Think about it! All over the world, there are places swarming with dark secrets, forbidden
passages, and hidden rooms. Few people are aware of the existence of these places, but
occasionally, someone will accidentally fall across a sealed door or locked room, and the
mystery is unraveled. Let's have a look at some of the most exciting discoveries!
Approximately 60 miles (97 km) away from London, there is a beautiful old palace. In 1874,
future British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was born within its walls, and even before
that, the palace was the home of the Duke and Duchess of Malborough.
But the story we're interested in began in 1708 when architect Sir John Vanbrugh started
to carry out his plan to build a "habitable viaduct" near the palace. The Grand Bridge
(which was the name of the new construction) was finished in 1710, and... it impressed
nobody. Vanbrugh's idea was announced to be too expensive and extravagant, and the man
had to leave Blenheim. Thankfully, that’s not the end of the story.
In 1768, the insides of the abandoned bridge got flooded, but not as a result of foul weather.
It was a landscape design project by the famous architect and gardener Lancelot "Capability"
Brown (yes, that was his name), and according to his plan, the grounds were filled with
several lakes. Nobody had seen inside the bridge since then... until very recently!
The thing is that lately, two of the lakes, the Queen Pool and the Great Lake, have been
steadily drying out. Experts were worried that if the lakes were to run completely dry,
the bridge would become unstable. But that wasn't the only problem that had to be solved;
to restore the original depth of the lakes, the workers would have to remove more than
400,000 tons (360,000 tonnes) of silt build-up! But not so long ago, in October 2018, the
decision was made to restore the Grand Bridge. Undaunted by the $15-million reconstruction
cost, work began to bring back one of the most beautiful views in England to life. But
little did the experts know, they were about to make some startling discoveries.
First of all, the engineers constructed a labyrinth of dams, siphons, and groundwater
wells, and as soon as the water level dropped by 6.5 ft (2 m), a shocking truth was revealed.
It turned out that the bridge housed more than 30 rooms, and plaster on the walls indicated
that people may have lived there in the early 18th century.
With the help of a full internal 3D survey, the scientists were able to explore the eerie
place. They discovered stairways and fireplaces, chimneys and strange chambers without windows,
graffiti which dated back to the 1760s and broken and sunken boats used in the 1950s
for reed cutting. The whole dredging project is supposed to
last a couple of years, but the restoration of the Grand Bridge will most likely take
much longer.
Well, according to Head of Estates at Blenheim, Roy Cox, this is one of the most ambitious
restoration projects they have ever attempted in the UK. But if you believe that Britain
is the only place that hides secret passages and mysterious rooms, think again! The astonishing
truth is that a lot of famous sights and even major tourist attractions have their own secrets!
The New Yorker Hotel in, well, New York is home to countless untold secrets, such as
a mysterious Art Deco tunnel. This tunnel, safely concealed under 34th Street, goes from
the hotel's lobby all the way to Penn station.
Charing Cross Road is one of the busiest roads in London, with never-ending traffic and hordes
of hurrying people and wandering tourists. But if one day you're walking along this street,
find the traffic island situated in the middle of this road. When you glance down through
the metal grate, you'll be astonished to see that there is a Victorian street name on the
wall below ground level. Wait; what? How is it even possible?
Not many people, including locals, know this secret, but underneath the present-day streets
of London, there is an old, abandoned street called Little Compton. It’s one of the few
things left that still remains of old London.
And since we’re speaking about hidden streets, rooms, and passages, we mustn't miss the Uffizi
Gallery in Florence. There, you will find a mysterious corridor filled with priceless
pieces of art. This 3,300-ft-long passage (1 km) connects the gallery with Pitti palace
and dates back to the 15th century. When this corridor was built, workers had to cut it
through different stores and even people's homes.
Interestingly, butchers had to abandon their businesses which later were replaced with
jewelry boutiques. It was believed that this way, tourists wouldn't suffer from foul smells
and would have better views.
One of the busiest railway stations in Melbourne, Australia, is Flinders Street Station. It
serves more than a hundred thousand commuters every single day! What most of these people
don't know is that an old ballroom hides on the station’s third floor and is rarely
open to visitors. On the other hand, if you're lucky enough
to get a "Golden Ticket," which are randomly tucked into several tourist programs, you'll
have a chance! Unfortunately, you can get such an exclusive entry only on special occasions.
Who would think that underneath the elegant Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York, there is
a secret railway station! It used to be a wartime escape route. President Franklin D.
Roosevelt regularly used it when he needed to get from one place to another without being
spotted by the public. Stepping out of his private railcar, the President got straight
into an elevator that took him to the hotel.
Meanwhile, did you know that at Mount Rushmore, right behind Abraham Lincoln's head, there
is a tiny room, so small that it can barely fit several visitors? It's a bit challenging
to get to this place on foot, but if you can, you'll find copies of the Declaration of Independence,
the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution.
Rome is almost always crowded with people. And while more than 4 million visitors come
to see the Colosseum each year, very few know that under this world-famous tourist attraction,
there is a vast network of tunnels. Long ago, they housed leopards, lions, elephants, panthers,
and even giraffes to fight against gladiators. The animals were raised to the arena with
the help of a pulley system.
More than 300,000 commuters go through Milan's central railway station, the Stazione Centrale,
every single day. Most of them have no idea that behind the closed doors they pass is
the most lavish and exclusive room in the whole building, Royal Pavilion. This is a
special waiting room created in the 1920s for the Italian royal family.
Even though there’s no monarchy in Italy nowadays, the waiting room still exists. It
consists of two levels decorated with marble, sculptures, and elegant furniture. On top
of that, the royal waiting room has a balcony with a view of the square.
The New York Public Library is the third biggest library in the world, and no wonder! After
all, it consists of a whole network of locations scattered all over the city. Also, it's home
to more than 50 million books and other items. You may guess it takes a lot of people to
keep such a huge system functioning. That's why hundreds of workers lived with their families
in various secret rooms throughout the library. Their main task was to look after furnaces.
Most of these hidden rooms were later demolished, but at least a dozen of them still remain
in the library system.
What comes to your mind when you think about Paris? I would bet that it's the Eiffel Tower!
Despite this monument’s fame, few people know that it hides a tiny secret. It's a cozy
little apartment near the top of the tower. Gustave Eiffel, the creator of the magnificent
construction, left this hidden nook for himself. Like any other apartment of a wealthy Parisian,
Eiffel's home was furnished with old wooden chairs and cabinets, a piano in the corner
and oil paintings on the paisley wallpaper. The engineer was extremely fond of his secret
shelter and often had important meetings there. After being closed for a long time, the apartment
is now open for tourists.
If you could visit one of these secret places, what would be your pick? Write about your
choice in the comment section below! Remember to hit the "like" button, show this video
to your friends who love mysterious stories, and click "subscribe." This way, you'll instantly
get to the Bright Side of life!