St. Clements Caves

These caves are both natural and man-made. Originally there was a series of fissures made by earth movements which were subsequently enlarged by man who had a use for the soft white sandstone. They have a rather interesting history. Certainly they were excavated before the end of the eighteenth century, for in 1812 they were closed, as certain elements in the town were using them for "gambling and horseplay". They were forgotten for many years, until a Mr Scott, who owned the land on which the caves were, was excavating a site for a garden seat. Suddenly his pickaxe disappeared and the caves had been rediscovered.

Mr Scott opened the caves to the public, and later they passed into the hands of one of his employees a Mr Golding. He excavated a new passage as a means of entry to the caves and also made a new exit.

These caves are very spacious and well ventilated. During the war they were used as an air-raid shelter, and harboured up to 500 people at a time.

One of the most fascinating aspects of these caves is the way in which they have been lit with coloured lights, to give a most eerie effect. It is suspected that the caves were once the haunt of smugglers, and creeping silently along these mysterious sandy passages, with their strange lighting, one would not be surprised to come across a long forgotten hoard of contraband.

In parts of the caves, hidden in niches and alcoves, are a series of carvings of historical figures and animals. Of special interest are the Dordogne type reindeer, but needless to say these are quite modern. Certainly the rock is soft enough to make it easily worked by a sculptor.

The caves are very popular amongst the local people, for apart from the underground restaurant, the main hall is used as a ballroom, and now the caves echo to the beat of modern pop groups, when once it might have been the muflled voices of smugglers.

Text from: Tony and Anne Oldham (1972): Discovering Caves - A guide to the Show Caves of Britain. With kind permission by Tony Oldham.