Editing Dorking (section)

===South Street Caves===

The [[Dorking Caves|caves in South Street]] are thought to have been excavated in four distinct phases. Firstly, three [[well]]s, the largest of which has the date 1672 inscribed on its wall, were sunk vertically from Butter Hill above. The upper level, a network of four caverns which intersects the wells, was dug in the late 17th or early 18th centuries. These caves are linked by a staircase to the lowest level, a circular chamber which may have been used by religious dissenters, approximately {{cvt|20|m|ft|sigfig=1}} below ground level. In Victorian times, the larger caverns were adapted for use as wine cellars. The current entrance to the caves dates from 1921.<ref name=Dawson_Subterranea/>

The South Street caves were sold to Dorking UDC in 1921 and were leased by the council to various local wine merchants until the 1960s. The Dorking and Leith Hill Preservation Society first opened the caves for public tours in the 1970s.<ref name=Caves_Geology/> Dorking Museum assumed responsibility for running tours in May 2015. [[Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Edward]] visited the caves in March of the same year.<ref name=Caves_Geology/><ref>{{cite news |last=Edwards |first=Mark |date=12 March 2015 |title=Prince Edward opens Dorking Caves before going on private tour |url=https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/prince-edward-opens-dorking-caves-8827706 |work=Surrey Live |access-date=29 December 2020 |archive-date=2 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102102128/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/prince-edward-opens-dorking-caves-8827706 |url-status=live}}</ref>