Blackheath Cavern - the boreholes

As early as Autumn 1938 LeGrand, Sutcliff & Gell were working above the Blackheath Cavern. Albert Judd's letter, below, detailing the results of 3 boreholes, has never been published before (click each page for a slightly larger version):

The borehole numbers refer to stations No.1, No.2 and No.3 shown on the plan below. The exploration tunnel driven by LSG travels through a zone of choked and/or fallen passageway; the small hole which led to the rediscovery of the cavern was probably a void from a roof fall that allowed access to the galleries.


As I suggested in my main entry on the cavern here, there may well be further unsurveyed passageway in the vicinity of the exploration tunnel - a tight borehole grid would answer that question. Borehole No.2 is especially interesting - Judd writes that the boring tool dropped through space for a distance of 1'6" after passing through a 3' thickness of chalk (the ceiling of a choked gallery). The ground was disturbed until solid chalk (ie the floor of the gallery) was re-entered 20 feet further down.

Standard Reservoir - new plumbing plan

A remarkable 1901 hand-drawn plan showing the plumbing of the Standard Reservoir has come to light; as far as we know it has never been published before. One of the branches supplied the swimming pool of the Naval College at the turn of the century - taking a dip would certainly have been a bracing experience, even at the height of summer. The big reservoir gains a name at last - "Admiralty Western Resevoir" (sic).