:: Chislehurst Caves ::

Chislehurst Caves ..
HK Ref:
X0007A
Location:
Old Hill
Chislehurst
Kent
BR7 5NB
Interest:
Haunted Pool, Ghost Photos, Orbs and Famous Ghost Hunt
Last updated: 26th October 2005
History - What did Haunted Kent find?
:: Haunted Kent Investigates ::
:: Latest Evidence
One of the Haunted Kent team recently took a further visit to Chislehurst Caves
and returned with this stunning evidence. His testimonial follows:
"There was only myself and three other people but one, an old man, had to be tak
en back to the surface as he felt unwell. When the tour resumed there was just t
he guide and the three of us. The guide was saying how all the legends of the ca
ves were rubbish but that the other guides believe they had seen some strange st
uff near the pool such as a mist. As he was saying this I could see this stuff o
n my camera. I decided not to say anything and just kept snapping.
Mist near the Haunted Pool ..
After taking the picture above, I pointed the camera at upwards to check that th
ere was nothing on the lense.
No mist in this photo ..
From the picture above, you can clearly see there isn't. So I took another photo
..
Again, nothing ..
Again, clearly nothing. No dust, no mist, no smoke. Then I got this ..
Incredible photo of very clear orbs, surrounded by mist ..
I think the most interesting one is at the isolation ward, if you read the notes
this is where the navvy ghost appears. Funnily enough we captured an orb here o
n one of our other photos.
The orb at the intersection of tunnels is one of the best pictures as it is so s
olid. The pool ones are weird especially as you see the build up as the mist cam
e down the tunnel past me and onto the pool.
I am going to visit regularly and see what I get. It would be interesting if the
se are the two places of most activity considering they have always been so in t
he past."
:: Analysing the Data!
Once we had the image back at the lab, we ran a few filters across them to see i
f we could bring out the image a little better. To do this we used Photoshop. Ot
her than the filter the image has not been changed in any way. This is what we g
ot ..
This is a simple Photoshop filter that we applied to enhance the image so the o
rbs were clearer to see ..
:: What else we found?
So far, exluding the visit above, we have visited this location two other times,
once in 2002 and the second time in 2005. Both times we experienced strange phe
nomenon in the caves, mainly in the form of apparitions, orbs and strange myst t
hat appeared in the photos.
The story of the most famous picture we have (top right) goes like this. We had
been on the tour for about 30 mins already, reaching the "Haunted Pool". This is
the location where the guide tells you a story about a murder here. The cave th
at leads off to the left hand side is supposedly haunted and we were not allowed
to go down there at the time (although in the later tour we were).
I was snapping photos and had moved away from the group just a bit towards the t
unnel, and whilst holding the camera in the air above my head took shot after sh
ot in quick succession. The images that came out where all of the dark tunnel, e
xcept.. all of a sudden the image with the aparation appeared. It was not visabl
e to the eye, but it did freak alot of people out when I showed the guide. Some
people even requested to leave the caves immediately.
:: Camera Problems
Another blank photo in a spooky location ..
The second time we visited the cameras kept playing up all the way around the to
ur taking blank photos or not firing the flash properly. They had been fine prev
iously and were fine also when we left. We did manage to get quite a number of p
hotos with orbs in them though.
:: The Famous Ghost Hunt (a.k.a The Challenge)
We have recently aquired huge amounts of information regarding this incident fro
m a secure source and we can tell you now, the information has never before been
released. We have published extracts from this information to give you a genera
l idea as to what actually happened during the fatal night of 2nd November 1985.

<< Click here to read the testimonials.. >> [redacted - recovered from Wayback
and added below]
A breif outline, is as follows: One of the guides who worked at the caves decide
d he would attempt the ghost hunt with a colleague. He chose his location just d
own the tunnel near the "Haunted Pool". Later that evening his colleague heard f
ootsteps and screams from the tunnels, he ran to the location where he found the
guide semi-consious on all fours with his face cracked, and foaming at the mout
h. He was growling like an animal. The guide was taken to Queen Mary's Hospital
in Sidcup where he later recovered. Strangely enough he decided to return to wor
k at the caves, where he stayed for years and years.. as a guide. The ghost hunt
s were stopped and the caves were no longer allowed to let the public stay over
night due to health and safety reasons.
Interestingly, the whole incident was recorded on a cassette tape!! We are in th
e process of trying to aquire samples from that tape, if at all possible.
So you ask me, how is it I know this information?! Well basically the guide who
had been taken to hospital was our actual tour guide in the 2002 visit. After th
e tour I stayed for a while and questioned him about the incident. He verified t
he authenticity by showing definative scars on his skin, but had no recollection
of anything that had happened to him that fatal night.
If you are interested in this incident then you simply MUST read the testimonial
s above! You will hardly believe it!
:: Conclusion
Unfortunately for us, during our second visit in 2005 we were told that the guid
e no longer worked there as he had moved up north to work in underground cave sy
stems that ran through wales. But with great thanks to our annoymous source, we
now know the truth behind the events at chislehurst caves. Thank you!
