News - Tunnel vision for tourism (Newark)

Ground-penetrating radar is to be used to find out whether a subterranean system of caves and tunnels exists beneath Newark Market Place.

If they are found they could become a world heritage site with significant benefits for tourism, says an archaeologist and local historian who is working on the project.

Anne Coyne, of Farndon Archaeological Research Investigations, said: “Generations of people from Newark have perpetuated the myth of tunnels and passageways running under the town, but there has never been physical evidence of it.”

It is said that tunnels were created to protect townsfolk and aid movement of arms and supplies during the three Civil War sieges of Newark.

Initial research and radar-plotting of cellars and passageways will be carried out by Trent and Peak Archaeology, who have been doing similar work with the Notting-ham cave system. The project will start on April 2.

Anne, who is working with fellow local historian Mr Jim Wishart, said her research had turned up references to tunnels including some in former Advertiser editor Cornelius Brown’s History Of Newark.

She has found a manuscript from 1820 that refers to a vault beneath a market cross in the Market Place that was used as a jail and could have been part of a larger tunnel system.

“To locate this space and any wider network would be fantastic,” she said.

“They could have been built for reasons of security or as storage for treasures. An alternative is that religious leaders ordered them to be built.

“If they do exist, and I really hope that they do, we are potentially talking about a world heritage site. To my knowledge no town has such a system underneath it.

“Newark already has a largely unrivalled connection to the Civil War.”

Anne said a number of buildings had cellars that extended into the Market Place, including those now occupied by Star-bucks, Toni and Guy and Greggs, which was the former town governor’s house.

G. H. Porter Provisions on the corner of Bridge Street and the Market Place is one centuries-old shop with doors in its cellar that are blocked off.

Newark and Sherwood District Council is taking the lead on the research project, which also involves the town council and business club.

The district’s business manager for carparking and markets, Mr Ian Harrison, said: “For many years Newark people have talked of the mythical tunnels and passages that exist under the centre of Newark.

“It has been said that tunnels exist from the castle to the parish church, from the Chauntry to the church and castle, and from the Governor’s House on Stodman Street to the church.

The council is investigating what is beneath the Market Place so removable

 

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Tunnel-vision-for-tourism

Event - Modelling the Ice Age (Creswell Crags)

As part of National Science and Engineering Week, Dr. David Strange-Walker from Trent and Peak Archaeology will be giving a presentation about his pioneering work laser scanning the ancient caves. The 3D scans will be used to create a mobile application so that future visitors may explore the fascinating gorge through augmented reality. 

Entry is by donation. Sunday 17th March at 2pm in Creswell Crags Visitors Centre.

Article- A new look at world below city's streets (Nottingham)

Underneath the busy streets of Nottingham lies a warren of caves. Now, a unique project has brought long-forgotten caves into the public eye. Delia Monk reports...

STATUES, medieval symbols and even underground heating systems are just some of the things that have been seen in Nottingham's caves this year.

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Expert: Dr David Strange-Walker of Trent and Peak Archaeology by some of the caves at Rock Cemetery, in Mansfield Road, just one of many city caves where he and his team have used cutting-edge technology to create a 3D survey.

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Wonders: A full-size sandstone statue of a goddess figure in Thomas Herbert's Columns Cave. Far left: Medieval carved crosses in the malting cave beneath Broadway, in the Lace Market.

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Sand caves: A laser- scanned silhouette image of the caves in the Rock Cemetery, in Mansfield Road. The cemetery was an underground sand mine in the 19th century.

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The Nottingham Caves Survey, which started in February 2010, has now recorded and documented more than 70 caves in the city.

Many are private, belonging to the owners of the properties that sit above them, and have not been entered by anyone else for decades.

These are just some of the pictures of the discoveries to date, ahead of the project finishing in February. By then, Trent and Peak Archaeology, which is running the project and is part of York Archaeological Trust, will have entered and surveyed about 90 of Nottingham's 500-strong caves.

It has also released YouTube videos that have attracted more than 165,000 hits from 27 countries.

But project manager Dr David Strange-Walker hopes that the team may be able to extend their English Heritage funding for one year in a bid to enter as many of the caves as possible.

If successful, they would widen it into a community project and train local volunteers to try and record as much as they can.

The team of volunteers would approach cave owners and, if allowed in, take photos and draw a brief sketch.

