Rosherville Gardens Bear Pit

The Rosherville Gardens Bear Pit, dating from around 1837, is a circular brick structure measuring approximately 6.5 meters in diameter and 2 meters deep, with four rectangular rooms of varying sizes extending to the north-east. As of 2013, the bear pit is infilled with earth and not visible above ground.

Originally open to the elements, the bear pit features a round-headed entrance on the south-west side for the bears to enter. The base of the pit retains its original slate floor, and both the inside and outside of the structure still show traces of the original white paint. A semi-circular passage made of brick and chalk connects the south-west entrance to the series of individual brick rooms to the north-east, which were originally situated beneath the main walkway in Rosherville Gardens. On the north-east side of the bear pit, there is a pulley wheel attached to the wall by a bracket, which may have been part of the mechanism for opening the door or for securing the bear. Rooms 1 and 2 still show some remnants of the springing of their semi-circular roof vaults, although the rest of the roofs were removed in 1939 to prevent voids when the area was levelled.

The mapped area indicates the location of the bear pit but does not represent the full extent of the buried structure, which includes the four attached chambers or dens.