The Cockpit - Chislehurst Society

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THE COCKPIT
A Publication of the Chislehurst Society (Founded 1934)
The CockpiJ, on Chislehurst Common, has been the tradiJional meeting place for Chislehurst people
on all great occasions from time immemorial
No. 66
June 1995
A Teenager's War Memories
It was a beautiful, calm and peaceful day on Sunday
September 3rd 1939 when war was declared. I was 12
years old. Everyone was filled with apprehension when
the air raid siren on the roof of the Police Station wailed
a few minutes after Mr Chamberlain's broadcast.
Living over our baker's shop at 68 High Street we had
a good view up and down the High Street. An air raid
warden, complete with tin hat and gas mask, cycled
hurriedly up Red Hill. Towards London we could see
the rapidly ascending barrage balloons swaying and
flapping as they rose in the gentle breeze. Soon there
was not a soul to be seen and a hush descended on the
village as if it were holding its breath.
Having the bakery in the back yard, we had no room for
one of the Anderson shelters which were hastily being
erected in back gardens. In view of the international
situation, my father had arranged for a load of flour to
be stacked against the outside wall of our kitchen to act
as sandbags and to absorb the effects of bomb blast. It
was a great relief when the All Clear sounded and we
emerged like everyone else to discuss what had
provoked such an early action .
to assist in case of fire after incendiary bombs. There
was one on the village pound and another opposite the
main G.P.O. The blackout was irksome but necessary
and some ARP wardens and police were very pernickety
about breaking regulations. People could be fined for
carelessness or for persistently offending.
Some of our doctors left for active service leaving only
the older ones and refugee doctors who had arrived here
Dr
before the war to escape Nazi persecution.
O'Donnell, whilst operating on board a hospital ship
found himself treating Don Turner, one of his patients
back home.
Hornbrook House (now the site of the upper High Street
car park) was the headquarters for the local Red Cross .
They ran courses on First Aid and Home Nursing,
provided medical equipment and collected our offerings
of balaclavas, socks and knitted squares for blankets. A
modern First Aid Post was where the entrance to
Bushell Way is now situated and was manned by
volunteers working under a qualified nursing sister
covering the full 24 hours. Situated on the railway loop
line which joins the main and Victoria line, Aquila was
constructed as a hospital for the anticipated wounded
from France. It was never used for this purpose and
was later acquired by the Ministry of Defence.
Chislehurst, like everywhere else in London and the
suburbs, had been taking reluctant steps to prepare for
war. Small concrete ARP (Air Raid Precaution) posts
were set up at intervals around the area, manned by
voluntary wardens with schoolboys running messages on
bicycles.
This ARP system was controlled from
Bonchester, a house in Camden Park Road. GaS masks
were fitted, causing great amusement with the children
on hearing the loud 'raspberries' emitted when breath
was exhaled. Public air raid shelters in the form of
trenches were situated in the recreation ground and on
the common at the top of the High Street opposite
Lash's Forge and Garage (now Barclays Bank). Huge
static water tanks were distributed around Chislehurst
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Society Social Evening
Later this year, Foxbury will be re-opening after
a refurbishment programme lasting much of the
past year. Members of The Chislehurst Society
will be among the first to visit this beautiful old
house and discover the improvements for
themselves when we enjoy a buffet supper on
Friday 29 September. The evening will begin at
7.3Opm with supper served at 8pm. Further
details and tickets will soon be available from Pat
Bushell on 0181 467 2118.
So the 'phoney war' started and the village gradually
began to prepare for what was to come. The first winter
of the war was bitterly cold with lots of snow. At the
bakery we were regularly supplied with coal to keep the
furnaces hot enough to bake the bread, so we never
suffered the fuel shortage which became acute as the
years passed by. There was skating on the ponds,
particularly on the Overflow which has now nearly
disappeared . The common looked beautiful covered in
a white mantle and bathed in moonlight as we made our
way home from skating and tobogganing .