The caves are being surveyed with a 3D laser scanner, producing a full measured record of them in three dimensions.

"We've been quite successful in bringing Nottingham's caves to a worldwide audience," said Dr Strange-Walker.

"Nottingham caves are pretty unique in Britain. There's nowhere else in Britain that has anything like this number or range of caves from medieval right up to the 20th century.

"The project has really started to put Nottingham back on the map for having caves again."

He has recorded a variety of caves over the course of the project.

Some of the finest are deemed to be those that belonged to Alderman Thomas Herbert, who cut a series of caves under his property in Park Terrace, in the Park.

These include Columns Cave, pictured on this page, which features numerous columns and statues of what appear to be Gods and Goddesses.

Dr Strange-Walker said it was also fascinating to visit his herbarium cave, which has a stove in it with a chimney poking out of the ground. The hot smoke would also run around the edge of the cave in concealed channels, providing extra warmth.

Dr Strange-Walker said he believed it had been used as a dark greenhouse for growing plants of some kind, or for entertaining friends in a warmer environment.

Through this study, the team discovered another previously-unknown cave under Mr Herbert's house. This was filled with rubble and rubbish and was split into two rooms, each about four by ten metres. Dr Strange-Walker said they appeared to have been used as wine cellars as they are lined with shelves and partitions.

The team are also hoping to enter another one of Mr Herbert's caves called Daniel in the Lion's Den, which has sandstone carvings depicting the biblical tale of Daniel.

 

By contrast to these Victorian-cut caves, the Rock Cemetery, in Mansfield Road, features an 18th-century underground sand mine.

Dr Strange-Walker said underground burial tunnels were built after the First World War but the catacombs were never brought into fruition and still lie empty today.

Meanwhile in the Lace Market, a medieval malting cave lies beneath the Propaganda nightclub in Broadway.

From: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/new-look-world-city-s-streets/story-14302665-detail/story.html

Article - Wonders hiding under our feet (Nottingham)

THE Nottingham Caves Survey is providing a fascinating view of the city's subterranean architecture.

It has given an indication of the extent of the city's cave system, but also the variety of caverns and the multifarious uses they have been out to.

The images we publish today are intriguing. They cannot fail to captivate the imagination and leave us wanting to know more.

Therein lies the potential of Nottingham's caves from a visitor and tourism perspective.

As well as showing what's down there, the caves survey, which is managed by the York Archeological Trust, has demonstrated the level of interest.

YouTube videos of the caves, large and small, which have been posted by the trust, have attracted a staggering 165,000 hits from 27 countries.

And project manager Dr David Strange-Walker points out his work has "really started to put Nottingham back on the map for having caves".

For many, and certainly those from outside the city, the caves are part of Nottingham's hidden history.

The opportunities to see the caves are currently limited. The Nottingham Caves attraction, (currently closed pending refurbishment of the Broadmarsh Centre), Nottingham Castle, and The Galleries of Justice, give some openings, but the possibilities are surely much greater.

We have said many times that Nottingham has failed to have effective policies in place over many years to protect and promote its wonderful heritage. As a result, many museums and attractions have closed, or access been curtailed in recent years.

A comprehensive strategy is needed to make the most of what we've got in the city and county. The caves survey is another reminder that is much more than most.

From: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Wonders-hiding-feet/story-14302687-detail/story.html

Article - New Romano-British Village appears in Quarry Excavation (Langford)

Archaeologists have uncovered one of the most significant Romano-British sites in the Trent Valley, at Langford Quarry in Nottinghamshire. However, it is clear from the evidence that Langford was a focus for activity from the Neolithic onwards.

Three Romano-British Skeletons were found along with twenty-three further Romano-British graves with no surviving skeletons and coffins beyond outline stains within the acidic sand.

Archaeologist Lee Elliott, of Trent and Peak Archaeology part of York Archaeological Trust, led the research with Peter Webb.

Lee explained that, “We believe this site is a Romano-British village, very few of which have been identified along the Trent Valley – single farmsteads being the norm.  The village appears to have been sub-divided into areas for living, working and burial. The exceptional range of artefacts for a rural community suggests prosperity possibly built on large scale animal husbandry and associated products servicing the nearby Romano-British towns at Brough and Lincoln. “

“For the Romano-British period it represents one of the most substantial collections recovered in the Trent Valley, revealing not only the wide range of animals present, but evidence of butchery and the working of bone and antler,” explained Lee.  ‘’Altogether the findings provide fresh insight into rural life during this period.’’

