The Guildford Caves Caverns under Quarry Street, Guildford, UK. For years there have been rumours about the secret caves beneath Guildford. Some say there is a secret passageway between the castle and the river. Others say the caves extend from Racks Close to the High Street or even as far as Stoke Park. These stories are almost certainly untrue, but although the caves aren't accessable I believe they still exist (as does Bernard Parke in a letter to the Surrey Advertiser). There isn't much information available on the internet. However I've collected what I can. The following text and maps are scanned from an old book about the caverns. Typographic errors are a result of the scanning process. Update: I've managed to obtain the map from 1763 mentioned in the book. It was published in Francis Grose's Antiquities of England and Wales, 1786 (available here). Note it differs significantly from the map in Williamson's book and the caves are shown to have different entrance points. If anyone knows any more about these caves (rumours, photos, maps, stories...) I would love to hear from you! Email: admin@barq.org	Back to barq.org
THE GUILDFORD CAVERNS By Dr GC Williamson. Published by The Corporation of Guildford, 1930. General Plan of Site THE Guildford Caverns, eight in number, are intimately connected with the early Plantagenet history of the town, but were almost certainly excavated at a far earlier period, before the date of the erection of the Castle Keep. STORIES AND TRADITIONS There have been all sorts of stories and traditions respecting them. They have been called dungeons and torture chambers, and lecturers have even connected up their existence with that of the open piece of ground close by, now known as Racks Close, and have invented a wholly impossible and amusing story of how they were used for the detention of prisoners who were tortured by the rack in the adjacent piece of ground. This theory. which has actually been used as a telling anecdote in various lectures in Guildford and the neighbourhood, is entirely a fiction, because the piece of ground close by called Racks Close derives its name from the presence in it of the wooden racks on which the cloth workers of Guildford were wont to expose their lengths of cloth, in order that they might dry. and on which they might be stretched, and yet retain their shape. There is in the British Museum a rare map of the city of Bath. by Gilmore, dated 1694. and on it are represented some curious cross-barred structures, having the 1 appearance of very large farm gates, standing upright in the centre of fields and enclosures. Four of these appear on an enclosure which bore exactly the same name as that attached to the ground in Guildford, Rack Close, now forming part of Milsom Street, and the cross-barred structures were cloth racks, on which the cloth made in Bath was exposed to the sun by the clothiers, after it had been dyed, secured on to these racks by stitching to prevent its shrinking unequally as it dried. There are several such representations on this rare map, in every case not far from the river, as the fulling and dyeing took place on the banks of the stream. Incidentally this proves that the cloth industry in Bath lasted longer than was commonly accepted, but they give most important evidence as to the origin of the name of this particular plot of ground in Guildford, because the cloth trade was in full progress in both places at the time when this map was executed, and wherever there was the cloth industry there appear to have been these racks on which the material was stretched, and the meadow or piece of land took its name from their presence. Two illustrations are given from the map in order to make the matter quite clear. I am informed that there is a similar plot of ground at Worstead called Rack Meadow deriving its name from exactly the same origin. Moreover, my attention has been directed by Viscountess Wolseley to the fact that close to Ardingly, where she resides, is a wood known as Great Racks Wood, and my friend reminds me that it is within easy distance of Fulling Mill Wood and Fulling Mill Cottages, which evidently mark the existence at one time of an important mill. Again, the River Ouse is near at hand, and gives its name to an adjacent wood called Rivers Wood, and it would appear, from some information obtained from yet another source, that there were at one time two fulling mills in Ardingly, and a cloth industry carried on in the place. This is all additional 2 and important information bearing upon the name of the parcel of land called in Guildford, Rack Close. One need hardly say more about the dungeon and torture story, which can so easily be set at rest, and there is but little more to be said about another story, connected with a massacre in the eleventh century, in which the Earl Godwin, who aspired to the crown, is said to have captured. tortured and massacred the followers of Alfred, the son of King Ethelred, some six hundred in number, and put them to death in these particular caverns. This story also is wholly inaccurate, and there is not a single scrap