Visit was kindly arranged by Graham Old of the local caving association who holds the keys to the surface entrance. Access is via a 54 foot fixed steel ladder in a very narrow shaft. Some history taken from the subbrit website: The Reading district, renowned for its brickmaking industries, has in common with extensive parts of north Kent, south-east London, and other areas such as the Sudbury district in Suffolk, numerous chalk mines worked below, and in conjunction with, brickfields. Apart from Emmer Green, chalk mines are known at various places in and around Reading. The partial collapse of those at Field Road, Coley in western Reading, caused extensive damage in the first two years of the 21st century, followed a year later by further ground collapses in Palmer Park on the east side of the town. Further into Berkshire, chalk mines in the Newbury district, especially at Yattendon, have been investigated in recent years.
Full history of the mine can be found here: http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/h/hanover_chalk_mine/index.shtml