Troops were billeted in many of the large houses in
Kemnal, Lubbock, Manor Park and Camden Park
Roads. We had the Scots Guards and Grenadiers and
there was much dating with the local girls . Farringtons
School had evacuated to the country and the premises
were taken over by the War Department, together with
a large number of temporary buildings on the opposite
side of Perry Street. Kemnal Manor and Oakwood were
other such buildings where secret work was carried out.
SIDKA, now SIRA, was taken over by Southern
Railway for offices and Norland Nursery took up
residence behind the cricket ground.
After the fall of France and the miracle of Dunkirk,
Chislehurst knew that the war had begun in earnest and
with Winston Churchill in command it never entered my
head that we should not be victorious. The Battle of
Britain had begun and being in a direct line to London
from the continent we became accustomed to witnessing
the massive formations of Dorniers, Heinkels and
Junkers flying towards the capital, harried by Hurricanes
and Spitfires. The contrails wove fantastic patterns in
the sky and the sound of gunfire was very close. No
wonder Chislehurst bore a heavy burden of casualties
and bomb damage. Nothing alarmed the village more
than hearing that Biggin Hill Airfield was under attack
and had been severely damaged with a great loss of life.
The National Fire Service was housed in the garage
opposite the Police Station and regularly turned out at a
moment's notice for service in Chislehurst or elsewhere
if needed. It was such a time when the East End Docks
were targeted and fire appliances for miles around were
sent to assist on that terrible Saturday afternoon. The
sky was crimson in the direction of the river so with
others we climbed Red Hill to look across the city. The
sight was appalling; it seemed to me as if the whole of
London was ablaze. Great palls of smoke rose through
the flames and when I thought of the human suffering
the tears rolled down my cheeks. On returning to
Chislehurst the firemen spoke of wading knee deep in
butter oil in the warehouses and docksides.
All the iron railings were taken for the war effort,
including the magnificent gates at Camden Place. They
were made for Napoleon III and exhibited at the Paris
Exposition of 1867 and installed when the Emperor was
exiled here after the Franco-Prussian War. There was
a salvage shop set up on Burlington Parade and
volunteers would sort out all manner of rags, saucepans,
bones and paper which were dumped on the doorstep.
Everything possible was recycled including shrapnel,
which descended in showers of deadly rain during air
raids. Food refuse was collected from 'pig bins' which
were placed around the area. All the local dogs knew
their location and it was a common sight to see their
heads buried deep amongst the potato peelings. Canon
Greaves's bull terrier "Gripper" lived up to his name
and 'fixed' any dog intruding on his territory .
Fortunately, a well aimed bucket of water usually settled
the argument.
Bombs were dropped in a haphazard fashion all over
Chislehurst. They were relatively small in view of what
was to come later. It was wonderful when the news
filtered through that my school in Beaverwood Road had
been badly damaged with incendiary bombs. Thankfully
no one was hurt but a fair number of the classrooms
were gutted. After an extended holiday we gradually
returned there part-time until the repairs were
completed. We carried our gas masks everywhere and
kept a rug and a tube of Horlicks tablets in case we had
a prolonged stay in the trenches. The shelters were of
concrete, cold and damp, but we anticipated no danger
when we were all together. It was not unknown for
exams to be taken in these subterranean tunnels and it
was the custom for the lessons to be continued as near
normal as possible in these unusual circumstances. The
raids intensified and classes were reformed as numbers
of the children were evacuated to the country until the
raids subsided. Some children never returned.
Sometimes Perry Street would be closed, either with
bomb damage or perhaps an unexploded bomb. Under
these circumstances we had a designated meeting place
with one of the teachers who escorted us in groups
across the fields at the bottom of Belmont Lane, through
Foxbury estate, to enter the school from the playing
fields at the rear .
As the days grew shorter the Blitz developed in earnest
and everyone who could would be secure in their
shelters with blankets, torch and thermos before
nightfall. Burlington Parade was a large block building
and I was convinced that the Germans would assume it
was an army barracks and attack it accordingly. My
apprehension was increased as I lay huddled up in the
cellar, knowing that a half-sized billiard table was just
above me ready to crash down and there was coal on
one side of the cellar and flour the other! Bombs fell
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regularly, some singly and others in sticks of six or
eight. Everyone who could took regular turns fire
watching in their own area. One night a stick of bombs
descended on the High Street. The Fox & Hounds was
destroyed (one of the oldest buildings in the High Street)
and so was Deans (grocers, now the Victoria Wine Co).
