Visited first with BigBadAsh second with BBA and Bauhausgirl
BBA had got a snippet of info about something in the grounds of the school, so one evening we headed over there to check it out! We found our entrance point and had a quick lot inside, not really sure what we had stumbled across! Came back a few days later with our cameras and stuff
When we finally got inside we found ourselves in a Sand mine, which was I can only imagine part of the Reigate Tunnel Sand mine system! After some high fiving we went and had a look around. Not having been in any mines before, it was I thought a pretty special place, not big enough to get lost in but lots to see! On searching one tunnel I discovered another entrance, which looked like a ww2 bunker entrance! This must have been the way the children from the school must have entered during an Air raid, the wooden stairs leading down from here had rotted away completely!
Came back a few days later with BHG who I think was equally impressed
Had two Fails while in there, the first was when I thought I had discovered some more tunnels, so I scrambled through this tight hole and came out into some more tunnels, turned a couple of corners and found my camera on its tripod second fail was when I noticed that all my pictures had the same line in the top left hand corner caused by a big crack in my lens filter
As I said, this must of been part of the tunnel system of Reigate but is now blocked off !
This was my first mine and it was a great explore, lots of writing scratched into the soft sand walls with lots of dates, from 1908 up until 1970 which was the latest one I saw!
Thanks to BBA for the lone of your filter and BHG for your very handy piece of string
Some history
As these caves or mines are all connected the history isn't specifically about this site!
Apologies to the brilliant Thetimecamber for using your info again
Along the Tunnel Road cutting in Reigate there are a number of caves dug into the hill; they are sand mines that date back to circa 1820 and were used up to circa 1900. The sand had two purposes; for glass manufacture and for scrubbing. When the mining ceased the caves were used for a variety of uses; cordite from Woolwich Arsenal was stored their during WW1, wine merchants stored wine and disposed of empties there, during WW2 it was used as a shelter for locals and people travelling down from London and the caves are used by a local shooting team today.
All I can add to that is that it was used by the school during WW2 and is now sealed off from the other tunnels
SOME PICS
THIS WAS A VIEW OF A MANHOLE COVER ABOUT 30ft UP
WATERLINE ON WALL
BBA POSING
CRAP PICTURE OF AIR RAID SHELTER ENTRANCE
SOME WALL ART
[
Thanks again for looking
BBA had got a snippet of info about something in the grounds of the school, so one evening we headed over there to check it out! We found our entrance point and had a quick lot inside, not really sure what we had stumbled across! Came back a few days later with our cameras and stuff
When we finally got inside we found ourselves in a Sand mine, which was I can only imagine part of the Reigate Tunnel Sand mine system! After some high fiving we went and had a look around. Not having been in any mines before, it was I thought a pretty special place, not big enough to get lost in but lots to see! On searching one tunnel I discovered another entrance, which looked like a ww2 bunker entrance! This must have been the way the children from the school must have entered during an Air raid, the wooden stairs leading down from here had rotted away completely!
Came back a few days later with BHG who I think was equally impressed
Had two Fails while in there, the first was when I thought I had discovered some more tunnels, so I scrambled through this tight hole and came out into some more tunnels, turned a couple of corners and found my camera on its tripod
second fail was when I noticed that all my pictures had the same line in the top left hand corner caused by a big crack in my lens filterAs I said, this must of been part of the tunnel system of Reigate but is now blocked off !
This was my first mine and it was a great explore, lots of writing scratched into the soft sand walls with lots of dates, from 1908 up until 1970 which was the latest one I saw!
Thanks to BBA for the lone of your filter and BHG for your very handy piece of string
Some history
As these caves or mines are all connected the history isn't specifically about this site!
Apologies to the brilliant Thetimecamber for using your info again
Along the Tunnel Road cutting in Reigate there are a number of caves dug into the hill; they are sand mines that date back to circa 1820 and were used up to circa 1900. The sand had two purposes; for glass manufacture and for scrubbing. When the mining ceased the caves were used for a variety of uses; cordite from Woolwich Arsenal was stored their during WW1, wine merchants stored wine and disposed of empties there, during WW2 it was used as a shelter for locals and people travelling down from London and the caves are used by a local shooting team today.
All I can add to that is that it was used by the school during WW2 and is now sealed off from the other tunnels
SOME PICS
THIS WAS A VIEW OF A MANHOLE COVER ABOUT 30ft UP
WATERLINE ON WALL
BBA POSING
CRAP PICTURE OF AIR RAID SHELTER ENTRANCE
SOME WALL ART
[Thanks again for looking