of historical information that can be found concerning it that would in the least degree justify its connection with the Caverns. QUARRIES FOR CHALK It may, I think, be taken for certain that these caverns were nothing more than quarries, from which very hard chalk was taken out and used not only in the Castle, St. Mary's Church and the oldest houses, but also in some ancient mantelpieces. Fortunately, science can come to our aid in making such a statement. Captain E. Renouard James, of the Royal Engineers, who was connected with the Ordnance Survey in Guildford and the neighbourhood, read a paper about the caverns before the Royal Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland on April 14th, 187t, and eventually, through Messrs, Asher and Walbrook, published it. He drew attention to the fallacy of the legends about them. He measured the caverns and he gave a plan of their site, and an enlarged plan of the caverns themselves, as they were explored in March of that year. The paper created some considerable sensation, especially amongst the archaeologists of the district. Mr. R. A. C. Godwin-Austen, of Shalford Park, who was an eminent geologist, closely investigated the theories laid down by Captain 3 James. On one occasion, although young at the time, I had the privilege of being with hIm, and he brought down to Guildford Mr. Charles Roach Smith, a very well-known antiquary, who was also possessed of scientific knowledge, and they, both of them, came to the definite opinion that these were undoubtedly quarries for the particular hard chalk which had been taken from them. To settle the question, Mr. Roach Smith took a great many specimens of the chalk used in the construction of the Castle, from the mantelpieces in the Grammar School, from various other old houses, and from the fine chalk mantelpiece that remains in Castle Arch House, then occupied by Miss Duncombe, and now used as part of the Museum. He then mounted up the various portions as microscope slides, and handed them to the Queckett Microscopical Society, marking the slides taken from the caverns with one distinctive mark, and those taken from the various buildings in Guildford with another. The result of the inquiry was to prove that the two sets were identical, with the exception of two slides, and these contained specimens of chalk from houses very much later in their date of erection than all the rest. The explanation was therefore quite clear that this particular hard, close-grained chalk in the caverns was absolutely identical with pant of the chalk that was in the Castle buildings, and with various ancient houses and the two mantelpieces to which I have made reference. It was therefore quite obvious for what purpose these caverns had been excavated. THE KING'S WINE CELLARS Now, to carry the matter a step further. As I have set out in the book that I had the privilege of writing for the town, concerning the Castle, it was a constant place of residence for the early Plantagenet Kings, but especially for Henry III., who came to it over a hundred times, and who was in the habit of spending the Feast 4 of the Circumcision at the beginning of every year in Guildford, and who was also very frequently in the town at other times of the year, regarding it as a favourite place of residence. He was, of course, Sovereign of part of France, and there are many references in papers concerning the Plantagenet Kings to their love of the wine that came to them from Gascony, from Poitou, from Aquitaine, and from other districts over which they claimed lordship, and there are also allusions to very considerable importations of wine, and also to presents of wine made by the Plantagenet Sovereigns to their friends. Nothing could be more convenient in Guildford than these quarry holes, as suitable cellars for wine, which was, of course, in barrels, not in bottles. KING JOHN, 1199-1216 As early as the reign of King John we find allusions to wine being sent down to Guildford; in fact, in the eleventh year there is a curiously amusing instance of the use of wine, where it is stated that the Bishop of Winchester, being with the King at Guildford, was fined one cask of good wine, for not reminding the King to give a girdle that he had promised to Lady Albemarle[1] HENRY III., 1216-1272 Early in Henry IlL's reign we find the beginning of the very extensive importation of Gascony wine that the King carried out. His chamberlain speaks, for example, of a hundred pounds that was to be sent to Simon de Montfort, the Governor of Gascony, part of which was to be spent on wine, the remainder being applied to the fortifications and defences of the province, and then he says that some of the King's wine in England was sold, and £75 was paid to John de Colemere out of the [1] Mag. Rot. 11 John 14b. 5 proceeds, and this was to be for the purchase of sundry parcels of Gascony wine to be sent to the five Royal cellars-Westminster, Windsor, Kensington, Clarendon and Guildford.