Another caught the Annunciation School, one made a
crater in the middle of the road, the cottage disappeared
where the Surgery is now and the south porch of the
church was damaged. In no time the stables at the rear
of the Fox and Hounds were opened up as the pub - it
was very humble and rustic. Deans opened their china
shop (now the Pet Shop) as the grocer's shop and were
soon dispensing Spam and dried egg.
Some of the large houses were commandeered as Rest
Centres where bombed-out people could stay until more
suitable accommodation could be found or their own
houses patched up . Many of our lovely old buildings
were destroyed or severely damaged. Old Crown
Cottage, which was originally an ancient inn, and
Bishops Well, in Watts Lane, were lost. St Meddens
burned down and Mulbarton Court in Kemnal Road was
levelled. The old Working Mens Club owned by Mr
Easdon and stacked with stored furniture was destroyed.
Luson House in Willow Grove was obliterated by a
flying bomb with serious loss of life and countless
smaller homes suffered a similar fate.
My grandmother's Tudor cottage opposite the Bull's
Head sustained a direct hit, the bomb landing in an
enormous lead water tank. The volume of water
absorbed much of the blast but everywhere was saturated
and there was hardly a whole piece of china left in the
house. Later in the war when a rocket fell in Bull Lane
the old house sustained more damage. Nevertheless the
old timber-framed house stood firm and is still doing so.
Not daunted by this experience my grandmother, who
by then was well into her seventies, applied for an
allocation of rations and opened her dining room for the
War Department people at Farringtons. This proved a
huge success and her lounge and the room behind the
shop were annexed for the diners. For people living
alone it was difficult to eke out the weekly rations and
a British Restaurant was erected alongside the Library .
Food was basic 'and the whole venture operated on
canteen lines.
After Dunkirk the fear of invasion was very great and
all the signposts and milestones were removed. I often
thought it was unrealistic to suppose the Germans had no
maps but I suppose it was an elementary precaution.
Even the names of the railway stations were painted
over and on moonless nights it was easy to alight at the
wrong one. Even if one counted the number of stations
the system was thrown out if the train made an extra
stop at a red signal. Unfortunately the milestones were
never returned after the war and we have lost that link
with the past (White Horse Hill summit 10 miles to
London Bridge, Royal Parade opposite the Bull's Head
II miles to London Bridge).
Periodically money was raised for the war effort by
various means . All sorts of methods were employed to
encourage the public to buy National Savings
Certificates or to donate money. One favourite method
was to collect a mile of pennies which covered the mile
I have just mentioned .
The local cinema (now St Patrick's R.C. Church) was
well patronised by we young folk, especially the 6d or
9d seats. The films were old and the projector often
broke down causing the children in the front rows to
stamp their feet on the bare floor boards . The pubs did
a roaring trade selling anything they could obtain.
Dances were. held regularly at the Bull's Head and at
Christmas and New Year it was a riot.
Our own land mines which were captured by the
Germans at Dunkirk were dropped on us, descending
slowly on attached parachutes. It was one of these
which landed in the middle of the recreation ground
creating an enormous crater. Damage was extensive in
the adjacent area and windows were blown out,
including our own shop windows . This was repeated
twice more before the end of the war. On one such
occasion the glass splintered over trays of precious cakes
and buns, all of which had to be destroyed . Our
vulnerability became apparent when the enemy dropped
magnesium flares which floated in the air as giant
chandeliers and lit up the whole place as if it were day .
The bakers worked all through the nights to produce
bread for the public. Through the severity and tension
of the raids they never took shelter. Perhaps it was
easier to have something which had to be done than sit
in a shelter or under the stairs to listen and wait for the
drone of the planes approaching and the relief as the
noise receded. Sometimes a policeman on night duty
would call at the bakery to ensure everything was in
order. He would be offered a cup of tea from a 7 lb
stone jam jar which was continually left brewing by the
ovens, and probably would be given a hot loaf to take
home.
