Chislehurst Caves

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The caves at Chislehurst are a labyrinth of entirely man-made tunnels - up to 20 miles of them - below the homes and gardens of the area. The caves are thought to have been started by the Druids (although this is open to debate) and were continued by the Romans and Saxons in order to dig for chalk and to use for lime burning and brick making for building London. In the last century a multitude of uses were found for the caves. In the First ...
...shelter for thousands of Londoners. Chislehurst became the largest deep air raid shelter outside London and protected up to 15,000 people a night during the height of the bombing.

This century the caves have become a tourist attraction. And with such a rich and varied history rightly so.

*** How Do I Get There? ***

The caves are located in the tiny village of Chislehurst and access is from Caveside Close ... more

*** The History ***

World War II marked a new and terrifying phase in modern warfare. Civilians became legitimate targets of the enemy. Hitler's plan to force Britain into surrender was to break the spirit of Londoners. With this objective London was subjected to heavy and sustained bombing during the Blitz of 1940 - 1941, which left much of London in smouldering ruins. As the war took a different direction there was a reprieve until 1944 when London faced the even greater destructive power of Hitler's new weapons - the V1's and V2's. The new weapons caused additional levels of fear as they were pilot-less mechanical bombs, the forerunners of modern missiles, and to add insult to injury came as victory was at last in sight.

But Londoners morale did not break. "We can take it" became the unofficial motto of London and of "Bomb Alley" in the South which also suffered dreadfully from bombs deliberately discharged on the flight back to Germany or simply missed aim. With grim determination people found shelter over night and emerged the next morning to pick their way over the rubble to work. Those in Central London found ideal underground shelters in the tube stations. In Outer London, where gardens were more plentiful, Anderson Shelters were provided to many families. However for the people living in the suburbs of South East London there was a ready-made shelter just waiting for them.

The caves at Chislehurst are a labyrinth of entirely man-made tunnels - up to 20 miles of them - below the homes and gardens of the area. The caves are thought to have been started by the Druids (although this is open to debate) and were continued by the Romans and Saxons in order to dig for chalk and to use for lime burning and brick making for building London. In the last century a multitude of uses were found for the caves. In the First World War they were used for munitions storage and in the 1920's and 1930's for growing mushrooms! However the caves came into their own during the Blitz when they provided shelter for thousands of Londoners. Chislehurst became the largest deep air raid shelter outside London and protected up to 15,000 people a night during the height of the bombing.

This century the caves have become a tourist attraction. And with such a rich and varied history rightly so.

*** How Do I Get There? ***

The caves are located in the tiny village of Chislehurst and access is from Caveside Close round the corner from the Bickley Pub. Chislehurst is situated in South East London roughly between Bromley and Dartford.

Probably the easiest way to get to the Caves is by car. From Central London the A20 and A21 connect with the A222 at Bromley and near Sidcup respectively. If arriving from outside London the A20 can be accessed from the M25 at Junction 3 and the A21 from Junction 4.

Alternatively Chislehurst Railway Station - with regular direct trains from Charing Cross that take just under half and hour - is only round the corner from the caves and there is also a bus service from Bromley on the 269 and 162.

*** The Gift Shop & Cafe ***

Access to the caves is through the gift shop and cafe building. Tours leave hourly and tickets are purchased from the gift shop.

The gift shop itself sells a fairly standard range of merchandise and is nothing special. The cafe serves breakfasts and lunches as well as tea and cakes. However again it didn't look anything special and, to be honest, the multitude of screaming children put us off and we retired round the corner to the pub for our lunch!

*** The Tour ***

Access to the caves is by guided tour only so it is important to be ready for your time slot. Your guide provides the responsible adults of the party (somehow I ended up with one though!) with a paraffin lamp and you descend into the darkness below.

Our guide navigated our group of about thirty people around the maze of tunnels. Some of the areas have been set up to look like it would have done during the war, for example the hospital has been re-created and the church is still pretty much intact. However the majority of the tunnels, provided for the little markings such as DD98 along the top of the walls which indicated different pitches to the shelterers - have been left bare.

I expected the war history to feature much more prominently at the caves. The fact that up to 15,000 people sheltered at the caves each night during the war meant that a real community emerged. Concerned about hygiene, a cave committee was established to run the shelter, and provided furniture, toilets and washrooms. They also made the shelter far more organised setting out rules and regulations, designating pitches to families and charging them on a nightly or weekly basis as well as providing amenities such as a library and entertainment like dances.

I thought that we would find the caves pretty much how they were left at the end of the war. In fact very little of the wartime fabric remains except a couple of exhibitions and little buildings (most interestingly the toilets!). However, surprisingly, the tour isn't any the poorer for this. The caves are enormously interesting just because of the sheer scale of them - everywhere you turn there are several passageways leading away into the darkness. And in the lamp light your imagination can run wild as your guide tells you stories of Cavaliers who hid in the caves or of the pre-requisite ghost.

Fascinatingly the caves can also boast a place in modern pop culture. In a room used for wartime dances there is a tiny stage which has apparently played host to performances from legendaries such as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd!

*** Is It Suitable For Children? ***

Yes, but only if they are carefully supervised. There were plenty of children on our tour and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. The only things to concern the parent are that in most places the caves are very dark, the ground below is uneven and if a child did manage to run off by itself it may never be seen again!

That said the children, even the young ones, should get a lot out of Chislehurst as a family day out. The older children will find the war history interesting and the younger children just seem to enjoy the spook factor of being in a dark cave!

*** Admission Charges ***

Chislehurst Caves is an absolute bargain at £4 for adults and £2 for children and OAP's.

*** Opening Times ***

The Caves are open Wednesday through to Sunday. The guided tours leave hourly, starting from 10am, and last roughly 45 minutes. During the school holidays (excluding Christmas) the Caves are open every day.

For further details: 020 8467 3264 / www.chislehurstcaves.co.uk

*** Conclusion ***

An excellent, and very interesting, day out which won't break the budget.

Thanks for reading & I look forward to reading your comments. Triciax

 

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