Caving DPS:Layout 1
5/24/18
MENDIP TIMES
2:26 PM
Page 84
Wonders of Fairy Cave Quarry
TWO of the bestdecorated caves under Mendip, indeed Britain, lie within the disused Fairy Cave Quarry near Stoke St. Michael. The quarry With PHILIP was named after the HENDY nearby Fairy Cave, which probably derives from an earlier name for the area, Fairy Rocks. This cave has probably always been open; Iron Age pottery has been found there. Quarrying began in the 1920s and intensified twice, with the need for building materials after the war, and after 1963, when the quarry was acquired by Hobbs (Quarries) Ltd. The quarry lies between Withybrook Slocker, a large swallet on the road between Oakhill and Stoke St. Michael, and St. Dunstan’s Well, a capped rising once used as a water source by the Bristol Waterworks Company. Over the years, quarrying operations have led to the discovery of at least 27 caves, all forming part of a two-branch system between the swallet and the resurgence. Continuing operations led to the loss of most of them, through quarrying, or blockage by overburden or sediment. For many years the Cerberus
Shatter Cave – Formations
Speleological Society had its headquarters in one, then three, of the nearby quarrymen’s cottages. The quarry manager, Ted Garlick, was a keen member of the club, and so members enjoyed free access once work had stopped for the day. Ted also reported any new holes which had been exposed, so allowing them to be explored before they were lost. One of the first significant caves to be discovered was Hillier’s Cave in 1954. Tortuous passages lead to the decorated Cambridge Grotto, but for many years the entrance was blocked by quarry sludge. Access was regained from Fairy Cave in 1972, although the sludge has now been dug out, providing a through trip.
Shatter Cave – Helictites
Six years later Fernhill Cave was found, with a gallery hung with multi-coloured striped stalactitic curtains. Bulldozed overburden led to its loss in 1964, until members of the ATLAS digging group reopened it in 2008/9, after much work including the use of a JCB. They found that the formations were still in pristine condition, although one large stalagmite had mysteriously disappeared. The most important discovery was made in 1961, when the magnificentlydecorated Balch Cave was found. It was so beautiful that it was named in honour of H.E. Balch, the pioneer of Mendip caving, but sadly, within five years, despite desperate lobbying by cavers, most of it had been blasted away, leaving only a few fragments which give a scant idea of the wonders it once held. Because the quarry lay above a Bristol Waterworks water source, planning permission to extend the quarry was withheld. Gradually operations declined, until work ended for all time in 1972 – too late to save Balch Cave, but giving cavers the opportunity to investigate further sites. They were not to be disappointed. W/L Cave is short but beautiful, with a Pink Pool Chamber and calcite “waterlilies” in shallow crystal pools. In 1969 and 1972 two decorated caves were found in the south face of the quarry – Shatter Cave and Withyhill Cave. In the latter is the celebrated Green Lake Grotto, reached by a very tight vertical squeeze upwards. The effort of passing the constriction is
Phil has been caving for more than 50 years and is a member of the Wessex Cave Club. He has been involved in producing severa
PAGE 84 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2018