-Mendip
| Mendip caves | ||
| Introduction | Cheddar catchment | Wookey catchment | Burrington area | Eastern Mendip | Western Mendip | ||
Western Mendip |
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| Several old
relict caves occur on western Mendip, the largest being Shute Shelve
Cavern on Axbridge Hill. Originally discovered by ochre miners, the
cave is a large old phreatic passage with much red and yellow ochre.
On the western end of Banwell Hill are the Banwell Bone and Stalactite
Caves. Discovered by miners in 1757, the Stalactite Cavern was open
to the public for a while. The Bone Cave was discovered much later
in 1824 and contained vast numbers of animal bones dating back from
the early part of the last glaciation about 80 000 years ago.
Many other small relict caves occur, some of which have been investigated
by ochre miners. Several caves occur on Sandford Hill, the largest being Mangle Hole. The bottom of this cave intersects the underground river feeding Banwell Risings. |
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