The caves of the Mendip Hills are formed by the particular geology of the Mendip Hills: large areas of limestone worn away by water makes it a national centre for caving. The hills conceal the largest underground river system in Britain.[1]
The hills consist of anticlines of Carboniferous Limestone lying over DevonianOld Red Sandstone, with the sandstone exposed on the summits. When a surface stream running off the sandstone reaches the limestone it sinks below ground through a "swallet", (also known locally as a "slocker"), continuing on its way down towards sea level by enlarging existing cracks in the rock to form caves, and reappearing at the base of the limestone outcrop. As the water changes route within the hill some caves (or parts of caves) are left dry.[2]
There is a characteristic type of Mendip cave, in which there is an initially steep descent, and then a more level stretch ending in a "sump" as the cave reaches and descends below the prevailing water table. The passages below the water table (which may be accessible by cave diving) often have a loop formation caused by the water flowing down a bedding plane and then rising up a fracture in the rock.[2] Few caves on the Mendip Hills are more than 150 metres (492 ft) deep or a few kilometres in length,[3] (with some notable exceptions, such as Swildon's Hole which is over 9 kilometres (6 mi) long[4]), but a number are complex with several levels of passages which have been abandoned by the water, for example those around Cheddar.[5]
The catchment area of the Cheddar Yeo, which rises in Gough's Cave, measures 54 km2 (20.8 sq mi). Dye marking shows that some of the water travels underground for up to 10 miles (16 km), taking up to 14 days to reach Cheddar.
Historyedit
When Banwell Bone Cave was discovered in 1824, it was found to contain a great many animal bones which have been dated as about 80,000 years old.[6]
The earliest scientifically dated human cemetery in Britain was found at Aveline's Hole, in Burrington Combe. The human bone fragments it contained, from about 21 different individuals, are thought to be between roughly 10,200 and 10,400 years old.[7][8]
Archaeological evidence including pottery, flints, hearths, coins, burials and metalwork from the Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman eras have been found in many of the caves.[9][10] A number of Mendip caves were found by miners, for example the Banwell Caves which were opened by ochre miners in 1757.[6]
Many caves in the Mendip area were photographed by caver Harry Savory early in the 20th century using huge cameras, glass plates and flash powder. His work has been described as "...of a quality to shame virtually all modern cave photographers". The 1990 book A Man Deep in Mendip: The Caving Diaries of Harry Savory, 1910-1921 provides a diary made by Harry Savory, explained and extended by his son John.[11]
The caves which are easily accessible to the public are at Cheddar Gorge and Wookey Hole, but the vast majority of the caves require specialist equipment and knowledge. Many of the caves are gated and operate leader systems in an attempt to reduce the damage caused when the caves are visited.[13] Local caving groups organise trips and continue to discover new caverns. Some estimates put the number of cavers active on the Mendip Hills over a busy weekend at more than 500.[14]
Cave divingedit
Attempts made in the Mendip Hills to traverse from one cave to another through the underground rivers led to the development of cave diving; the first cave dive attempt in Britain took place at Swildon's Hole in 1934. The first successful cave dive in Britain was achieved the following year at Wookey Hole Caves, where the last sump is currently the deepest in Britain at 90 m (300 ft).[15]
^(PDF). Cheddar caves. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 June 2006. Retrieved 27 January 2007.
^ ab"Mendip Caves: How caves form". British Geological Survey. 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
^"Mendip Caves: Introduction". British Geological Survey. 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
^"Mendip Caves: Wookey Hole Catchment". British Geological Survey. 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
^"Mendip Caves: Cheddar Catchment". British Geological Survey. 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
^ ab"Mendip Caves: Western Mendip". British Geological Survey. 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
^"Earliest British cemetery dated". BBC News. 23 September 2003. Retrieved 27 January 2007.
^. Rick Schulting. Archived from the original on 12 July 2006. Retrieved 27 January 2007.
^"Mendip Hills: An Archaeological Survey of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" (PDF). Mendip Hills AONB. Retrieved 27 January 2007.
