In the underground quarries a lot of graffiti can be found on the walls drawn by the original quarrymen in charcoal, pencil or soot from their lamps. They tend to state the scores from local football matches, the number of pints of beer they owed at the pub, or the amount of stone they had produced. Often they depict people and horses.
The ferret cage in Farleigh Down Quarry
Bowler hats and clay pipes were a common feature
Graffiti showing the date when the quarry was closed
Modern graffiti in Farleigh Down Quarry
A Randell & Saunders stone stencil over some earlier writing
The Cotham Caving Group from Bristol surveyed some of the quarries in the 1960’s, their markings can be seen on the pillars as above
This depicts the steam locomotive used underground in Clift Quarry
Note the ‘N’ of ‘THUNDER’ being back to front – most quarry workers were poorly educated
In Farleigh Down Quarry ammunition tunnel it was someone’s incredibly monotonous job for hours on end to watch for anything falling from the belt as it was transported in the darkness. Near the occasional light bulbs are areas of graffiti obviously written to while away the boredom.
This graffiti is found in Ridge Quarry and dates from the wartime use for bomb storage