Stump Cross has many secrets. Learn about our plans to open an area of the caves hidden since the 1800s.
In the age of Google Earth, we sometimes forget that the world still holds mysteries, whether at the bottom of the sea or hundreds of feet underground.
Even familiar locations can yield surprising secrets. And here at Stump Cross Caverns, we're excited to bring an ancient secret to light.
You see, while the caves are well-known and beloved by cavers and casual visitors alike, only a fraction of the entire network is open to the public. Beyond the show caves are a bewildering tangle of shafts, chambers and passageways. Altogether, the network spans 6.3 kilometres.
Most of it, however, is the preserve of men and women in caving gear, braving the wet and the mud in pursuit of startlingly beautiful rock formations.
The good news is that we're planning to open a part of the caves that only potholers know: C Chamber. This will be the first new section of the cave opened in 25 years – and another jewel in the Stump Cross crown.
Read on to find out all about C Chamber: the work ahead, the challenges we face, and the exciting prospects on the other side.
A brief history of C Chamber
C Chamber has been known about since Victorian times – but until now, it's only been accessible to the hardiest of potholers.
The main reason is that you have to crawl through 12 metres of mud to get into the main chamber. Once you do, however, it's a 120-metre-long extension brimful of stalactites, calcite crystals and even unique crystal "pompons".
We want everyone to have the chance to see these wonderful formations. That's why we'll be working with the
Craven Pothole Club to dig out the site and make it accessible to visitors.
As
we told reporters, "The main chamber is nine metres across and three metres high – and it's well decorated with formations. At the moment, you have to crawl through and get over mud that washed in during the Ice Age."
Thousands of years' worth of Ice Age sediment will need to be cleared out. The old mine entrance leading to the chamber will also be opened up.
Not only that: "We might find Ice Age animal remains in the mud – in the 1990s when the main cave was excavated they found ancient wolverine
bones."
All of this is part of our vision for a tour of the caves that has a circular flow. Currently, you walk through the passageways and chambers and then back the way you came.
We believe the beauties of the caverns would be even better served by a circular route – and the opening of C Chamber will be a step in this direction.
What are the challenges?
In a word: digging! Before C Chamber can be opened to the public, it needs to be cleared out.
Some preparatory work has already been done by
Stump Cross legend Geoff Workman – the man who broke the world record for time spent in underground isolation way back in 1963.
Geoff cleared out some of the muck when searching for
the legendary lost lake of Stump Cross. The story goes that this lake was found by the caver Christopher Long in the early 1920s, then blocked off when the owner of the caves wouldn't cut him in on a deal.
Despite the efforts of Geoff and other cavers, there's still a huge amount of work to be done – and all of it by hand.
You see, the clearing of C Chamber is closer to a Victorian digging expedition than a modern engineering project. There's no room for machinery – and even if there were, this would put the formations at risk.
This means these tonnes of Ice Age mud have to be removed by hand, placed in buckets and then hauled out of the caverns.
It's going to take a lot – and we mean a lot – of physical effort. One day, it could be ranked alongside other seminal digging expeditions – from the early days of Stump Cross to more recent explorations by our local potholers.
Why are some caves closed to the public?
Sadly, not all caves can be opened to the public. Sometimes, this is because they would present safety risks to visitors.
At other times, it's because exposure to the public could damage the delicate beauty of the caves. A classic example of this is Lascaux in France. The Lascaux caves contained gorgeous prehistoric cave paintings – paintings that started to deteriorate when opened to the public.
At Stump Cross, we're in a similar position with regard to
Grenade Shaft. This is a remarkable shaft with crystal floors. We'd love the public to see them – but at present, it's impossible to do so without putting them at risk.
Thankfully, other sections of the caves can be opened in future. It's just going to take a lot of digging!
What's next?
We have a small but dedicated team of volunteers ready to start work on C Chamber. It could take two or three years to get ready – but we won't know for sure until we start digging in January 2025. We're also waiting on planning permission from Natural England.
As we told the press, "We're eager to roll up our sleeves, sift through the mud and see what prehistoric secrets are waiting to be told… Who knows what we'll find beneath the surface?"
In the meantime, cavers will continue to explore the network and the caves are open for visitors as usual.
The caves are more than just an underground tour, however. We have a calendar full of unique and memorable experiences, from
fossil digs for kids to stargazing events, from the
cafe and
gift shop to a
cosy cinema.
We look forward to welcoming you to C Chamber. In the meantime, why not
book your tickets for Stump Cross Caverns? We'll see you down in the caves…
