BS: Underground tunnels in Rochester (UK)

Subject: RE: BS: Underground tunnels in Rochester (UK)
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 29 Aug 09 - 01:11 AM

"what stretch of imagination a seafort can be called underground"

Well, they had underground tunnels connecting various bits and storage/living rooms....

Subject: RE: BS: Underground tunnels in Rochester (UK)
From: Penny S.
Date: 29 Aug 09 - 04:25 AM

Last I heard, on the Coast programme, was that the design had to take into account the shifting nature of the sandbanks - tunnels through those?

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: Underground tunnels in Rochester (UK)
From: GUEST,Alan Smith
Date: 03 Sep 09 - 05:41 PM

Hello again, all.
We have a friend who works for Medway council. He had a look at the archives and found nothing at all- there are no pipes, private or public sewers being recorded. As such, this is still a mystery.
It is not incredibly deep and I have no fear of going in there- I can't see it being unsafe.
From the inside, the walls slope upwards and inwards at the top where the square access hole rises upwards from the middle. Again, the walls are perfectly smooth and curve upwards into a domed roof.
There are no dates or any markings at all on the cast iron cover. Our friend agreed with me that the brickwork of the square entrance is relatively modern. He also said that older access holes would have had rungs or steps built into them whereas more modern ones didn't. This is due to more modern health and safety rules and that access would be gained by a tripod over the hole and a rope lowering one downwards.
It still seems that my only option is to digdownwards and keep you all updated to my findings. I appreciate the offers of help but understandably I am reluctant to invite strangers round my house to ponder over a hole in my garden! Thanks for those offers though!

Subject: RE: BS: Underground tunnels in Rochester (UK)
From: Penny S.
Date: 04 Sep 09 - 05:26 PM

Ummm.. How exactly are you getting down there?

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: Underground tunnels in Rochester (UK)
From: MrFust
Date: 04 Sep 09 - 05:59 PM

I don't have any large ladders (not without dismantling and removing my fixed loft ladder) so I was initially lowering a step ladder down into the hole and climbing down. Now I've dug it a little deeper, that's ineffective so for now I'm relying on using upper body strength. It won't be much longer before I'll have to unbolt my loft ladder and use that instead!

Subject: RE: BS: Underground tunnels in Rochester (UK)
From: Pierre Le Chapeau
Date: 31 Oct 09 - 12:06 AM

Alan.
Your hole may not be noted on a ordinary map or indeed the deeds or plans of your house but there is a chance that it is located on a Ordinace Servey Map. I doubt having worked Chislehurst Caves for by on 25yaers that it is a Dane hole in fact I rule that out altogether. O.S.M. had to place such hidden chambers if known about on there maps in order has a reference to building ,road making etc etc. Ice Wells are mainly made up of red brick with a spiral staircase down the side and they are usually deep or the ones I(have been down are over 30ft if not more.any shallower and the effectiveness of them has a Ice well would be impaired most Ice wells are deep in order to avoid down drafts from the surface also at a certain depth you can maintain a certain temperture so I rule out a Ice Well.

I would not be surprised once you get rid of the last of the earth that you may? come across another manhole. Clearly you hole has seen little activity has you say there is no names dates or Graffiti(did I spell that right I fear not. It could be a excape shalft from some underground bunker I have seen several. The debris you are clearing could be a vain attempt to hide the lower hatch once the bunker if it is a bunker was abandoned. and the top hatch is usually covered by a layer of Earth and possibly grass seeded to hide the outer iron plated hatch. On most excape shafts exspecally MOD. or army or deep in Deep bomb Magazines there were two hatches to most excape shafts and there would not be any piping or window holes or anything remotely like it . It would appear once found from the surface to look like a doomed chamber.

I fear you back garden could hide an old bomb Magazine or deep underground explosive storage depot. Is there any reference to anything like that in your area Richard Bridge is a learned Man on the area in q00stion. I nput the question to him?
Kind regards Pierre Le Chapeau.