It is not certain why doline lines have formed along the Chalk – Reading Formation boundary. A possible reason is that the movement of groundwater passing southwards from the chalk has been impeded by clay at the base of the Reading Formation. This bed of clay possibly forms a slight scarp buried beneath the overlying superficial deposits (Cordiner 2019, Fig. 1), which allows groundwater to infiltrate the underlying chalk along pre-existing fractures. Over time downward movement of groundwater has been concentrated at specific sites where chalk fractures have been preferentially enlarged. With enlargement of the fractures in the underlying chalk, superficial deposits have been washed down into them, leaving a crater in the land surface.
It is known that smugglers in the 18th century used these caves to hide brandy, a barrel of this spirit being discovered when building the foundations for the Chichester-Midhurst line, near where it crossed Brandy Hole Lane. It is known that gravel was formerly dug in this area; the pond in East Broyle Wood Nature Reserve being located in an old quarry. These workings may even go back to Roman times, as indicated on the 1898 O.S. map, as the nearby ‘Intrenchment‘ bank would have been a ready source of flint gravel. It is possible that the Chichester Brandy Holes and caves started out as sink holes, which were later further excavated for flint gravel, and later further excavated by smugglers.
Historically, to build a house with a simple cellar you would dig out the ground to a depth of around 6ft, the cellar walls would have been constructed with a lining of stone or brick and with a drain for water within the cellar. The floors would have been built up on crushed stone or sand to provide a level surface and paved, usually with flags. Brick paving became more common in later periods.
One of the most common questions I’m asked about Peterborough’s history is whether there are any tunnels under the city. Local legends say that there is a tunnel stretching from the Cathedral to Monk’s Cave at Longthorpe. Similar tunnels are alleged to stretch from the Cathedral to the abbeys at Thorney or Crowland.
These are familiar myths in many historic cities across the UK, mostly urban legends based on half remembrances of sewers, cellars or crawlspaces, coupled with wishful thinking and rumour.
It was under the Crypt and right next to the cathedral
Maureen Williams, 82, of Westgate, recalled a school trip into the rumoured tunnels under Chichester when she was at Chichester High School for Girls.
She estimates she was in her early teens at the time and said she chose to share her memories after reading about the search for evidence in this newspaper.
DD I worked at 65 East Street when it was ''Hammick''s Bookshop'' (now Specsavers). We had a trapdoor in the middle of the floor that led down to a tunnel-shaped cellar that seemed to extend through the front of the shop and under the pavement outside. I didn''t see any evidence of it ever having joined another tunnel and imagine that perhaps there was once an opening in the pavement for deliveries.
\r\n
27 East street
MB My mum worked 27 east street and when it flooded in the 90s they found a big cellar and you could look down into an area which was like a tunnel
Chichester Culverts
We do not suggest going into the culverts. These are not classified as tunnels and can be dangerous
A singular happening lay behind the prosaic news on saturday that the chuichester and District League football fixture, Summersadale VS Boxgrove, had o be postponed owing to the ground on this hill suburb of Chichester being unfit.
Summersdale is an attractive area in the north of Chichester. Spacious and leafy, the character of the area is now under threat with many houses on large plots at risk of demolition and re-development. It is an historic suburb with high quality architecture in street scenes that are worthy of enlightened protection.
