Got any extra room?
MARION McMULLEN uncovers secret chambers hidden inside the world’s most iconic landmarks
IT MAY be known as the House of Commons, but a recent discovery in Parliament was quite out of the ordinary – a 17th-century secret doorway. The hidden walkway had originally been built for the coronation of Charles II in 1660, allowing guests to reach the new king’s celebration banquet.
It was later used by MPs to access the Commons – which was originally in the medieval Palace of Westminster before a fire destroyed much of it in the 19th century.
Only Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the palace survived the blaze and it was there that the doorway was recently rediscovered.
The entrance dates back more than 350 years and is believed to have been used by famous diarist Samuel Pepys and politician Robert Walpole, regarded as Britain’s first prime minister.
For the past 70 years, the entrance had remained forgotten behind wooden panelling in a cloister that was formerly used as offices by the Parliamentary Labour Party.
A brass plate had marked the spot, but historians believed the passageway had been filled in during reconstruction work after bombing during the Second World War.
It was rediscovered during recent
Diarist Samuel Pepys, above, is thought to have used the passage at the House Of Commons investigative work by Parliament’s architecture and heritage team who have been undertaking Westminster’s £4 billion restoration project.
Graffiti written by bricklayers who helped architect Sir Charles Barry restore the palace following the fire in 1834 was also discovered. One piece, dated 1851, reads: “This room was enclosed by Tom Porter who was very fond of Ould Ale.”
Buckingham Palace also boasts a secret passage in the grand White Drawing Room, which provided the setting for the wedding photos of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The room is filled with some of the finest English and French furniture in the world and one of a pair of elaborate cabinets hides a concealed door in the northwest corner of the room. It offers a private passageway that leads to the Queen’s private state apartments.
The Eiffel Tower is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Paris but the famous landmark also features a private apartment at the top of the structure that engineer Gustave Eiffel designed for himself.
The space, measuring 1,076 sq ft featured everything from a living room, piano, kitchen and bathroom, but was missing one thing... a bedroom. However, it did boast amazing views of the city.
Waxworks of Gustave, his daughter Claire and inventor Thomas Edison can now be found in a recreation of the office and the apartment proved the doorway to another dimension in 2015 sci-fi film Tomorrowland starring George Clooney.
The Statue of Liberty in New York was the first sight millions of immigrants to America saw, but few know there is a hidden room inside the famous torch.
It has not been open to visitors since 1916 after it suffered damage when German spies set off an explosion at a nearby munitions depot during World War One. Repair work was carried out but the stairs to the torch have remained closed to tourists ever since.
The Great Pyramid in Egypt has been shrouded in mystery for millennia, but in 2017 scientists discovered a secret space while carrying out imaging scans.
The pyramid at Giza was the tallest man-made structure in the world for around 3,800 years and the hidden 30 metre-long space lies within the very centre of the tomb which is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Mount Rushmore in South
Dakota features the carved heads of American presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln and behind Lincoln’s sculpture is a hidden room.
Sculptor and artist Gutzon Borglum spent 14 years of his life working on the sculptures and planned a Hall of Records with the entrance behind Lincoln’s face. He said: “Let us place there, carved high, as close to heaven as we can, the words of our leaders, their faces to show prosperity what manner of men they were. Then breathe a prayer that these records will endure until the wind and the rain along shall wear them away.”
Gutrzon’s Hall Of Records dream came true almost 50 years after his death when historical documents were placed in the stone space and sealed with a 1,200lb granite slab.
Visitors to the Empire State
Building in the heart of New York can admire the city views from the 102nd floor, but there is also a higher 103rd level off limits to the public.
The secret deck is surrounded by a short ledge with a low railing and VIP guests like British boxer Amir Khan, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Sir Michael Caine, Martin Clunes, Sir Richard Branson, film star Dakota Fanning and Ed Sheeran have all had their photographs taken there.