Thanet Underground

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2008-10-26T23:17:00.006Z

Welcome to Thanet Underground

This website documents all known "man-made" caves and tunnels located in my hometown of Ramsgate that my friends and I have discovered and explored over the years, and will gradually be updated to include the rest of the Isle of Thanet, as and when I get time!

Most of the entries relate to tunnels and caves my friends and I explored in our youth, from around 1991-1993, and the notes I made back then (age 15).

Sadly all of the tunnels mentioned in this blog are now completely sealed up and inaccessible in the years since these reports were written.

Links to the different tunnel entries are on the right under 'Previous Posts'.

PLEASE NOTE: Underground exploration can be dangerous!

Do NOT try to explore any of the tunnels on this website unless you are, or are accompanied by, experienced underground explorers, and most of all, do not graffiti or spoil them for others, they are part of our history!

Hope you enjoy!

Recent updates:

25-10-08:***NEW POST*** - HMS Fervent / Wellington Caves

05-10-07:***NEW POST*** - Ramsgate Library Tunnel

30-05-07: ***NEW POST*** - Wishing Towers Tunnel, Margate

Wellington Caves (aka HMS Fervent)

2008-10-24T16:17:00.024+01:00

Exploration of “HMS Fervent”, Naval Coastal Force Patrol, 1939-1945

Ramsgate, Kent. January 2008

Over the years, whilst unsuccessfully trying to research and subsequently explore every tunnel and cave in Ramsgate ever known to man, I have come across many fleeting references to an alleged cave and tunnel system beneath Wellington Crescent, on the East Cliff of Ramsgate.

Aerial view of Wellington Crescent in the 1930's

Sometimes referred to as “Wellington Caves” or “Granville Caves”, all I could find was that this system was used as shelters during both World Wars, but apparently were around long before then. However, concrete evidence of these tunnels have long proved elusive. The earliest solid reference was on an ARP air raid shelter plan from the First World War.

More recently though, as good fortune would have it, large cracks began to appear in Ramsgate’s Eastcliff, right above where the Pleasurama amusement arcade used to be (or right below Wellington Crescent, whichever way you look at it!). As a result, some urgent cliff reinforcement work was needed. As the local Council came to the rescue to stop the upper east side of Ramsgate disappearing into a pile of rubble, they commissioned a “Seismic Survey” of the cliff face beneath Wellington Crescent, presumably to check the stability, but were most surprised to see that it revealed some large voids behind it... could these be the cave network previously alluded to?

Some further tantalizing research was then turned up in the book “Thanet at War”:

“HMS Fervent was commissioned as a shore base on 10 October 1939, with, according to naval custom, a small motor boat as its ‘name ship’. The large amusement building, Merrie England, was recquisitioned for the accommodation of ratings and stores. Army-type huts were erected in the grounds for office and administrative accommodation. It was not long before the tunnels under the cliffs had been utilised as protection from the air raids and for the base ammunition magazine...”

So here was definite proof that there were tunnel systems in this area, which perhaps had originally served as Fishermen’s caves and later shelters during World War 1, and had then been requisitioned by the Naval Coastal Force patrol during the second world war, and became part of HMS Fervent?

The “Merrie England” amusement arcade mentioned above later became Pleasurama. This was then destroyed by an arson attack in 1998, and the site has lain derelict and overgrown ever since. However, in early 2008, site clearance began, in preparation for the cliff reinforcement works to begin, and also the building of a luxury apartment complex. As the site was now open & empty, and not wanting to waste an opportunity, I went to investigate.

Without too much difficulty we located the old entrance to HMS Fervent, in the back wall of the concrete cliff face, at the far corner of the site. It was now wide open, with just a wooden board covering the entrance. It appeared to have been sealed with chalk backfill, which had only very recently been dug out – perhaps by the builders, or some other suitably well-informed explorers. Unable to believe our luck, we climbed up beneath the newly erected scaffolding, and into the tunnel entrance itself. However, we were completely unprepared for what we saw next!

The tunnel system we had just entered was like a sealed time capsule, preserved almost exactly as it was, during the war!

On entering the tunnel, it sloped gently downwards, and continued straight ahead for about 30 feet, before turning right. It was of chalk construction, and around 2 metres high. Before turning at right angles, there was an old metal water tank in a large alcove, as well as a couple of old jerry cans laying next to it. The look and feel of this tunnel was similar to that of the other WW2 air raid tunnels beneath Ramsgate.

Old Water reservoir

After turning right, the chalk tunnel continued twisting and turning for about 50 metres. The most interesting part here was the chalk walls, which were absolutely covered in wartime graffiti, from many different regiments and naval squadrons that had been temporarily stationed there.

There were also some incredibly artistic carvings made in the chalk, such as three dimensional human faces, skulls, and even a couple of ornamental crucifixes.

All around these were the names of people who had served here, as well as their places of origin, such as: “M.J.SZELYNSKI, POLISH NAVY”, “W. REID, H.M.S. SPITFIRE III, Ramsgate, 24-Sep-1940”, “Sgt. D. Cumming – “gone but not forgotten” – Ramsgate 1940” and many other similar messages. It was absolutely fascinating to see so many people’s names and histories frozen in time like this. Many of the carved signatures here were from August 1940 – at the height of the Battle of Britain. Perhaps these soldiers were frantically running to and fro, keeping a ready supply of ammunition flowing up to the two ‘big bertha’ guns pounding above them, on Wellington Crescent. Or perhaps they were sheltering down here during those dark days of 1940, as the bombs exploded above them to the incessant throbbing of spitfires and Messerschmitts. One thing was for certain, this was definitely not a civilian shelter, and it had certainly been a hive of activity during the early years of the Second World War.

The floor of the tunnel was covered in about 6 inches of sand, mixed with canvas fragments. It was clear these had once been sand bags, which over the years had burst or rotted, spilling the sand over the floor. The chalk walls of the tunnel were dry, and every few feet the rusted remains of electrical or gas fittings could be seen, which would have provided the illumination.

After walking along the twisting chalk tunnel, we passed through a solid metal blast door, which was held open by a rusted iron chain embedded into the chalk wall.

After passing through this, we soon came to an alcove off to the left. Inside was a well preserved “Elsan” chemical toilet! It’s wooden seat was still intact, on top of a coloured oil drum. There was even a rusty toilet brush holder and other metal containers. The remains of a privacy curtain could also be seen hanging above it.

As the chalk tunnel curved around to the left, we came to “Scotch Corner”. This was a chalk outcrop in the wall where the carved graffiti was particularly extensive, with barely a square inch not covered.

There was a large crest several inches high carved into the chalk here, as well as several other very ornate carvings, such as the crest of the royal engineers, and a Scottish Thistle. In large lettering was written “Scotch Corner”, with many carvings all from August 1940 around it, with the slogan “Scotland Forever”. It seemed like this had once been the home of several Scottish regiments.

After proceeding on further, the chalk tunnel then opened out into what was once a large chalk cave. Within this area, the Navy had constructed three large rooms, built from brick. The chalk walls also gave way to concrete, with a concrete corridor passing along the outside of these strange rooms.

The first room appeared to have once housed racks of communication equipment. Rows of shelving appeared to have lined the walls (although just the brackets remained), and there were the remains of some large batteries and other rusted equipment on the floor. Some pencil graffiti in that room stated “Naval Communications Centre”. It felt very strange walking into what would once have been a top secret facility! The other two rooms appeared to have been store rooms, with the third room opening out onto the cliff face, although this entrance had long since been bricked up.

A short section of tunnel then linked with two further brick lined rooms.

This section of the tunnel system was also strewn with old glass bottles. On examination of their painted labels, these had been bottles of “Thatch” beer – brewed by the old Ramsgate brewery Tomson & Wotton! This was the oldest brewery in Kent, from 1554 until its closure in 1969. This local brand of tipple was clearly a favourite of the men that had been stationed here, and judging by the number of empty Thatch bottles, perhaps it had been their final farewell party before the base was “paid off” in September 1945!

At the end of this short section of tunnel, it opened out into some more brick store rooms. The walls here were very damp and water was now dripping from the roof.

Inside the first room was some large metal cans, a couple of them with ARP stencilled on them. This looked like an Air Raid Patrol store room.

The second brick room was even more interesting. It appeared to be an old storage area used by the Merrie England amusement arcade, when it had been there. The main attraction here was a large 1950’s pinball table, which had seen much better days, and a couple of fire extuingishers.

Also there were old metal cash boxes strewn across the floor of this brick cavern, which would have been taken from the old slot machines (or were they old ammunition cases? It was hard to tell).

Interestingly, there were also several crates full of hundreds of clear glass phials, or small bottles (of a laboratory type, rather than of the drink kind!) This room had also opened up onto the cliff face, with the entrance sealed up. It seems that this store room had perhaps also been sealed off from the rest of the tunnel system, and the contents of this room appeared to be from the 1950’s to the 70s’, and were definitely related to when the site was an amusement arcade directly after the second world war.

Opposite these brick rooms, the tunnel went up a couple of steps, and opened into a huge chalk cavern. It was at least 15 feet high, roughly circular, and around 10 feet in diameter. There was a large wooden pole (possibly it was once a ship’s mast) in the centre of the cavern, appearing to support the roof.

Water was positively seeping through this section of the caves, and large cracks stretched across the entire dome-like room. Some fairly large collapses had already taken place in this part of the system. Directly opposite the tunnel we had entered from, on the other side of the circular cave, was another chalk tunnel, of much rougher construction. There was a large metal grille that had once blocked this passageway, but was now swinging open, rather temptingly! The rusty barred gate creaked open further, and we were able to continue our adventure!

On passing through another rusty metal blast door, this tunnel was much narrower, and more roughly hewn out of the chalk. It certainly appeared a lot older than the rest of the system we had so far explored. Perhaps the Navy had only used the tunnel up until the domed room, and had gated off this section with the large metal grill.

The chalk tunnel continued round in a large semi-circle, and came back to the cliff face. Again, this exit had been bricked up. There were also wooden supports holding up the roof in this area, although many of these wooden beams had completely rotted away. Large piles of damp sawdust seemed to be all that was left for many of these.

Half way along this semi-circular section, another chalk tunnel intersected it at a right angle, and climbed steeply upwards. The ceiling of this chalk tunnel was much lower now (about 5 feet high) and was only just wide enough for one person to squeeze along in single file. More large cracks appeared, somewhat disconcertingly, as well as more loose chalk falls. This whole section seemed so much more unstable than the areas before the metal grille, and it now seemed obvious why the Navy had not extended their operations this far into the tunnel, even back then! As this tunnel climbed upwards, the air was noticeably poorer. There were occasionally some very worn steps assisting the climb on the steeper parts. These were definitely the older parts of the cave system, and perhaps were once used by fishermen to transport their catches up and down the cliffs quickly, or possibly later, even by smugglers. It certainly had the same look and feel as some of the smuggling tunnels around Pegwell Bay and other areas, and was of the same dimensions. It is hard to know exactly how old this part of the tunnel system was, as there was no graffiti at all in this spur tunnel, except one reference to 1860. Old pick marks covered the walls.

After about 30 metres, there was a spur tunnel heading off the main shaft at right angles, towards the cliff face. This was blocked at the end, but would have opened out about halfway up the cliff face. An old oak door stood ajar at the opening of this short spur tunnel.

