Just behind the façade...

...is a glimpse of a much older London, if you take some time to peep between the cracks... ;)

Barons' Cave - Reigate

So last, but certainly not least, we walked up past Boots (on Reigate high street) up the stairs into the (so called) "Castle Grounds" (it's actually a park and what's left of the original 11th century Norman Castle - which is the hill (motte), a big ditch at it's foot, a pond (which was part of the wet moat) and the underground bit we had come to see - all the other original features were demolished in the 18th century when this mock castle gate was constructed) -

We followed the trail of handy bat signs along the paths to the steep steps that led down into Barons' cave -


- passing a group of about 30 people(!) coming out, our group was much smaller (again about 10 people, a similar number to our tour of the West Cavern) and upon having our tickets checked, everyone (except Thomas and I, who had our own) were handed torches or lanterns (as peering up into the cave it quickly became clear that the whole place was lit only by tiny candles and was going to be *dark*)-

The caves are full of carvings/grafitti, some of them accompanied by dates (going back to 1700s, which is likely when the caves were first opened to public visitors as an early tourist attraction/curiosity - coinciding with the construction of the folly above)-



The first section we were shown to was a long, winding stair that leads all the way to the top of the Motte from the main entrance (which was right at the bottom of the dry moat), terminating at the highest point under a stone pyramid (which was built at some point after the 14th century as it's roof and supports are made of brick, which didn't start to be used for construction until this point) -

Here a tiny bit of sun light filters through -

- allowing you to imagine what it must have been like to be a Norman soldier, climbing out of the caves up into castle with it's commanding view over the valley...(this entrance is now sealed)...so we trundled back down the steps and into the second section of the caves -

- where they have a map of all the caves that used to be on the wall in the underground cave/pub called Batchelors (which I actually visited a couple of times, many, many years ago - now closed down and filled with rock - as it was unstable and apparently ran underneath the main bus route, which the Council wasn't that keen on) - today it's the site of a Kebab shop...Oh, and also in that section -

- (of course!!) was a baby Tyrannosaurus Rex...no explanation was offered other than that one of the guardian cavers happened to have it laying around at home (as you do!) and thought it might look nice in the cave...the guide made it quite clear that historians were pretty certain that no T-Rex was really roaming around during the Norman conquest and we weren't to start thinking about it...

The last section of the cave, down another flight of stairs (getting really rather cold now) -

- (that's Thomas' breath you can see in that shot, being lit up by his torch) -

- was almost certainly a large wine store for the "Barons" of the name of the cave, it's like a 'fridge down there, and also a very secure location for something so valuable (that would have had to have been imported from France)...but there is no actual evidence that this was the case...the other theory that seems realistic is that the cave was an emergency exit from the castle above (or a way to flank an unsuspecting surrounding besieging army)...both of which are perfectly plausible... And that was that! From there we walked back to the surface (and the welcome sun, after having got seriously chilly underground)... An amazing day out, I heartily recommend it to anyone with an interest in history (and the secret places that lurk beneath)...Thomas absolutely loved every single minute of his adventure...! ;)

Update - Oh and in case you were wondering, I didn't fire the flash a single time underground (in any of the caves) and all the shots were hand-held... ;)

Reigate Caves - West Cavern

So, next up, after our exhaustive poke around the East Caves, we stepped over to the entrance to the West Caves to await our guide -

- with about 10 other people...we only had to wait about five minutes, but were warned that the tour could take quite a while (at least 40 minutes - in the end I think we were underground about an hour)-

- after a quick safety briefing (by our two guides - this chap did all the talking, the other chap stood patiently at the back of the group shepherding - i.e. - making sure none of us got lost/left behind - which was frequently me trying to get a decent shot of something in the pitch black - my apologies!)-

- and then we were in! The very first bit of the caves you enter is actually a long gallery used (today) as a shooting range!

According to the guide the bricked up areas on the right and left used to be used by a local band to practice their playing, but they gave up when one of the side tunnels collapsed in protest (which would, admittedly, be fairly discouraging)...

This is where the targets are set up (right at the end of the gallery) - ironically the marksmen have to bring in their own (heavier grade) sand to place behind them - as the sand from this mine isn't quite up to the job of effectively stopping a bullet - well, according to whoever regulates this sort of thing, anyway...

