Haunting Nights Ghost Hunt in the chilling caves with a haunting history dating back 2000 years
The 5 star Rated EXCELLENT on Trustpilot Haunting Nights team have been invited to investigate the reputed hauntings of this ancient subterranean world 20 miles south east of Exeter and 9 miles south of Honiton in Devon
2 miles of underground chambers and tunnels make up this network of caves, in the pitch black “Enter at your own peril”
The only other place that we have experienced darkness like this was at Drakelow Tunnels which is now sadly closed to the public and had their final ghost hunt many years ago
If you have ever been on a ghost hunt at Drakelow tunnels in the West Midlands then you are going to know what total darkness is like
The Romans were the first to quarry Beer Stone, using slave labour. They utilized the stone for public buildings and local villas.
Quarrying continued after the Romans, with the stone being used in many prominent buildings throughout the Middle Ages and later periods.Working conditions were appalling. When the workers arrived to start their gruelling 14-hour day, 6 days a week, they were greeted by total darkness until along the tunnels, pinpricks of light would gradually appear as children as young as eight were forced to climb ladders to set lighted candles in holes cut in the rock face.Today the smoke burns on the walls, preserved by the underground atmosphere can be clearly seen.Their other duties included feeding the horses while underground.Men women and children were put to work in the caves resulting in many deaths through roof collapses, disease and exhaustionMany people believe the caves are haunted. Both visitors and staff have sometimes witnessed or heard things they cannot explain.Frequent activity reported is the ghostly figures of children, footsteps heard and shadows seen.Are the voices heard, the echo’s from the past resonating around in the darkness of the maze of tunnels?Numerous workers were trapped in one of the roof collapses with a death toll of around 50 poor souls who’s bodies remain trapped todayDoes this account for much of the ghostly activity experienced?The caves were also used by the local cutthroats (smugglers) where many of their ill-gotten gains were hiddenPart of the caves were used during times of persecution of the Catholics as a secret place of worship and a place of refuge and in WWII The network of caves was used for storing ammunitionThe caves were a designated nuclear bomb shelter for the whole of East Devon during the Cold War, 1946/7-1991, when tensions with Russia were at an all-time high.During your ghost hunt with Haunting Nights at the rarely investigated Beer Caves you will be investigating in small groups carrying out many paranormal experiments as we attempt to make contact with those who remain
The earliest workings at the quarry were in the Roman period, initially in open quarries, after which it was necessary to quarry into the side of the hill because of other rock strata above. At this time the estuary of the river Axe provided a safe harbour for the removal of the stone by boat. The Roman section is typified by large arches which support the roof and was hand excavated using picks and wooden wedges. Beer stone was used in the Roman villa of Honeyditches, near Seaton.
The Norman workings join directly onto the earlier Roman quarry, working deeper into the hillside. These have large rectangular columns which support the roof and include several smaller side galleries. In the Medieval period, quarry men worked long hours by candlelight with hand tools such as picks and saws. The quarrymen were also often supported by child labour. Skilled stonemasons would then work on the stone in the caves because it became harder to carve when exposed to the air. In addition, there was a risk of fracturing if exposed to air, because of the initial high water content. After weathering, the stone blocks would then be lifted by hand operated cranes using Lewis lifting pins and loaded onto horse drawn wagons. They would then usually be taken to barges which would sail from Beer beach. After 1540 stone was only quarried for secular building.
After the Reformation, one of the uses of the caves was a secret Catholic Church. In the nineteenth century, the caves were also used to store contraband. Quarrying at the site ceased in the early 20th century
Ghost Hunts 18+