[1] Now, when we come to more closely investigate these various entries, we find that in 1232 there is an allusion to wine being sent down to Guildford to "the cellar near to the King's Castle," and that is a quite important reference for our purpose. There are also. over and over again allusions to wine sent down to Guildford, that it was "lodged near the Castle,"[2] "in the cellars," " for the use of the King," and such similar phrases, while we find mention also of the King's cellarer (or cellarers) who were in charge of the King's cellars at Guildford, and we find many mandates from the King to the different holders of this office, respecting wine that was lodged at Guildford. For example in 1232,[3] the King was at Reading. He had altered his arrangements. He had at first proposed to spend Easter in Guildford, and wine of a special character had been sent down to Guildford for his use, but on the 17th of March he entirely changed his plans, and a mandate was issued by his Court officials to John de Colemere, who was at that time the King's cellarer, that without any delay he should cause the wine that had [1] Patent Rolls 15 Hen. III. m. 6. 10 November, 1230. [2] Be it noted that the level of the caverns is not towards the level of the Keep, but to a level 176 feet below it, showing that 1:he caverns were never part ofthe Keep, or connected with it, but were simply near at hand, and at a far lower level and hence more suitable for their new purpose. As to the gaol, that was an entirely separate building. There are allusions to it in 1257, and to repairs to it in 1293, and then a Dumber of new pairs of fetters were provided to hold the prisoners. It was a building above the ground, and close up to the bailey. [3] Close Roll, 16 Hen. III. m. 13. 6 been sent for the King's use at Easter to the cellars at Guildford, together with various casks of the King's wines that were already at Guildford, to be sent to Reading Abbey, because the King intended to spend Easter In that place.[1] A WOMAN VINTNER IN GUILDFORD A still more interesting reference occurs in 1235. The King was staying with the Cistercians at Waverley Abbey, and apparently there was not in its cellars an ample supply of wine. A vintner of Guildford, therefore, Maud de Sumery, a woman, be it noted, provided the King with a tun of Gascon wine, which he required for the celebration of the Feast of the Circumcision, and a couple of days after, there comes the order from the Crown to John de Colemere that he should take out of the cellars a cask of Gascon wine, which he could give to Maud de Sumery, the vintner of Guildford, in order to repay her for having come to the King's rescue, and provided him with the requisite wine for his feast.[2] A couple of years afterwards, 1237,[3] we find allusion to a mandate from Westminster as to the arrival of a considerable amount of wine at the London Docks for the King, which was in the charge of William de Haverhull, and which was to be passed over to the King's steward, whose name was Aumarico de Sancto Amando. Five casks were to be carried by the King's own conveyances to him, and to be handed into the custody of the Sheriff of London, but eighteen casks were to be carried to various cellars. Ten were to go to Windsor [1] March 17th, 1232. Mandatum est Johanni de Colemere quod vina que contra instans Pascha ventura sunt usque Guldeford, per preceptum regis, simul cum tot doliis vini quot sunt apud Guldef' de vinis regis sine dilatione venire faciat usque Radingi, ubi rex solempnitati Pascali celebrande proposuit interesse. [2] Close Roll 1235, m. 21. [3] Close Roll 21 Hen. III. m. 15. 7 Castle, four to the King's cellars at Guildford, and four to Merton Abbey, as the King proposed to visit these places, and he required the wine to be there in advance. As a matter of fact, we do find him present that year at Windsor, Guildford and Merton, an no doubt in enjoyment of the wine that had been sent down for his use. THE ARCHBISHOP AND THE BISHOP In 1237[1] the King was expecting two important visitors, the Archbishop of Bordeaux and the Bishop of Bazas, and on their way from the coast they were to stay at Guildford, coming from thence up to London to see the King. He, at that time, was In Reading, at Reading Abbey, but he sent word to the Warden of his House at Guildford that, if the Archbishop and the Bishop came to the town, they were to be entertained in handsome manner in his Castle, as though he himself was present; he was to bring forth ample wine for them, and if they desired to take some away with them, they were to have as much as ever they liked. Could Royal hospitality be more generous?' In 1242[2] there was an exceptionally large vintage in France, and a great deal more wine came over than was anticipated. Not onl}" did the King have more than he expected to receive, but apparently the vintners in Guildford had a larger stock than they had expected. The King had so much that he decided to put some into the market, and to give his good people of Guildford the opportunity of purchasing direct from him the exceptionally fine wine of Gascony which he had imported for his own purposes. In order, however, to make quite sure that this unusually large stock, which was not needed just then, should be sold out in satisfactory fashion, instructions under the Great Seal were sent to the Bailiff of Guildford on the 16th of February, by [1] Close Roll 28 Hen. III. m. 19. June 20. [2] Close Roll 26 Hen. III. m. 9. 