Chislehurst Caves

Chislehurst Caves are a series of 22 miles of tunnels in Chislehurst, in the south eastern suburbs of Greater London. Although called caves they are actually chalk and flint mine workings. Inside Chislehurst Caves. ... Inside Chislehurst Caves. ... Chislehurst is a place in the London Borough of Bromley. ... For more coverage on London, visit the London Portal. ... Alternate meanings: Cave (disambiguation) This article is about natural caves; for artificial caves used as dwellings, such as those in north China, see yaodong. ... The Needles, part of the extensive Southern England Chalk Formation Chalk is a soft, white, porous form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. ... Pebble beach made up of flint nodules eroded out of the nearby chalk cliffs, Cape Arkona, Rügen Flint (or flintstone) is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline silica rock with a glassy appearance. ... The El Chino Mine located near Silver City, New Mexico is an open-pit copper mine This article is about mineral extraction. ...

The earliest mention of the mines is circa 1250 and they are last believed to have been worked in the 1830s. In the First World War they were used as an ammunition depot associated with the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. Between the wars they were used for mushroom cultivation and in World War 2 they were used as an air raid shelter with electric lighting, a chapel and a hospital. Between the autumn of 1940 and the spring of 1941, the caves sheltered over 15,000 people every night. Events December 13 - Death of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor Louis IX of France is captured by Muslims and has to ransom himself Mabinogion appears Albertus Magnus isolates the element arsenic Vincent of Beauvais writes proto-encyclopedic The Greater Mirror City of Stockholm founded Alphonso III of Portugal takes Algarve... // Events and Trends Electromagnetic induction discovered by Michael Faraday Dutch-speaking farmers known as Voortrekkers emigrate northwards from the Cape Colony Croquet invented in Ireland Railroad construction begins in earnest in the United States Egba refugees fleeing the Yoruba civil wars found the city of Abeokuta in south-west Nigeria... World War I, also known as the First World War, and (before 1939) the Great War, the War of the Nations, and the War to End All Wars, was a world conflict lasting from August 1914 to the final Armistice (cessation of hostilities) on November 11, 1918. ... The Royal Arsenal, originally known as the Woolwich Arsenal, carried out armaments manufacture, ammunition proofing and explosives research. ... Woolwich (pronounced Woolitch) is a town in south-east London, England in the London Borough of Greenwich, on the south side of the River Thames, though the tiny exclave of North Woolwich (which is now part of the London Borough of Newham) is on the north side of the river. ... Basidiocarps (mushrooms) of the fungus Leucocoprinus sp. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 8 million military deaths {{{notes}}} World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a military conflict that took place between 1939 and 1945. ... Air raid shelters are structures for the protection of the civil population as well as military personnel against enemy attacks from the air. ...

In the 1960s, the caves were used a music venue. Status Quo, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd all performed there. More recently, some of the tunnels have been used for live action role-playing games. The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... Status Quo is a UK rock band founded by bassist Alan Lancaster and guitarist Francis Rossi in 1962. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... -1... Pink Floyd (formed in 1965 in Cambridge, England) is an English rock music band, noted for progressive compositions, philosophic lyrics, sonic experimentation, cover art and elaborate live shows. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...

They were featured on the television programme Seven Natural Wonders as one of the wonders of the London area, in an episode presented by Bill Oddie. Seven Natural Wonders is a television programme that aired on BBC Two from 3 May to 20 June 2005. ... Bill Oddie William Edgar (Bill) Oddie, OBE, BA, MA (Cantab. ...

Mythology

In 1903 William Nichols, then Vice President of the British Archaeological Association, produced a theory that the mines were made by the Druids, Romans and Saxons. This theory was used to give names to the three parts of the caves. Today on guided tours visitors have Druid altars pointed out to them and comments about Roman features. However this can at best be speculation as the earliest evidence for mining is 1250 AD. 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The British Archaelogical Association was founded in 1843. ... Druidry or Druidism was the religion of the ancient druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic and Gallic societies through much of Western Europe north of the Alps and in the British Isles. ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Saxons, a Germanic people. ...

However these stories proved attractive to tourists and the increase in tourists led to the mines being used as a music venue.

World War 2 air raid shelter sign

Download high resolution version (492x800, 156 KB)Air raid shelter sign in Chislehurst Caves. ... Download high resolution version (492x800, 156 KB)Air raid shelter sign in Chislehurst Caves. ...

External link

• Chislehurst Caves from the heritage trail
• Official web site
• Detailed information & history of the Chislehurst Caves
• Maps of the Chislehurst Caves
• Map sources for Chislehurst Caves