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Sunday, September 16, 2007

Foxenden Quarry Shelter, Guildford

This air raid shelter is located in a disused quarry near the centre of Guildford. It was commissioned at the beginning of WW2 by Surrey council, along with shelters at Coulsdon, Kenley, Epsom Downs and Ashley Road, Epsom. In a similar construction to the others, this tunnel takes the form of two main parallel corridors with a number of interconnecting tunnels. The majority is brick / concrete lined with some of the interconnecting tunnels remaining unlined. Conditions inside are surprisingly good, graffiti is minimal and many original signs are still in place.


These tunnels used to be opened to the public for Heritage Open Days, but for health & safety reasons they are no longer opened.

Plan of part of the tunnel system


The first main passage, near the entrance
Some of the signsOne of the unlined, but supported, passages
Another interconnecting tunnel
Looking back down the interconnecting tunnel

Unlined chalk tunnel
Another unlined section
The second main tunnel

Gents' toilets
Remains of toilet

The ladies'Entrance to marshal's post

These signs indicated the sleeping bays
Looking up to one of the two escape hatches

13 comments:

Colin G said...

Thanks, it's always good to hear from people who have enjoyed looking at the site!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi, my husband and I went into the museum in Guildford today to see what we could find out about the caves of Guildford, the guy there didn't know anything about them at all, which was disappointing, so thought that I would put Guidford Caves into google when we got home and was delighted with what I found on this site, thanks!!! very interesting indeed. Just what I was looking for.

Anonymous said...

Really interesting, because I have lived in Guildford all my life and not even had the opportunity to go down there as it is shut up.

Anonymous said...

hi amazing photos ive been down alot of the caves when i was a kid. do you know anything about this napoleonic fort here 51°13'54.98''N 0°33'51.79''W (google earth. It goes along way down only managed to go down some of the way when we were kids?

Colin G said...

That was the location Pewley Hill Mobilisation Centre.

(http://www.palmerstonforts.org.uk/pewleyhill.htm).

I believe it has now been demolished.

Julie Goucher said...

Also a Guildfordian, I have never been down into the caves. I am amazed the Museum didn't know any details. The person to speak to would be Matthew Alexander, or ask at the Surrey Records Centre in Woking as the staff their are very knowledgeable.

Anonymous said...

there are 2 entrances to this tunnel above ground at yourk road courts but they have been blocked up, the other is in the york road car park at the bottom floor, Nice pics, one day i hope to go in myself ;) got a plan

Anonymous said...

As a kid we used to go play down those tunnels after school, using an opening we made at the York Rd entrance. Each time the police would arrive and shout through the opening (too small for an adult to get through) that they would gice us half an hour to get out...then they would send some dogs in (& they did too!)

Anonymous said...

To the previous poster
I probably know you ,I too went into the tunnels as a child after school ,we broke in through a brick wall by the entrance to the car park
We used to wander round the complex ,which was fascinating ,I do remember being the only one to climb the escape hatch pictured
Very dangerous as it was a very rusty ladder ,it's fixings started to come away from the wall ,however I made the top and Sussed out where it's entrance was ,happy days ,never forgotten ,I do remember the police trying there best to catch us

Anonymous said...

Does anybody still go around exploring lost Guildford? I went to pewley mobilisation centre today was wondering if people had info on this?

Podurban said...

Hi i live in guildford and have some places to explore abandon nursing home, ww2 pill boxes and going to try the foxenden tunnells. I am going to video it cam and drone it. Anyone interested. paulrobinsonjobs@gmail.com

Unknown said...

I used to go into the Foxendon Air Raid Shelter during the war with my parents and sister. We would take rolled up blankets with us, and sleep on the two tier bunks.
I remember there were light bulbs hanging down from the centre of the tunnels roof.
We lived at 8 Linden Road

Anonymous said...

So where is the entrance then?