This site is open to the public.
St Clement’s Caves were formed around 14,000 BC, during the last Ice Age and have been extended through sand mining.
Ever since, these mysterious caves have had a fascinating part to play in the history of the area.
St Clement’s Caves have served as a home, a hospital, an air-raid shelter for up to 900 people and a ballroom/concert venue. Over their long history they have been visited by everyone from The Rolling Stones to royalty.
No one is sure how the long the Caves have been used by man but Enigmatic carvings suggest they could have a very ancient history, and researchers continue to try and discover clues to their early past.
Today the Caves provide the perfect backdrop for a vivid recreation of the dark and often bloody story of smuggling along the Sussex Coast during its heyday back in the 17th and 18th centuries.
