A REPORT ON INVESTIGATIONS IN THE DENEHOLES 3
it. In one hole it is possible to stand on the mound of debris under
the blocked shaft and see the bottom of the rubbish about 30 feet
up the shaft.
All our descents, which have been by wire ladders, have been
made in shaft No. 5. A drawing of this denehole by H. A. Cole is
published in The Essex Naturalist, Holmes & Cole (1887). The
mound of soil in this hole was completely moved in 1884 so that
the floor under the shaft was exposed, as is shown in the drawing.
However, there is now about 10 feet of soil and rubbish spread
over the floor and the mound of debris reaches nearly to the
base of the shaft, which is about 20 feet above the floor. The
rubbish ranges from garden refuse to motor cycles and 40-gallon
drums.
It is our opinion that the mystery of the deneholes will probably
be solved only if new information can be obtained from as yet
unopened chambers. Therefore, our main aim has been to try
and tunnel into blocked chambers; in other words to extend the
Club's previous explorations. The work of tunnelling into new
chambers has been assisted greatly by the independent work of
other organisations, notably members of the Boy Scout Move-
ment. In fact, they have done most of the manual work, A
secondary aim has been to investigate the flora and fauna of the
holes.
Description of Chambers Entered Since 1887
The holes which have been entered since 1887, have been
surveyed roughly by us with the aid of a compass and steel tape.
The observations have been used to extend the plan, which was
prepared in 1887, and to try to determine the most profitable
areas in which to tunnel in order to enter blocked holes. This plan
is shown in Fig. 11. A copy of the 1887 surface plan, with
revisions, is shown in Fig. 1.
It must be emphasised that the plans have been included in
order to make it easier to visualise the work which has been
performed. The original 1887 plan of the holes is almost certainly
inaccurate, as will be shown later; and our own measurements are
only of an approximate nature. It is hoped to be able to re-survey
the deneholes, using modern equipment, at a later date.
It can be seen from Fig. 11 that two more chambers of No. 13
have been entered. These are much shorter than usual, but it
is probably because the roof, around the area of the shaft, appears
to have collapsed. This would account for the large amount of
soil in them. There is a hole in the chalk at the end of No. 13,
which gives direct entry into two chambers of the next hole,
No. 16. That which is connected to No. 13, is probably one of
the primary chambers, whilst that on the left is a lateral one.
The tunnel on the right probably follows the face of one of the
other lateral chambers. Another chamber of No. 16 was re-entered
for the first time in March 1959. The air in this appeared to be
quite good, as was shown by people working in it for about three