# Champagne/Oil Caves- Dover - Dec 11



## tank2020 (Dec 29, 2011)

Me and t2020 Jr went to have a poke around in Dover, we went equipped with a 15ft ladder. Arrived at the site of the caves, no room in the inn (car park), had to park over the other side of the duel carriageway roundabout. Not easy being inconspicuous when crossing a roundabout with a large aluminium ladder.

Squeezed the ladder between to cars and shimmied up the thing without a thought. Once in the caves, I was overwhelmed by the height of some of the chambers if not a little disappointed about the amount of tunnels.

Getting out was scary, I hate ladders, especially getting back on them from height. It took me 20mins to stand on the wall edge and swing round on the ladder, it didn't help that my so called loving son was laughing at me and singing Humpty Dumpty, while I sat on the wall contemplating me falling to my death or crushing a car. 

Worth the visit, but a lot of effort.

This set of tunnels is located just West of the tunnels known as the Oil Mills, in the Limekiln Street area of Dover. It is likely that the tunnels were originally the result of chalk being mined for lime burning in the nearby kilns during the 19th Century. The five roughly parallel tunnels are cut directly into the chalk cliff face with adjoining passages between, and have very high ceilings and evidence of originally having a second floor. The caves were used as a Bonded Store to house goods awaiting payment of customs tax and later as an air raid shelter and temporary fire station during WW2. These tunnels have been known by a number of names over the years, including 'Finnis Hill Caves', 'Champagne Caves' and simply 'Oil Mill Cave'. The area in front of the caves (part of the Pier District) has been greatly modified with the expansion of the harbour, Finnis Hill and Limekiln Street having been demolished. The caves were used by Hammonds to store fruit, until the building of the new road in the 1990s, which left the main entrance below ground level. The only access remains from a second floor doorway.

Taken from - http://www.subterraneanhistory.co.uk/2006/11/oil-mill-cave-west-dover.html


















































































Cheers t2020


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## PaulPowers (Dec 29, 2011)

Cracking report, you got some really good pics and the history is top quality


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## Priority 7 (Dec 29, 2011)

Love the shots mate its been on my todo list since Nelly, UrbanX, SK & Co did it a little while back


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## urban phantom (Dec 29, 2011)

Great peport looks good fun thanks for sharing


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## UrbanX (Dec 29, 2011)

Cracking write up! Access to this one is a little different to say the least! 
Nicely lit shots too, the caverns are so... Err cavernous, they can be a bugger to light, but you've done a sterling job!


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## muppet (Dec 29, 2011)

great report and cracking pics . thanks for post


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## alex76 (Dec 29, 2011)

Very nice shots mate


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## flyboys90 (Dec 29, 2011)

Awesome shots.


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## Landsker (Dec 29, 2011)

Very impressive!


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## TeeJF (Dec 30, 2011)

Awesome place and great pix! We have a collapsable 3.5 metre ladder, would that be long enough?


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## nelly (Dec 30, 2011)

tank2020 said:


> Not easy being inconspicuous when crossing a roundabout with a large aluminium ladder.



Mate, you don't need the ladder!!! The fact that you're 8'6" gets people looking!!! 

Cracking piccies as always


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## tank2020 (Dec 30, 2011)

TeeJF said:


> Awesome place and great pix! We have a collapsable 3.5 metre ladder, would that be long enough?


More than enough. thats my ladder in the 3rd pic, how i didn't take out someone's window I do not know


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## Ramsgatonian (Jan 2, 2012)

There used to be a ladder inside, going down that sheer drop to the floor. 

I haven't the slightest idea what happened to it!


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## tank2020 (Jan 2, 2012)

Flyboy said:


> There used to be a ladder inside, going down that sheer drop to the floor.
> 
> I haven't the slightest idea what happened to it!



Still there, though other entrance, didn't find it until we was in there though


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## night crawler (Jan 3, 2012)

Awsome report, what a palce to explore.


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## Foxylady (Jan 6, 2012)

tank2020 said:


> Getting out was scary, I hate ladders, especially getting back on them from height.


Ooh, I sympathise. Can't do ladders at all. I once had the chance to see a pristine ROC post and couldn't do it. Even the uber-agile Smileysal part-scrambled up and decided against it. Scary things. 
Great report, Tank. Looks like a superb place to visit. Nice one.


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## Munchh (Jan 7, 2012)

Like this a lot tank, great underground pics thanks. 

I would have thought that you've almost got to the stage now where you can send the mini-tanks in and save yourself the trouble.  Bit like using an ROV on underwater wrecks for those had to reach places.


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## tank2020 (Jan 7, 2012)

Munchh said:


> Like this a lot tank, great underground pics thanks.
> 
> I would have thought that you've almost got to the stage now where you can send the mini-tanks in and save yourself the trouble.  Bit like using an ROV on underwater wrecks for those had to reach places.



My boy is desperate to go in the places that I don't fit in, but if can't get in he don't. Just incase theres a big hole or something.


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