Beer Quarry Caves

Conducted tours by trained guides, give the visitor an hour long tour of this vast man-made

complex of underground caverns, created by centuries of quarrying the famous Beer stone.

The underground quarry first worked by the Romans, supplied stone for 24 cathedrals

including Exeter and St. Pauls, parts of Westminster Abbey, theTower of London,Hampton

Court and Windsor Castle. Quarried by hand, the smallest blocks weighing 4 tons, the stone
was carted on horse-drawn wagons and by barges from Beer beach,to its destination,

sometimes involving journeys of several hundreds of miles.

Beer Stone was much prized by the stone masons, freshly quarried it is ideal for fine detail

carvings, but hardens on exposure to the air, turning a beautiful creamy white colour.

Although seen today by the thousands of people who visit these famous buildings, sadly few
stop to wonder where the stone came from, or give even a passing thought to the generations of
local families who worked here under appalling conditions by the light of tallow candles.

The entrance leads directly into the Roman section, which now houses a small museum

containing pieces of Beer Stone carved centuries ago by skilled masons, the tools used by

the quarrymen, copies of ancient documents and photographs. From this very chamber the

Romans quarried the first blocks of Beer Stone to build their villas, leaving typical Roman

arches, even their tool-marks are still visible on the walls. On through the Saxon part of the

workings to where the Normans quarried stone for castles , cathedrals and manor houses.

The sheer grandeur of the mighty halls, vaulted roofs and massive supporting pillars of

natural stone are awe-inspiring and have often been likened to a vast underground cathedral.

A refuge and place of worship for Catholics during times of persecution, hiding place for

contraband during the days when Beer was home to the infamous smuggler Jack Rattenbury,

legend and human interest stories abound. The quarry was worked from Roman times until
the beginning of the 20th. century without any machinery and the entire complex is a vast
memorial to those from the village, some as young as eight years old, who worked here over
the centuries,providing the stone we see today in many of the oldest and most beautiful

buildings in England.

See for yourself the methods used to quarry and deliver the huge blocks of stone, the

working conditions, the hardships endured and the dangers faced daily by the workforce

and you may never again see a famous building with the same eyes