Reigate has a brand new tunnel, thanks to the efforts of High Peak Geotechnical Ltd., acting on instruction from the Wealden Cave and Mine Society (WCMS). WCMS opens three caves within the centre of Reigate, Surrey, for public tours, under licence from Reigate and Banstead Borough Council. One of the three caves is an abandoned…
Caving during a pandemic
This account of a caving holiday in South Wales has no exciting discoveries, no dramatic incidents, and no unusual activities. But we hope Peter Burgess’ account of a caving trip to South Wales reminds our readers of the pleasures of simple caving that we have all been missing this year. I returned to one of…
Getting some elfy exercise
Chesney the Chipmunk and Valentine the donkey go caving in Reigate. Peter Burgess was there to record the occasion! Cavers do some pretty daft things at times. Spending hours on end in cold gloopy mud, digging out blocked passages that you can barely fit through even after you have forced your way into them, or…
Ritual protection in the Chaldon Quarries – health and safety in the 16th century
For the first time, curious chalk inscriptions on the walls of an ancient stone quarry in Surrey are being systematically recorded, as part of a wider research project to better understand the long and hitherto hidden history of this important source of stone for London. Many of the chalk inscriptions have been identified as ritual protection marks (RPM).
News: Chaldon Quarries, Surrey – Radiocarbon Dating Results
In January 2018, we reported that the Wealden Cave and Mine Society had been awarded the opportunity to get free radiocarbon dating work performed on archaeological samples from the Reigate area. By the end of March, the results were available, but disappointingly, two of the three samples submitted did not contain sufficient carbon to provide…
The Brewery, the Cave and the Caving Club
The caves in Reigate, Surrey, are in reality sand-cut cellars and sand-mines. The caves that were excavated in Tunnel Road in the nineteenth century were, in part, used as a large beer cellar by the local Reigate brewer, Mellersh and Neale, until the early twentieth century. Local publicans Blackiston and Son also had a cellar…
Wealden Cave and Mine Society Wins Radiocarbon Dating Award
In the summer of 2017, I was made aware of a scheme to encourage community archaeological groups to submit material for radiocarbon dating. The scheme is known as the Community Archaeology Radiocarbon Dating (CARD) Fund, and there is a simple online application process for suggesting suitable items for dating. The Wealden Cave and Mine Society…
Cavers’ Classroom First Aid Event – 7th October 2017
The Wealden Cave and Mine Society have some spaces available for a one-day event: ‘First Aid Training for the Underground Environment’. The date is Saturday 7th October, and the venue is the Scout Hut in Woodhatch, near Reigate, Surrey. The start is 10.00 for 10.30 and it’ll probably finish about 4.00. The event is ideal…
NAMHO Annual Conference 2017 – Lecture Review
It fell to me to arrange and host the two days of lectures for the 2017 conference of the National Association of Mining History Organisations (NAMHO), while other members of the hosting group, the Wealden Cave and Mine Society, worried about pig-roasts, field trips, beer and the Saturday evening’s live band. The conference was held…
News: Generous Gift to SECRO in Memory of the late Paul Dold LRPS
Paul Dold’s death last year in a diving accident in Cornwall shocked his many friends in a way only the unexpected death of someone with such a huge appetite for life can. A Justgiving campaign set up in Paul’s memory raised over £7,000 for Horsham District Scouts, Cornwall Air Ambulance and cave rescue, with over…
Recreational Caver Training – Does it Work?
When someone new to caving starts to make enquiries about how to get involved, and what is the best way to gain some experience, one of the more common responses is to suggest joining a club. That way, the helpful respondent states, you can learn how to cave in a structured environment and with more experienced…
Bookings for NAMHO 2017 Now Live
Bookings are now open for the National Association of Mining History Organisations (NAMHO) Conference 2017, to be based around Godstone, Surrey, UK over the weekend of 23-26th June 2017. A lively and exciting weekend of underground trips, lectures and social events, hosted by the Wealden Cave & Mine Society, in their 50th anniversary year, so…
A big thumbs up for the BCA Recreational Training Grant
It had never really occurred to me that caving instruction could be so enjoyable and simple to arrange. In the summer of 2016, I attended a meeting of the Council of Southern Caving Clubs, to represent my club, the Wealden Cave and Mine Society. This is a very rare event for the club – the…
NAMHO Conference 2017 – Call for Papers
The 2017 Annual NAMHO Conference takes place over the weekend of 24th / 25th June, and will be based at Godstone in Surrey. It is to be hosted by the Wealden Cave and Mine Society. The theme will be: “Mining History Organisations – Achievements and Challenges” WCMS are very keen to provide a full set…
WCMS offers to host 2017 NAMHO Conference
UPDATE (24th Nov 2015) : NAMHO Council have accepted the offer by WCMS to host NAMHO 2017. The Wealden Cave and Mine Society (WCMS) have decided to offer to host the 2017 NAMHO conference and are hoping the offer will be accepted at the next NAMHO meeting in a few days time. WCMS has…