The guide then went on to confess that (in the black area on the right of this shot) there is another bricked up tunnel which runs along the back of most of the shops in Reigate High Street...apparently some of the cavers (presumably just for a laugh) carefully measured out exactly where they thought the back of one of the high street building societies should be and managed to give the manager a bit of a scare by making loud banging noises clearly audible *inside* his cash-filled vault...You would just *have* to do it though, wouldn't you? Given the chance? ;)

From there we proceeded down a steep, low tunnel (watching my head) into another steep gallery (really steep this time) but very high ceilinged -

- which used to be filled with bunk beds (more WW2 Air Raid Shelter space), you can also see the standard Anderson Shelter-style steel/corrugated iron plates (most likely steel, as it's damp down here and there is little visible rust) bracing the sandstone wall on the right  -

- this area was also complete with it's own emergency entrance (now bricked up with breeze blocks) but which would have opened at ground level somewhere behind Church Street (all associated ladders/stairs have also long-ago vanished)-

Next, we went into one of the largest areas of the caverns, used during World War 1 to store explosives, it's now (another) firing range -




-complete with spent rounds in buckets-


-(by now Thomas had mastered the art of "light painting" pitch black objects for me with his torch while I kept steady and long-shutter-cycled)-

- all around this area were still the carefully excavated candle stands, there to provide light for the original miners, from there, moving deeper into the cave we passed into (yet another) firing range-

- this one looked like it was used for air-rifles (judging by the pellet tins)-

- and then we made our way into the last (and deepest section) -
- through a very low passageway -

Here, the tour (in years gone by) used to have to halt, due to the sheer volume of sharp fragments of broken glass and twisted rusty metal-



- they have actually left a few areas untouched so you can see the extent of the mess...all this was left over from the cavern's "middle age" when it was used as a wine and beer store (although quite how this many valuable bottles managed to get smashed is a bit of a mystery)...anyway, volunteers spent many, many hours digging and sieving and eventually managed to clear out 99% of the dangerous material from the sandy floor, and now visitors can walk the extent of the caves -

Right to the back wall, where the valuable sand ran out...(and the mine then closed)...

- on the way out again (passing another group coming in) we were given a demonstration of how the caves were (painstakingly) carved -

- and then we were back out in the daylight!  Time for a spot of lunch, and then on to the last of the caves - Barons' cave (under the site of Reigate Castle)...! ;)

Reigate Caves - East Cavern

So a couple of weekends ago, Thomas and I took a (short) trip into Reigate (just he and I) for one of the rare chances to take a look at the tunnels that exist under the town!  Starting with a two person procession under the temporary "Triumphal Arch" at the start of Tunnel Road (it's there to celebrate 150 years of Reigate and Redhill being granted official status as a "Borough" and is a reconstruction of an arch erected to greet a young Queen Victoria when she stopped at the local inn (The White Hart) to pick up a fresh horse on her way to Brighton Pavilion many years ago...

Anyway, we followed the signs and fluttering flags until we came upon a collection of folk wearing hard hats and miners lights (a good indication we were in the right place) -

- paid a small entrance fee to one of the Wealden Cave and Mine Society officials -

- and then began our tour with the first of the caves - the East Cave - or "Tunnel Caves Experience"...

This particular cave is a sort of "do it yourself" affair (to quote them "you are free to wander as you please"), shortly after making our way though the entrance door we were greeted by two cheerful Cavers who helped Thomas and I into hard hats-


- Thomas' one had a little bat on it (which we thought was pretty cool) -

- next up was a glimpse (through a little gap in the wall) into an old shop cellar/storeroom, still laid out as if in use (I imagine it would be situated right behind the kitchens in Cafe Rouge)-

In the first (proper) chamber was a display of plates (rails) and sleepers from the horse-powered "Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Iron Railway" (which was in operation between 1805 and 1838) - it was originally intended to extend all the way to Reigate (the main terminus was to have been in Bell Street - right opposite the Priory), but the money ran out when they reached Merstham...the main purpose of the railway was to link up all the mines in the area with the glass furnaces along the Thames (the Reigate mines (or caves as they are called now) were an excellent source of "silver sand" perfect for this purpose)-

- there is also a "meat cooler" (which I, and I imagine a few other people, mistook for a railway "carriage")...From there on we move quite far forward in history, the mines having been used (when all the valuable sand had been extracted and the mines closed) largely for storage by local businesses - but when World War 2 arrived, the caves found new purpose as Air Raid shelters -



Quite sophisticated ones...with emergency water supply tanks -

- living spaces and kitchens -

- radio and operations rooms -

- (one of which had been converted into a display of the local geography)-


- even (much to Thomas' delight) a large toilet!


Plus the caverns had more entrances than it currently enjoys (although all but the one we came in through are now bricked up)...from here we wandered back in time again, as we got deeper and deeper under the ground, back to the days of the original miners -

- exploring the dark twisting passages spotting ancient graffiti left in the sandstone walls...

Next - we ventured into the West Caverns - this time led by a guide (but more on that later)... ;)