(The Royal Society for the encouragement of the arts, manufacturing and commerce. Founded 1754)

South West Region.
Chairman Ian Hosker FRSA, BSc,

John James Scott of Beer has recently been elected a full Fellow of this distinguished society.

He was elected in recognition of the role he played in saving Beer Quarry Caves from destruction and opening the caves to the public. 

Beer Quarry Caves are one of Britain's most important and least known archaeological sites. The area of the quarry known as Beer Quarry Caves  has been continuously worked since Roman times and only ceased large scale production in 1920. (Some work went on nearby until recently) This is almost 2,000 years of  history. The caves were used to store naval ammunition and to grow food during World War 11, playing a vital role in Britain's defence against the Nazis. Many of the tools used by the quarrymen, some going back to Roman times and other tools covering the ages in between, have been found at the site. Taken together with the flint artefacts discovered on the surface above the caves, the area actually represents a historic profile that is over 5,000 years old. 

The caves that John Scott FRSA has opened to the public, assisted by a lease from the Clinton Devon Estates, are totally unique. Nothing like them exists anywhere else in the country, and nothing even remotely like them is open to the public. The Society has recently encouraged the making of the first ever full scale documentary in the caves. The RSA is also looking to assist John Scott in his efforts to further explore the caves, and to produce a full written history of the caverns and their intimate relationship with the beautiful fishing and holiday town of Beer, on the World Heritage Jurassic Coast.    

The caves have never been fully or systematically explored. There is no complete map of what lies beneath the hill. How many acres of caverns there are behind the 18 closed entrances no one knows. John Scott is supported by the Royal Society for the Arts, and has been elected a Fellow in recognition of his saving the caves. It is hoped that he will soon be invited to lecture to the RSA in London, to the Royal Geographical Society in London, and to the Parliamentary All Party History Committee at Westminster.

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Kevin Cahill. FRSA, FRGS, FBCS.CITP, FRHistS, BA   (For Global & Western Media Productions, a division of Global & Western News Ltd