8 command of the King, who was staying again at Reading Abbey, to say that he was to give orders in the town that no wine whatever was to be sold by anybody in Guildford, until the surplusage of the King's wine that he had offered for sale had been sold. Let us move-on to the next year, 1243, [1] and then we find a new King's Steward, one Michael Pincerne, and he has instructions issued from Westminster to say that the King wanted more wine. There were fourteen casks in the King's cellars in Guildford. Those are to be sent to Westminster, but on the way they are to stop at the King's cellars at Farnham (which were, perhaps, those connected with the Cistercian house at Waverley) and pick up four casks of wine, which the King had left behind him, and bring the eighteen casks up for the King's use. ROYAL GENEROSITY In the same year [2] we have an allusion to old wine that had been for a long time in the King's cellars at Guildford, and to the Royal generosity to be extended to a high official who was looking after the King's estate and 'park in Guildford, named John Maunsel. Henry III. was in residence at Maidstone. This man was about to retire, and the King said he was to have two casks of good wine of the King's own gift, and the keepers (for In this particular deed the word was in the plural, showing that there was more than one person engaged in this interesting task) were to deliver over two of the casks of the good old wine to this valued old servant on behalf of the King. Four years later [3] there comes a similar gift to the Prior of New Place (Novo Loco), and the King desired the keepers (plural again) of his cellars at GuiIdford to [1] Close Roll 28 Hen. III. m. 19. [2] The same. [3] Close Roll 31 Hen. III. m. 12. 9 send to the Priory out of their custody, a cask as the gift of the King. The records show us that this particular Prior had been spending the Feast of the Circumcision with the King at Guildford, and two days after comes this acceptable gift, a sort of stirrup cup for the Prior, who had evidently pleased the King, and who by this order of the 3rd of January, 1247, was to have a cask of good wine as a gift. Very much the same [1] thing occurs in 1250, where a notable man connected with the county of Surrey, Robert de Norreys, was also given a cask of good wine as the gift of the King out of his cellars at Guildford, and there we have the name of the new cellarer, who was Robert de Dacre. The order came from Windsor Castle, dated on the 5th of April, for this gift to be given. Robert de Norreys is mentioned frequently in connection with Guildford just at that time, and was evidently a man of high repute; perhaps he had even entertained the King in the previous January, when Henry III. was in residence in the Castle. In any case, this is the gift that is recorded. One more gift [2] may be noted the same year. Simon, the Dominican Prior, acting as the King's Chaplain at Guildford, was to have a cask of wine. A mandate was sent from Windsor Castle, on exactly the same day as the one that was issued respecting Norreys, to Dacre and his companion (there was again more than one keeper) to give over a cask of wine in their custody as a gift from the King to the Brother Simon who had been acting as the King s Chaplain while he was staying in the Castle. SOUTHAMPTON AND GUILDFORD When it comes to the question of the arrival of the wine at Southampton and Its transmission to the cellars at Guildford, we have again ample information concern [1] IClose Roll 34 Hen. III. m. 13. [2] Close Roll 34 Hen. III. m. 13. 10 ing the procedure, because the Calendar of Liberate Rolls is full of allusions to such matters. Half a dozen entries will suffice. In 1227,[1] on the 1st of January, there is an order to the Bailiffs of Southampton with reference to thirty tuns of the King's wine which had arrived at Southampton, instructing them to find and cause Russellus de Sancto Maxentio to obtain carriages to bring away the King's wine from Southampton, and on the way to London to deliver three tuns to his cellars in Guildford. On the 26th of September,[2] in the same year, there are two more orders, one again to the. Bailiffs of Southampton, instructing them that the keepers of the King's wines in that place are to deliver to them three tuns of wine recently purchased by the King in Gascony, and that these three tuns are to be taken up to his cellars in Guildford, and this is accompanied by a mandate to the keepers of the wine. Then, on the same day, there appears an order, a "contrabreve" addressed this time to the Sheriff of Southampton, to say that two tuns of wine from Anjou purchased by the King had been deposited in his custody in Winchester Castle, and they were to be delivered straightway to Guildford, in view of the King's arrival there. The first of these orders was dated from Guildford, and we find, on reference to the itinerary, that the King was at that time actually in residence at the Castle. By November Sth3 of the same year the King was at Winchester, and a "contrabreve" was sent to the Bailiffs at Southampton, telling them to send for the necessary officials and horses and carts to remove to Guildford five tuns of Gascony wine that the King had purchased, and which the keeper of his wine at Southampton was to deliver to them, in view of his arrival at the Castle on the 31st of December to keep the Feast of the Circumcision. [1] m. l3. [2] m. 2. [3] m. 8. 