Some of the underground premises were used as shelters during the war

TfL owns 750 of the tunnels and will reveal its plans next month

London's ghost Underground stations and tunnels could be sold off to developers so they can be transformed into art galleries, nightclubs and major tourist attractions.

Over the next month, Transport for London is inviting companies to bid to become part of a transformation of abandoned Tube stations including some that were used as air raid shelters in the Second World War and others that even once housed immigrant workers.

Interested companies could then convert the unusual underground spaces into venues for a range of new purposes.

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One of the most famous Tube stations likely to be offered for a new use is 107-year-old Aldwych Station

A direction sign inside the former Brompton Road tube station, a disused station on the Piccadilly line between South Kensington and Knightsbridge

Abandoned horse tunnels, once considered alternative routes for horse-drawn carriages, are also likely to be offered to businesses.

One of the most famous Tube stations likely to be offered for a new use is 107-year-old Aldwych Station, which has been closed for the past 20 years.

It was used during the Second World War to shelter artworks removed from public galleries and museums during the Blitz, including the Elgin Marbles.

The tracks and platform stand empty at the Aldwych Underground station, which could be part of the portfolio involved in the bidding process

During the Second World War, some of London's Underground stations were used as air raid shelters

The Grade II-listed building is a popular film location and has appeared in a number of movies.

Other stations that have played a key part in history and now lay abandoned include Down Street Tube on the Piccadilly line, which dates back more than 100 years and was used in WW2 as both an air raid shelter and an alternative retreat for Sir Winston Churchill when the Cabinet War Rooms were unavailable.

Tunnels underneath Stockwell station housed up to 4,000 American troops as they returned home from Germany in 1945, and the Plessey tunnels in east London were used as an underground factory, where women made bullets and bombs.

A makeshift warning sign next to the locked gateway leading to the platforms of the former Brompton Road Tube station

Tfl is expected to reveal plans next month for companies to make use of the underground premises

Among other possible uses being suggested for the disused stations and tunnels are tourist attractions, retail hubs, hotels and museums.

Some of the underground premises were used as shelters during the war and also to house migrant workers during the 1940s.

TfL, who owns 750 of the tunnels, is expected to reveal plans next month for companies to make use of the premises below ground while retaining their ownership.

The idea of making use of abandoned stations and tunnels was first proposed in 2009 by former Barclays banking executive Ajit Chambers, 41, who believed the network could be worth £3.6billion.

A subterranean kitchen garden, created in WW2 bomb shelters to grow exotic herbs and vegetables, is set up more than 100ft below the Northern Line

The Northern Line Garden uses special LED energy bulbs and hydroponics system to grow crops including a range of exotic herbs, shoots, vegetables and flowers

Among possible uses being suggested for the disused stations and tunnels are retail hubs and hotels

The abandoned underground stations and tunnels could be worth £3.6billion. The idea to make use of abandoned stations was first proposed in 2009

He set up the Old London Underground Company with the aim of renovating stations on behalf of TfL.

Mr Chambers told MailOnline: 'In 2009 as part of my effort to assist the financial downturn in the UK, I founded a company that would unearth one of London’s state owned ‘‘sleeping property portfolios’’.

'I worked 24 hours a day for five years and am now fulfilling my promise to Mayor of London, Boris Johnson which was to add £200 million to the UK economy through this project.

WHAT STATIONS COULD BE UP FOR GRABS? TfL is reluctant to confirm anything about the potential bidding process for tunnels and stations, but there are several iconic venue which could be included in the portfolio: Old Brompton Road was built in 1812 and is the oldest London Underground Station. It sits on the Picaddilly line and was used as an anti aircraft control centre in WW2. The bunker is also thought to be where Rudolf Hess, Adolf Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party, was brought to be interrogated after being captured in Scotland in 1941. Leinster Gardens houses a building with a false facade due to the development of the London Underground. With buildings taken out to develop the new mode of transport when it was first created, developers decided to conceal the unsightly cutting to create a District Line tunnel with a false building to keep up appearances. Down Street was first opened in 1907 but was closed in 1932. However, in WW2, it became of use again, housing the Emergency Railway Committee, it was also used by Winston Churchill of several occasions when the Cabinet War Rooms were unavailable. Aldwych was another station to open to great fanfare in 1907 that then feel into disrepair. However, in WW2 it was not only used as an air raid shelter, but as a storage facility for priceless works from the British Museum, including the Elgin Marbles. Advertisement

'My investment model allows the public to invest in the stations and therefore share in the return of Investment, share offerings are currently managed from the country office near Brighton, East Sussex.'

His proposals focus on 13 flagship stations with the intention that they should be converted into art galleries and nightclubs.

Mr Chambers is also attracted by the idea of setting up a National Fire Brigade Museum.

He has the support of four investors, including Duncan Vaughn-Arbuckle, the founder of wine museum Vinopolis in Southwark.

There are 13 flagship stations which, if the plans go ahead, could be converted into art galleries and nightclubs

Mr Chambers has also been in talks with the Mandarin Hotel Group and West Court Real Estate - led by top designer Vinjay Kapoor.

TfL are reluctant to talk about the plans at present.

A spokeswoman said: 'We cannot show any prejudice ahead of a public tender.'