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Margate Caves

The caves were originally dug as a chalk mine in the 17th century. They were then rediscovered by accident in 1798 after the ground gave way around him and he fell into the caves. With this discovery the owner of the land had the caves adapted for his own use. To make access more convenient he had a new entrance cut into the caves. When the owner of the land died in 1835 an enterprising shop owner rented the the caves and opened them to the public for the first time under the name Vortigerns Cavern. As with all things the caves lost their popularity after a few years and the entrance was subsequently back filled with rubble. After the house that stood on the land was converted to a vicarage the vicar started work on rediscovering the caves. By 1910 the caves were sufficiently clear that the vicar could open them to the public again. With the start of World War One the caves were used as an Air Raid Shelter. They could be access via a sloping passage from the vicarage cellar or via the “tourist” entrance in the vicarage garden. After the war the caves were opened again until 1938 when they were closed as part of a redevelopment plan. The caves were once again used as an Air Raid Shelter with the start of the Second World War and were used up until the vicarage and church were destroyed by enemy action in July 1943. With the site being cleared the entrances into the caves were sealed. The caves were rediscovered again in the spring of 1958 and remained a tourist attraction until 2004 when the caves were closed for health and safety. Photos can be found here: https://www.kentexplorehistory.com/po...