Grimes Graves is an area of over 400 shafts dug into chalk to exploit bands of flint during the neolithic period. The name was given by the Anglo Saxons, who presumed the field depressions were a burial field but the 19th century archaeologist William Greenwell correctly identified them as small mines or bell pits. The mines were mainly worked between around 2,600 and 2,300 BC.
The site is a Scheduled Monument and extends over 90 acres. The mine shafts are up to 14 metres deep and at the bottom of the shaft adits extend a few metres until the natural light fades. The site is managed by English Heritage and there is a small museum on site. One of the shafts can also be descended to see the original workings.
Grimes Graves was featured on a set of commemorative British stamps in January 2017 with a value of £1.52.