Continuing along the main shaft, the ascent became even more hard work, as the oxygen was becoming even less. The temperature also seemed to increase here, but that may have been due to the increased effort it was taking us to explore this section of old tunnel!

After a further 30 metres, a second spur tunnel branched off in the same direction as the first, and opened out onto the cliff face. Again, this was sealed up, preventing some much needed air flow into this part of the tunnel. Another oak door lay open, half hanging off it’s rusty hinges.

Back out onto the main tunnel again, it continued to climb even more steeply. It was necessary to stoop even more, as the ceiling became lower too. More steps appeared, again these were worn almost completely away by time and years of use... and finally the tunnel came to an abrupt end. The floor gradually came up to meet the ceiling, and it was blocked by chalk and mud infill. Roots of trees and shrubs could be seen penetrating the ceiling here, so it was clear we were now at the surface... somewhere! This possibly emerged into someone’s back garden, who was perhaps innocently unaware that the entrance to a large and historic tunnel system was actually on their property!

The end of the system, blocked at the surface

And so it was... the exploration of HMS Fervent, having been sealed up for over 60 years, to be re-discovered for a brief moment in time, before being sealed up again, possibly for many years to come.

It is not often that we are fortunate enough to re-discover and explore a system of that scale in this part of Kent that has been virtually sealed up all these years, providing a living museum for us to explore. It’s fascinating remnants and graffiti re-telling the story of old Fishermen’s caves and smuggling tunnels, and then HMS Fervent – hastily forged out of battle to play a key role in the protection and defense of the Kent Coast, providing much needed support for the main Naval base at Dover, the notorious Hellfire corner.

It is also rather ironic that had these chalk tunnels once been used for smuggling in the 18th and 19th centuries, it is amusing that the same tunnel system was later used against itself, forming part of the Navy’s Contraband Control Service at the outbreak of world war two!

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Plan of HMS Fervent / Wellington Caves

Here is reproduced some of the original graffiti that was recorded during our visit to HMS Fervent in January 2008:

ALEX SMITH, M.J.SZELYNSKI, POLISH NAVY

E.P.DAVIS, JANUARY 29, 1944

T.C.MILLER - RAF GUNNER, 1940

FRANCES DYER, SEPT 26TH, 1940

HMS SPITFIRE III, RAMSGATE, 24-SEP-1940

E.G.GARN, DEC 10, 1940 - HSL/149

HMS SPITFIRE, W.REID, 1940

JD STRAW, 25 MAY, 1944

DICKIE ~~~~~~ BETTY, 1 NIGHT

J.TAYLOR, RIP W.S.P. 1940

BONZO THITCHER, H.ATTWELL, SEPT.1940

MARGARET WHITE, A.GRAY

TOMLINSON, HMT. A.PETIT – “FISHERMEN FOREVER”

THOMAS McWHIRTER, 26 AUGUST, 1940 - “SCOTLAND FOREVER”

A.Mc.KEOWN, 26 BELL STREET, NEWCASTLE, CO. DURHAM

SCOTCH CORNER - 29TH AUGUST, 1940

ALEX McKINLAY, 25 AUGUST, 1940

SGT. G. COX – 29TH AUG, 1940

SGT. D. CUMMING – “GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN” – RAMSGATE 1940

"Lord Rodney Lt. 344"

Parts of the system were very unstable, with large cracks in the walls

The well preserved WW2 "Elsan" chemical toilet

Another carved face in the wall!

And another one - an eerie skull!

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** THIS TUNNEL SYSTEM HAS SINCE BEEN PERMANENTLY SEALED BY THANET COUNCIL **

Ramsgate Library Tunnels

2007-10-04T14:46:00.002+01:00

Ramsgate library was a grand building constructed in 1904 by the architect Stanley Adshead. Sadly it was all but destroyed by an arson attack in 2004, a few months short of it's 100th anniversary.

1904

2006

Ever since I was a child, I had heard rumours of some tunnels beneath (what was) Ramsgate Public Library, which linked up to the Fire Station in nearby Effingham St, and other civic buildings in the area. Some of the rumours included an underground control room, complete with generators, dials, levers and other machinery beneath the fire station, which would be used as a central command and control post if key parts of the town were destroyed during heavy bombing.

About 20 years ago (back in my youth!), I spoke to a librarian at the library, who confirmed they had a locked door in the cellar of the library which led to some tunnels, but that no one had been down there in a long time, nor were they allowed to.

Many years later, just a few weeks ago in fact, someone in the fire brigade mentioned to me they'd found what looked like a blocked tunnel entrance in the yard behind the fire station, which immediately I knew to be one of the entrances into this rumoured system, but it was backfilled, and they were trying to dig it out.

Confirming the existence of this tunnel system was proving very difficult and elusive. I already knew from previous explorations of most of the Air Raid Tunnel network under Ramsgate that they did not form part of this WW2 tunnel system, and that their construction was probably much earlier, perhaps during the first world war as a means of connecting local goverment and civic buildings in the event of heavy bombing or shelling, and to provide an underground command and control centre, should it be needed.

Like so many of the other chalk tunnels in the area, they may have even been adapted from existing smuggling tunnels under the town, for a more modern use as air raid shelters.

A few days ago, 'top local researcher' Chris (aka widgetwhite) contacted me out of the blue with some links to the first real evidence these tunnels exist - a mention in a recent architectural report on the design of the new Ramsgate Library, and also a recent survey carried out by the Meon Partnership, commissioned prior to the construction of a new library on the same site.

The architectural report made a passing reference to the tunnels in the appendix, confirming their existence. It said:

2.07: There is one unusual historical alteration that does not effect the appearance of the building. At the beginning of World War II a network of tunnels were dug through the chalk in this part of Ramsgate to connect the library and a control centre in the town to an entrance lobby in a shed which still exists at the back of the fire station yard.

2.8: From the basement of the library, a steep flight of stairs goes down to the branches of this network, one of which leads, as far as can be ascertained to a shed in the firemen's yard, and another to a building nearby, presently used as a warehouse for second hand furniture.

2.9: As far as can be ascertained, these tunnels have not had any deleterious affect on the condition of the building, but the branch leading towards the fire station may have relevance to the new foundations and this is currently being investigated.

I then contacted the survey company, who kindly provided me with some further information on their recent visit, as follows...

Tunnel Plan showing the two branches leading from the library

Copyright: Meon Survey Partnership

The tunnels are accessed through a large inspection cover in the basement of the library. From the cover there is a flight of steep stairs down.

Old entrance in the basement of the library

Looking up the staircase towards the entrance

At the bottom of the stairs there are two tunnels.

One tunnel goes under the furniture warehouse on Effingham Street and it is possible to get right up to the underside of the floorboards (it is thought this was the site of the original command centre during WW2).

One of the exits surfacing beneath the furniture store in Effingham St.

The other tunnel is much longer, but in a much poorer condition, having partially collapsed in a few areas. It doglegs around a corner and there is the remains of an old doorway and then a few yards on the tunnel is completely blocked by a rockfall.

Remains of an old doorway

The tunnels are in a dangerous condition, as part of them are in a severely deteriorated state and there is also elevated levels of CO2 due to groundwater permeating through the chalk.

As far as we understand, this tunnel from the library is supposed to run to an outbuilding in the yard of the fire station, although when we talked to the fire brigade (and they even came down the tunnels for a look) they said they tried knocking down a wall to find the exit, but to no avail.

As to other tunnels in the area, we spoke whilst on site to a gentleman living in a house on the corner of Guildford Lawn, opposite the mail library entrance who also apparently has a tunnel leading from his basement.

Access to these tunnels is no longer possible, as sadly they have been completely filled with concrete in preparation for sinking the new foundations for the library.

More pictures from within the tunnels:

Steps leading up to the Effingham Street exit beneath the furniture store

Thanks to Chris White and Andy Jaworski

PLEASE NOTE: Access to these tunnels is no longer possible - they have been completely back filled with 10 tons of concrete in preparation for sinking the new foundation piles for the library!

Wishing Towers Tunnel, Margate

2007-05-30T18:41:00.002+01:00

This tunnel explore dates back to 1992 when we first explored this site, and that is when these pictures were taken.

The tunnel is believed to be an old smuggling tunnel, leading from (what was) the Wishing Towers Residential Care Home, on the Eastern Esplanade down to the Beach at Cliftonville.

Plan of the Wishing Towers smuggling tunnel (click to expand)

During the Spring of 1991, the Wishing Towers Hotel was being converted to a residential care home. During this conversion, squeeking floorboards were removed to reveal a deep drop below which was the remains of an old cellar. Within the cellar, an old brick wall had been knocked through to reveal a flight of steep stairs, going down into what appeared to be a smuggling tunnel hewn out of the chalk. A rope had been put in to allow easier access down the staircase, as the narrow steps had almost completely eroded away over the decades and possibly centuries

The tunnel was possibly used later as an air raid shelter during the two world wars

The well worn steps from the entrance beneath the hotel

Descending the steps!

Alongside the steps were regular holes in the chalk wall which seemed to indicate that a handrail at one time had been attached. Parts of this could be seen rusting away within the tunnel. This could indicate that at some point the tunnel had been adapted from it's early smuggling origins to a more recent air raid shelter, or perhaps to provide a convenient access from the Hotel to Cliftonville beach, in the days before Health and Safety and Fire Regulations! Near the entrance to the tunnel were my arch-enemies: Cave Spiders!!

At the bottom of the steps, the tunnel curiously continued in an exact northerly direction for about 16 metres, where it was then blocked by rubble resulting from a roof fall. It is likely that this was caused by the construction of a pool in the garden.

The blockage at the end of the North bound stretch of tunnel. A wooden beam is in front of a rusty pipe, which was dry

Most of the tunnel system was about 2 metres high, providing an easy walk, but was quite narrow in width, less than a metre wide. It had been hewn out of the chalk with a pickaxe, as the pick marks could be clearly seen. This had all the classic hall-marks of a late eighteenth century smuggling tunnel

The main shaft. The rotted remains of a wooden pick-axe can still be seen leaning against a wall in this photo

About halfway along this main tunnel were two passages branching off on the left, which joined up to form a semi-circular crescent shape. This gave the illusion of a large chamber, with a big chalk support pillar in the middle (see plan).

At the centre of this crescent shape tunnel was yet another tunnel, heading off at right angles to the main passage, in an exact westerly direction. After a few metres along this, we had the choice of either a left or right turn. We turned left, and shortly after turning right again, came to an underground room, about 2 metres square. The floor was covered in deep sand, and it is likely this room was originally used to store contraband which had been smuggled up from the beach all those years ago!

Taking measurements in the underground room

We went back to the junction, and turning to the right this time, the tunnel twisted and turned, and after about another 10 metres, came to another blockage which had been backfilled. It is not possible to know how much farther this tunnel continues beyound the blockage, but the section we had seen so far was certainly very extensive! This blocked section of tunnel was known to head in the direction of the Lido and Margate Caves, both of which are known to have numerous passages and tunnels running from them, all with smuggling connections. It could at some point have joined up with these.

The second blockage. The rubble appeared to extend back for 5 metres

Another view of the blocked tunnel, showing the cramped dimensions!

To the right of this blocked passage was a circular chamber, partly filled with rubble, likely from the blockage next to it. The chamber was about 1 metre in diameter, and had what was left of an old iron grill in front of it, which was now very corroded! It almost had the appearance of an old cell! In the roof of this chamber was a large shell, which had either been put there for decoration, or uncovered during the excavation. It looked very out of place in the roof of that strange chamber!

Remains of a large shell embedded in the roof of the circular room

The owner of the Hotel at the time told us that during his first explore of this tunnel, he had found a victorian bucket and spade as well as two old glass drinks syphons in this chamber.

On the beach, which lies 100 metres from the Hotel, an old brick wall can be seen in the cliff face

On looking through a small hole at the bottom, a chalk passage can be seen behind it, which turns at right angles after a few metres. It was the same dimensions as the tunnel system we had just explored. This could run south and join to the blocked passage which we had explored beneath the Hotel, running North. This, coupled with the old bucket and spade which had been found in the tunnel strengthens the idea that at one time the Hotel tunnel joined to the beach.

This picture was taken through the hole in the bottom of the brick wall on the beach, showing the passage behind it

The tunnel exit from the beach. The High Water mark can be seen on the cliff, showing that this entrance would have been easily accessible from a boat at high tide. A lot of the brick wall is exposed, showing how much the cliff face has eroded around it, over the years

This was certainly one of the most extensive smuggling tunnels we have visited, and are grateful to the Hotel owner for allowing us to explore it!

Thanks to Paul for arranging the visit and Angie for the photos, survey and input

St. Augustine's Caves

2007-05-29T09:48:00.004+01:00

In the nineteenth century, the famous architect Augustus Welby Pugin allegedly constructed a network of underground tunnels and caverns beneath 'the Grange' on the Westcliff of Ramsgate. The tunnels apparently ran from beneath the Grange to the cliff edge, and have often been mistaken for smugglers caves. These, however certainly exist at nearby Pegwell Village...

The Grange, on the Westcliff of Ramsgate

These extensive caverns were supposed to have been used in both World Wars as civilian Air Raid shelters and apparently could hold many thousands of people. The system even included an underground ballroom!!

They are shown on a plan of the Ramsgate WW2 Air Raid tunnel system, marked as 'Existing Caves':

During the second world war a public entrance was dug into this tunnel system from the public recreation ground opposite, which has long since been sealed up. The outline of it can still be seen in the grass during the summer months. The only remaining access into this underground tunnel system is from beneath the Grange itself.

Access to the cliff entrances were sealed up in the late forties, during the cliff defences construction work which has now obscured most of them, although some blocked entrances to this system can still be seen along the cliff face today

A rare photo of St. Augustines caves, c.1948, before the cliff defences were constructed

This view of the West Cliff beneath St. Augustine's Church grounds dates from the late forties, when Grummant Brothers undertook coastal defence work to prevent further cliff erosion. This work obscured the caves in the cliff-face seen here

For many years, we have tried to find a way into this old system, and find the rumoured underground ballroom, until recently I came across some photos showing that in 1947 that whole section of cliff collapsed in on itself, destroying a large part of these underground caves! The ball-room, along with many of the other tunnels, were exposed clearly in these photos, as shown below.

It seems perhaps Pugin built one tunnel too many! I suspect that the area was weakened considerably by these unsupported caverns and catacombs, and then due to sustained bombing in WW2 and particularly harsh weather conditions finally caused the major collapse that you see here...

In this exposed cavern, you can clearly see the brick wall (below right) of what appears to be a large underground room. I suspect this was the ball-room, which likely had a balcony on the cliff face, overlooking the sea

I hope nobody was standing underneath that lot when it fell!

Temporary fencing protects the collapse from curious onlookers! The cobbled stone wall on the right is the rear of the Grange. The sign above the gate reads "Entrance to Sea Caves"... showing they were still accessible to the public before the collapse

Here you can clearly see an underground room (still intact) to the right, which opened onto the cliff face. The room on the left has been destroyed by the collapse, but several tunnels can still be seen entering the cliff from the rear of (what was) a large room. These tunnels likely connected with the other caverns, and up to the Grange

Another view of the collapse, showing the exposed caverns behind it

A large chunk has been taken out of the cliff during the collapse. The exposed brickwork beneath the surface shows just how close to the surface some of these underground rooms were. The large crack in the ground looks scary!

Many Thanks to Michael's Bookshop where these images have been borrowed from.

Since this collapse, significant reinforcement work has occurred to the Westcliff, with large concrete arches being constructed to strengthen them. These completely obscure what's left of these underground caves today, except for some blocked entrances still visible at ground level, and even a couple of open entrances tantalisingly out of reach, high up in the cliff.

One of the (blocked) ground level entrances to the cave system (as of 2007), between the concrete arches of the cliff defences constructed in 1947

A close up of another blocked entrance

One of the open entrances, higher up the cliff face. It was originally blocked by a brick wall about 6 feet inside the tunnel, which has been broken through. Would make for an interesting abseil!

Epilogue:

In 2003, the Kent Underground Research Group were invited to the Grange (during it's restoration) to investigate a tunnel that had recently been uncovered in the basement, beneath a large trapdoor. I was fortunate enough to be part of that team.

A long flight of narrow wooden steps lead down into a high, narrow chalk tunnel, with an arched ceiling, carved out of the chalk. The ceiling was supported by old wooden beams.

The tunnel twisted and turned quite a bit, and after about 200 metres, came to an end. There was a blockage straight ahead, likely caused by a roof fall, preventing us going any further. Also to our right was a brick wall. Due to the salty smell in the air, and the sound of seagulls beyond this wall, we suspected it lead out to the cliff face, and was one of the blocked exits. Sadly the collapse ahead of us prevented any further exploration of this fascinating man-made cave system. This access tunnel was likely built by Pugin as the original entrance into this cave system that he had constructed.

Diagram of the cliff face as it appears now, with two of the higher up entrances shown, which are still visible today, and thought to be accessible

The Pugin Tunnel

The following personal account was written by the daughter of a groundsman who worked at the Grange many years ago, and is published in the Ramsgate Millenium Book, relating to the tunnel beneath The Grange:

"In the 1930's, Paddy O'Brien used to dress as a pirate and take people into the tunnel which ran from The Grange to the foreshore below. There was a gate in the wall. People would go through this, and just inside the garden was an entrance to the tunnel.

They went down a few steps and were in the tunnel. Mr. O'Brien would take them up towards the house and down to the bottom. There was an entrance inside The Grange which was not used by the public but which I've used - you pulled back a tapestry which kept out the draught by the kitchen in The Grange.

It was only a tunnel. There were no "rooms" down there. There were two or three 'run-offs' - short tunnels - which you could stand in. There was no light in there. You had to take a lantern.

The tunnel opened onto the foreshore, near the lift entrance. Protecting the opening was an iron grating. Father used to go down there regularly. He said that Pugin used to tie a dinghy to the gate. Pugin used it to row out to his boat in the harbour. Presumably Mr. O'Brien was at the top entrance all day during the summer, taking visitors down for a few pence each. He worked for the Abbey which owned The Grange and was odd job man for them.

In those days the monks were not allowed out of the Abbey except on business or religious duties. You wouldn't even see them coming out of the door to cross the road to the church - they would use the tunnel. I don't know how true this is, but I was told that the tunnel was constructed to save the monks from being run over by the trams coming round the corner from Grange Road.

The tunnel was exposed after the cliff had collapsed. During the War, the big guns were located there. When they fired them, the pavement cracked. No repairs were done. Moisture and frost got in, and after the War the cliff collapsed. They filled in the gap with concrete and sealed off the entrance to the tunnel."

So it seems there is only firm evidence of a single tunnel, running beneath the Grange to the foreshore beneath the cliffs, with a few short off-shoots. The elusive 'cave network' , with its many cliff face entrances (as shown in the 1940's photograph above) remains a mystery!

Eastcliff Caverns

2007-03-28T19:00:00.002+01:00

On the opposite side of Ramsgate to St, Augustines caves, on the Eastcliff, beneath King George VI Park, is another extensive network of chalk passages, known as the Granville Caves / Eastcliff Caverns. These too were used as public shelters during both world wars.

These were originally constructed hundreds of years ago, and their origin remains a mystery.

A description in a Victorian newspaper of the nineteenth century describes them thus:

"The caverns at East Cliff deserve particular notice: they are formed by an excavation at the distance of thirty feet from the cliff, and parallel with it, descending gradually to the level of the shore. This subterraneous passage receives its light from arches of such large capacity as to resemble rooms, which are cut at right angles through the chalky cliffs opening to the sea and these arches being in summer carpeted with turf, and covered with shrubs and flowers, appear very picturesque. The lowest arch terminates in a passage leading directly to the beach."

Walking along the Eastern undercliff, you can still clearly see blocked up entrances to these tunnels in the cliff face. Higher up in the cliff, tantalisingly out of reach, some of these entrances still remain open. They are still carpeted with turf, as described in the old account above, over a hundred years ago.

A section of the cliff face beneath King George park, showing some of the entrances

How could we get in there and explore them?

Pictures and information of this tunnel system are very rare, with the old picture below being the only one I've seen from inside

Old photo of the Eastcliff Caverns. The daylight can clearly be seen shining into this main shaft from the many cliff face entrances

All we had to go on was the old photo above, and the Victorian account of them. There was no choice - we had to get in there and see what they were like now.

But How? Entrances into this system were rumoured to be from within the cellars of the Granville Hotel, the Pavilion in Winterstoke Gardens, and beneath the bandstand in Wellington Crescent. However, it seemed they had all long been sealed up. So what about the cliff face? Ladders would not reach that high, so the only solution was abseiling down the cliff of course!

One of the intrepid gang disappearing over the cliff edge at King George Park

Once in King George VI Park, we scaled the cliff railings and entered the heavy undergrowth on the edge of the cliff. The concrete promenade below seemed a long way down! After securing the ropes, the descent began. It was very scary, and the ground looked a long way down!

After descending about 40ft down the cliff face, getting off the pitch at the tunnel entrance was quite easy - a pendulum movement to swing into the entrance and then off!

After battling with seagulls and pigeons that had taken up residence in the entrance, we proceeded inside. The passage was cold and dark (see plan below) and was about 7 ft high. It went in about 30 feet, then turned right angles for about 60 feet before re-emerging at the cliff face, in a kind of U shape.

Section of cliff showing the entrance and exit for the first section of tunnel

On emerging from the exit, it looked like there had originally been a wooden platform that would have then joined up with the second section of cavern. However it had long since rotted away, so there was no choice but to abseil the remainder of the cliff face to the ground.

Entrance and exit to the second section high in the cliff beneath the park

A week or so later, we then abseiled down into the second section of tunnel further along the cliff face to the right. This passage was also open at both ends, and involved a low crawl over a lot of sandbags (left over from the war?). After a long slow crawl, we emerged half way up an old well shaft! Using a second rope, we were able to abseil down 8ft to the base of the well shaft. This also had an exit out into the cliff face at the base of the well! Using "abseil speak", it was our first split pitch!

Looking up from the bottom of the well shaft! The tunnel comes out halfway up the well shaft

Point of entry after 40ft abseil. Tunnel curves to the left. (note pigeon iguano!)