11 In 1229 [1] there is another mandate from Winchester, also addressed to the Bailiffs at Southampton, alluding to two tuns of wine from Anjou, and three tuns of wine from Gascony, belonging to the King and purchased by him. These were all lying at Southampton, and the King wished to have them at Guildford. He gives instructions accordingly by a "contrabreve" that the necessary arrangements are to be made for their immediate delivery to Guildford, and for their disposal in "his cellars" at that place. A couple more entries may suffice to make the matter quite clear. In 1239, [2] April 14th, the King is again at Westminster, and two orders are issued, one for ten tuns of wine, lying at Southampton, which are to be at once carried to Guildford, and placed in the King's cellars there, and another respecting five tuns of wine that the King had ordered to be carned to Guildford, which the Bailiffs of Southampton were to pay for on the King's account. Finally, we find a couple of entries in the Patent Rolls concerning the cost of the carriage of wine from Southampton to Guildford. Both relate to the year 1230. [3] The wine is declared to have been purchased at 36s. a cask, the cost of its carriage from Southampton to Guildford was seven shillings, and one shilling more was paid for loading and unloading. The second entry is identical, although it does not say what the cost of the wine was, but it was the same amount paid for carriage and unloading. It must, of course, be borne in mind that the value' of money at that time compared at the present time should be multiplied very considerably, and that a sheep could be bought for a shilling! If we could only accept the shilling as worth what it is now, the comparison would be an interesting one to make with the Southern [1] m, 9. [2] m. 16. [3] Cal. Patent Rolls 15 Hen, III. m. 6. 12 Railway, but unfortunately the necessary data forbid our adopting such a pleasant practice. CAPTAIN JAMES AND HIS MEASUREMENTS I hardly need continue all these extracts; there are quantities of them. The cellars were regarded as very acceptable places. Their depth, direction and inclination all tend to show that they were quarries, but all helped in their use as cellars, because, be it remembered, the wine was never in bottles, but in casks of different sizes, and these cellars, which are of considerable width, are eminently suitable for the purposes for which they were used. No doubt: as Captain James points out, when they were originally excavated, as the length of the cavern increased, each in turn would become frequently flooded, and the difficulty of getting out the great blocks of chalk -and very large some of them are- would increase, until that particular quarry would be abandoned. At this stage, the sides of the chambers were probably cut through as far as practicable, without, as Captain James points out, weakening the roof supports, and, finally, when all the direct galleries that could be driven from the Western face of the cliff had been worked to inconvenient lengths, the large Southern chamber was, he thinks, excavated, and the prolongation of the transverse gallery towards the North commenced. There was, no doubt, plenty of ordinary soft chalk to be got in the neighbourhood. One can see it in the various quarries there are round about the town; but of the particular hard chalk already alluded to in the walls 0 the Keep, and, one may add, in the structure of St. Mary's Church, and even in parts of Compton Church and Alfold Church, there was very little to be obtained, and one had to dig down to a very considerable depth in order to obtain chalk of the right structure. Plan of Caverns 13 The caverns are eight in number, and Captain James sets out their measures as follows: No.I.           57ft. in length,        28ft. in width. No.2.           54ft. "                         23ft. " No.3.           33ft. "                         17ft. " No.4.           75ft. "                         17ft. " No.5.           95ft. "                         20ft. " No.6.           74ft. "                         15ft. " No.7.           60ft. "                         15ft. " No.8.           