Report - Royal Marine Deep Refuge - Kent - May 2017

[UrbanZ]

The Explore

This one had been on the "to do" list for a long while, we knew where the entrance was but were told by several people "you have to do it in two groups" & "don't all go in at once".

well after bumping into secca at another site and nicely asked to leave we thought fuck it, this wasn't far away and we didn't want to end the night not having done something so we just went to try our luck, our luck was in.

after a bit of waiting around all 3 of us slipped inside and were instantly greeted by the infamous staircase we had all seen on others reports, after descending the precariousness we spent a good few hours in this place.

glad we got this one done before it was sealed again, another deep shelter off the list !!

Visited with @Minor and a non-member

Brief history (pilfered from Gromr123)

Built as part of the now demolished Melville Barracks in Chatham. This deep shelter was a refuge for the marines at the barracks. The history is pretty vague, but I believe the tunnels existed before the start of WW2.

In the early 1960s when the melville Barracks were demolished to make way for the council offices, and most of the tunnel entrances were sealed up.

onto the pics

The beginning of the shelter after descending the stairs of doom!

First load of sleeping bunks

more bunks and Minor up to something at the end

Ladies loos

Another long Tunnel

Inside the room to the left of the last pic

Storage racks just before the office and Minor again

Whats left of the offices

More bunks and storage

Stairs to the other entrance

One of the second floor corridors

there are more but very samesy so i'll leave it there

thanks for looking

 

[pigeonboy]

Great report, ive got to head down here asap

 

[iZodiac]

This looks insane. Nice post man! I agree with BadMotherpugger, need to head to this place.

 

[Wevsky]

This isnt the other level mate its to the other entrance,

i take it you didnt bother going up the completely fucked stairs to the second level ?

 

[UrbanZ]

i thought that went up to the other levels, i can't quite remember as it was over 2 months ago we went now. yeah we covered the whole place, the second set of stairs are proper fucked, sketchy as hell going up those.

 

[Minor]

Are these the stairs you mean?

 

[iZodiac]

Are these the stairs you mean?

I would scale these stairs. If noone has done it, when I visit I will

 

[Wevsky]

That look more like it..thru the hole in the wall to these stairs.

 

[UrbanZ]

have edited to read "stairs to other entrance" rather than other level, nice one for picking that up Wevs. like i said i couldn't exactly remember the layout

 

[Minor]

That's the one. I enjoyed going up and down these stairs, can't say the same for everyone else tho.

 

[UrbanZ]

haha thats not how i remember it mate, or was it the other one who was shitting themselves

 

[Minor]

Well, it was two months ago .
I clearly remember you saying to the other one "it's Ok, take it slow and don't listen to that twat", and wondering who the twat referred to o_O.

 

[EOA]

Nice report and snaps UrbanZ - underground, sketchy, bit grimy and rotten. What's not to like.

Definitely somewhere I'll have to travel to when I have a chance.

 

[UrbanZ]

Nice report and snaps UrbanZ - underground, sketchy, bit grimy and rotten. What's not to like.

Definitely somewhere I'll have to travel to when I have a chance.

thanks EOA, it was a good explore indeed. the easiest way in has recently been sealed but worth checking out if you are ever in the area

 

[Ghosty1990]

Is this still access able I would like to go here to take photos. Tonight ideally