The remains of a Bronze Age ring ditch (ploughed out burial mound) were excavated. This had been truncated in the past and no associated burials survived.

A unique opportunity

In a unique agreement with Nottinghamshire County Council, Tarmac, the owners of the quarry, agreed to strip all the remaining land that needed to be worked so that archaeologists had the maximum opportunity to examine the site.

An exceptional chronology

The Neolithic to Bronze Age (4000BC- 800BC) was represented by a large amount of flint and pottery from several surface scatters, a small number of pits and a ring ditch (probable former burial mound c.20m in diameter). A particularly significant find was a rare stone macehead.

The earliest discoveries on site comprised Neolithic-Bronze Age artefacts including pottery, flint (including barbed and tanged arrowheads and scrapers), as well as a rare stone macehead.

The Mid to Late Iron Age (400BC- 42AD) comprised a collection of ditched enclosures incorporating pits and circular gullies for round houses and stack-stands (stores for hay).

The most substantial remains on site were of a Romano-British (42AD-400AD) village/hamlet like settlement c.200m by 180m in size. This comprised trackways along which were located several sub-rectangular ditched enclosures containing various forms of activity including building remains, wells, corn-drying, animal corralling/butchery and human burial.

The presence of eight stone lined wells is an unprecedented total for a Romano-British site in Nottinghamshire. They have provided potentially significant environmental evidence and artefacts (including near complete pots). Outside the settlement core lay ditched field systems for animals and possibly crops.

A range of artefacts

One of eight Romano-British stone lined wells that were discovered.

A substantial range of artefacts has been recovered including pottery, metalwork (coins, brooches, pins, nails, buckles), worked wood, animal bone, leather, glass, as well as palaeoenvironmental evidence. This group of finds/material comprises one of the largest and most significant collections ever recovered from a rural Romano-British site along the Trent Valley. Together they provide fresh insights into everyday rural life during this period.

Anglo-Saxon finds included a large quantity of pottery, spindle-whorls, glass beads and three brooches.

Several Romano-British Brooches recovered from site.

Evidence was also recovered of Early Anglo-Saxon settlement (c.410AD-649 AD) in the form of pits, postholes and the remains of sunken floored buildings. A wide range of artefacts was recovered including pottery, glass beads, pins, spindle whorls, loomweights, brooches and animal bone. The pottery recovered comprises one of the largest collections of Anglo-Saxon domestic pottery found along the Trent Valley.

Together with the other finds this adds significantly to the understanding of the cultural wealth of the Early Anglo-Saxon rural settlement of the Trent Valley, with few sites of this type yet discovered and excavated.

During the medieval period (c. 1066AD-1539AD), most of the site formed part of the field system of the nearby village of Langford and was covered by ridge and furrow. Several items have been recovered from this period including coins, lead weights, a buckle, and a mount. This hints at the former wealth of the village which is now shrunken to a small hamlet, with earthworks indicating its previous extent.

From: http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/10/2011/new-romano-british-village-appears-in-quarry-excavation

News - Ancient finds at quarry (Langford Quarry)

Archaeologists say they have uncovered one of the most significant Romano-British sites in the Trent Valley at Tarmac’s Langford Quarry.

Researchers from Trent and Peak Archaeology have found eight stone-lined wells, an unprecedented number for the area, and 26 Romano-British human burials.

They have also found pottery, including Samian ware from Gaul and amphora from the Mediterranean, which date from 1st century AD to 4th century AD.

Other artefacts dating from the Neolithic period up until the 16th Century were uncovered including a rare 3,500 year old stone macehead and three ornate 1,400 year old Anglo-Saxon brooches.

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Ancient-finds-at-quarry

News - Major Roman find near Newark

ARCHAEOLOGISTS believe they have uncovered the remains of a Roman village at an excavation site in Collingham, near Newark.

Researchers from Trent and Peak Archaeology unearthed a range of artefacts during a year-long excavation at Tarmac's Langford Quarry in Newark Road.

Discoveries included eight stone-lined wells – an unprecedented number for the region – and 26 human burials, as well as vast amounts of pottery dating from the first century to the fourth century AD.

Archaeologist Lee Elliott, of Trent and Peak Archaeology – a commercial archeological unit based at the University of Nottingham – led the research.

