Report - Highsted Chalk Pits - Kent - Jun 2018

[Jimbow]

T

I often see people in and out the gate that leads into the pit where the shooting range is, not so much since the COVID pandemic but it is still a functioning shooting club to my knowledge, easily accessible if you know where your going although I don’t suggest you go down the when the shooting range is live.

To the left of the gate there used to be an opening that, go through that and to you right is a steep embankment to the other side of the gate, if you go left it will take you to the cliff top above the shooting range, if you follow the path round to the left it will take you to the back of the chalk pit and a more gentle but gradual way to the bottom, we used to ride bikes that way to the bottom.

here also buildings and a couple of wells in the other.

 

[Elcamino;)]

I live less than 20 minutes walk from the Highsted chalk pits and have done all my life. I spent most of my childhood down there and isn’t much of it I’ve not explored.

I don’t know much about the history unfortunately but had also heard someone had died down there but no one could tell me when.... even half the old folk I spoke too.

Yes back in the 70’s kids did find a granade although they took it too school and were kicking it around the play ground like a football, thankfully it didn’t go off. Such things have been known to be found down there over the years. As for a bomb shelter and a prisoners of war being made to work there is a new one for me, my grandfather failed to mention anything like that and I’m afraid the poor old bugger is no longer around to ask.

I’ve always been curious of its history and can’t sleep, hence why it’s only now I’m finding this page. Seeing as my family have always been on the Swanstree Estate and surrounding area I’ll do some digging of my own, will be a nice trip down memory lane setting foot back in that place after 17 long years.

I’ll probably shit myself when I see the trees I used to jump into as a kid.

Well it’s funny you mention deaths here as I decided to research the place recently and see if anything new had come up and I couldn’t find much but I did find out that the pit with the shooting range was once a burial ground in the Iron Age and apparently a Roman coffin was there too. I decided to go back after school the other day but it’s been trashed in the year since I last went. It’s a shame there’s not much information on the place really

 

[Elcamino;)]

I often see people in and out the gate that leads into the pit where the shooting range is, not so much since the COVID pandemic but it is still a functioning shooting club to my knowledge, easily accessible if you know where your going although I don’t suggest you go down the when the shooting range is live.

To the left of the gate there used to be an opening that, go through that and to you right is a steep embankment to the other side of the gate, if you go left it will take you to the cliff top above the shooting range, if you follow the path round to the left it will take you to the back of the chalk pit and a more gentle but gradual way to the bottom, we used to ride bikes that way to the bottom.

Oh ace! I’ll have to go down there and check it out at some point. I’d like to see what the tunnels look like from the other side, thanks for letting me know

 

[darrenh]

the pits were started in the late 1800s by a local brick maker called george smeed, he had branched out into cement manufacturing. the company became APCM (associated portland cement manufacturers) now known as blue circle. the pits are still owned by APCM and local farming company GH dean. chalk was extracted, mixed in wash mills to a slurry then pumped to the cement works at the mouth of milton creek (crown quay lane) the smaller "east pit" was the first to open, then they expanded across the road (the largest pit enclosed by cromers road, woodstock road, highsted road and crossways) then lastly into the pit south of cromers road.

the collapsed tunnel linked pits 1 and 2 under highsted road, the big arch tunnel with metal gates linked pits 2 and 3 under cromers road. at one point they had narrow gauge railway which ran through the tunnels, transporting the chalk to the wash mills and pump house. the concrete "air raid shelters" are actually blast shelters as they used explosives to dislodge the face of the quarry (but it was mostly dug with huge crane like "face shovels")

HMP slade is a fictional prison from a 1970s sitcom called "porridge", someone has just sprayed it on there as a joke as it looks a bit like the prison gates. there was no POW workforce as far as i know.

 

[Elcamino;)]

the pits were started in the late 1800s by a local brick maker called george smeed, he had branched out into cement manufacturing. the company became APCM (associated portland cement manufacturers) now known as blue circle. the pits are still owned by APCM and local farming company GH dean. chalk was extracted, mixed in wash mills to a slurry then pumped to the cement works at the mouth of milton creek (crown quay lane) the smaller "east pit" was the first to open, then they expanded across the road (the largest pit enclosed by cromers road, woodstock road, highsted road and crossways) then lastly into the pit south of cromers road.

the collapsed tunnel linked pits 1 and 2 under highsted road, the big arch tunnel with metal gates linked pits 2 and 3 under cromers road. at one point they had narrow gauge railway which ran through the tunnels, transporting the chalk to the wash mills and pump house. the concrete "air raid shelters" are actually blast shelters as they used explosives to dislodge the face of the quarry (but it was mostly dug with huge crane like "face shovels")

HMP slade is a fictional prison from a 1970s sitcom called "porridge", someone has just sprayed it on there as a joke as it looks a bit like the prison gates. there was no POW workforce as far as i know.

Oh I see! Nice to know more of the history surrounding this place, it is rather atmospheric to visit. Good to finally find out why the shelters were built too! It's crazy what people could do back then. I don't believe I've watched Porridge but it's still pretty interesting to find out the origin of the graffiti on the gate. Thank you for writing all of this

 

[Rsteep]

Some recent photos. Took a picture between a gap in the big metal door. Its flooded in many places. Couldn't access Many areas due to so much growth. I might head back down there in the summer with some helpful tools to clear some space

 

[Jackazoid01]

Hello, me and my friends have been using this quarry for fun for a while now but stumbled upon a weird man built hut in the side of the hill, we went in and saw it had photos of the same teenagers half burnt and we were really freaked out by all of this as we think it was regularly and recently used due to poo holes being dug out around it and a lighter and furnance inside, It was very carefully constructed but we dont know what to do as it feels very creepy and could be a pedo hut.

 

[tumbles]

Or maybe just a homeless persons refuge. How on earth did you come to the conclusion it was a pedo hut 🤷‍♂️

 

[Jackazoid01]

I guess it probably isnt, just coincidence, i wouldnt like to run into whoever it is in that hut though. This was the inside it felt really off...

 

[Elcamino;)]

I guess it probably isnt, just coincidence, i wouldnt like to run into whoever it is in that hut though. This was the inside it felt really off...

Hiya! Yeah I know that lil spot! Actually found the ditch that was dug before it was made and wondered what it was until I came back a year or so later haha
Were the teen photos appropriate? Because I have mates that hang in the pits rather often and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was just them aha-no idea why they’d be burnt though

 

[Elcamino;)]

Okay so it turns out my friend made that hut a couple years ago🤣