Crockham Hill Jul/Aug 2025 Newsletter - Flipbook - Page 32
Godstone sink hole
On 17 February a 20-metre collapse in Godstone High Street led to the
evacuation of 30 households and to the A25 being closed while
investigations were carried
out. Geologists said that a
burst water main had caused
the
ground
underneath
Godstone High Street to
become saturated with water.
This burst pumped a large
volume of water into the soil.
This overcame its strength and
The Godstone Sink Hole Reuters
turned it to a slurry which was
then washed away.
Tandridge District Council organised the response, with support from
Surrey County Council, utility providers, Surrey Fire and Rescue Service,
and Surrey Police. The Surrey highways team worked with structural
experts to determine what needed to be done. They used specialist 3D
scanning equipment to find out what was below the surface and how they
could stabilise and repair the site. They expected it would take several
months.
A labyrinth of disused caves and quarries, and old, undocumented sand
mines, were known to be beneath the surface. Peter Burgess, of the
Wealden Cave and Mine Society, is an expert on the underground mines
around Godstone. He had been advising Surrey County Council on the risks
posed by these long-forgotten caverns. Dating back to the early 17th
century, they have long been a valuable source of flint (used as a building
material), firestone (used for the construction of ovens and furnaces), and
for silver sand (used for glassmaking in Victorian times).
Most of the underground workings closed about 1900 as the industry
moved on to open casting. The caves were all dug before they had to be
properly recorded. People soon forgot where they were and those who
were reminded did nothing about it.
Misleading phrases
