Chislehurst Caves, Kent

Chislehurst Caves are located near Bromley, in Kent, although come under the Greater London area now.

The caves  are a labyrinth of man made tunnels covering over six hectares, 30 m below the woodlands above. They were dug for chalk used in lime burning and brick-making for the building of London, also for flints to fire the tinderboxes and flintlock guns of years ago.

The caves were dug out from the mid 13th to early 19th century. Although the info available isn't really clear. The mines were mentioned in Saxon times, possibly in the 9th century.

The caves were opened as a showplace at the start of the 20th century. They were also used for  munitions storage for the Woolwich Arsenal in the 1914-18 war, then mushroom growing in the 1920s & 30s. During the Second World War they served as one of the largest deep air-raid shelters in the country, protecting over 15,000 people at the height of the blitz.

They were later used for entertainment. In the 1960s & 70s there were dances and concerts. Pop rock and folk groups all played here.

I went on a tour and was lucky as there were only 3 people in the group, so it was a nice personalised tour. 

Whilst waiting I had a look at all the exhibits. There is also a cafe

I didn't take many photos underground. A map of the caves

The church used in war time

Some of the many carvings, probably done during the war -

There was no electric throughout much of the cave, we used hurricane lamps. Typical passages

Model of a flint knapper

Official website of Chislehurst Caves. See more on Wikipedia

Sao Vicente lava cave & volcanism centre, Madeira

Madeira is an island off the west coast of Africa, west of Morocco. It is an Autonomous Region of Portugal. The island was formed by underwater volcanoes. Today the whole island is hilly and mountainous, there is hardly a patch of flat land!

The first phase of volcanic activity began about 18 million years ago was completed with the transition from the Miocene to Pliocene periods of the geologic timescale approximately 3 million years ago. The last volcanic activity occurred about 550,000 years ago.

The São Vicente Caves were formed during this last phase of volcanic activity, about 890,000 years ago. The caves were the result of an outbreak of lava that cooled and solidified on the surface creating a tubular cavity while lava continued to flow in high temperatures and speeds through these newly created underground “pipes” until the volcano no longer had lava to flow. The molten lava reached a temperature of 1200º C.

The São Vicente Caves and Volcanism Centre is now a major tourist attraction. Located in the north of the island, about midway between the east and west, in the Sao Vicente municipality.

There are 8 tubes, totally more than 1 km in length, with a maximum height of 5 - 6 m. It is the largest set of lava tubes known on Madeira. The caves were discovered in 1885 and were studied by an English naturalist, James Yate Johnson. They were opened to the public in 1996.

There are 4 parallel lava tubes and the show cave winds through all 4, with some man made connections in places. The tourist paths cover 700 m, with a height range of 19 m.

I visited as part of a tour of the North of the island and the cave ticket cost €6. The cave complex is quite well "hidden" as the buildings are made from volcanic rock and blend in and are hardly noticeable. The 2 buildings in the foreground of this photo are in the garden, not really part of the cave -

Had to wait for the tour and it was a really large group, but the guide had a good microphone, and gave the commentary in Portuguese and then English. The entrance leads into the main tube. The cave is well lit, although there is a fair amount of lampenflora, such as ferns and other small plants. The tubes are quite wet as there are several drips from the roof and the path is quite wet. 

There is gentle music at the junction of different tubes. 

View of the roof

There are streams and at the top of one tube, the water has been 'dammed' with transparent sheeting which is quite effective. The water temperature is 12 and 13º C . The air temperature is 16 to 17º C .

On the way out is an imprisoned block, which looks like a baby elephant. It was carried in by the lava but then got stuck.

The exit is via a different tube to the entrance. You then go to the volcanism centre. The first room has displays about geology and volcanoes, and there is a simulation of the eruption of a volcano. There is also a lot on myths associated with volcanoes around the world. Different volcanic eruptions are mentioned, such as the Capelinhos Volcano on Faial Island, the 27 of September of 1957, which I saw in March 2019. 

You then move through a Time Tunnel to the theatre and watch a film on the origin of the Madeira archipelago. You then walk to the earth's core, and go to the centre of the earth in a simulated elevator. Finally there is a 3D film. You then exit into a garden of endemic plants. 

See more on Sao Vicente caves.

Cave collapse on Malta

In 2015 I blogged about the limestone and caves on Malta. I had visited the south coast, and seen the Blue Grotto at Wied Iz Zurrieq

On Easter Saturday 20 April 2019, the Times of Malta reported "Cave collapses on Qrendi coastline, forming short-lived natural arch. Għar Ħanex vanishes over two distinct phases"

A cave along Malta’s southern coast collapsed over Friday and Saturday, creating a short-lived limestone arch which only held up for hours before also giving way.

Għar Ħanex, which lay on a stretch of coastline on the outskirts of Qrendi between Għar Lapsi and Wied iż-Żurrieq, is believed to have initially collapsed on Good Friday.

That first collapse turned what used to be a cave into a new arch, prompting tentative comparisons with the now-defunct Azure Window, which caved in just over two years ago.

