Paranormal Investigations Ltd
" seek and ye shall find "
CHISLEHURST CAVES
Outside.............warm and sunny
Inside................7-10 degrees
Time/date.........15.00 22 - 10 - 09 Friday Afternoon
Group................Fiona / Charlie
People present...Fiona/Charlie/two members of the public /Jason our guide.....total 5
On arrival at the Chislehurst Caves we joined the 3 o'clock tour with Jason our tour guide and two others after collecting our oil lamps and studying the map of the cave system, we moved on into the tunnels.
The caves are a series of man made tunnels covering 6 hectares and although it is not known the exact age of the three different sections, it is thought that some of the tunnels date back thousands of year. The chalk is very dry and the tunnels are structured slightly differently in each section.
Underground map of Chislehurst caves Table with lamps and map at end of tunnel
The tunnels are believed to have been developed in three phases - The Druids era, the Roman era and the Saxon era. Some time later all three sections were joined together by linking tunnels. There are now 17 miles of tunnels in fact and there may yet be more to find.
The five of us walked through the tunnels and I couldn't help thinking how it must have been during the 2nd world war where up to 20,000 people had lived here sheltering from the bombings of London - an underground city with chapel, hospital, Citizens Advice Bureau, lighting and bathrooms! The original Ticket Office still stands and a clear picture of how the complex would have operated is built.
Before the second world war, the tunnels were used in a number of roles throughout the years. Originally they would have been used to quarry the chalk which becomes lime once heated and used to build the earliest dwellings. Also found in the chalk is a flint layer which was also mined for gun flint in the 1700's to early 1800's. It is thought that the caves may also have been used for smuggling but this would have ceased by the 1840's when it became unprofitable.
From 1914 - 1920 the tunnels were used as an ammunition depot which included the installation of narrow gauge railway to move the munitions around the caves. 1933 - 1939 saw the tunnels turned into a mushroom farm.
Post war years have seen the complex used for rock gigs, filming including a Dr.Who episode and now a fascinating tourist attraction.
Cave rules strictly adhered to How a family lived safely at night during the bombings
There was even a church ...... still - wonder if they new they had orbs?
A close up of the orb .......and mists
The caves had a nice feel to them and photos were taken all the way round and a number of Orbs and mists were recorded. There appeared to be more activity in the Roman section although the Druid section had some tremendous acoustics and artwork. Although the caves are very dry, there are in fact three natural water systems underneath the tunnels and the Romans apparently built a well approximately 150ft deep which is now about 40ft deep - wonder what is down there now ?
Wall carvings old or new either way ...fantastic The Roman well
strange bouncy mists more orbs
The Roman section is indeed where the Haunting stories connected to the Caves stem from. A Woman's remains were excavated during reconstruction works to the pool and she is thought to be the murdered wife of a miner back in the 1700's. She is said to haunt the pool and has been seen on a number of occasions. Horses have also been heard after a stable had collapsed into the caves many years ago killing six horses.
Other strange things include a Roman Centurion also murdered, the sound of children laughing and crying, an appearance of a hunchback and an old woman.
The Druids were also said to hold rituals here including human sacrifices but there is a split opinion on this as there is very little archaeological evidence to back this up. Other opinions are that the 'altars' were in fact workbenches for the miners to enable them to reach the tunnel roof.
A photo taken at the haunted pool
Although thousands of people spent the nights in the caves during the War, not many would sleep in the section containing the Pool. After the war there was a dare circulating stating that £5 would be paid to anyone who could spend the night in the cave alone by the pool. Subsequently a policeman achieved this but felt a presence behind him whilst he carved on the wall to keep him focused and also claimed to have seen something by the pool although what is not known.
The last attempt at this was in 1985 when two guides spent Halloween night there. Everything was going well up until about 3am when one of them suffered horrific injuries to his shoulder and severe convulsions but cant remember how this cam about. He neither suffered fits before this time or again since. From that point no one has been allowed to remain in the caves after 2.30am including 'Most Haunted' as a safety precaution. There has also been an alleged excorcism although not much is known about this.
In 1957 a young man believed to be a Priest broke into the caves through the gates where he could just have climbed over and was found dead and naked although his rucksack contained a torch and warm clothing. He was found dead ten days later.the postmortem said he died of fright.
The wall carving of a horse made by the policeman. Another mist at the haunted pool.
Below are some more photos taken at the same time.
wall carvings and a mist close up of wall carvings and mist
The Druids Alter The Druids
THIS IS NOW AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION.......................................