105ft "                        15ft " It is probable that these sizes, which showed the limit only of Captain James's exploration, may not be entirely accurate, because he himself said that there was every reason to suppose that some of the chambers extended to an even greater depth. Moreover, some few years ago, the late Mr. P. G. Palmer (afterwards Master of Abbot's Hospital) made an inspection of the caverns, and came to the conclusion that they were larger than Captain James has said, and, furthermore, in a paper by Messrs. Lee and Russell, which was reprinted from the Transactions of the South-Eastern Union of Scientific Societies, it was stated in definite fashions that Chambers 2, 3, 5 and particularly 4, did extend much further than was shown in Captain James's plan. Prior to the existence of this plan, the only one that was known was contained in a book called Grose's Antiquities, declared to have been made by a stonemason named Bunce in 1763. There he stated that the entrance was towards the West, and it is pretty clear that his surmise was a correct one, because, if Captain James's theories as to working the quarries were accepted, it is almost certain that there must have been a Westward entrance. The new entrance faces South, but it could have formed no part of the original system; the levels of themselves would have prevented it. View of Caverns 14 THE ORDNANCE SURVEY In 1867 and 1868 the preparation of the new large scale Ordnance Survey map of the town was in progress. and there are various persons still living in Guildford, notably Mr. George Heath, who will have distinct memories of the levels taken on that occasion, and the investigations made respecting supposed underground passages. The officer who was in charge of the survey had his attention directed to the allusion to the caverns in Grose's book, and he gave instructions to Corporal Robert Macdonald, of the Royal Engineers, who was under his command, to make diligent inquiry respecting their width. SERGEANT MACDONALD Corporal Macdonald, who eventually became Sergeant Macdonald, was very well known to Guildfordians who remember an earlier generation, and his memory should be kept in high esteem in Guildford by reason of the excellent work that he did for the boys of the town, especially in one of the earlier night schools, and also in the initiation of certain technical classes for boys. His night school he first of all conducted up a passage from North Street, which is now at the back of Messrs. Gammon's shop, at one time known as Smith's Passage, and there for some years, assisted by various philanthropic people in Guildford, he carried out an important work amongst the rougher class, having quite a number of boys at his night school, and upon them his influence was exceedingly good. Later on he was concerned in me erection of a hall in the Commercial Road, and some years later still he established in Guildford the first Turkish baths the town ever possessed, so that, apart from the work that he carried out with the caverns, his name is one that older Guildfordians cherish. His son, Mr. Sutherland Macdonald, who lives at 3, Guildford Avenue, Surbiton, has a distinct memory of 15 the opening up of the caverns by his father. Captain James states that Corporal Macdonald made trial explorations for five weeks near the spot indicated as the probable entrance, and eventually he made his way into the large Southern chamber. [1] The expenses of exploration, Captain James tells us, however, could not be borne by the National. Survey Fund, although Guildford is undoubtedly indebted to this same National Survey for the original effort, and Macdonald, inducing some of his friends in Guildford to assist him as volunteers, after their ordinary hours of toil, and aided by a subscription that was raised in the town, continued his researches until he had in rough fashion traced the outline of the caverns. At this point the owners of the soil above interfered to prevent further exploration, and for a while all such exploration was stopped. In the course of this work a deep shaft was discovered, which went down into Chamber No.5, and then, on inquiry being made, it was recollected that some convicts who were employed by the Governor of the Surrey County Gaol, who was at that time residing at South Hill House, were ordered to dig a well, and found their way, in the course of this work, into Chamber No.5 of the caverns, and from thence made their escape. Instructions were then given to close up the entrance to the caverns and the shaft, and from 1830 down to 1868 this enclosure appears to have remained. Mr. Sutherland Macdonald tells us that at the time of the opening of the caverns he was a scholar at Archbishop Abbot's School, and was greatly interested in the proceedings, and had wonderful anticipations of finding "chains, instruments of torture, skeletons, Jews' teeth extracted under the regime of King John, and all sorts of other terrible things" in the caverns, but nothing [1] There are allusions in the minutes of the Town Council to the opening up of the Caves, and to their inspection in May, 1869, and in February, 1870. Entrance to Caverns 16 whatever was found by his father but "heaps of chalk debris." He says that he was one of the very first persons to enter the caverns, but, as the central opening was made sufficiently large, quite a number of people, many of whom had been assisting Macdonald in his researches, also went into the caverns. DONNY LOVELAND Mr. W. H. Loveland, a