Shute Shelve Cavern is a natural cave system located in Shute Shelve Hill, Somerset, England, above Axbridge in the Mendip Hills not far from Cheddar.
| Shute Shelve Cavern | |
|---|---|
| Location | Axbridge |
| Depth | 33m |
| Length | 0.132km |
| Geology | Limestone |
The phreatic cave contains fossils of speleothems over 350,000 years old.[1]
It was mined for its yellow ochre which was used as a dye in paint making, until the 1920s,[2] which gave it its alternative name of Axbridge Ochre Mine.
Access is controlled by the Axbridge Caving Group via a locked gate and completely closed during the bats' roosting season.
Chamber 1 has taped areas shows scallops to the right and miners supports and a large geode up to the left. Chamber 2 is a large rift with taped off areas for conservation. Further areas are known as Box Tunnel and Elm Street.
Carcass Cave dig is virtually feet away which used a monorail system, ladders and platforms.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Farrant, A.R.; Gray, A. (1993). "Shute Shelve Cavern. Exploration, History and Geomorphology" (PDF). Proceedings of the University of Bristol Spelaeology Society. 3: 283–290.
- ^ "Crook Peak and Axbridge". British Geological Survey. Retrieved 7 July 2009.
External links edit
51°17′40″N 2°49′39″W / 51.294342°N 2.827615°W
 | This Somerset location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |