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
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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Bit like using an ROV on underwater wrecks for those had to reach places.
