You can almost
see it on the shopping list can't you.
Having saved up your errands for that regular trip to the city centre,
set against mundane things such as
“return book to library” and “pick up new watch strap from the
jewellers”, the residents of Nottingham can add “spend half and hour or so at
the caves”.
For indeed,
there they are, slap bang in the centre, and accessed by the upper mall in the
Broadmarsh Centre, one of the more unlikely tourist attractions in Britain.
Just five minutes from the main train station, they have been brought about
because of the fact that Nottingham itself sits on a sandstone ridge that is
easily worked with the most straightforward of hand tools, and records suggest
that they have existed for over a thousand years, with credible documentation
mentioning them as far back as 893AD. Records suggest that the first occupation
for living purposes could have been as early as the eleventh century.
A seminal moment
in life of the caves came in 1845 when the St. Mary's Enclosure Act forbade
the rental of caves and cellars as homes
for the poor, although judging by the previous quotation, underground
occupation continued as usual.
When the
Broadmarsh Shopping Centre was first commenced in the late 1960's, plans to
fill the caves with concrete had people up in arms and thankfully a detailed
study resulted in the caves being declared as being an ancient monument, with
the consequent redesigning of the development plans to ensure their protection.
Further progress was made in 1978, when the caves were cleared by volunteers
from a local school as well as air training corps, and the first public tours
undertaken by Friends of Nottingham Museum.
During their
illustrious and rather surprising history the caves have been put to many uses.
As well as places of inhabitation, they have been used as pub cellars,
factories and even air raid shelters as happened in the Second World War. Some
have inevitably been destroyed by works prior to their protection, and a
surprising number remain in private ownership.
The current
tours have been carefully planned to take in separate dedicated sections
starting with the oldest part where medieval wells can be found. In the
fifteenth and sixteenth century, what is known as the Pillar cave was the centre
of a thriving tanning industry as Nottingham became increasingly important in
the leather industry, including harnesses, gloves, boots and belts. You will be
told how the stench was so bad that even the rats stayed away. The manufacture
of glass and armour was also undertaken.
Equally
startling is the recreation of the slums of Drury Hill, which was one of the
worst streets in the city, being demolished in 1968. Also fascinating is the
section dealing with the most recent reoccupation of the caves, which took
place during the air raids in the Second World War by German bombers. There are
fine displays including wartime memorablia and even an Anderson shelter. Sand from the area was used to supply sand
bags for the city.
With half term
fast approaching, you may be looking for something just a little bit different
to capture their imagination. When you think that Nottingham and the
surrounding area is well known for the fresh air of the Sherwood Forest and its
captivating connections with Robin Hood, what could be more contrasting than
visiting the Nottingham Caves and seeing how some of the population were living
while Mr. Hood was running around dressed in Lincoln green giving the Sheriff
of Nottingham what for!
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