An underground city which housed tens of thousands of British troops during the First World War has been partially renovated and opened it’s doors to visitors last weekend.

Located in the Artois region of France, deep below the town of Arras, the city was used to provide shelter and protection for up to twenty four thousand troops against the seemingly never ending German artillery bombardment.

Over 10 miles of interlinked tunnels connected dormitories, kitchens, a command centre and a heavily utilized hospital.

Historically, the area had long been densely populated with cellars and mine shafts – some of which dating way back to the Middles Ages – this was furthered when the British High Command issued directives to create the “secret city of Arras”.

The project was completed by miners from Northern England together with Maoris and took around eighteen months to complete.

There is one recorded offensive being launched directly from the underground city. This occurred on 19th April 1917 which ended in attrition after eliciting over four thousand casualties a day.