Everyone was encouraged to dig for victory . The
nutritional value of carrots and potatoes was greatly
extolled by the Ministry of Food and home-grown fruit
and vegetables were a vital addition to the nation's food
supply. Having no garden ourselves, we had an
allotment where Red Hill School is now. Allotment
gardens appeared all over Chislehurst and surplus
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produce was freely shared.
With the advent of serious air raids, thousands of people
flocked to the Chislehurst Caves for security. Some
were bombed out and had no proper homes, others just
wanted to get out of London for the relative safety of
the suburbs. As dusk approached these grey figures
with their children and old people, carrying what they
could, would arrive at the station, disgorge from the
crowded trains and stream towards the caves. Here in
the early stages conditions were primitive. Sanitation
was basic and there was no electricity . I can remember
the eerie sight of candles propped on every conceivable
ledge in the rock . There were hundreds of them,
magnifying the shadows into grotesque shapes. Later,
living conditions were improved.
Electricity was
installed, regular church services were held and a
canteen provided food . The Caves became a haven for
the homeless and frightened.
With the arrival of the Flying Bombs the barrage
balloons were moved to the North Downs, as the area
was less populated than the suburbs and the loss of life
was not so great when the V Is were shot down by
fighters or gunfire. Despite these precautions many got
through our defences and 45 landed in Chislehurst, with
devastating results .
As D Day approached the troops who had been billeted
all over Chislehurst disappeared and the houses were
deserted.
A large number of army lorries and
equipment, permanent! y stationed under the trees in St
Pauls Cray Road and in Holbrook House, vanished.
Convoys of troops and gear moved endlessly around the
south-east thundering through the village. It has since
become apparent that these manoeuvres were part of the
deception operation, code named Fortitude, to bluff the
enemy into thinking the coming invasion would be by
way of the Pas de Calais area.
The war progressed and I became old enough to join the
W.R.N.S. at 17'/'. So I left school at Chislehurst
during the period of the V2 attacks but returned in time
to take part in the official peace celebrations in 1945.
The people were becoming war weary and tired after the
long years of heartache and deprivation and the V2s ,
against which we had no defence, were hard to bear.
One rocket fell on the Crooked Billet at Bicldey (now a
Harvester Restaurant) and caused great damage and loss
of life. I remember at night seeing the great arc lamps
playing on the wreckage in an effort to detect any
human life.
The people of the village grew closer together during the
war years; there was less social distinction as everyone
faced the common danger. Trades-people lived above
their shops, even Inspector Frazer with his wife and two
daughters lived at the Police Station where the cells were
still in use. We were concerned with basics - to have
enough to eat and a roof over our heads. Of course
there were the grousers and grumblers and those who
tried to undermine our national morale like Lord Haw
Haw . Despite all this, the local people were working in
their various ways towards victory. Everywhere was
shabby, propped up, unglazed and unpainted and when
VE Day arrived the relief mingled with sadness was
inevitable. Little did we realize at the time that
restrictions of all kinds would continue for a further
seven years. As an adolescent and teenager the war
made an indelible image on my memory and I am
thankful and proud to have lived through such an
historic era.
Rosemary Chapman
Editor's Note: Thinking it would be good to have a
photograph to illustrate this article, I asked Rosemary
Chapman if she had anything suitable. She explained
that she did not, as film was not generally available
during the war. When we think of war time shortages,
we tend to think offood and fabric but many things that
we now take for granted were unavailable during the
war.
Midsummer Day in Petts Wood
The PeltS Wood and Hawkwood Committee warmly
invites members of the Chislehurst Society to join in
their celebration of the National Trust Centenary which
takes place in Petts Wood itself and in the Towncourt
Room of Petts Wood Memorial Hall on Saturday, 24th
June.
In addition to the Trust's Centenary, 1995 marks the
seventieth anniversary of the Summer Time Act. So this
celebration will also honour William Willett, the
originator of Daylight Saving, in whose memory part of
Petts Wood was bought by local subscription and handed
to the National Trust for safe-keeping.
