Chislehurst caves: a review

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Last weekend we decided to have an adventure. It was a wet day and after some research we settled on Chislehurst caves. It’s very reasonably priced, at £6 per adult and £4 per child. It’s open Wednesday to Sundays, except on school holidays when it’s open 7 days a week. The price includes a guided tour, which lasts 45-50 minutes. Tours are every hour on the hour, from 10-4pm.

There is also a gift shop/ exhibition and a cafe. Parking is free although can get busy at peak times. We went in early October and were surprised how busy it was.

We didn’t eat in the cafe, but it looked nice and had a decent selection. We brought a small picnic and ate outside on the picnic tables. We had a look round the shop, and it had some history of the caves available.

Then it was our turn to go on the tour. Our guide was fantastic. I can’t remember his name unfortunately, but he was a thin chap with a beard. Pete maybe? We had gas lanterns interspersed in the group which added to the feeling we were going back in time. There were about 30 of us in the group. It was cooler in the caves so you’d need some layers on.

We descended down and were greeted with these rules at the entrance. It was used as a public air raid shelter in WW2. Families would go down every night to shelter from the bombs. Chislehurst is technically Kent, but South East London.

The children were apprehensive and a little scared of the dark, so we kept them close. As I said, the guide was fantastic. He had a very impressive voice and was a good storyteller. The caves were used for mining chalk and flint from long ago, and then from shelter in WW1 and WW2. Some miners spent long stretches underground.

He told us some spooky stories, and I can imagine it’s great at Halloween. There are uneven surfaces, so it’s not suitable for those in wheelchairs or buggies. We got to see where the toilets were, and the dormitories for the public air raid shelters. Imagine living down here with your kids!

We got told there was a baby born in the dormitories too. I was fascinated by the whole thing. It was very peaceful down there. There was an artist who had sculpted an intricate carving into an alcove, which was breathtaking. I couldn’t take many pictures, because technically we weren’t allowed, just a few I snuck in.

The best thing the guide did was explain how he used to be scared of the dark and how he got over it. We all had to stand against the cave wall, and he took away all the lanterns. He left us alone in the pitch black. He had talked about the bombings, and how if you even had a small light on, you became a target. I don’t like the dark, but it was somehow calming. When he came back, myself and the children no longer felt afraid. It worked!

As we came out, he described how in later years during the 60s and 70s, there were concerts held in the caves, which would have fabulous acoustics. Many a famous name sang there like Bob Marley and The Who. There was also a spooky lake, which is said to be haunted by a beautiful woman ghost.

I was almost sad to come back to the loud, bright gift shop afterwards. I’d love to go back in a few years. When I told my parents about it, my Mum said she used to go all the time as a child growing up in London, and a friend of mine said she used to go there when it was a music venue.

Have you been here? I’d love to compare notes. We paid for our entry fee and I have written this for my own memories. I’d recommend it as a family trip, but perhaps not for really small children, although there were some younger children on our tour.

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