I must start with an apology for the hiatus - two years since the last appearance of Pelobates is far too long and I hope that there
can now be a return to regular and more frequent publication than has been the case in recent years. That will be dependent, of course, on the availablity of material, and thus the perennial editor’s plea for contributions, large and small, from all club members. The growth in electronic communication has provided alternative means of disseminating information through websites, blogs and social networking, but there is still an attachment to the printed page which will not go away. I hope that the continuing appearance of Pelobates will justify that attachment and would welcome any comments you have for improvements to your magazine.
In the 1960s,70s and 80s Croydon Caving Club members contributed hugely to the exploration, surveying and recording, of
the hearthstone and firestone quarries of Surrey, and to researching Croydon Caving Club Magazine the history of these extensive excavations. It is appropriate therefore, that those efforts should be acknowledged by the publication in this
February 2009 issue of the first part of Martin Hatton’s paper on Reigate Stone. Part 2 will appear in the next issue.