Visual Studies & Research

Chislehurst Caves

Although I have been visited Chislehurst Caves several times before I visited Chislehurst caves once more for research purposes and took one or two photographs. Its not by any means a working mine, however I doubt I was going to be allowed to wander into a working coal mine or upon an oil rig. This was the closest I could get to experiencing the atmosphere within a mine, in addition Chislehurst caves is close by and easily accessible. I suppose I could have visited a construction site too as that would have been relevant research for our project.

Although it is referred to as a cave in its name, it is in fact a man made network of tunnels that was used for chalk and flint mining. Over the centuries it has been used for different purposes. The earliest mention of the mines is circa 1250 and they are last believed to have been used in the 1830s. During the 1900s the caves were a popular tourist attraction. In World War I they were used as an ammunition depot associated with the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. During the 1930s they were used for mushroom cultivation. During World War II, in September 1940, the aerial bombardment of London during the Blitz, the caves were used as an air raid shelter. Within a short time it became a small underground city of some 15,000 inhabitants with electric lighting, a chapel and a hospital. Shortly after VE Day the shelter was closed. In the 1960s, the caves were also used as a music venue. David Bowie, Status Quo, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd all performed there. Led Zepplin also held a media party there for the new UK record company Swan Song Records in 1974. More recentlty, some of the tunnels have been used by the live action role-playing game "Labyrinthe".

Map/ Caves Location

Map of Tunnel Network Layout

Tunnel Corridor

Underground Tunnel

Well

This is an interesting photograph. Perhaps this could be used for an idea within our mine environment project.

Welcome Trust London

I also went to the Welcome Trust building near Euston Square to check out the Identity: 8 Rooms 9 Lives Exhibition. There were many interesting points made about the evolution of personal identity through one's life and explored the differences between your own personal view of yourself against opinions through the eyes of others. There were also many different interesting artifacts upstairs. The most interesting exhibit for me however had to be the Automated Robotic Bacterial Colony Picker. The design and complexity of the machine was amazing. I had never seen one up close before and the accuracy of the built in computer and the robotic arm was mesmerizing. The arm moved with speed and would occasionally suddenly slow down with great care. It reminded me of the robotic arms found in car factories. This is perhaps something which could be used in our environment. We could include an animated robotic arm within the mining facility. This will not only bring life to the interior but will also enhance the all important industrial element.