The third section of the caverns also went in a U shape, with the exit also blocked (see picture below). This exit would have come out at the bottom of the cliff, which has been breeze blocked up. These caverns fitted the old Victorian description exactly!

Blocked up beach level entrance

Looking back from the blocked exit towards the open entrance!

Looking at the original B+W photo, and from the early description of this sytstem, it seems that at one point all three sections of the caverns were joined, but may have become seperated by roof falls.

Eastcliff caverns tunnel plan (click to expand)

At the far end of the cliff face, where the promenade ends, is the last section of this system, referred to as the "Rifle Range tunnel".

The passage ran from the beach entrance straight up through the cliff, and emerged in undergrowth at the far end of the rifle range, within King George VI park (hence it's name!)

The exit has now been blown with explosives and is just a pile of rubble. The beach entrance at the bottom of the cliff has also been completely sealed up, but appears to have been quite wide.

Blocked up tunnel entrance

At one point the existing rifle range wanted to expand into this tunnel, and an excerpt from a 1994 planning notice said:

"PLAN FOR RIFLE RANGE IN DISUSED TUNNEL:

A 50 yard 0.22 rifle range at the disused Montefiore tunnel in King George VI Memorial Park. (Planning permission - Broadstairs Council)

Disused tunnel entrance, which is on the Northerly side of the park. To prevent access by the public, the Southerly side of the site would need to be fenced for a distance of 100 yards by 5 foot linking wire fencing... erection of a range hut for storage at the Westerly end of the tunnel entrance..."

Tunnel exit surfaces at the far end of this rifle range

Old Victorian map showing Eastcliff Lodge, on the Montefiore land prior to it becoming a park.

Note the tunnel entrances are clearly marked on this plan!

An old picture of Eastcliff Lodge

Now demolished I believe. Looking at the plan above, perhaps the tunnels originally connected with this house.

The Six Mile Mine

2007-02-26T23:44:00.002Z

The "six mile mine" is located beneath wasteland next to Honeysuckle Road in Ramsgate. It stretches quite a way beneath it, with the only accessible entrance at the time being from the garden of a house in Honeysuckle Rd. The owners kindly gave us permission to explore this system about 15 years ago.

Despite it's name, the tunnel system did not extend for six miles, it went for more like half a mile (as shown in the plan) before being blocked by a heavy roof fall. The original system apparently did extend beyond this, for a total of about six miles, as far as Margate. (Could this be the same system referred to in the 'Frank Illingworth's Puzzle Tunnel' post?)

It's original purpose is unknown - was it an old chalk mine? A folly? Used for smuggling? It's a mystery. It was however used as a shelter during both world wars.

Exploring this tunnel system was fascinating. It was about 6ft high in most places, but dropping to a crawl in other parts. There were many side tunnels leading off in different directions. If you had discovered it for the first time, without knowing how far it went, it could be very daunting, and one could easily become lost!

Inside was cool and dark, with regularly spaced alcoves in the chalk walls to hold candles.

I have no idea how much of this system still remains intact - there has been a lot of development work in the wasteland behind the Honeysuckle pub recently, with the construction of a new doctors surgery and car park. It would be nice to think that some of this secret history still remains beneath it!

The tunnel entrance!

Inside the mine

Showing a typical cross-section. Note the rather ornate candle recess to the left

Low section of tunnel

One of the areas of the tunnel where we were reduced to a crawl!

A small roof fall

Which was possible to clamber over and continue on our journey!

Roof fall blockage!

Unfortunately a heavy roof fall blocked our way into the rest of the system (the remaining 5 1/2 miles!?)

An old map from the nineteenth century, showing the surrounding area and location of the six mile mine. There were numerous chalk pits and limekilns in the area at the time

---

Thanks to my esteemed tunnelling colleague Paul for the pictures!

Ramsgate Flour Mill (Rank Hovis) Air-Raid Tunnel

2007-01-26T12:59:00.003Z

Introduction

The Ramsgate Flour Mill was built in 1865, and closed in 2005 when the site was sold by Rank Hovis to a private developer, as it was no longer commercially viable. It is situated next to the site of the old Ramsgate Town Station, which has long been demolished and is now a block of flats (Chatham Court).

The mill survived two world wars, but sustained heavy bombing during World War 2. As the threat of war came nearer, air raid tunnels were dug. One “for the men” was dug under the old railway cattle pens (to the rear of the site), which gave the shelter about 25 feet of chalk and concrete as protection.

For the office workers, a separate shelter was constructed, which was a brick lined tunnel dug from the general office down into the ground. Under the mill, this was made wider to give a fair size room. A way out was up two long flights of concrete steps into the Margate Road.

The shelter was provided with a bucket toilet, gas curtains either end, lighting and heating. When “Hudsons look-out” gave the alarm, the office staff would pick up their ledgers and file down the stairs and carry on working in their underground office. During the war, the mill was very lucky. A lot of damage was done for nine bombs fell on the mill site, with only one failing to go off.

The street entrance to the air raid shelter was bricked up after the war, and the entrance from beneath the office was also sealed up. Apart from a brief inspection in 1984, the tunnel has been blocked up ever since. However, by kind permission of the site’s new owner, and an ex-employee showing us where the entrance was, we recently gained access to the office air raid shelter.

Entry is now via a locked manhole cover, inconspicuously located on the site. Not the most obvious location for an entrance! (fig 1)

Figure 1: Manhole cover lifted revealing entrance beneath!

On opening the cover, there was an 8 ft drop onto a steep and narrow flight of concrete steps leading down in the opposite direction. The steps begin level with the street outside (Margate Road), where the original street entrance would have been (now bricked up). A rusted metal handrail was fixed to the wall, which also acted as a handy foothold when dropping down into the entrance. (fig 2)

Figure 2: Looking down the manhole into the entrance (8 ft drop to steps)

Descending the concrete steps, the tunnel was brick lined throughout, with a smooth vaulted ceiling. It was tall and narrow, just wide enough for one person to walk along comfortably. About 6 ½ ft high and 3 ft wide (fig 3)

Figure 3: Descending the concrete steps

The concrete steps descended steeply. The walls were whitewashed, and very clean throughout the length of the tunnel. There was no graffiti at all on any of the walls, indicating this was indeed not a public air-raid shelter, and also it had not been used for a very long time!

After 24 steps, the tunnel levelled, and turned left at right angles (fig 4). After turning left a second time, the tunnel continued down for a further 10 steps.

We had travelled about 30 feet into the tunnel, and about the same distance down.

After the steps ended, the tunnel continued straight ahead.

We passed through the remains of a wooden door frame, with leather straps (and buckles) hanging from the top of it. (figs 5,6). This was where the first gas curtain would have been.

Figure 4: Tunnel frequently turns at right angles

Figure 5: Wooden door frame with leather straps which would have held the gas curtain

Figure 6: Another view of the wooden door frame

This tunnel now intersected with another one, crossing at a 45 degree angle, running to the left and right.

To the left was a deep alcove, with the remains of a curtain. This was where the bucket toilet would have been, with the cloth curtain providing the only privacy. (fig 7)

The tunnel continued on to the right for about another 15 feet, before again turning at right angles and opening out into a large chamber. (fig 8)

Figure 7: Toilet recess with remains of privacy curtain

Figure 8: Underground office chamber

This underground chamber was about 16 feet long, 6 ft wide and 7 ft high, and was the wartime office room.

The tunnel continued on from the other end of this underground office, turned 90 degrees left again, then right, and we passed under another wooden door frame, with the same leather buckles hanging from the top, which was the remains of the second gas curtain protecting the wartime office chamber. (fig 9)

Figure 9: Remains of second gas curtain

Then we came to two long flights of steps leading steeply up to the surface, beneath the office floor (fig 10). The exit was blocked by concrete slabs (fig 11). The remains of the wooden planks or trapdoor that had originally covered the exit could be seen.

Figure 10: Steps leading back up to the surface beneath the main office building

Figure 11: The blocked up exit beneath the floor of the main office

Figure 12: The bricked up street level entrance to the air raid shelter can be seen from Margate Road. An air vent in the bricks is all that gives this location away

Figure 14: Ascending the steps towards the office building. The roof detail is well made and quite intricate here

Figure 15: Looking down the main tunnel, showing a typical cross-section. (A very old broom can be seen at the end)

Conclusion:

The tunnel was extremely well constructed, completely built with bricks, and painted white. This was in stark contrast to the nearby Ramsgate Public Air Raid tunnel system, which had been roughly hewn out of the chalk in a hurry, it seems this private shelter had been constructed to a high standard. Construction would have been funded privately, by the Hudson company who owned the mill at the time.

It was also very clean, with no signs of wildlife, or graffiti. The construction (such as the bricks, dimensions of tunnel and ceiling architecture) made it look almost part of the mill itself, and built in the nineteenth century, however, it was subsequently found out that it was of more recent construction, built on the eve of world war two to enable the mill office staff to continue working, even during a heavy air raid.

Site Plan:

The Well

Also on the Hovis Mill site is a deep well, used to supply water to the screenroom. It is 120 feet to the water, which is at a depth of 26 feet.

A description of the well by L.G. Gray in his book “From Wind to Power”, 1985:

“The well was dug by a local firm of contractors by the name of Haskings in the year 1898. Just above the water level there is a short safety tunnel used when things are being lowered down. Small shelves were dug into the chalk to put candles on, the only source of light down there, and the walls are covered with dates and names of all those who ventured down there, either to dig the well or do maintenance on the pump. I deeply regret that on my last trip down there I did not take a camera with me, for there is now almost one hundred years of history inscribed in chalk, 120 feet down. The old two throw pump is still down there, but I doubt if anyone will ever go down there again. The water was so crystal clear that one could see right through the water to the bottom. If one moved the water, the light would dance and reflect all over…”

The well is still accessible from one of the out-buildings, now a store room. However, in 2006 you would never know it was there, as it has been capped off, and a partition wall built over the top. However, by shining a torch through a small 1 inch diameter hole, you can see it clearly beneath. It is roughly hewn from chalk, and around 3 ft diameter. The water authority has recently installed a modern piece of measuring equipment to it.

Current site of well. The black probe entering into the hole is some kind of measuring device put there by the water board when the mill site was vacated

Ramsgate Air Raid Tunnels - Railway Tunnel Section

2006-05-29T23:13:00.003+01:00

Tunnel Blog: 1992

These were probably the first tunnels that we explored. I first found out about them from the local library archives office, and obtained a map. After searching fruitlessly for the entrances from above, we found nothing. Then some time later, I heard that the old railway tunnel (also known locally as the Wind Tunnels or underground railway) was still accessible, and that one of the air raid tunnel entrances adjoined this railway tunnel about two hundred metres in from the Ramsgate "Pleasurama" entrance...

Complete map of the Ramsgate Air Raid tunnel system, including the already existing spur tunnels (running from Southwood Rd to Newington) which do not show on many official plans of the system

Tunnel background:

Sketch plan of the old Railway tunnel. (click to expand) The Air Raid tunnel network connects with this tunnel about halfway along, as shown on the plan

In the spring of 1938, the borough engineer, Mr. R.D.Brimell put the plan of digging out large shelters in the chalk beneath Ramsgate before the Home Office.
They were completed by September 1939, and extended for some 4 miles beneath the town! They had the capacity to shelter 60,000 people, and were dug at an average depth of 67 feet (to floor). They proved to be a huge success. They were lit by electricity and were well ventilated.
First aid posts were constructed throughout the tunnel system. 22 entrances were constructued leading to them.
After the war, this labyrinth of tunnels were just sealed off and allowed to fall into disrepair.
So for 45 years, these tunnels were just forgotten about. Then in 1989, a scheme was launched in which to open them up as a possible tourist attraction, but then promptly abandoned as 'unfeasible', because the council 'hit a snag'.

Although not mentioned in these newspaper articles, on exploration of the tunnels ourselves, 'the snag' is actually a sewer pipe running down the length of most of the network, rendering a lot of the system unusable. I was personally surprised to find no mention of this in any correspondance or reports on the current state of the tunnels, as I am sure there would have been an outcry by some of the local population to find that much of Ramsgate's deep tunnel shelter system had been turned into sewers, and so could no longer protect the citizens of Ramsgate in the advent of future hostilities.

Developments

After discovering that the old railway tunnel entrance was still open, we entered it through a small door in the cliff of the pleasurama carpark entrance. Inside it was cool and dark. The roof was about 15 feet high, and was arched. The floor of the tunnel was covered in gravel and debris.

Remains of the old 'Tunnel Railway' sign - propped against the tunnel wall

About ten metres in from the entrance there was a crude barrier constructed from railings and other rubbish and debris, in an attempt to stop people from progressing any further.

After climbing over the barrier, we progressed along this tunnel for about another two hundred metres, using a map to pinpoint the location at which the air raid tunnels intersected it.
Sure enough, there it was - an archway in the wall, about 7 feet high, with a long straight tunnel leading off beyond it, at right angles to the railway tunnel, hewn out of the chalk. Perhaps this was the one entrance that the council had overlooked, and forgotten to block off.

It was a lot warmer in these tunnels, and did not have a steady flow of air running through them as the railway tunnels had. It was a strange feeling actually being in these famous tunnels after all these years, 70 ft underground, which had seen so much history. The tunnel continued straight for about a hundred metres and then turned slightly (see map). Approximately every 10 feet there were alcoves dug out of the walls, which originally were meant for toilets, and to protect people from the draft.

After about a five minute walk, we came to a long spur tunnel leading off at right angles. At this junction there were two brightly painted oil drums, with the word 'BIN' stencilled on them, and also an old rusty bicycle.

Then in front of us we saw a broad flight of stairs leading up into the darkness. There was also a handrail running up the middle.

It was a weird feeling, seeing these stairs leading up to the surface, and it was not difficult to imagine the clamours of people flocking down these stairs during the raids, but now there was nothing but silence...

In the distance we could hear the sound of water dripping. One by one we climbed the stairs. After the first flight we came to a landing, and the tunnel turned, and we then climbed another two flights. There was the occasional rubble on the stairs. The tunnel turned yet again, and there were even more flights of stairs, showing just how deep we were underground.

Steps leading up to the Arklow Square entrance

Eventually we climbed the stairs and reached a brick wall.

There was a large square hole knocked out of this wall, and we could see the original entrance beyond this, and we could also see how it had been blocked, with large concrete slabs covering it, and turf laid over the top, rendering it invisible from the surface. We were now below the Arklow Square entrance. It is actually possible to see this entrance from the surface during the height of summer, as the rectangular shaped outline can be seen as dead grass when it dries out.

We then descended the stairs and continued on our journey. The air raid tunnels were supposed to be six feet wide, but at the moment they were about 4 feet wide. Our torches reflected off the chalk walls illuminating the passages before us.
After another hundred metres, the chalk walls turned to concrete, we had entered the reinforced section. After a while we came to another spur tunnel going off, also reinforced with concrete. There was also another shorter tunnel leading off which was almost blocked by a mound of dirt.

After climbing over this we came to a small brick room, with a small metal folding chair within it. There was a pale disc of light on the floor. Looking up, we saw a huge shaft, about half a metre in diameter, and extending straight upwards for 60 ft until it broke the surface. It was covered from the top with a circular manhole cover, with a cross allowing light to shine through.

Continuing along this spur tunnel, we then came to a brick wall. It also had a large hole knocked in the wall, which we climbed through, and we then came to some more stairs leading up to the surface. This was at St. Luke's recreation ground. As the tunnels mainly stay level, at this point they were very near the surface, as they were at the lowest point of Ramsgate. This was probably why this section of the tunnels were heavily reinforced with concrete. There was only one flight of stairs leading to the surface this time.

Stairs leading up to the St.Lukes entrance

The same concrete slabs were there, with roots and even some daylight filtering through. Water was also dripping through and it was very damp.

The sealed up St. Luke's air raid tunnel entrance shown from the surface

We then turned back and carried on down the tunnel for a short distance until we were met with a large blockage. It appeared to be a giant roof fall, but the collapse had blocked the entire tunnel!

To the left was a large tank, about 7ft by 5ft, and appeared to be a water reservoir.
By this time we were below Boundary Road, and according to the plan were heading towards the Chatham House entrance, but we could get no further. We had explored about one third of the entire air raid tunnel system.

We were disappointed that we did not get all the way, but our torch batteries were low so we turned back.

The only way was to find another entrance to the network, but as they say, that was to be another adventure...

Official 1939 plan of this tunnel section:

Old Scenes from the Railway tunnel shelter from WW2

A typical scene from the Railway tunnel section of Ramsgate's deep shelters, showing beds and a child's cot. The narrow gauge railway track is still clearly visible. This has long since been removed

The remains of one of these beds now, after being left for decades down the tunnel!

Safe Underground - A family party safe from air raiders in the old railway tunnel under Ramsgate.

In order to sleep in the tunnels overnight, a special ticket was required, in order to have a bunk, or 'private' cubicle.

It was signed by the 'senior sanitary inspector'. This particular ticket belonged to a Beatrice Pryor of Guildford Lawn.

A cheese and wine party being held in 1993! This gathering was held in the extremities of this section of the air raid tunnels, sitting at the base of the Chatham House School area where a collapse has blocked the passage totally

Ramsgate Air Raid Tunnels - Cannon Road Section

2006-05-21T18:51:00.002+01:00

Inside the main entrance beneath Cannon Road Carpark

(The manhole cover is directly above us)

Bottom of ventilation shaft

Enjoying a beverage, 60ft underground! (2003)

Cheese and Wine on the steps leading up to the Chatham House entrance

One of the landings on the flights of steps leading up to Chatham House school entrance

Note original signs on the walls

--------------
Tunnel blog: March 1992 - Section 2 - (Cannon Road)

After the disappointment of discovering we could get no further (within section 1 - Wind tunnels network), we decided there had to be another way into the Air-raid tunnel network. This was when I heard that the fire brigade still use part of the tunnel system for training in, and that they get in through a manhole cover in the Cannon Road entrance!

After visiting the car-park, I found a large rectangle of tarmac that was a different colour to the rest, and it was in the exact point where the original entrance should have been, according to the plan. Right in the middle there was a large manhole cover.

New (secure) manhole cover, May 2006. The entrance is now also protected by a locked gate beneath the cover

Using a chain, we were able to lift the cover up. Below was a large dark cavity, with an 8ft drop to the original stairs below! There was an iron ladder attached to the wall beneath the manhole cover, leading down about 8 feet to the original concrete steps.

After climbing down the ladder, the manhole cover slammed shut above us, plunging us into darkness. The area around us was filled with rubble. We climbed down six large flights of steps descending steeply into the tunnels. They were in fact larger than the previous section we had explored. Still the tunnel sloped down steeply, we were about 80 feet underground. This was the deepest part of the whole tunnel network.

After about a hundred metres we came to a junction. One tunnel double-backed on itself and seemed to go back beneath the carpark, and the other tunnel just carried straight on.

We chose to take the tunnel that double-backed on itself. This carried on for about fifty metres, and then came to a T-junction. This was where we first saw the sewer pipe, it ran both ways across the junction. There was only about 2 feet clearance between the pipe and the roof of the tunnel. We were also able to squeeze along the side of it. The pipe had been laid sometime during the decades since the tunnels had been sealed up in 1945, utilising the existing tunnels as a quick and easy way of saving costs.

At first we decided to take the left turning. heading down Thomson's Passage towards Vale Square. We managed to squeeze our way along the pipe for about 10 metres, and then the tunnel turned at a right angle, and the pipe with it. At this point it got too small and tight to carry on in that direction, so we had no choice but to turn back, and head the other way towards Ellington Road.

After a while of shuffling along the edge of the pipe, we came to a large room off to the right, which had sink fittings, so was probably an underground kitchen or medical room. There was another shaft beside it, leading up to a manhole cover in Ellington Road. This would have surfaced in a manhole cover opposite number 4 (who wrote numerous letters of complaint about the noise during the construction of the shaft in 1938). A strange feature was that the windows in this shaft room had bars on them. There was also a water pipe running down the length of the ventilation shaft, ending in a tap.

Back inside the room, there was a deep sludge on the floor, and two entrances back out to the main tunnel. While studying the floor, we could make out the outline of a metal hatch. Eventually we managed to lift the hatch, and below there was an empty cavity about 4 feet square, and 4 feet deep.

It was not possible to proceed further down the main tunnel in the Ellington Road direction due to the space between the wall, ceiling and pipe becoming very small indeed, so we then decided to retrace our steps into the original tunnel and return back to the first junction and then take the main tunnel proceeding in the other direction, which led to the Chatham House entrance. So we retraced our steps to this junction and took the second tunnel. Thankfully there was no pipe down these tunnels, and it carried on broad and straight for about 50 metres, and we passed beneath Shaft No.4.

Usual brick room at the bottom of most ventilation shafts

Looking up the ventilation shaft

The tunnel then turned at right angles, and then turned again, down Eagle Hill. On the left hand wall, there was a crude sign saying 'Eagle Hill' and an arrow pointing in that direction. There were also various wartime carvings on the wall, of names and dates - i.e. 'Peter Bennet, 3-4-42'. There were various other relics from the past in this part of the tunnel network, such as gas mask boxes, satchels, scales and sandals.

The tunnel then made a right turn through Chatham Place, and then a left turn. The tunnels were completely silent.

The floor was covered with rotted wood, from the original wooden benches that lined the wall. The oak beams were still intact, and a few of the electric and wireless cables were still in place.

We passed Shaft No.5 and continued for another hundred metres. We then reached another junction, with a spur tunnel leading to Townley Street, the Chatham House exit. At this point there was a carving on the wall, saying 'Jonathon Greenfield, R.I.P. 1944' and a notice saying 'Stairway to Heaven'. Looking upwards underneath this exit, daylight shone between the concrete slabs that covered it from above. We then turned back down the spur tunnel.

Chatham house entrance from the surface

After returning back to the main tunnel, we walked along a very long stretch of tunnel for about 300 metres until we came across another spur tunnel. This was perhaps one of the longer spurs, and this section was reinforced with concrete.

The end of this spur tunnel was filled with rubble, and it would have surfaced in the carpark of what was St. Georges school. After returning back along this spur tunnel, we then carried on along the main tunnel for a short distance. There were small mounds of earth on the floor, getting bigger and bigger, until the tunnel was totally blocked. After consulting the map, we suddenly realised we were actually on the other side of the blockage from section 1 (Wind tunnels)! Beyond it was the tunnel section we had already explored, which would connect with the old railway tunnel.

Earth mound (perhaps caused by a cave in) blocking the way, and forming the divider between section 1 (wind tunnels) and section 2 (cannon rd) of the air raid tunnel system

By this time we had travelled about a mile and we were panting heavily. We were running out of air, fast! We quickly realised that the air quality in this part of the tunnel network, the furthest and the deepest, was very poor indeed. We began to feel very faint, so we ran back along the tunnel towards the exit at Cannon Road. It took fifteen minutes.

We also passed a sign saying CAFE, which we had not noticed before. There was an arrow pointing, which we followed, and then came to a domed room, with what looked like a chimney at the top of the dome. The floor was covered inches deep in thick rotted wood, probably from wooden tables and chairs that once stood in this makeshift cafe. We then noticed rows of metal chairs and an old wooden table, with a rotted packet of cards!

We then returned up the original six flights of stairs to the surface, and left through the same manhole cover in which we had entered this large underground world, and surfaced blinking into the bright daylight of the carpark above.

Tunnel entrance as it was in 1993

We decided to enter the network again a week later and explore the tunnel that led up to Ellington Road, which was apparently the dormitory section. There was also (according to local folklore and original eye-witness accounts) supposed to be a room full of Home Guard and ARP equipment down that tunnel somewhere. However, we never did get to see that section of the air-raid tunnels, as the next time we went down, we nearly got "rescued" by the fire brigade (a well meaning / nosy neighbour had seen us enter the tunnels and decided to contact them). We then had a dressing down by the local council man. After we had got "caught" in this way, they put a new manhole cover on the entrance, that we cannot get open (yet)!

We had now explored almost two thirds of the network, but there was still about two miles of the tunnel system still to explore, so we had to find another way in...

Official 1939 plan of this section:

Post-Script: Mon 18th Sept, 2006

A recent twist to the tale happened recently when a work colleague was renovating his house when he discovered a local newspaper from 1981, which he kindly gave to me. Below is a copy of an interesting letter that was printed in that edition, which relates to a possible entrance to the 'ellington road' section of air raid tunnel, which thus far has been completely inaccessible. It would be very interesting to locate the current owners of the house and see if this entrance tunnel was still there from their basement!

Below is a map of the full system from 1938, showing the additional spur tunnels mentioned by the anonymous poster below, including the spur from Southwood sports ground and the Ashburnham Jam Factory. This is the only plan I have seen that shows these additional sections, as well as other shelters in the vicinity, such as the Granville caves etc.

I can only apologise for the poor quality of the photocopy!

Ramsgate Air Raid Tunnels - Westcliff section

2006-05-15T21:42:00.005+01:00

The original entrance into the Westcliff section of the Air-Raid tunnels (c.1939)

The same Entrance into the Westcliff section of the Air-Raid tunnels - 2006.

Now sealed up with chalk bricks, two blocks thick. Water tank in the foreground (added after 1945)

The Mayor of Ramsgate starting work on the tunnel with a pneumatic drill and mechanical spade. (This was the beginning of the westcliff section - the entrance of which is shown above)

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The WestCliff section of the Ramsgate Air Raid tunnels is by far the best preserved and least visited section of the network. They were sealed up soon after the war, but in 1993 we gained entry into them. When these photos were taken we were one of the very few that had visited this part of the air-raid tunnel network since they were originally sealed up, and it was like stepping back in time to a living museum.

Large cross-section (chalk)

Note wooden beams, lamp holders and wartime markings on the wall (6182)

Reinforced section - concrete

Sections that were closer to the surface were reinforced with concrete (arch shaped cross section) rather than chalk reinforced by wooden beams (see first picture)

Original Notice telling the public not to smoke or spit

The two types of cross section can be clearly seen here. Note the fuse box on wall and cables. This is one of the best preserved sections of the air raid tunnels.

Blocked section of tunnel

This leads on to the next section of the Air-Raid Tunnels, which is currently still inaccessible. It is also thought the generator room is behind this wall.

In order to sleep in the tunnels overnight, a special ticket was required, in order to have a bunk, or 'private' cubicle.

It was signed by the 'senior sanitary inspector'. This particular ticket belonged to a Beatrice Pryor of Guildford Lawn.

Tunnel blog - 1992

Ramsgate Air Raid Tunnels - (Section 3 - Westcliff)

After another entrance search from the surface, we decided the only way into the rest of the tunnels was via the Westcliff entrance. It was originally a large door in the chalk undercliff, but after the war the door was removed and the entrance cemented up.

As shown in the diagrams, the original steps were covered in chalk and rubble, and the arch was cemented with white cement, camouflaging it into the cliff face to the casual observer. It was a good attempt at trying to conceal the entrance. There seemed no way of getting in, and so that was the situation for a couple of months.

But in January 1992, we found that a large hole had been knocked through the cement, which was about 14 inches wide, and the cement was around 6 inches in depth.

After some enquiries, I discovered who had made the hole, but that it was too small for them to get through, so if we could get through, we would be the first people ever to see the tunnels for nearly fifty years! (This entrance was sealed off in 1946).

So the following Saturday my intrepid friends and I got our torches and one by one squeezed in through the hole. It was very tight, and necessary to twist around as you squeezed through. After awkwardly sliding down a chalk slope the other side, we found ourselves in a small, dark cave-like atrium, with a tunnel leading off at a tangent.

Inside the main tunnel, we noticed various inscriptions written in chalk and pencil on the inside of the concrete arch, the latest inscription being from 1944! One of the inscriptions which caught my eye read - "Lt. John Goodall, 13th Squadron, 14:30hrs, R.A.F. Manston." and another read "Electric cables by G.Enders, London."

There was another tunnel branching off to the left, but was blocked by a fall of chalk. It possibly joined with the St. Augustine Cave network.

The sewer pipe appeared (that we had previously seen in the Cannon Road section) rising gradually out of the tunnel floor, but was much lower than in the Cannon Rd section, with seven feet of clearance between the top of the pipe and the tunnel ceiling. This was the source of the pipe, that was ultimately to follow the main route of most of the tunnel system.

These tunnels were of larger dimensions than the rest of the network, possibly because this was where they originally started the digging. As the main tunnel continued on, the ceiling got lower and lower. It was then that we realised it was actually the pipe that was getting higher out of the original floor, rather than the ceiling lower! We were currently walking along the top of it! We passed an alcove, where it was possible to see the original tunnel floor, a good few feet below us.

The wooden support beams were still in place and so were the electricity and wireless cables, as well as the original light fittings.

After about a hunderd and fifty metres, we came to another tunnel, intersecting it at right angles. We followed this tunnel, and as the pipe was not running down this tunnel, the ceiling was much higher. The cabling was also still intact, showing that no one had been down this section of the tunnels for a long time.

The floor was thick with rotted wood. The tunnel then veered left, and we came to a broad flight of stairs. At the top was a brick wall, behind which was an entrance. We were now beneath Spencer Square.

After returning to the main tunnel, we continued for about another hundred metres. There was another tunnel leading off to the right. The floor was even thicker with wood and rubble, and quite a few collapses had already taken place. This spur tunnel continued for approximately a hundred metres. It then turned at right angles and continued for a further twenty metres.

Then the tunnel ahead was blocked by an immense fall of chalk, but there was a small hole right at the top. After crawling up this slope, a tunnel could be seen going off at right angles behind it, and was of much smaller dimensions.

The entrance to this tunnel was nearly blocked by the fallen chalk. but we squeezed through, and climbed down the slope the other side.

It was quite treacherous as big lumps of chalk kept falling down behind us, and we had to be careful that the falling chalk did not block the hole behind us, otherwise we would be trapped in this tunnel.

However this new tunnel was concrete reinforced, and there was quite a lot of junk down there, and markings on the wall, the latest being 1976. I later heard that the Liverpool Lawn entrance (the one we were beneath) had actually been accessible until 1978, so my guess is that people had got into this section, but couldn't get into the rest of the network that we had just explored because of this fall of chalk, and the chalk had recently subsided, allowing us access to this tunnel, but had previously blocked the people getting in from the Liverpool Lawn entrance from getting into the rest of the network.

The blocked entrance at Liverpool Lawn. The original concrete slats used to cover all the entrances after the war have been thrown into the tunnel as back fill. The entrance has since been turfed over from the surface.

After climbing back into the old series of tunnels, we continued along for another hundred metres until we came to a junction. There was an interesting signpost at this junction as shown in the following news cutting. It was a strange experience seeing this signpost that had been featured in many newspaper articles about the tunnels, it was slowly rotting, but still standing.

There was a large mound at this junction, and we climbed over it, taking the turning to the left.

At the top of the mound was a large ventilation shaft, heading 60ft up to the surface. This shaft, unlike the others, was unlined, and just cut roughly out of the chalk. It was also not in a seperate brick shaft room either.

We now entered a large, long tunnel, the pipe had taken the right turning and so we now had a lot more headroom. The tunnels at this point were about 9ft high by 7ft wide. There were four cables running along the walls now, having been used fifty years ago for wireless/public address and electricity.

The floor in this part of the tunnels was also flooded with about 4 inches of water. After about five minutes, we came to a large square room, covered floor to ceiling in white ceramic tiles. This was the medical room, and we were now fairly near the old Ramsgate Hospital. Inside this room was a metal framed hospital bed, and two folding chairs, which still held our weight.

We then continued along the tunnel for another twenty metres and then the tunnel again became reinforced and turned sharply. It then sloped upwards steeply. Instead of steps, this tunnel had wide ramps leading to the surface, as it was beneath the hospital. We could still clearly see the marks of wheelchairs and beds in the chalk on the ramps, as patients had been wheeled up and down them during the air raids. This again showed how untouched and well preserved this section of the tunnels were, if even the tyre marks of the wheelchairs were still visible after all that time!

These passages echoed a lot, with quite a few scary effects. At the top of the ramps, the entrance, like a lot of the others, was covered with concrete slabs, and a lot of vegetation roots could be seen growing between the cracks, proving that this old entrance did actually surface outside the hospital, probably somewhere in the grounds, and not in the basement, as I had originally been told.

In the corner was what looked like a large cement trapdoor, but we were unable to lift it. There were several notices on the wall, one of which was entitled "Borough of Ramsgate Air Raid Shelters" and beneath this there was a list of conditions and rules. This notice was painted onto the cement wall in black paint, and a bit had been rubbed away.

There were also notices written in chalk on the cement walls, saying things like "No Smoking" and asking people not ot deface the tunnels, or excrete on the floor. All these notices had not been defaced in any way, and there was no other graffiti from later than 1944, showing that perhaps no one had been down this section since their being sealed off in 1946.

Our footsteps echoed at this point, the noise reverberating off the concrete walls, giving some quite scary effects. We could get no further down this part of the tunnel as it ended with the concrete slabs above our heads, surfacing somewhere in the close vicinity of the hospital.

On our way back down, we walked down the ramps, which were about 8-10 feet wide. They were not very steep, and we had soon walked down them, being careful not to damage any of the old markings made from all the wheelchairs and beds being wheeled up and down during those dark days of the air raids. After about thirty metres, the reinforced sections finished, being replaced by the familiar chalk walls. At this point, the tunnels were some 9ft high by 8ft wide.

I had been told that during the digging of these tunnels, they had come across other much older tunnels, such as Napoleonic and Smuggling tunnels (from the eighteenth century and earlier). Some of these they adapted and utilised, but others they just blocked up. There was evidence of this, as we noticed a mound of chalk rubble heaped up against one of the walls. At first we didn't think anything of it, but then we noticed that other than that pile heaped against the wall, there was not other rubble in this entire section of tunnel. Then on closer inspection and after removing some of it, we could make out another tunnel leading off, of smaller dimensions, and they had heaped this rubble up to block it off.

After another two minutes walk, we arrived back at the signposted junction. This time we carried on straight past the tunnel heading back to our original entrance, and took the tunnel heading towards Queen Street Car Park.

To our left was another reservoir tank, used for storing water. On the top was a metal cover. This was lifted to reveal... nothing. Inside it was totally empty. It was however big enough for about seven people to fit into (if they so desired!) It was about 7ft by 5ft, and 5ft high, giving it a capacity of approximately 175 sq. ft.

After another six feet, to our left was a tunnel which continued for about two feet and then ended in a crudely constructed wall. At first we thought it was the main tunnel continuing on, as we were still only in a spur tunnel. But this may not be the case as firstly, the wall looks as old as the tunnel itself, and also the pipe does not go into this wall, and we know that the pipe is supposed to follow the line of the tunnels. We thent thought that perhaps it was an older tunnel they had dug across, but this was not the case, as it was of exactly the same dimensions, and the light fittings carried on down this tunnel as well. So perhaps it lead to one of the shafts.

However, we carried on and after about another 6 ft, we came to another brick wall on our left. This was of much more recent construction, and the pipe disappeared behind it. Running water could also be heard. So the rest of the tunnel network continued behind this wall!

We then carried on down towards Queen St. Car Park. At this point we consulted our map, and came to the conclusion that the first wall must have been a blocked ventilation shaft, as that corresponded with our map. This tunnel continued straight for about a hundred metres, and then the chalk walls turned to concrete again. The tunnel then turned and turned again.

It was at this point we reached the walls of the old airlock.

On the back wall of this was another "No Smoking" notice, in very good condition (see photos) and other than that, the walls were totally void of any other graffiti.

We were probably the first people ever to have been in this section of the tunnels since they were sealed up after the war. We then turned another corner and reached some flights of stairs leading to the surface, with the airlock door lying at the bottom.

In this section of the tunnels there were quite a few relics from the war, such as newspapers, blankets (which had disintegrated at the slightest touch) and old lamps, still with the old batteries. There was also some more gas mask boxes, and a gas mask, although the rubber had perished, rendering it useless.

We then turned back and continued until we had reached the junction, and then turned left, back down the long main tunnel leading towards the sea. We passed the Liverpool Lawn exit to our left, and then the Spencer Square exit leading off to our right.

We passed some interesting faces carved into the chalk walls, with one resembling a caricature of Adolf Hitler.

Then we saw the light at the end of the tunnel. One by one we squeezed out of the hole into the daylight and fresh air.

Final reflections...

And so ended our adventures down these famous air raid tunnels. No doubt the entrances which we were able to gain access through will be sealed up again, such as the Cannon Road entrance, the Wind Tunnel entrance and the Westcliff entrance, but we can take comfort that we have actually explored practically the whole system by means of these three entrances, and it was an experience that I shall remember for the rest of my life, actually re-discovering and seeing these famous tunnels that so many people had read and heard about, but never actually seen in reality.

It was like a time tunnel, literally! It was as if we were stepping back in time, experiencing one of the most historic events in history, and seeing all the relics from that period like a secret museum, but untouched by man for almost half a century.

Contrary to popular opinion, these tunnels were, on the whole, not damp like many people imagine, but were dry, other than a few areas where small sections had become flooded.

Throughout the whole network, there were only two major chalk falls - that at Liverpool Lawn, and the other one near St. Luke's Rec. (Wind tunnel section). This was caused by the demolition of St. George's School and the building of a Carpark on the site. The quality of air in the tunnels varied. On the main tunnel, the air was actually quite fresh, but in some of the spur tunnels leading off, the air could be quite stale. Many people also imagine them to be full of rats and spiders, but there was no life whatsoever down there. The theory is that rats don't like the chalk, and there is nothing for them to feed on down there.

The atmosphere could be quite scary. The tunnels were very echoey, and the slightest noise could go resounding down the whole network. They were also cool and dry, and absolutely pitch dark.

The only section of the air raid tunnel network that we have not yet explored is a small section from Vale Square to Thomson's Passage (about 200 metres). It was later discovered that the Vale Square entrance was completely filled in during early 1940, and so the only access to this section is via a ventilation shaft. We have also not explored part of the spur tunnel leading up Ellington Road, and the two entrances surfacing in the park. But access to this section is still possible via the manhole entrance in Cannon Road CarPark.

And so that brings this report to a conclusion. I have tried to provide a fairly accurate portrayal of the state of the air raid tunnels today (Feb. 1992) and I hope you enjoyed reading it.

Official 1939 plan of this tunnel section:

Additional information / Appendix:

State of Air-Raid tunnel entrances as of 1992 (link)

Cut Away view of typical tunnel section:

Unexplored sections of the Ramsgate Air Raid tunnel network:

As of today, around a third of the air raid tunnel network so far remains unexplored by us. This is mainly due to roof fall blockages, or the underground pipe that has rendered some large sections of the system inpenetrable.

The main part is the Ellington Road spur, which travels the entire length of Ellington road, and has two entrances within the park itself. These two entrances are clearly visible during the summer months, due to dis-colouration of the grass showing the outlines of the original entrances. There is also known to be a private entrance into the Ellington Rd section, from the basement of a house, which I believe may still be accessible (via permission from the owner!)

The other section that is so far unexplored goes in the opposite direction, down towards Vale Sq, and eventually joining with the Westcliff section. A fellow user of this site contacted me recently to say he had recently gained access to this section, via one of the ventilation shafts! Access to this is via a manhole cover in the road, and access is somewhat hazardous, but we will no doubt attempt this soon. I will obviously update the site and let you know, so keep an eye out for the pictures!

Also some folks on this site have mentioned a pre-war tunnel system (constructed around 1918) which actually connects as an extension to the existing air raid tunnels shown on the main plan, which joins up with the Ellington Road spur. This section has an entrance near Southwood Rd sports ground, joins up with the old jam factory at Ashburnham Rd, and then extends as far as Wilton Croft in St.Lawrence. Another spur from this runs off towards Newington.

(This extension to the original planned system is shown on the map at the bottom of the "Cannon Road section" post)

Investigations into this section are continuing!

Official 1939 plan showing the (so far) unexplored sections of the air raid tunnel network:

This poignant scene shows that even during the darkest days of the blitz, there were still some lighter moments of life in the tunnels, with this scene showing a party of some kind held within the depths of the tunnels!

Caves and smuggling tunnels at Pegwell Bay, Ramsgate

2006-05-07T16:18:00.004+01:00

(see also the "Frank Illingworth's Puzzle Tunnel" post)

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Smuggling Tunnel entrances, Pegwell Bay

Pegwell Bay, and Pegwell Village were once a hive of smuggling activity. The chalk cliffs surrounding the bay made it easy for smugglers to dig tunnels from the beach up to the houses and pubs in the nearby village. The Belle Vue Tavern for one is known to have various tunnel entrances from it's cellars, although these have long been sealed up!

Three entrances to the 'Witches Kitchen', (also known as the catacombs), visible in the cliff face

Above: One of the entrances to the 'Witches Kitchen'

These catacomb like tunnels loop around and come back on themselves, with several other tunnels shooting off inland, but leading nowhere after a short distance, or ending in a pile of rubble. Often smugglers would include some fake tunnels that led to dead ends in an attempt to out wit the customs officials and coastguards. They would sometimes carve a symbol of a fish in the chalk walls, with its tail pointing in the direction of the real escape tunnel!

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Above: 3 tunnel entrances in the cliff at Pegwell - 'Belle Vue tunnels"

(taken in 1991)

Now compare the same view today (2008), below:

It is amazing to see how the ground level has risen a good 6 feet in the 17 years since the earlier picture was taken. This is due mainly to cliff and soil erosion over the years, and the construction of new sea defences

Above: Entrance to the 'Gunpowder Cave', Pegwell Bay

The Belle Vue tunnel

Above: Old stairs leading up through the cliff

Above: Old tunnel leading to the steps shown in the picture above

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Smuggler's Wells - Pegwell Bay

Well shaft taken from below (looking up). This was taken in the "BelleVue stairs" tunnel. Note the smoother construction than the well below

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Well shaft taken from inside the 'puzzle tunnel' (looking up), rougher construction

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"The Pegwell Cave" - c.1828

An old etching of an even older tunnel that was cut through the chalk cliff from the village down to the beach - it was likely used by shrimpers and smugglers alike over the years, giving easy access to the bay.

It was filled in many years ago, although part of this tunnel can still be seen leading from the rear of a sea cave, but is blocked after a very short distance by chalk and rubble

Pegwell "Gunpowder Cave"

2006-05-05T12:09:00.002+01:00

(this entry written in 1991)

This is a strange cave that has been constructed entirely within the 6 feet of topsoil above the chalk cliffs of Pegwell Bay.
When it was first discovered (around 1990) it was perilously close to the cliff edge, and so likely has now completely subsided.

Location

The entrance to the cave is via a short tunnel, the entrance of which is located in the dense undergrowth to the left of the fence of the footpath along the top of pegwell cliffs. O/S ref 357644 at the point to the left where the path ascends three steps and continues.

Access

Access is via a short tunnel, the square entrance of which is shrouded in the undergrowth.

The entrance tunnel is crawlable, and descends steeply to a depth of approximately 2m. before opening out into a small cave. The cave however is large enough for about five people to camp in (if they so desired).

On the left corner, there is a small alter-like recess which resembles a shelf. On the main diagram, a trapdoor is drawn onm as it is almost certain that a locked trapdoor covered this square entrance during the First World War, and the wooden frame can still be seen surrounding the entrance portal. However, it seems that since 1918 the wooden trapdoor had become completely overgrown, before rotting away completely, leaving an open tunnel.

It is suspected that the cave was used as a gunpowder store in WW1, and fine black powder can still be seen lining much of the walls. It seems that since the war, it has been totally forgotten about as it has been hidden in the undergrowth, so no one thought to put a metal cover to replace the original wooden one.

Tunnel Entrance

Frank Illingworth's Puzzle Tunnel

2006-05-04T20:29:00.002+01:00

"Light at the end of the tunnel" Showing a typical cross section of the tunnel shape. This picture is taken from within the tunnel, on the homeward stretch, looking out (surprise!)

The pictures below show how small and cramped the tunnel is. It is a crawl all the way. The second picture also shows how close to the surface parts of it are, with roots growing through the ceiling (c.1990)

These pictures shows the famous smuggler carving that Illingworth spoke about in his account. It is still there, fully intact, after over two hundred years. Unfortunately it is difficult to make out on the first photo, which is sadly over-exposed. The second picture traces the lines and shows how the carving would have looked. It is not known what the PO stands for.

