Many people are unaware that beneath the modern city of Nottingham are hundreds of caves, carved into the soft sandstone upon which the city stands. Yet it is the case that the city has a complex of over 500 caves. Many of these date back as far as the Dark Ages. More recent ones were used  for industrial purposes and even as bomb shelters in the 1940s. It is claimed that Nottingham has more man-made caves than anywhere in the UK and nowadays the cave network has Ancient Monument Protection status.

My wife and I in the caves

So significant a feature were the caves that one of the earliest descriptions of the city in The Life Of King Alfred, by Welsh monk and historian, Asser, following a visit by him in about the year 900 calls the areas Tiggua Cobaucc which meant ‘Place of Caves’.  These ancient caves were eventually used by the poor for housing for centuries  and certainly throughout the entire medieval period.  Eventually this practice came to and end around 1845, when the St. Mary’s Enclosure Act made the rental of cellars and caves as homes illegal.

Heading down into the caves you find areas where brickwork is replaced with the sandstone.

In the caves you can find man made features such as a well leading down from higher up, through the caves and down further.

A well.

And Cess pits carved out of the bedrock.

Cess Pit

Other caves contain underground tanneries where hides would be treated in beds filled with urine.

Tannery

Here is a cave used as a tavern cellar. The ledges would be where the beer would be stored – off the ground.

Tavern Cellar

Some of the cellars were later used to house machinery during the industrial revolution. The Luddites objected to the machines which they saw a threat to the traditional labour force and so they sabotaged the machines. Often the machinery was in the caves and so they would sneak in and do their damage. Someone kept watch  above ground and if the authorities turned up they would drop coins through small holes to warn those below to flee. It is possibly a source of the phrase “the penny has dropped”.

In the Second World War Nottingham was raided by the Luftwaffe and the city used the caves as shelters.

Today you can visit the caves either on  tour or self guided. Find out more…