{"id":8491,"date":"2014-06-10T10:59:15","date_gmt":"2014-06-10T10:59:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thetimechamber.co.uk\/beta\/?p=8491"},"modified":"2025-03-14T21:33:04","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T21:33:04","slug":"going-deeper-underground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetimechamber.co.uk\/beta\/blog\/going-deeper-underground","title":{"rendered":"Going Deeper Underground…"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s is funny how there is always a song that fits the moment. \u00a0We feel that if we ever made a film about our trips down anything below the surface, Jamiroquai would possibly fit the bill. \u00a0Possibly not. \u00a0It would be clich\u00e9d, but we would be\u00a0compelled to do it. \u00a0Probably a good thing we don’t make videos. \u00a0We wrote last year on how we got started and our memories of the gigantic\u00a0asylums we adored; this time we thought we would talk about the world of derelict underground structures. \u00a0We may even admit to belonging to a society, or two.<\/p>\n

\"Ventilation\"<\/a>
Charing Cross Ventilation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We were introduced to the world underground structures right from the beginning. \u00a0The second\u00a0site we ever visited, after our introduction to Pyestock, was the Shorts Brothers Tunnels in Rochester. \u00a0A mile long air raid shelter and factory on banks of the Medway. \u00a0Looking back, we should have been more prepared and taken something other than a dim AA rated Maglite. \u00a0Hindsight always raises a few laughs towards our newbish tendencies. \u00a0Since then, underground places have always drawn us in like a sink\u00a0hole and we often find ourselves in the car racing the next destination that has just opened up. \u00a0Going underground is not something that everyone enjoys and actively seeks out, but we just happen to like it.<\/p>\n

\"Shorts<\/a>
Shorts Underground Factory<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Above all,\u00a0going underground relies on shear luck, timing and tenacity. \u00a0With access being limited to one or two entrance points it is very easy for an underground structure to be sealed up, or\u00a0be buried over and forgotten. \u00a0Having only one access point is always a risky and you have to chance that you were not spotted going in. \u00a0We narrowly avoided\u00a0contractors bricking up an air raid shelter in Portsmouth. \u00a0There are times when an underground site may be accessible\u00a0for only a handful of days; when this happens the it is not uncommon for the entire urban exploration world to\u00a0pass through and plaster photos\u00a0over the Net. \u00a0Sometimes it is wise to keep a site off the Radar and to a handful of trusted friends to preserve for the future. \u00a0Too many places have been lost to careless talk and wanton forum whoring. \u00a0We only managed to see the Vickers Deep Shelter in Weybridge because of a chance encounter as we passed by in the car.<\/p>\n

\"0007\"<\/a>
Vickers Air Raid Shelter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the flipside, trying to locate an underground site can be very frustrating. \u00a0You can find yourself\u00a0searching through the woods for a two foot square hole in the ground with nothing more accurate than a OS Grid Square, a fuzzy photo of a brown smudge and your own sense of direction. \u00a0Something which we have lacked on occasion, losing us an entire afternoon in the woods. \u00a0It is also very easy to become disorientated underground, especially if you stop paying attention to your surroundings. \u00a0Or reading the map wrong. \u00a0Or confusing your lefts and rights. \u00a0There is a strong possibility that we led a group of people astray down Box Quarry near Bath, only one of the UK’s largest underground spaces, because we turned right and not left. \u00a0But it is all part of the fun, if slightly agitated.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Where are we again? (www.urbanxphotography.co.uk)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The final thing we have to say on going underground? \u00a0Sometimes a permission visit is the only possible way due to the ‘one entry nature’ of underground places. \u00a0There have been a number of old bunkers that we have only been able to visit because a kindly soul opened the door for us, or ex-LU employees who were feeling generous.<\/p>\n

\"Fan<\/a>
Fan Bay, Dover<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s is funny how there is always a song that fits the moment. \u00a0We feel that if we ever made a film about our trips down anything below the surface, Jamiroquai would possibly fit the bill. \u00a0Possibly not. \u00a0It would be clich\u00e9d, but we would be\u00a0compelled to do it. \u00a0Probably a good thing we don’t … <\/p>\n

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