The Brunel Museum is situated on the site of the Thames Tunnel, the world's first tunnel beneath a river, built between 1825 and 1843 following innovative designs of Marc Brunel, aided by his son, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The site consists of two key buildings: the Tunnel Shaft, once the grand entrance to the tunnel and now an atmospheric underground space used for concerts, weddings and other events, and the Engine House, which formerly housed steam-powered pumps and now displays the Museum's collection.

On the exterior wall of the Tunnel Shaft is one of the Museum's most vibrant features: a mural created by local children in 2002. This colourful artwork captures a unique historical vision – one first imagined almost 200 years earlier.

Though it was intended to help move cargo into and across London, various problems and alterations during construction eventually meant that the Thames Tunnel opened in 1843 as more of an underwater fairground and tourist attraction. It is now the oldest tunnel in the oldest underground system in the world.

Inspired by an 1835 watercolour signed by Marc Brunel, the mural reflects the Thames Tunnel's double arches, geological strata, and the River Thames above, echoing the artwork that once played a vital role in securing public and political support for this groundbreaking engineering feat.

The original watercolour, produced at a critical moment in the Tunnel's construction history, helped Marc Brunel communicate the Tunnel's scale and importance to potential investors and parliamentarians. Following a major flood in 1828 that halted construction, the project needed both technical renewal and public reassurance. This striking image projected the completed Tunnel in active use – figures walking through it, boats above – demonstrating its viability and value.

In 2001, the Brunel Museum was pleased to acquire this significant piece of visual history with support from the Art Fund.

Presentation of the watercolour to the Brunel Museum, 2001

A special event was held at the Museum to mark its arrival, during which photographs were taken showing a framed reproduction of the image being ceremonially handed over. These moments, now part of our own institutional history, remind us that art continues to play a key role in how we tell the story of the Thames Tunnel.

The children's mural created the following year (2002) carries forward this same legacy of storytelling through image.

Painting the Brunel Museum tunnel mural, 2002

While we do not hold detailed records of those who painted it, the artwork itself stands as a celebration of local engagement and historical imagination. It demonstrates how community art can connect people, past and present, to one of London's most ambitious engineering achievements.

As well as the mural and watercolour, there are many other stories and objects to explore at the Museum, including an eccentric collection of souvenirs bought in the world's first underwater shopping arcade.

Other notable artworks in the collection include a series of prints and drawings of the tunnel from the early nineteenth century...

A Lithograph Section of the Whole Tunnel with Three Vignettes

Autograph Sketch-Plan Showing Two Sections of the Proposed Cylindrical Tunnel

...a commemorative plate with a print of the tunnel in the centre...

...and a sculpture of Isambard Kingdom Brunel by Maurice Juggins (1934–2014).

Though the Thames Tunnel is no longer open for pedestrian access, the Tunnel still operates as part of the London Overground between Rotherhithe and Wapping Station. This historic feat of engineering, once dubbed the 'Eighth Wonder of the World', was the first tunnel successfully built beneath a navigable river and attracted over a million visitors within its first few months of opening in 1843.

Today, visitors can descend into the Grade II* listed shaft, once the grand entrance hall for Victorian guests, where smoke-blackened brick walls and the distant rumble of trains below offer a powerful, atmospheric reminder of Marc Brunel's ambitious vision. From the Tunnel itself to the mural it inspired, these works continue to connect people to the rich history and community spirit of the place.

If you would like to share your memory or story connected to the mural, please contact the Brunel Museum at hello@thebrunelmuseum.com

You can also buy prints of artworks from The Brunel Museum on the Art UK Shop.

Seung Yeon Kim, intern at The Brunel Museum

This content was created as part of the Art UK Murals Digitisation and Engagement programme

Publication of this story was made possible with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery players