Darenth Wood

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Combfield Drive

Dene Hole A 1m. Diameter hole had appeared in the left hand rear comer of the garden following heavy rain. This marked the top of a 6.15 m. deep collapse, which belled out into Thanet Sand. At the base was a steep cone of surface debris with gradients of up to 30°. A meniscus -shaped chamber was located on three sides of the collapse and at its lowest points were alcoves in chalk. Pick marks were visible showing the man-made origin of the cavity.   We concluded that this was a pit dug to extract chalk for marling. The lowest point reached was 12m. From the surface, but the original floor line lay beneath the surface debris. This cavity was most likely to have been dug as a series of discrete chambers. The dimensions of the visible remnants of the original shaft, together with the overall configuration, indicated that this might have been a Denehole, similar to those known in the nearby Darenth Wood. These holes have been dated to the second half of the 13th century. No graffiti or other datable material was found. In this excavation the shoulders of chalk normally left to support the roof had also been excavated, leaving an unstable structure, which has probably been collapsing for some years, but has only reached the surface due to the exceptional recent weather conditions.

Lanes End

Fox and Hounds

Mabledon,

Gone

Southern Lower Hospital

Transferred from Metropolitan Asylums Board to London County Council