Chalk mine workings riddle the ground beneath our feet, and are responsible for most of the subsidence which occurs throughout the city. Here, in Danby Wood, the industrial landscape of a chalk quarry has been transformed into a pleasant little nature reserve that seems to be alive with birds.
You almost don’t notice the entrance to the mine, situated in the side of a bank at the furthest end of the wood. The only clue is the litter strewn around, and the graffiti on the steel door, which has been jemmied slightly open. There’s reckoned to be about a kilometre of tunnels running into the hill, and although this is supposed to be one of the more stable mines in the city, going into it is not recommended
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