Please, please contact me if you have any other information regarding this matte
r..
As far as local folklore is concerned, the caves are definately haunted. We are
now , only just, beginning to understand the full extent of just how haunted the
caves really are!!!

:: The Challenge - 2nd November 1985 ::
:: Thank you!
The information that you are about to read here is found ABSOLUTELY no-where els
e on the internet. I would like to say a big thank you for the information we ha
ve been given on this subject (you know who you are).
:: The Challenge
Sources indicate that "The Challenge" had been running since about 1961 at Chisl
ehurst Caves. The idea was that once a year on "Halloween" the Caves would hold
a competition with a prize for anybody who would sleep an entire night in the ca
ves without running out scared. The original prize fund was a grand total of jus
t 5 (not a great deal today).
On 2 November 1985 two tour guides (who shall; in this report remain annoymous),
were supposed to be taking "The Challenge" as a charity event. However because
Halloween, that year, fell on a thursday; they decided to take the challenge on
the weekend. Before you ask, yes we do know the real names of these two guides b
ut to keep their identity secure we are not releasing this information.
:: Testimonials (of the Guides)
The following is an actual testimonial given by the guides during the investigat
ion shortly after the event. These testimonials are word-for-word and were origi
nally given with the rights to publish. We will referer to them as Guide A and G
uide B, and all other names have been removed or replaced with <character titles
>.
Guide A:
"The challenge had been banned for a long time, and after years of talking about
doing it we decided to set it up. We had to get permission from <the current ow
ner> as she had banned the challenge because of past events. Eventually, she rel
ented, but only on the condition that two of us went down. We both had to be gui
des as she stipulated that no member of the general public would be allowed to d
o the challenge, as she considered it too dangerous. There was originally meant
to be four of us that night, but two of them fell out <friend> broke his leg and
the other had to work during the weekend. It looked like we weren't going to do
it, but because we had been talking about it for so long and wanted to see for
ourselves what it was all about, we decided to go ahead. I've never had any fear
about the pool area, I might have had second thoughts about doing it if it had
been in Pug-end though. I did actually offer to do it on my own but <the current
owner> wouldn't allow it. We were also sponsored to raise money for a charity t
hat night as well."
"We started a couple of hours late on the night of the challenge as <friend> was
working in the caves that day and I was working the next. I had planned to try
and get a few hours sleep in the caves before I started working down here as a g
uide the next day. I didn't want to be conducting the tours half asleep.."
"I remember we had a little firework display outside and then went over to the p
ub for a pint, we only had one we weren't drunk of anything like it when we left
the pub and ended up going into the caves about eight-o-clock. We should have d
one six-until-six as that was the original challenge but eight-to-eight was good
enough.. There was supposed to be about eight people sleeping in the old shed w
aiting for our triumphant emergence in the morning but it turned out that just <
the current owner> and her manager <the current manager> waited for us that even
ing."
"We walked into the caves and <Guide B> locked the door behind us. Now nobody co
uld get in and we could only come out by using the keys that <Guide B> dropped i
nto his jean's pocket. Part of the challenge was that we had to be apart all nig
ht and seperated by at least fifty feet. We set up a lot of candles down there a
nd they remained lit throughout the challenge. I decided to settle nearer to the
pool and <Guide B> was around the corner at the end of the passage way out of s
ight, somewhere near <previous visitor>'s carving, where he set up his sleeping
bag. We decided to carve a plaque on the wall commemorating the evening. We star
ted work on this carving not long after we arrive but it ended up taking us ages
. When we finally had finished we had a chat and the time was getting on for two
-o-clock in the morning. We set up the tape-recording that <the current owner> h
ad insisted upon in case anything happened and decided to sleep in shifts and I
told <Guide B> to go to bed as he had been working all day and must have been pr
etty tired by now. I remember <Guide B> telling me his legs were very cold, he s
aid he was feeling cold from the waist down, so there was more reason for him to
take the first shift of sleeping."
"<Guide B> moved off to his sleeping bag and I set up a camp-bed that I had brou
ght with me. About fifteen minutes after we had settled down, I remember I was j
ust about to open one of the four cans of Carlsberg that I had taken with me whe
n I heard a series of footsteps. I didn't take any notice as I thought it might
be <Guide B> moving around and then suddenly a big scream came from the passagew
ay. I was startled at first and didn't respond immediately. It took a few second
s for my brain to get working and realise what I had just heard. I got out of be
d and called out, but <Guide B> didn't answer. I then ran around to where <Guide
B> was and he was flailing about. He looked as if he was fighting someone. At t
his point it looked like it could have been an epileptic fit, but then he went q
uiet. Then he opened his eyes and looked straight at me and his face wasn't like
<Guide B>, the face was taut and cracks appeared in the skin like a very old ma
n's face."