He described the scale of the findings as one of the "largest and most significant" collections of Roman artefacts recovered in the region.

He said: "We believe this site resembled a Romano-British village, very few of which have been identified along the Trent Valley – single farmsteads being the norm.

"The village appears to have been sub-divided into areas for living, working and burial.

"The exceptional range of artefacts for a rural community suggests prosperity, possibly built on large-scale animal husbandry and associated products servicing the nearby Romano-British towns at Brough and Lincoln."

Archaeologists also discovered bones of animals, including cows, sheep, pigs, horses, dogs and deer, which do not normally survive on acidic sandy sites.

Mr Elliott said the site provided "fresh insights into the everyday rural life during this period".

He added that archaeologists were particularly impressed with the discovery of the stone-lined wells, each of which are about two to three metres deep, because no other site in the region had ever uncovered so many.

All had been built on a timber raft base and animal bone and pottery were found in the shafts after they were emptied of the silt which had filled them.

"The wells appear to be for communal use," Mr Elliott said.

"They may have been built in response to contamination of the nearby river which was used for watering animals and rubbish disposal.

"The number of wells reflects the size and wealth of the community they served.

"The wells have provided exceptional finds including complete Romano-British pots lost 1,800 years ago and well-preserved timbers with toolmarks."

Other findings include several Romano British brooches, 200 coins, iron knives, pins, buckles, rings and lead weights.

The quarry's owners, Tarmac, had agreed with Notts County Council to strip all the remaining land that needed to be worked in one go, so that archaeologists had the maximum opportunity to look at it.

Neil Beards, Tarmac's estates manager, said: "We're thrilled this approach has rewarded us with such significant finds, that may not have been discovered if we weren't quarrying here.

"We really have been taken aback at what has been uncovered on the site."

For more information visit www.nottingham.ac.uk/tpa

From: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Major-Roman-near-Newark/story-13359342-detail/story.html

News - History is unearthed in suburban back garden (Chilwell Hall)

A RETIRED architect says he is thrilled to have taken part in an excavation of historical artefacts – in his own back yard.

Peter Robinson lives in a house built on the site of the old Chilwell Hall, in High Road, a stately home dating back more than 600 years which was demolished in the 1930s.

Mr Robinson, 68, said he was delighted and extremely excited to have been part of the seven-day archaeological dig.

He said: "I'm thrilled to have discovered that there is a little bit of local history literally right under our feet."

In 2005 the Trent and Peak Archaeology unit carried out a survey on the site which sparked Mr Robinson's interest in excavating the remains of the hall.

He then looked at Ordnance Survey maps and decided, after a chance encounter with a representative from the Grantham Archaeological Society last year, to allow them to spend a week of intense excavation, digging trenches to find out more.

Mr Robinson said: "Our garden has been full of diggers and mental detectors this week and the archaeologists have found lots of interesting artefacts, such as pieces of clay piping from the house and foundations.

"It is really like a Chinese puzzle fitting into place."

Chilwell Hall was once owned by the Martels, from whom it descended to the Babingtons. Both were families of estate and position.

The home then passed by marriage to the Delves, of Doddington in Cheshire, and from them to the Sheffields, Marquises of Normandy and Dukes of Buckingham.

Its name is remembered in nearby Hall Drive, off the High Road.

One of the most exciting discoveries of the excavation was a 50-metre-long cellar which Mr Robinson described as looking like a giant backbone of a fish spanning the garden.

He said: "You can imagine in days gone by children running up and down the cellar passageways scaring themselves silly.

"It really is fantastic to have made so many discoveries in a suburban lawn that is hiding years of secrets."

Mr Robinson and the archaeological team have carefully recorded everything they have discovered about the house and plan to publish their findings.

He added: "My wife said our garden has looked like a First World War battlefield for the past week because of all the digging and measuring, but we are both delighted to be part of such an astounding piece of history."

From: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/History-unearthed-suburban-garden/story-13253169-detail/story.html

Festival of British archaeology - Open days flag up Nottingham's archeaology

Nottingham's historic caves network are once again under the spotlight as part of the countdown to the Cultural Olympiad 2012.

Nottingham City CollectionsThe work carried out by amateur archaeologists and antiquarians in Nottingham in the caves and in other areas of the city is opened up at the Museum of Nottingham Life at Brewhouse Yard.

