HER 3981 - Chaldon Firestone Quarries : Entrance Pit East Of Quarry Dean

The first pit east of Quarry Dean is one of the twelve entrance pits to Chaldon firestone quarries, of which five have survived untouched or only partially filled. The underground quarries were the source of much of the “Reigate Stone” used for building in medieval London, as an alternative to Caen stone from Normandy. The workings are draft mines, working down dip, up to the water table and then extended along the strick forming a network of pillars and stalls. It was not reworked for hearthstone and some of the older galleries are covered with calcite formations. These medieval pillar and stall stone quarries have 16 km of accessible underground galleries. It is thought that these are the stone pits listed in the Domeday Book under the mannor of Limpsfield. The quarry workings provided building material for local use, and for major civil engineering works in London and the Thames valley, including Westminster Palace and Abbey. The workings have not been damaged after they were abandoned, by reworking or secondary uses. It is one of the best accessible sites of its type in England. See HER 1263, 3998, 3999, 4000, 4001, for Chaldon Bottom Workings, Entrance Pits.

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