Betchworth Quarry and Lime Kilns

A former quarry with lime kilns now serving as bat roosts, featuring species-rich chalk grassland and diverse flora.

Once a busy industrial site, Betchworth Quarry and Lime Kilns have been reclaimed by nature to become one of Surrey’s most visually dramatic and ecologically important reserves. Managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust, the reserve features striking white chalk cliffs, open scrubland, and the preserved ruins of 19th-century lime kilns, now surrounded by wild orchids, nesting birds, and butterflies. This unique blend of history and habitat makes Betchworth a paradise for photographers drawn to contrast: decaying stone meets blooming life, and echoes of the past provide the stage for nature’s return.

Textures of Time and Wildness

Betchworth’s visual power comes from contrast—smooth chalk cliffs against the sky, weathered lime kiln walls next to delicate wildflowers, kestrels soaring above the kiln chimneys. These historic structures offer powerful foregrounds and frames for wildlife photography. Macro opportunities abound with rare chalk grassland insects and orchids, while birds of prey and green woodpeckers add dynamic action to wide frames. Moody days work beautifully here, emphasizing texture, shadow, and rewilding.

Best Times to Visit:

  • Spring: Wildflowers emerging through stone cracks; kestrels active around kiln ruins

  • Summer: Peak for chalkhill blues, marbled whites, and six-spot burnet moths

  • Autumn: Ivy-covered ruins in warm tones; seedheads and evening light on chalk faces

  • Winter: Dramatic shadows from the cliffs and kiln arches; occasional snipe in low-lying scrub

Plan Your Visit

  • Park near Box Hill & Westhumble Station or Betchworth village; access via footpaths

  • Take care on uneven terrain and near the edges of old quarry faces

  • Afternoon light brings out the best contrast on kiln walls and white chalk

  • Bring both macro and telephoto lenses to capture close detail and cliffside movement

Did you know?

The Betchworth Lime Kilns are Scheduled Ancient Monuments—protected for their industrial heritage. Their rewilding is a conservation success: they now host nesting birds and are surrounded by rare flora that thrives in thin, chalky soils. It’s a living monument where industry and ecology meet.