Within hours, the newly-formed arch also caved in, leaving a gaping hole where Għar Ħanex used to be.

The cave had already weathered some damage during last February's vicious storm. Fierce gales took their toll. 

The site is designated as a Special Area of Conservation, benefits from Natura 2000 protection. 

Natura 2000 is an EU-wide network of nature conservation areas which enjoy specific protection under the EU's Birds and Habitat Directives.

The onetime cave formed part of a series of coastal formations in the area which are known as Nuffied. These include a small cove known as il-Maqluba tal-baħar, the Ras il-Miġnuna natural arch, Ħalq it-Tafal and in-Nuffied iż-Żgħir.

See the Times of Malta for photos.

Harrison's Cave on stamps

Having just visited Harrison's Cave in Barbados, in the Caribbean, I found there are a few stamps depicting the cave.

The first was issued in 1977 ,  Natural Beauty of Barbados series, $1

Next was a series just on Harrison's Cave, 1981 , a set of 4, SG 689-692 -

Then a 90 c in the 2000 series  "Pride of Barbados" , SG 1159 :

And in 2014,  a 65 c Harrison's Cave,  in the series  The Seven Wonders of Barbados, SG 1404/10

Harrison's Cave, Barbados

Barbados in the Caribbean is one of the Windward Islands. Unlike other Windward islands, only Barbados and Martinique have caves.

Barbados is not volcanic, it is composed of coral limestone, which is relatively young.

Harrison's Cave is a show cave. I have known about this cave for many years,since I started collecting cave stamps.

Harrison's Cave is formed from a type of crystallized limestone, and is undoubtedly one of the most
spectacular natural attractions in the entire Caribbean. Harrison's Cave has only been accessible to the general public in recent years and has had extensive refurbishment and renovations. It is located in the central uplands.

Firstly you enter the Visitors Centre, which gives info on how the rocks and cave was formed. Then you are taken into a theatre to watch a short film on the formation of Barbados and how the caves evolved.

Next everyone is given a helmet and hair net and you board the electric tram that will take you down into the cave.

The tunnel is surprisingly high and it was hard to see what has been blasted. The lighting was done quite well, with the lights hidden by 'frames' camouflaged to look like part of the cave. The guide
gives a commentary as the tram progresses. There is one large chamber. The cave was surprisingly wet (March) and water was dripping from the roof and the steams were quite active. The cave is warm and humid.

A stop is made in a chamber with some nice stal and a stream.

Further on there is nice flowstone. But overall we didn't see much stal and the water features seemed rather artificial. The last stop is at a small lake -

The return is the same route as the inward journey. back in the info centre, you then take a high outdoor elevator back up to the ticket office, shop and the car park level.

Tram tour 60 BDS $ (Barbadian dollar) , US$30 , £22.

Harrison's Cave website.


Update 
An article on Harrison's Cave on Ancient Origins July 2019.

**

Barbados became a republic 30 Nov 2021, on the 55th anniversary of its independence.

Barbados gained full independence on 30 Nov 1966, which meant that the Queen ceased to have sovereignty over Barbados. So the hereditary title of the Queen of Barbados was replaced with the elected position of the President of Barbados. 

Cave of Wonders, Dominican Republic, Caribbean

In March 2019 I was on a cruise around some Caribbean islands. The first island we stopped at was the Dominican Republic. The ship docked at La Romana, in the southeast of the island.

The Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, the latter is on the western side.
The DR is volcanic, but has limestone along the south and east sides, whereas Haiti is rich in limestone.

I joined a tour to Cueva de las Maravillas, Cave of Wonders.

This was discovered by boy scouts in 1926. From the ticket office you walk through an area of coral karst

A thorny tree -

The area above the cave entrance reminded me of a Malaysian wang. About 140 steps lead down to the cave entrance

No photography is allowed inside the cave. The tourist cave is one large chamber with a passage leading off with lots of paintings and this ends in a pool. Lots of stal and it was all really pretty. The whole of the flattish ceiling was full of small bell holes. The pathways and lighting were really well done indeed, no sign of any cables or even light bulbs. Took the government 3 years to do. Lots of tree roots hanging down, that looked like cables.

The cave is known for some 500 paintings, done by the Taino people in pre Colombian times (Columbus reached the DR 1492). They were done in charcoal and animal fats. They have faded but some have been touched up for display. Many of the anthropomorphic paintings are cartoon like, with heads and figures of people. The passage leading off to a small chamber is the main one for the paintings. And a passage off this leads to the rest of the cave which is closed to tourists, and houses a lot of cave fauna.  The show cave passage ends in a nice pool. All really nice but we were rushed through which was a shame. Not at all cold inside, about 19 C. The show cave length is 240 m and the cave is 25 m underground. Very attractive cave.

Roots outside the cave entrance -

As we walked back to the ticket office we saw a large enclosure with lots of iguanas

Entrance fee 300 RDS, US$10 for adults.

See more on Show Caves of the World.