Please come and join in one of the guided walks through
the Wood to visit the Willett Memorial Sundial - which
tells the correct time during "Summer Time" only.
Children who visit the Sundial will receive a Centenary
badge.
The walks, lasting about an hour, will start from the
tunnel under the railway between numbers 6 and 8
Hazelmere Road hourly from 1O.30am, with the last
departure at 3.3Opm. Waymarks will be available for
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walkers who prefer shorter or independent visits.
In the Towncourt Room, from lOam to 4pm, there will
be an exhibition about William Willett, the acquisition
of Petts Wood and Hawkwood and events on the
property over the past 70 years . VisitOrs will be able to
view the video A Year in Petts Wood, which is being
filmed specially for the occasion. Photographs of the
property and National Trust goods will be on sale and
coffee and tea will be available.
The Petts Wood and Hawkwood Committee looks
forward to seeing you on Midsummer Day in Petts
Wood.
National Trust Centenary Lecture
Readers may also be interested in the National Trust's
Centenary Lecture by Ron Rowland at 8pm at Crofton
Hall, Crofton Road, Orpington on 27th July . The title
is "The State of The Trust in its Centenary Year" .
Heritage Weekend 1995
As in 1994, there will be a programme of Heritage
Open Days across Britain - this time on the weekend of
16th and 17th September. This year a limited range of
events will be arranged in Chislehurst. Both the Church
of the Annunciation and the Methodist Church will be
celebrating their 125th anniversaries that weekend while
Farrington's School will celebrate their Chapel's sixtieth
anniversary.
Members will recall that in 1993 The Chislehurst
Society played a major part in a pilot scheme for
Heritage Open Days. This was very successful. The
main events this year are the anniversaries mentioned
above but in addition two guided 'heritage walks' are
planned for the same weekend. Further details will be
available nearer the time.
A boolclet describing 'heritage walks' in Chislehurst will
be published soon by the Society to help local people
and visitors explore and appreciate our local heritage.
Claverly Cottage
- a Gift to The Society
supporter of the Society and our aims for many years,
but was worried by what she considered to be the overdevelopment of many parts of Chislehurst.
After
discussion with a friend, Tony (A .R.) Turner who was
also her road steward and a long time resident of
Lubbock Road, Mrs Corderoy decided that as she could
no longer manage the cottage and was moving to
sheltered accommodation, she would donate it to the
Society with the express wish that the site be saved from
further development.
Unfortunately the cottage is in a somewhat poor state of
repair but when it is put into good order it will be
capable of providing the Society with a rent income. It
is not of a size suitable to meet the Society's need for a
headquarters.
Readers may be interested to learn a little about
Margaret Corderoy. She is the daughter of Lady
Dunlop and came to live at Claverly Cottage in 1972
following the death of her mother who had lived there
for many years .
The location and peaceful surroundings of Claverly
Cottage were ideally suited to Margaret's quiet
temperament. She is a reserved and unassuming person
with a kindly disposition, always ready, where possible,
to help anyone in need. Her interest in her garden,
ideally set among trees, ensured her full support for the
Conservation Area and for the aims and work of The
Chislehurst Society. Her appreciation of this work in
her immediate area led her to give Claverly Cottage to
the Society with the understanding that the cottage and
its garden would be preserved.
Margaret Corderoy also has a life-long interest in the
reading and study of philosophical teachings, which she
greatly enjoys discussing and from which she often
quotes. No doubt she continues to follow this interest
from her Manor House retirement home where she can
enjoy the surroundings of leafy Hampshire. We thank
our benefactress and wish her well for the future .
Readers may recall a Cockpit article entitled "Give now
- pay later", urging members to make bequests to the
Society in a tax-free way . Margaret Corderoy decided
to act in her lifetime - an option not open to everyone but her magnificent gesture is an inspiring example to us
all.
By now, members will be aware that the Society has
received the generous gift of Claverly Cottage, a
property in Lubbock Road. Some background to this
gift will no doubt be of interest.
Church Row, Chislehurst
Mrs Margaret Corderoy, the donor, has been a
Passersby often stop to look at the houses in Church
Charles Dunn and Tony (AR) Turner
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Row, because many of them are old and those at the
southern end, nearest to the church, are listed.
before and after 1878 through the Census Returns,
which were compiled every 10 years.
Recently members of the Local Studies Group have seen
interesting legal documents referring to the origin of
these houses. More recently one of our members,
Rosemary Chapman, received from a former Chislehurst
resident, who was a G.I. bride and is now living in the
USA, details of the auction of eleven of these houses in
April 1878. Some of the local histories incorrectly
describe these houses as Georgian; they are Georgian in
style, but not in age.
Those who saw the excellent project on Willow Grove
by Rebecca Kinahan, a junior school pupil, which won
the Joy Jones Award in the 1994 Alun & Joy Jones
Environmental Studies Competition, could learn how
interesting information can be obtained from early
directories, Council Minutes and maps, of the history of
a road or street.
Victorian directories and early Ordnance Survey maps,
such as the one of 1861 had previously alerted me to the
fact that originally the houses were numbered from St.
Nicholas's Church and not from Royal Parade. For
many years No . 19, for example, was No . 1 and No. 16
was originally two houses Nos . 4 & 5.
The dates of the original leases varied. The houses,
now numbered 12 to 15, did not have bays originally;
the first date of the leases appears to be 1842 . The
taller houses at the southern end appear to have leases
dating from about 1862. These houses are therefore not
Georgian in date, but Victorian. Their proportions
however are Georgian. Only by looking carefully at the
architecture can you see that there have been more
recent alterations . In some cases the porch overhang
was originally an inverted V, but No. 18, for example,
now has a semi-circular one. The brickwork above the
front door of No . 17 shows the lines of the high-gabled
Victorian canopy.
Alice Se,mett
Excavations at Scadbury Moated Manor,
Chislehurst 1995
On Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th September the
archaeological excavations at the medieval moated
manor site at Scadbury will be open to the public.
Members of the Orpington and District Archaeological
Society (ODAS) will give guided tours, showing the
work that is currently being done on the site as well as
the remains of the foundations of the buildings
associated with the Walsingham family . Unlike many
similar moated sites the island is still completely
surrounded by water.
Guided tours will be given at 15 minute intervals
throughout both afternoons, the first at 2pm and the last
at 4.3Opm.
There will also be a· slide show,
refreshments and bookstall.
The auction details of 1874 name the residents and the
rents they paid. The houses were originally all leased.
"Purbright", the double-fronted house, now No . 19, was
leased at £90 per year. This included a three-stall stable
and coach-house with loft and a man's three-roomed
cottage in the south-east corner of the garden. These
outbuildings are no longer in existence. No. 2 Church
Row, now No . 18, was leased at a 'moderate' rent of
£46 per year. In today's prices these rents seem
exceedingly low. One has to remember however that at
that time a working man might have to keep a whole
family for a year with that amount of money. In the
descriptions of these houses mention is made of WCs
and in some cases dressing-rooms, but no mention is
made of bathrooms.
It is always interesting to know who lived in these
houses. In 1874 Canon Murray, who was Rector of St.
Nicholas' Church, leased the former Nos. 2 and 3. His
father-in-law John Lavicourt Anderdon lived at what was
then No. 2 Church Row. Further research is needed in
Bromley Local Studies Library to trace the residents
Admission is free. Limited car parking is available
close to the site, by ticket only, for which application
should be made (enclose s.a.e. and stating for which day
required to:
Mr M Meekums, 27 Eynsford Close, Petts Wood, BRS
lOP.
A Forum on Chislehurst Caves
The Methodist Church Hall was filled on Tuesday 21st
February for a joint forum of The Chislehurst Society
and the BromJey Borough Local History Society, on the
subject of Chislehurst Caves.
