnel'.