Hampshire magistrate, who lives at 4, Egbert Road, Winchester, and who is the son of a very well-known Guildford resident, who was usually known as "Donny" Loveland, explains that his father was one of the dozen working men who gave their voluntary services after working hours, and that he, with his father, went into the caverns soon after they were discovered. Mr. Richard Mason, who was then the head of Filmer and Mason, of the Church Acre Iron Works, supplied Corporal Macdonald with the exploring tools, and Messrs. Stephenson and Sons, from their candle factory in Castle Street,' supplied a quantity of tallow candles, and some swan-neck colza oil lamps, in order that the workmen might see what they were doing. -Young Donny" Loveland had the job to keep these candles and lamps alight, and, in consequence, has a very clear recollection of the caverns, and of the large round shaft to which allusion has just recently been made. Mr. Mason, whom many of the townspeople will well remember, was a somewhat slim man in those days, and as soon as the workmen had made the necessary preparations he crawled into the cave. He was followed by his special friend, Mr. Upperton, who was Mayor on several occasions, but a man of far greater bulk and stature. Those who were present on the occasion have a very distinct recollection of the difficulty there was for Mr. Upperton to get inside the caves. 17 A little later on several residents, headed by Dr. Schollick, who was formerly the Borough Coroner, decided to explore the caves still further, and they worked away for a while, clearing out some of the passages. In the course of their work they discovered two keys, one of which certainly belongs to the sixteenth century, and these were deposited in the Guildford Museum. These were, however, the only things of any importance that have ever been found. THE GREAT WAR Occasionally, from time to time, different people have visited the caverns merely from curiosity, but at the period of the Great War there was a suggestion that they should actually be brought into use. It has been suggested, and with some justification, that when the Prince of Orange, William III, came to England in 1688, a civil war was expected, and a considerable number of Guildford women and children hid themselves in these caverns, because there was a rumour of a general massacre of Protestants by Irish invaders of the country. The story, however, is a very vague one, and, in, any case, the women and children were probably only in these caverns for a very few hours. In 1917, however, the military authorities responsible for the defence of London asked Mr. St. Loe Strachey, then Editor of "The Spectator" and High Sheriff for Surrey at the time, to report upon the character and extent of the chalk caverns at Guildford and on other similar caves at Reigate and Godstone, in case it might be necessary to use them for the storage of munitions. It was also suggested that a tunnel might be made from the Northern side of the Hog's Back to connect at a level with the caves and so bring them into practical use, because anything contained in these caves would be "completely protected from aircraft attack and from artillery fire." Mr. Strachey, who at that moment was 18 acting as Chief Guide for a Surrey Corps of Guides, in which he had taken great interest, made a report to the military authorities concerning the possible use of these caverns, and in it he stated that the engineers who had seen, them pronounced the caverns too damp for the suggested purpose. He added that there was a certain amount of percolation of water from the roof, but it was not of an extensive character, and though it might be injurious, he said, for lengthy storage, it of itself would not have interfered with the purposes that were suggested. In his report, Mr. Strachcy mentioned that one of the entrances to the cavern, was in a garden at Quarry Hill House, the then residence of Mr. Dunbar Kilburn, but it came to light that, on the very day war was declared in 1914, a heavy fall of chalk from the cliff above had entirely blocked lip that doorway, and it would have been impossible, without considerable difficulty, to have made use of it. The scheme for using the caverns for the storage of munitions or any other purpose connected with the war was eventually given up, and from that time down to the present day there has been no special effort made to render these interesting caverns available to the public. Mr W. Stevens, who was the owner of the freehold, has from time to time given permission for their examination, and various tests with wireless apparatus have been made in the caves, but until the Town Council have, within the last few months, taken the matter in hand, the existence of the raves has been known to comparatively few people in Guildford, a still fewer number have visited the caves, and the majority of people In the town are almost unaware of their existence, and wholly unaware of the fact that they are probably the olden objects of interest in Guildford, pre-dating the building of the Keep of the Castle by some years.