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Looking up the well shaft. Note the remains of the wooden trap hatch, and the roughly hewn construction

The incredibly small dimensions of the tunnel!

The picture below shows the tunnel entrance in the cliff face, as it was in 1991. In the 15 years since then, this part of the cliff face has eroded considerably. As the picture shows, back in 1991 the tunnel entrance was only about 6 feet from the ground, enabling an easy climb into it from the beach below.

You can see the remains of a well shaft (thought to be medieval), next to the entrance to the 'puzzle tunnel', which became exposed as the chalk cliff eroded. The well shaft was exposed between 1988 and 1990, and lies 3 feet away from the 'puzzle tunnel' entrance. Therefore when the tunnel was being dug, (mid-18th century) it would have narrowly missed this well shaft.

D.R.J Perkins has written that the cliffs around Thanet are receding by 90 ft per century. It is thought the construction of this well shaft dates back to the 15th Century, being 500 years old it would have originally been dug 150 yards from the cliff edge.

One unusual point to note are the foot holds that were dug into the side of the shaft, perhaps providing access up and down.

This well shaft has now completely eroded into the sea, as the cliff continues to erode around it.

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Maps of puzzle tunnel and surrounding location

Pegwell Bay,Kent -smuggling tunnel —see plan

This tunnel has been mentioned in many publications. The first appears to be an account of 1938 in the Kent County. Journal written by F. Illingworth. It records his visit to a tunnel placed between Pegwell Hay and ihich extended many yards from the cliff face to a domed room. During his exploration, which involved continuous crawling Illingworth found a pin—fire pistol and some excise officer’s buttons,
John Vigar identified and, visited the passage early in 1983. It is situated in a chalk cliff between Pegwell Bay Hoverport and the Belle Vuë Hotel. The entrance is about 7 ft. from the base of the cliff at TR 3576 Visits have to be between tides,
The passage can be explored for some ‘l7 I t is a low crawl for the whole distance, the average dimensions being 6 high and f5cm wide, with some parts only 35cm high. It was originally about lm high but the floor is now covered with. deposits.
Illingworth!s account tells that after 200 yards a shaft was reached,which, according to him, was ..the method by which smuggled goods were taken in and out. This shaft is 1 in. It is of rough construction and the junction between chalk and s-oil can be clearly seen near the top. It is 3 high and blocked with wood at the top. The
entrance is about 15m down the cliff and the tunnel rises over its ent-ire length., It is not straight but veers about.
At intervals along the roof are cylindrical holes, as might be made by a metal pipe, about 2 in diameter. They are deep and could go to the surface but their function is uncertain.
After the shaft the tunnel continues but with a rougher construction. Illingworth says that he crawled “on and on and on..’ but encountered a fall of chalk. He dug through this but, was unable to continue although he saw a domed room and beyond it a co’ntinuation of the tunnel.
John Vigar crawled 20m beyond the shaft and came to a blockage and possibly a second shaft. This could be the ‘domed room’ or it may lay further on. This stretch is extremely tight and it is necessary to back out.
There is a lot of “:graffiti in the tunnel, mostly dating from the mid—1950s. There are also some more ancient inscriptions, mostly initials, beautifully cut, probably of late 19th century origin. In. addition notches cut in the walls with crude carvings of four men pointing look even earlier.
It. is not pOssible to guess why the tunnel was dug, although considerable effort must have been eml in doing so. How far it goes we do not know. The only way of exploring further would be to uncap the shaft(s) and use them to lift out excavated materiaL
The tunnel entrance is sometimes blocked with chalk rubble to prevent children from entering. If these are removed to gain entry, they should be replaced afterwards.
References C.S.S.Newsletter vol 25 no.? Apl.1983
C.S v. 6 p. p56.

The colour photos above were taken by myself when the tunnel was revisited in 1991.

The original account of the Puzzle Tunnel, written by Frank Illingworth in 1938

A Smugglers’ Cave.
By FRANK ILLINGWORTH.

KENT COUNTY JOURNAL

The following story of a hiding place used by srnugglers is of special interest in view of the foregoing article by Dr. Cock.

AN old fellow hunting for sea-worms on the sands at Pegwell Bay told us a fantastic story of a system of tunnels running beneath Kentish soil between Pegwell and Margate, which at one time were used by smugglers.

“Nigh 50 year ago, as a small boy, I was lost in them tunnels for three days ! Aye, And when they got me out they blocked up all the entrances. All except one that is.’’

The point of the old man’s story was that the only entry to the tunnels nowadays was an air-vent about six feet up the face of the cliff which led to a shaft which in turn led to an old well. This well was used by smugglers who constructed a trap_hatch halfway down, beneath which water could be shown when needed to deceive excisenien. A connecting tunnel ran to various points.

With the old man’s story in our mind we went to interview the Banger brothers whose family have lived in this part of Kent for generations. They bore out the statement about the tunnels of which they had made partial exploration before the main en trances were blocked, years before. These tunnels linked the sea, the chalk pit at Osingall Farm and the Lord of the Manor cellars. But all the old entrances were now closed and the only way into the labyrinth was through the air-vent in the cliff. The Banger brothers gave us many smuggling tales which had been brought down to them.

The upshot of our talk was that we decided to get into the air-vent and explore the underworld for ourselves. Equipped with implements and candles we set off on the expedition ; there were four of us. We climbed into the hole in the cliff one after the other.

It was dark, dank. The rock pressed against both shoulders. There was barely room to crawl. The tunnel climbed steeply for a bit. Our torches illuminated the way ahead. Candles told us that the air was pure. We were 200 yards in

Suddenly a voice boomed out.
‘‘A shaft !‘‘
It was the well! And judging by the direction in which we had been crawling it was the one belonging to an old house, since pulled down. The trap-hatch was down and a quantity of earth covered it, the excise- men’s work probably.

Lying on our stomachs we dug our way through after four hours work and crawled on . . . on . , . on , . . on, till a fall of chalk blocked our way. By now we were in a tunnel barely 2 foot 6 inches wide and 22 inches high ! An air-duct, nothing else. If the old worm-digger was speaking the truth we were near the Main shaft, and the Lord of the Manor Cross Roads.

In all it took five hours work for two men, working in shifts, to break through that fall of chalk. We had reached a position where for many generations neither smugglers, excisemen, or anyone else, had been. Would we find anything?

An ancient pin-fire pistol and three buttons from an exciseman’s tunic came to view. One can only surmise how a customs’s man’s button came to be in a smugglers tunnel.

After five hours of toil a way was forced through and a beam of a torch showed a “dome” (underground room) and a tunnel leading in the direction of the Lord of the Manor. It was impossible to go any further. The air-vent was so narrow that one would have been trapped for good and all if by any chance one’s arms got jammed in the hole made in the fall. And short of using a drill (though how it could have been done in the space at our disposal I don’t know) it would be impossible to enlarge the little hole we made, for massive falls hemmed in the one little bit we had excavated.

We were peering into Unkown Kent, and could only guess its secrets.
The final thing to decide us to crawl back to the entrance was a fall. The leading man was scrambling and squirming feet first towards the entrance when a small rock fell on to his neck! So shallow was the tunnel that he could not move an inch till he man aged to work forwards and backwards, easing the rock over his head to fall onto the floor of the tunnel. For some distance the party squirmed backwards till the walls of the shaft widened sufficiently for each mem ber to turn round!

Our party had not got far into this unexplored part, but we had at least proved the old worm-catcher’s story to a great extent. And if he had spoken the truth so far, surely his story about being lost for three days was true also? If so those tunnels must be pretty extensive. We decided that when we had got over the exertion of our crawl we would return and force a way into the main shaft and explore the whole underground working, using a field telephone to connect us with someone in the outside world.

That is an adventure for the future.

See the original account published in the 1938 'Kent County Journal'

An article on the tunnel by John E. Vigar (C.S.S. Newsletter, 1983)

Note in the picture of the entrance and cliff face on the first page of the below article (taken c. 1983) the medieval well shaft is not visible at all. On the photo I took, posted earlier (c1991) the well shaft is clearly visible, due to cliff erosion that has occurred since the picture in the 1983 article below.

Miscellaneous tunnels and other stuff

2006-04-26T21:49:00.001+01:00

Granville Caves (a.k.a. Wellington Caves)

Similar to those on the Westcliff, (see St. Augustine's caves post) the Granville caves (beneath Wellington Crescent) could comfortably accommodate many hundreds of people during an air raid. The existing victorian Granville and St. Augustines cave systems were upgraded during the second world war, along with the old Railway tunnel (see railway tunnel post) at a cost of £9,000 to provide extra shelter in addition to the air raid tunnel network.

Entrances into this system are rumoured to be from within the cellars of the Granville Hotel, the Pavilion in Winterstoke Gardens, and beneath the bandstand in Wellington Crescent. So far I have been unable to locate any pictures of this system.

Here you can see the Granville Caves system marked on the Air Raid tunnel plan of 1938 as 'Existing Caves'.

A recent seismic survey of the East Cliff that was taken to test it's integrity (after cracks appeared in the cliff wall) have revealed a 'large void', about the size if 4 large houses. This is thought to be the caves. Next to it was shown another large underground room, which was an underground ammunition store for the two great big guns that used to be stationed at Wellington Crescent during WW2.

Here is the full map of the Ramsgate air raid tunnel system, including both the St. Augustines and Granville Caves systems, as well as the pre-1939 tunnel system from Southwood Road sports ground through to the Refuse Destructor.

(See separate air raid tunnel posts for more information)

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A Margate smugglers tunnel

Slightly further afield from Ramsgate, here is an interesting report from a local paper from 1991 about the discovery of a smuggling tunnel in Margate:

"Did you know that a Margate pub landlord in the 19th century was a notorious body-snatcher?

Or that when customers learned of his other, grisly, occupation, they deserted in droves and he had to sell the pub at a loss?

The president of Margate Civic Society, local historian Mr. Alan Kay, reveals in the society's newsletter that the tale surfaced as a result of a conversation about smuggler's tunnels with a Margate builder.

The builder said that when his men were constructing the Quarterdeck Youth Club in Zion Place, they came across a bricked-up tunnel in the cellar they were filling in.

Mr. Kay was able to tell him that it was the site of the 18th Century Prospect Tavern and Tea Rooms, which later became the Crown and Anchor Tavern.

The Inn was a meeting place for smugglers and in 1829 six men constructed a tunnel from the cellars to 50ft. up in the cliff face to the west of the Clifton Baths - now the site of the Lido.

Later the cave was known as Watson's Hole, after a local smuggler.

While the tunnel was being excavated, they had difficulty in keeping lamps and candles alight and had to make small boreholes to the surface every six feet, for air.

A large auger was made by the black-smith at Manston for the tunnelling and chalk brought up was buried during the night and spread on the road then being built on Cliff Terrace.

The tavern changed it's name to the Crown and Anchor when the body-snatcher, Ben Crouch, took over. He refurbished the building with proceeds from his expeditions as "camp follower" in the Pensinsular campaign, Mr. Kay says.

This 1920 postcard of Zion Place shows the Randolph Hotel - formerly body-snatcher Ben Crouch's Crown and Anchor. It is the tallest building in the street, to the right of the flag, and is now the site of the Quarterdeck youth centre.