Inside the historical tunnels under a commuter town

Behind an unassuming door within a road tunnel, Peter Burgess switches on some dim lights in a hidden cave and waits for them to warm up.

It's the darkness and silence of a cave that gives it an eerie stillness, but the one that he is showing us is somewhat unusual - few caves can be found under a commuter town like Reigate.

They have been opened sporadically for years, and ahead of a string of open days, Burgess is sharing his love for the tunnels with another round of curious visitors.

"You think you have gone a lot further than you have," he told Secret Surrey.

He added: "It feels like you have gone a long way, but you could probably go from one end to the other in about 30 seconds on the surface.

"It's archaeology that you can walk around without having to dig. It's there for all to see."

Burgess, of the Wealden Cave and Mine Society, is one of a number of volunteers who helps to hold open day events in the Reigate caves, offering guided tours and sharing some of their history.

The last open day of the season is set to take place on 12 September.

The caves have served many purposes - once an air raid shelter, they have also been a beer and wine cellar, sitting under the aptly named Tunnel Road.

Reigate has two sets of caves, both maintained by the society, which offer their own pieces of history to those walking around them.

In the Reigate Castle grounds, tunnels thought to be the last surviving structure from the castle are believed to have been used as a wine cellar, offering a cool climate to store its vintages.

The Tunnel Road caves also share some of this history. While it was once thought to be used as a wine cellar too, it was also later converted into a beer cellar for the Mellersh Neil Brewery until at least 1914.

During the Blitz in World War Two the caves became a shelter for schoolchildren, using it as an air raid shelter to protect them from the bombs dropping from above.

Nowadays, the caves are more of an attraction and insight into Reigate's history - but still few people know what lies beneath their feet.

"We do still show people around after well over 30 years and some turn up and say that they didn't know this was here," Burgess said.

"The whole structure has been kept remarkably sound and safe," he said.

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