"<Guide B>'s face was usually plump, but now he looked ravaged and emaciated. Hi
s eyes were the worst, completely red, they glowed like red light-bulbs it was l
ooking right at me, a really horrible face. Suddenly he took a swing at me. He w
as out of the sleeping bag now and there was frothing at the mouth, like a fount
ain coming out a green and yellow bubbling, just flowing out of his mouth and al
l over him. He was starting to get aggressive and I was now getting very scared
indeed. I couldn't get out of the caves because he had the keys in his jeans poc
ket and he was now growling at me, vile guttural noises like an animal. He wasn'
t even trying to talk, just growling. It wasn't like an epileptic fit, he was a
different person and I was very scared. Every time I tried to coax him to give m
e the keys he would growl and swipe at me. I don't think I have ever felt like I
have been facing death, but this time I did, I felt like he was going to kill m
e. It was bloody evil. It didn't look like him, it looked like a very, very old
and evil man. I decided to leave the keys and go to an emergency buzzer that we
had set up, I was praying that it would be working. I ran to the buzzers locatio
n, my mind was racing. I pressed the buzzer once and waited for a response, ther
e was no answer. I pressed again, as if the harder I pressed it, the more noise
it would make, but still there was no reply. 'Come on' I thought, 'for God's sak
e answer'. I pressed again, one long good buzz and <the current owner>'s voice a
nswered."
'Yes, yes?' I said,
'Dave here, let me out!' and she replied 'oh, you haven't finished yet?'
'I have!', I shouted, 'let me out!'.
" I was panicking, the five minutes it took her to let me out, seemed like an ho
ur.
<the current owner> and <the current manager> opened the door looking sick with
worry and I said 'something's happened to <Guide B>' and the three of us hurried
down the caves in <Guide B>'s direction. When we found him, he was still acting
strange, like an animal crawling on all fours. He had calmed down alot by now a
nd he didn't want to move but <the current owner> insisted that we call an ambul
ance and get him to safety as soon as possible. She looked terrified. I asked <t
he current manager> to go and call the ambulance but <the current manager> didn'
t move he was so scared he said 'I am not going anywhere on my own'. So I said '
Well stay here with me and <the current owner> can go', but she didn't remember
the way back. So I said 'OK, you two stay here and I'll go', but I was worried l
eaving them with <Guide B> because he was still getting aggressive. <the current
owner> said 'Don't worry <Guide A>, I'll keep the big lock in my hand as a weap
on if anything happens.' So I left them and ran to call an ambulance. I was gone
only for ten minutes and when I returned <Guide B> was returning to his old sel
f.
:: Further Evidence
The above testamonial is only one of many that we have aquired regarding the who
le incident. We have only published one to give you an idea about what happened.
But you must appreciate this is only one perspective. There are many others. Th
ere is also a recording of the entire incident on tape.
:: The Tape
As yet we have not been able to aquire the tape to listen to it and take samples
, but hopefully we will in the future as our source of the information has a cop
y of the cassette tape.
Our source informs us that the tape basically plays silence for a while once the
y have settled. You will then hear a series of footsteps and a loud scream. This
is then followed by groaning noises and heavy breathing. You can also hear the
coaxing that <Guide A> gave to <Guide B> during the experience.
<Guide A> later talks refers to the tape saying that he could hear something tha
t sounded like an electric buggy coming up and going past the tape recorder. The
noise got louder the more aggresive <Guide B> got and just before <Guide B> scr
eams there is the sound of something padding on the floor like a large animal. T
here are no electrical devices in the caves that could have made either noise.
:: The Excorcism
After the fatal night on 2nd November 1985, <the current owner> continued to hav
e poltergeist activity in the caves. Continuously finding locks being thrown aro
und, chalk was being thrown at visitors, cabling was torn down, lamps were throw
n all over the lamp room and they would regularly have to clear up in the mornin
gs before tours. She decided that enough was enough and called in a preist in to
perform an excorcism.
I am intrigued by this because if indeed an excorcism was performed then the chu
rch would have a record of it somewhere. I am yet to find this information.
:: Conclusion
If at all you can call this a conclusion, then I guess read on. It is more a sum
mary of the after events. This case is by far inconclusive.
Many people wanted to do the challenge after the incident because it was publici
sed by Channel 4 television in a documentary called "Is anybody out there" which
featured the caves. But nobody has been allowed to do it since because <the cur
rent owner> was serverly frightened that night.
All the challenges have had their experiences around the period between two and
three-o-clock in the morning. Some people, however, only lasted minutes, or mana
ged to catch the guide up as he was leaving them.
The Police Ghost Hunt in 1976 consisted of four policemen from a local station,
but it wasn't taken seriously as they stayed together and got drunk. Drink was o
riginally forbidden on the challenge.
If anybody has any further information they would like to contribute to this cas
e, please contact us.
:: References & Research ::
:: Source Information
A great big thank you to our annoymous source for supplying Haunted Kent with th
e documented information regarding "The Challenge" at Chislehurst Caves.
Please be aware that this information was NOT supplied to us by Chislehurst Cave
s, and the current owners are unaware of the events that took place in 1985. The
guides no longer work at the caves and are not assoicated with them in any way.
If you wish to find more information on this subject, please contact us directl
y.