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Summary

Subterranean shaft, tunnels and cave from probable 19th century chalk quarrying, discovered during the construction of the M4 in 1970 and backfilled

Other Statuses and Cross-References

• Berkshire SMR No. (pre 2000): 03891.00.000
  

Monument Type(s):

• CHALK PIT (19th century to Edwardian - 1801 AD to 1910 AD?)
• MINE (19th century to Edwardian - 1801 AD to 1910 AD?)

Full Description

CHALK MINES DISCOVERED DURING THE BUILDING OF THE M4 IN 1970. A SHAFT 48 FT DEEP AND 5 FT WIDE APPARENTLY LED TO A CAVERN 65 X 30 FT IN PLAN AND 20 FT HIGH. A COPY OF A SITE SURVEY IS HELD IN NEWBURY MUSEUM.
AT LEAST 2 BUCKETS WERE FOUND IN THE CAVERN AT THE CHALK MINES NEAR HERMITAGE. PICTURED IN NEWBURY WEEKLY NEWS 28/8/70.

An engineering report about the construction of the motorway <1> described how a void was detected during pile driving for a bridge at Furze Hill, and a deep hole then appeared in August 1970 following heavy rain. A shaft led to two underground chambers, and the presence of buckets, bottles and other debris confirmed that these were man-made excavations. An early 20th century Mobil Oil can was found in the heading at the end of the loose chalk, indicating that the workings were open up until this time.

Acts of Parliament passed in 1872 required that a record of abandoned mines be deposited with the authorities, but no record of mines in Hermitage existed <1>. Although local knowledge indicated that shafts were often sunk in arable fields in the 19th century in order to excavate chalk for spreading over the land, it was considered that the Hermitage Chalk mines were unlikely to have been opened for agricultural purposes. The workings were more likely to be connected to the former brickworks about half a mile to the southeast of the motorway bridge. The Pinewood works flourished at the beginning of the 20th century.

Sources and further reading

Related Monuments

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

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