^"Mendip Caves: The Burrington area". British Geological Survey. 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
^Savory, H. and Savory, J. (1990) A Man Deep in Mendip: The Caving Diaries of Harry Savory, 1910-1921, Southern Illinois University Press, ISBN978-0-8093-1623-6
^"History". Mendip Cave Registry and Archives. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
^"Mendip". Protect Our Caves. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
^Hanwell, Jim; Price, Duncan; Witcombe, Richard (2010). Wookey Hole - 75 years of cave diving and exploration. Wells: Cave Diving Group. pp. 338–340. ISBN978-0-901031-07-5.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqr"Mendip". UK and Ireland Cave Lengths and Depths. Retrieved 15 January 2007.
Bibliographyedit
Barrington, Nicholas; Stanton, William (1977). Mendip: The Complete Caves and a View of the Hills. Cheddar Valley P. ISBN0-9501459-2-0.
Irwin, David John; Knibbs Anthony J. (1999). Mendip Underground: A Cavers Guide. Bat Products. ISBN0-9536103-0-6.
Gray, Alan; Taviner, Rob; Witcombe, Richard (2013). Mendip Underground: A Caver's Guide (5th ed.). Wells: Mendip Cave Registry and Archive. ISBN9780953131051.
External linksedit
Mendip Cave Registry and Archive
Council of Southern Caving Clubs
Google Map of Mendip Caves from Bracknell District Caving Club
Cerberus Spelaeological Society
February 26, 2024
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The caves of the Mendip Hills are formed by the particular geology of the Mendip Hills large areas of limestone worn away by water makes it a national centre for caving The hills conceal the largest underground river system in Britain 1 Entrance to Swildon s Hole at Priddy Somerset Contents 1 Geology 2 History 3 Access 4 Cave diving 5 Sites of special scientific interest 6 List of caves 7 References 8 Bibliography 9 External linksGeology editThe hills consist of anticlines of Carboniferous Limestone lying over Devonian Old Red Sandstone with the sandstone exposed on the summits When a surface stream running off the sandstone reaches the limestone it sinks below ground through a swallet also known locally as a slocker continuing on its way down towards sea level by enlarging existing cracks in the rock to form caves and reappearing at the base of the limestone outcrop As the water changes route within the hill some caves or parts of caves are left dry 2 nbsp Stalagmites and stalactites in Gough s CaveThere is a characteristic type of Mendip cave in which there is an initially steep descent and then a more level stretch ending in a sump as the cave reaches and descends below the prevailing water table The passages below the water table which may be accessible by cave diving often have a loop formation caused by the water flowing down a bedding plane and then rising up a fracture in the rock 2 Few caves on the Mendip Hills are more than 150 metres 492 ft deep or a few kilometres in length 3 with some notable exceptions such as Swildon s Hole which is over 9 kilometres 6 mi long 4 but a number are complex with several levels of passages which have been abandoned by the water for example those around Cheddar 5 The catchment area of the Cheddar Yeo which rises in Gough s Cave measures 54 km2 20 8 sq mi Dye marking shows that some of the water travels underground for up to 10 miles 16 km taking up to 14 days to reach Cheddar History editWhen Banwell Bone Cave was discovered in 1824 it was found to contain a great many animal bones which have been dated as about 80 000 years old 6 The earliest scientifically dated human cemetery in Britain was found at Aveline s Hole in Burrington Combe The human bone fragments it contained from about 21 different individuals are thought to be between roughly 10 200 and 10 400 years old 7 8 Archaeological evidence including pottery flints hearths coins burials and metalwork from the Mesolithic Neolithic Bronze