Behind the scenes tours, coin identification and a drop-in session to see the current 3D scanning work in Nottingham's caves take place this Friday (22nd July) with additional tours next Friday, July 29.

The events, part of the Open Weekend countdown to the 2012 Olympics, also mark the national Festival of British Archaeology this weekend.

On show are the early explorations of Nottingham's underground cave network by antiquarian George Campion, whose efforts have done much to help modern day archaeologists understand medieval Nottingham, and the work of 18th century builder, surveyor and architect William Stretton. Stretton was the first local collector of numismatic items such as coins and medals and many of his collection of 17th century Nottinghamshire tokens are now with Nottingham City Council's Museums and Galleries.

The behind the scenes tours of Brewhouse Yard's Archaeology Section, housed in the Waterworks Building, will start from the museum shop at 10.30am and 2pm. The tours include the Nottingham Urban Archaeological Database, to see the modern recording of Nottingham cave sites, and the museum's stores to see objects from Campion, Stretton, Thoroton and other antiquarians.

This Friday Dr David Walker of Trent and Peak Archaeology, based at the University of Nottingham, will show visitors some of the 3D scans produced as part of a current recording of the network of caves. Nottingham has in excess of 500 caves but the main focus of this project will be those which are protected under English Heritage and are currently accessible.

Members of the Numismatic Society of Nottinghamshire will be at the museum from 2pm to show visitors some of the museum's handling collection and to identify any coins, medals or tokens the public bring along. A talk on the Iron Age Log Boats in the collection, including those saved by Campion, will be given on 4th August at 1pm at Nottingham Castle, as part of the current 'Along the River Trent' exhibition.

Tours will last just over an hour and will cost £2.50 per visitor. Advanced booking is advised and the tour will involve stairs. Young Archaeologist Club members and those with objects for identification will be granted free access, for all other visitors normal charges apply.

Councillor Dave Trimble, Nottingham City Council's Portfolio holder for Leisure, Culture and Tourism, said: "The UK Cultural Olympiad runs alongside the 2012 London Olympics, extending the Olympic involvement to many more people and communities and giving us opportunities to highlight our heritage, arts and culture to the rest of the world."

"As the Open Weekend coincides with the Festival of Archaeology it is a chance to pay tribute to many of these Nottinghamshire antiquarians and the modern day archaeology societies whose efforts have contributed and continue to contribute so much to our understanding of the local archaeological record. It is a great opportunity to get up close to real objects, to talk to specialists, get your numismatic items identified and find out what's going on in archaeology in the city right now. Nottingham's caves have been the subject of two recent television features and the open days also give us another chance to discover more about their fascinating history."

From: http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=15369

Event- Seeking to unearth town's past (Bingham)

Residents in Bingham are being invited to take part in a project that could help unearth more about the town’s historic past.

Mr Peter Allen prepares his garden for the dig.

Bingham Heritage Trails Association is hoping to dig about 50 one-metre square pits at various sites, including in residents’ gardens.

The association chairman, Mr Peter Allen, said although the group had completed field walks on farmland, a third of the parish was covered in houses meaning there was potentially more to discover about Bingham.

“There are lots of puzzles about the history of Bingham,” he said.

“We do not know where the original Anglo-Saxon village was, nor where the church was before St Mary and All Saints’ was built in 1225AD.

“Then there are the matters related to the whereabouts of the medieval St Helen’s Chapel and the windmill near School Lane.”

The group has drawn up a list of 42 sites where they would like to dig pits and have started obtaining permission from landowners.

“So far 16 landowners have given permission for 20 pits,” Mr Allen said.

“We also need to find able-bodied volunteers who would like to take part in the project as the trails association has a membership of mainly retired people, many of whom would have difficulty doing the sort of manual work required in this project.

“We will take out the soil and subsoil in 10cm layers. Each layer will be put through a riddle to separate out anything of archaeological interest. The finds will be bagged and taken to be washed and identified.”

Once the group has permission to dig 30 sites, they will put in a bid for Heritage Lottery funding.

Members will be working closely with archaeologists from Trent and Peak Archaeology at the University of Nottingham. Each pit is expected to take a day to examine and gardens will be left as they were found.

Two schools, Carnarvon Primary School and Robert Miles Junior School, are also due to take part in the project, which it is hoped will start in September.

In addition to the dig, the trails association plans to research more of the old buildings in the town, particularly ones that have wooden beams.

