Chislehurst Caves
Under the suburbs of south-east London lie 35 kilometres of dark chalk tunnels. Legends say they were dug by Druids, Romans and Saxons.
What was reported
Chislehurst Caves are a vast network of tunnels cut into the chalk beneath south-east London. In the early 1900s, a local antiquarian claimed that three sections had been dug by Druids, Romans and Saxons, and the tunnels are still named after them.
During the Second World War, thousands of people sheltered from bombing raids in the caves, which had a chapel, a hospital and a cinema. Later, they became a concert venue. Guides tell of ghosts and strange sounds in the dark.
Explanations offered
Historians think the tunnels were mines for chalk and flint, worked from the Middle Ages until the 1800s, and not built by Druids or Romans. They're open for guided tours by lamplight.
- When
- Mined from the 1200s
- Where
- Chislehurst, London, England, UK
- Witnesses
- Visitors, guides and wartime shelterers
- Status
- Partly explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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