Background to the meeting
The Caves are a popular tourist attraction, but visitors
get a rather one-sided view, with stories of Druids and
Romans on the one hand, or of shelterers in the Second
World War on the other and scarcely anything at all
about the true nature of the Caves - that they are no
more than an extensive series of chalk mines. Their
potential as a subject for Industrial Archaeology is thus
ignored. Information about them is rather scattered, so
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an attempt to co-ordinate this information has been
commenced by Eric Inman of the BromJey Local History
Society. Many people have memories of the Caves as
war-time shelters, and possess relics of those days, and
these memories and relics are worth recording . With all
these factors in mind, the meeting was arranged as a
starting point for further action.
that the archaeology of mining was almost unknown
ground, "and as throwing light upon the history and
development of mining, the Chislehurst Caves are of
first-rate importance". In addition to these papers, there
was Webb's History of Chislehurst, and J W Marriott's
Shon History of Chislehurst, the fourth chapter of which
summed up all the then current arguments about the
Caves . Apart from a few other references, there was
nothing more on the subject until the Chelsea
Spelaeological Society conducted their surveys of the
Caves and the smaller chalk mine at the bottom end of
Lubbock Road in the 1970s and published reports, with
maps, in their Journal. The excellent summary by John
Cooper already mentioned and the results of the trawl
through Chislehurst and Sidcup UDC Minutes for
references to the use of the Caves as shelters, made by
Eric Inman, brought the material up-to-date.
In
addition, there was a plan of the Caves at Chislehurst
Library, dated 1941, which showed their relationship to
the roads above.
Four speakers with different points of view were invited
to make brief presentations, following which the meeting
was opened for questions and discussion . The speakers
were Chris Manning-Perry, manager of the Caves; Roy
Hopper, librarian at Chislehurst and custodian of much
readily available material; Austin Lockwood, chairman
of the Ravensbourne Geological Society; and Eric
Inman, chairman of the BromJey Local History Society,
who also chaired the meeting. For the following notes
of the proceedings we are indebted to John Cooper of
the Department of Palaeontology, Natural History
Museum, whose active interest in the Caves has proved
extremely stimulating; he led a field visit by the
Geological Association to the Caves in January, and his
thorough and concise account of Caves history prepared
for that visit, together with a bibliography, forms a
valuable addition to the literature of the subject.
Thus there is a considerable amount of material available
locally, which has now been brought together in one
folder for ease of reference; but there is a need for
much more original research.
Business Problems
Geology
Chris Manning-Perry spoke of the recent past, in which
the Caves reception area had changed from a First
World War wooden hut to the present purpose-built
accommodation. The main problem was that this had
not increased the numbers of visitors, which remained
at the same steady predictable level. He said there was
a need for more publicity, advertising and promotion to
broaden the appeal of the Caves, and for proper business
plans to be produced. It is important to know just who
the visitors are, and how they should be entertained.
Mr Manning-Perry said he would be grateful for any
suggestions from the audience. Readers with their own
comments should contact the new manager at the Caves.
Austin Lockwood gave a concise account of the
deposition of the chalk, which was formed largely from
the shells of microscopic coccoliths. He referred to
records at the BromJey Local Studies Library, which
gave dates of visits to Chislehurst Caves, and the
smaller Camden Park chalk mine in Lubbock Road, in
1872 and 1897. These dates agreed with inscriptions cut
in the chalk walls of the Caves. He thanked Chris
Manning-Perry for allowing Ravensbourne Geological
Society (RGS) to begin serious study of the Caves, one
purpose of which was to establish exactly where they lay
in the upper chalk. This could be done by identifying
typical fossils of particular zones in the chalk and he
called upon John Cooper to say something about these.
Existing records
Roy Hopper spoke of the wealth of material available at
Chislehurst and the Central (BromJey) Libraries. Most
of this dated from the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.
An important part of this was contained in three learned
papers, dating from 1903-4, two by W J Nichols and
one by T E and R H Forster. Mr Nichols was the
originator of the Druid stories; he failed to see the
evidence around him for the Caves being chalk mines.
This theme was taken up by the Forsters, who were
mining engineers and instantly recognised the true nature
of the Caves. Their paper concluded with the remark
Mr Cooper spoke of bivalve shellfish, echinoids and
sponges, all small fossils; large ones were not common,
although there was one 24 inch diameter ammonite
visible. Establishing precisely what fossils were there
would enable geologists to place the Caves accurately in
the chalk strata. Fossils like these were represented in
the Natural History Museum collections, but were
labelled as from "BromJey". As the only significant
chalk exposed in the BromJey area was at Chislehurst,
it might be rossible to identify these as Chislehurst
fossils, using the same method.