The vice-chairman, Mr Geoff Ashton, said: “We have a couple of permissions already but we would very much like to hear from people who live in old houses and who are prepared to let us in to sample the beams and tell them how old the building is.”

For more information or to take part email bhta@binghamheritage.org.uk

From http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Seeking-to-unearth-towns-past

News - Nottingham's caves go 3D thanks to university project

A largely unknown world is being explored under Nottingham. Erik Petersen met the people charged with exploring the city's caves. 

DAVID Walker and Julia Clarke were in the caves beneath the Paul Smith shop in Low Pavement, setting up a fairly expensive laser.

That activity has a slightly sinister sound, like maybe Sir Paul has turned Bond villain and is preparing to release a secret weapon on an unsuspecting world.

But David and Julia work for the University of Nottingham, and their laser is not of the city-levelling variety. It helps them create digital moving images of the cave, which will soon go up on the internet alongside other images that take viewers on realistic flythroughs of many of the caves under the city.

The videos are part of the Nottingham Caves Survey, the two-and-a-half-year project David, an archaeologist for the university and Trent and Peak Archaeology, leads.

"We're about halfway through the project as it stands at the moment," David said.

"If we can survey 100 caves to the standard you see on the website, that would be a good dent and a good advertisement for Nottingham's caves."

They recently surveyed cave number 50.

"That now takes us to a grand total of about 10 percent of Nottingham's known caves," Mr Walker said.

The project was never meant to survey every cave under the city. Instead, it's meant to be a baseline study, a point from which future researchers can study and build.

But they're still trying to discover as many new caves as possible. To that end, they've put the call out for people who might be living or working on top of caves. People have got in touch.

"We're getting better known, which is good," Mr Walker said.

"We're still finding out about new caves that have never been recorded before ... or ones that have been just sort of forgotten about."

There's the Peel Street caves under the Arboretum – a huge underground labyrinth of sand mines.

There's the one in Fishpond Drive, The Park. Set behind a block of 1970s flats, it's a Victorian folly or summer house set into rock. It would have been an up-market Victorian plaything. Figures of Samson and Moses are carved into a bench.

"It's a seriously ornate bit of work," David said.

Other caves, like the ones under Willoughby House, have a more utilitarian, functional look.

One of those was a cellar cave, another was converted during the war to an air raid shelter. "It still retains some of its air raid shelter paraphernalia," David explained.

"And it still has an air raid toilet. Everybody loves a toilet."

They enjoy finding that "time capsule stuff". But Victorian follies or Second World War air raid shelters aren't quite the holy grail.

"The real goal will be to find a cave that we can definitively date as being Anglo-Saxon," he said.

"But there are no caves surviving that anybody knows about."

About 10 percent of catalogued caves are demonstrably medieval.

"I guess there are probably more Victorian ones that anything else," David said. "A lot of the standing buildings in Nottingham are from that great Victorian expansion."

For many Victorian pubs and even houses, something like a cave larder was quite popular.

"As well we see in the rich folk of The Park particularly ... cutting caves for wine cellars, and for show," he said.

"People are using their environment and showing them off one way or another."

Over the years, the showing off has often stopped. Some were walled off and forgotten about. Others – ones that have more public entrances – had different problems.

They've housed the homeless, been used by drug users and generally fallen into as much a state of disrepair as a cave can fall into.

"This has been one of the problems of the caves, as it were," David said.

"They have been increasingly locked up and blocked off over time."

He would like more made of promoting the caves – perhaps with leaflets and maps.

He likes "day caves" and "night caves" – public caves that can be toured by day, and caves under pubs that can be visited at night.

Publicans and other businesspeople who have caves might be more inclined to make the not insubstantial investment of bringing them up to modern safety standards, if they thought people were going to visit.

But that's a debate for another day.

"We're still really at the early stages of pushing that end of it, pushing what comes next," David said. "But we're doing quite well at the survey part of it."

The main goal is to catalogue and help preserve the caves. But David doesn't just want to see them turned into stagnant museum pieces.

"They've been dynamic for the last 1000 years. They've changed over time," he said.

"There's no reason why they can't be used in a more interesting way."

To learn more about the Nottingham Caves Survey and see the cave videos, visit www.nottinghamcavessurvey.org.uk.

From: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Nottingham-s-caves-3D/article-3245141-detail/article.html