Age Iron Age and Roman eras have been found in many of the caves 9 10 A number of Mendip caves were found by miners for example the Banwell Caves which were opened by ochre miners in 1757 6 Many caves in the Mendip area were photographed by caver Harry Savory early in the 20th century using huge cameras glass plates and flash powder His work has been described as of a quality to shame virtually all modern cave photographers The 1990 book A Man Deep in Mendip The Caving Diaries of Harry Savory 1910 1921 provides a diary made by Harry Savory explained and extended by his son John 11 A number of important cave excavations and explorations were undertaken from the 1920s onwards by pioneer caver Herbert E Balch The caves are recorded in the Mendip Cave Registry and Archive 12 Access editThe caves which are easily accessible to the public are at Cheddar Gorge and Wookey Hole but the vast majority of the caves require specialist equipment and knowledge Many of the caves are gated and operate leader systems in an attempt to reduce the damage caused when the caves are visited 13 Local caving groups organise trips and continue to discover new caverns Some estimates put the number of cavers active on the Mendip Hills over a busy weekend at more than 500 14 Cave diving editAttempts made in the Mendip Hills to traverse from one cave to another through the underground rivers led to the development of cave diving the first cave dive attempt in Britain took place at Swildon s Hole in 1934 The first successful cave dive in Britain was achieved the following year at Wookey Hole Caves where the last sump is currently the deepest in Britain at 90 m 300 ft 15 Sites of special scientific interest editThe cave complexes at St Dunstan s Well Catchment Thrupe Lane Swallet Lamb Leer and Priddy Caves have been identified as geological Site of Special Scientific Interest There are also caves within the Cheddar Complex SSSI List of caves editA selection of the better known caves are listed below Name Location Map Length km Depth m NotesAttborough Swallet Chewton Mendip ST56105181 0 22 14 44 14 Aveline s Hole Burrington Combe ST47615867 0 067 16 Site of early cemetery amp cave markingsAxbridge Ochre Mine Axbridge ST429552 0 132 33Banwell Caves Banwell ST38225881 0 097 21 geological Site of Special Scientific InterestBanwell Ochre Caves Banwell ST40605904 geological Site of Special Scientific InterestBos Swallet Burrington Combe ST47095837 0 076 37Bath Swallet Burrington Combe ST47255845 0 078 16 42 16 Charterhouse Cave Charterhouse ST47755620 4 868 17 205 17 Close but not connected to GB Cave Deepest cave on the Mendip Hills Compton Martin Ochre Mine Compton Martin ST543566 0 4 21 geological Site of Special Scientific InterestCox s Cave Cheddar ST46465390 0 1 14 18 14 Open to the general public as a show caveDrunkard s Hole Burrington Combe ST47145839 0 127 18 48 18 Eastwater Cavern Priddy ST53885062 2 8 14 160 14 One of the Priddy CavesEast Twin Swallet Burrington Combe ST47955814 0 274 19 38 19 Fairy Cave Quarry Balch Cave Conning Tower Cave Fairy Cave Fernhill Cave Hillier s Cave Hillwithy Cave Shatter Cave W L Cave Withyhill Cave Stoke St Michael ST65654775 1 17 20 lt 60 20 Many highly decorated GB Cave Charterhouse ST47595623 1 95 20 134 20 Part of the Cheddar Complex SSSI Goatchurch Cavern Burrington Combe ST47585823 0 75 14 55 14 Very popular with novice caversGough s Cave Cheddar ST46705391 2 135 20 90 20 Open to the general public as a show caveHunter s Hole Priddy ST54925005 0 275 14 58 14 One of the Priddy CavesLamb Leer East Harptree ST54325505 0 64 67 geological Site of Special Scientific InterestLongwood Swallet Charterhouse ST48615571 1 65 175 Part of the Cheddar Complex SSSI Manor Farm Swallet Charterhouse ST49825566 1 06 20 156 20 Picken s Hole Compton Bishop ST3968055004Pierre s Pot Burrington Combe ST47635837 0 465 14 33 14 Read s Cavern Burrington Combe