What has been
described as the fossil of an ichthyosaur is nothing more
than curiously shaped flints. He intended to assist the
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RGA in their investigation. He also thanked the Caves
manager for this special access, and thought that a
published account of any findings would enhance the
appeal of the Caves for geologists, teachers and pupils.
Chris Manning-Perry said that if visitors required a
more serious tour it could be provided, though more
information might be needed to do so. A video tour of
the Caves is being prepared and might provide some
income.
Air raid shelters
In conclusion, Eric Inman suggested two ideas: that a
"Friends of Chislehurst Caves" group might be formed
and that a serious tour of the Caves should be organised.
He invited interested parties to leave their names and
addresses.
Eric Inman spoke of plans he had seen, of war-time
ventilation and drainage systems in the Caves, and of the
harsh and malodorous facts of life for the shelterers. In
this 50th Anniversary year of the end of the War there
is to be a reunion of the original shelterers, which would
provide an opportunity to record reminiscences and
make copies of any memorabilia from the period. He
also remarked upon the many carvings and inscriptions
on the walls of the Caves; an attempt should be made to
record these, for many might be of historical interest,
and some could help to date the earlier and otherwise
unrecorded history of the Caves.
Postscript and Conclusions
The result of this appeal was encouraging; 14 potential
"Friends" and 39 would-be visitors . One notable name
in this connection is that of Rod Le Gear, of the Kent
Underground Research Group, and author of several
publications on caves and mines. His excellent Bexley
Dene Holes, 1992, sheds a great light upon chalk mines .
Question-time and discussions
Most questions focused upon current business problems.
Chris Manning-Perry said that between 60 and 70
thousand people per year visited the Caves, which
provided adequate income when the old huts were still
in use. The new building had cost a great deal, and was
more expensive to run, with a larger Council Tax bill,
and a loan to payoff. Unless the numbers of visitors
could be increased, financial problems could become
insuperable, and this might result in closure of the
Caves . Therefore ideas for widening the appeal of the
Caves were welcome. As far as he and his staff were
concerned, they were in the leisure industry and were
out to give the public what it wanted, regardless of how
inaccurate the guides' stories seemed to be.
A suggestion was made that management-consultancy
students from local colleges might like to make
assessments of the Caves' present and potential value, at
1ittle or no cost.
As an illustration of what the Caves could still yield for
the historian and archaeologist, Roy Hopper produced a
flint core and flake, a relic of the gun-flint industry that
had thrived in the Caves during the Napoleonic era.
This had been provided by Seymour de Lotbiniere, an
expert on the subject, who had found several examples
in the Caves many years ago .
Eric Inman confirms the date for the proposed
SheIterers Reunion as Saturday 15th July. Anyone
who sheltered in the Caves during the War is invited to
contact Eric: 28 Downs Hill, Beckenham, Kent BR3
2HB, telephone 0181 650 8342. (Similarly, if anyone
is interested in the idea of "Friends", they should
contact him; this is no more than an idea at this stage).
Full details of the Reunion will be posted in Chislehurst
Library or may be obtained by telephoning Eric Inman.
John Cooper has put forward a suggestion that what has
been done at Amberley Chalk Pits, by way of replicating
a lime kiln, winding gear, barrows, trucks and tools and
other equipment known to have existed at the Caves,
might also be done here in Chislehurst to reinforce the
industrial archaeological aspect.
The potential for widening the interest in the Caves, to
accommodate all kinds of visitors, be they holiday
makers, students of geology, industrial archaeologists,
mining enthusiasts and so-on, is considerable. Little
serious attempt has been made until now to establish
their history as chalk mines. If anyone reading this
article has any sort of interest in the Caves , they are
invited to contact Roy Hopper at Chislehurst Library, by
post, or by telephone, 0181 467 1318. ROY will be
pleased to make available for inspection any of the
documents in his care, and provide an up-to-date
bibliography as compiled by John Cooper.
Ray Hopper
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