ST46825844 1 224 14 62 14 Reservoir Hole Cheddar ST47465447 Length depth to be confirmed following the recent discovery of what is believed to be the largest chamber under the Mendip Hills Rhino Rift Charterhouse ST48475557 0 25 147 Part of the Cheddar Complex SSSI Rod s Pot Burrington ST47215844 0 188 45 In September 2007 digging established a link through to nearby Bath SwalletSidcot Swallet Burrington ST47545828 0 2 28St Cuthbert s Swallet Priddy ST54305050 6 7 14 145 14 One of the Priddy Caves Most complex cave on Mendip Stoke Lane Slocker Stoke St Michael ST66874745 2 18 20 lt 60 20 Swildon s Hole Priddy ST53125131 9 15 14 167 14 One of the Priddy Caves Longest cave on Mendip Thrupe Lane Swallet Shepton Mallet ST60384580 1 147 20 120 20 geological Site of Special Scientific InterestTyning s Barrow Swallet Cheddar ST47135638 1 29 20 132 20 Upper Flood Swallet Charterhouse ST50575576 4 720 20 136 20 Wigmore Swallet Priddy ST55715256 1 0 14 110 14 One of the Priddy Caves Withybrook Slocker Stoke St Michael ST65534715 0 23 26 Upstream part of caves in Fairy Cave QuarryWookey Hole Caves Wookey Hole ST53184802 3 66 20 182 20 Open to the general public as a show caveReferences edit Fact Sheet 8 Rivers PDF Cheddar caves Archived from the original PDF on 22 June 2006 Retrieved 27 January 2007 a b Mendip Caves How caves form British Geological Survey 2008 Retrieved 6 February 2009 Mendip Caves Introduction British Geological Survey 2008 Retrieved 6 February 2009 Mendip Caves Wookey Hole Catchment British Geological Survey 2008 Retrieved 6 February 2009 Mendip Caves Cheddar Catchment British Geological Survey 2008 Retrieved 6 February 2009 a b Mendip Caves Western Mendip British Geological Survey 2008 Retrieved 6 February 2009 Earliest British cemetery dated BBC News 23 September 2003 Retrieved 27 January 2007 Aveline s Hole An Early Mesolithic Cemetery Site in the Mendips Rick Schulting Archived from the original on 12 July 2006 Retrieved 27 January 2007 Mendip Hills An Archaeological Survey of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty PDF Mendip Hills AONB Retrieved 27 January 2007 Mendip Caves The Burrington area British Geological Survey 2008 Retrieved 6 February 2009 Savory H and Savory J 1990 A Man Deep in Mendip The Caving Diaries of Harry Savory 1910 1921 Southern Illinois University Press ISBN 978 0 8093 1623 6 History Mendip Cave Registry and Archives Retrieved 29 December 2015 Mendip Protect Our Caves Retrieved 8 October 2010 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Irwin amp Knibbs Mendip Underground A Cavers Guide Hanwell Jim Price Duncan Witcombe Richard 2010 Wookey Hole 75 years of cave diving and exploration Wells Cave Diving Group pp 338 340 ISBN 978 0 901031 07 5 a b Bath Swallet Mendip Cave Registry amp Archive Retrieved 11 May 2019 a b Charterhouse Cave UK Caves database Retrieved 5 September 2009 a b D J Irwin amp A R Jarret Mendip underground a caver s guide Rev ed ISBN 9780905903125 a b East Twin Swallet Mendip Cave Registry amp Archive Retrieved 11 May 2009 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Mendip UK and Ireland Cave Lengths and Depths Retrieved 15 January 2007 Bibliography editBarrington Nicholas Stanton William 1977 Mendip The Complete Caves and a View of the Hills Cheddar Valley P ISBN 0 9501459 2 0 Irwin David John Knibbs Anthony J 1999 Mendip Underground A Cavers Guide Bat Products ISBN 0 9536103 0 6 Gray Alan Taviner Rob Witcombe Richard 2013 Mendip Underground A Caver s Guide 5th ed Wells Mendip Cave Registry and Archive ISBN 9780953131051 External links editMendip Cave Registry and Archive Mendip Caving Group Council of Southern Caving Clubs Google Map of Mendip Caves from Bracknell District Caving Club Cerberus Spelaeological Society Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Caves of the Mendip Hills amp oldid 1000282411, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
