Caves · Yorkshire & the Humber
Speedwell Cavern
Speedwell Cavern is one of the four show caves in Castleton, Derbyshire, England. The cave system consists of a horizontal lead miners' adit (a level passageway driven horizontally into the hillside)
David Hawgood — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 45 min–1.5 h
About
Speedwell Cavern is one of the four show caves in Castleton, Derbyshire, England. The cave system consists of a horizontal lead miners' adit (a level passageway driven horizontally into the hillside) 200 metres (660 ft) below ground leading to the cavern itself, a limestone cave. The narrow adit is permanently flooded, so after descending a long staircase, access to the cave is made by boat. At the end of the adit, the cavern opens up with fluorspar veins, stalactites and stalagmites, and the so-called "Bottomless Pit". This chamber has an underground lake with a 20 metres (66 ft) high waterfall and an extremely deep vertical shaft, now choked to within 20 metres (66 ft) of the surface by rock spoil dumped by miners, after driving the continuation of the canal to the natural streamway beyond, which provided the bulk of the water for the canal. The original depth of the shaft has been estimated, from the amount of spoil placed in the shaft over the years, at around 150 metres (490 ft). The mine was developed in the 1770s but the limited lead ore deposits meant that it was not profitable and it was closed down by 1790. At the foot of Winnats Pass, it is a tourist attraction with an underground boat trip to the cavern. Originally the guide propelled the boat by pushing against the walls with his hands, later the boat was legged through, and now it is powered by an electric motor. A connection was discovered in 2006 between the Speedwell Cavern system and Titan, the largest…
Photo gallery
From the Wikipedia article
Speedwell Cavern is one of the four show caves in Castleton, Derbyshire, England. The cave system consists of a horizontal lead miners' adit (a level passageway driven horizontally into the hillside) 200 metres (660 ft) below ground leading to the cavern itself, a limestone cave. The narrow adit is permanently flooded, so after descending a long staircase, access to the cave is made by boat. At the end of the adit, the cavern opens up with fluorspar veins, stalactites and stalagmites, and the so-called "Bottomless Pit". This chamber has an underground lake with a 20 metres (66 ft) high waterfall and an extremely deep vertical shaft, now choked to within 20 metres (66 ft) of the surface by rock spoil dumped by miners, after driving the continuation of the canal to the natural streamway beyond, which provided the bulk of the water for the canal. The original depth of the shaft has been estimated, from the amount of spoil placed in the shaft over the years, at around 150 metres (490 ft). The mine was developed in the 1770s but the limited lead ore deposits meant that it was not profitable and it was closed down by 1790. At the foot of Winnats Pass, it is a tourist attraction with an underground boat trip to the cavern. Originally the guide propelled the boat by pushing against the walls with his hands, later the boat was legged through, and now it is powered by an electric motor. A connection was discovered in 2006 between the Speedwell Cavern system and Titan, the largest natural shaft in the UK, which is 141.5 metres (464 ft) high.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
- Coordinates
- 53.3414, -1.7921
- Address
- Castleton, Derbyshire, England
- Official site
- www.speedwellcavern.co.uk
Sources
- wikipedia: Speedwell Cavern (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Featured in this guide
Other places nearby
Loading nearby places…
Nearby
📷 3Mountains & hills · Yorkshire & the Humber
Peakshole Water
Peakshole Water is a stream in the Derbyshire Peak District of England, named after its source, Peak Cavern. It flows through the village of Castleton to join the River Noe in nearby Hope. Despite its
📷 3Memorials & monuments · Yorkshire & the Humber
Odin Mine
Odin Mine is a disused lead mine in the Peak District National Park, situated at grid reference SK133835. It lies on a site of 25 hectares near the village of Castleton, England. It is the oldest docu
📷 3Memorials & monuments · Yorkshire & the Humber
Toll Bar Cottage
Toll Bar Cottage is a 17th-century grade II listed cottage on Cross Street in Castleton, Derbyshire.
📷 3Mountains & hills · Yorkshire & the Humber
High Peak Estate
The High Peak Estate is an area of Pennine moorland in the ownership of the National Trust in the Dark Peak area of Derbyshire, England. The National Trust High Peak Estate is to be known as the 'Dark
📷 3Mountains & hills · Yorkshire & the Humber
Bradwell Brook
Bradwell Brook is a stream in the Derbyshire Peak District, originating in Bradwell, in a cave known as Bagshawe Resurgence.
📷 3Mountains & hills · Yorkshire & the Humber
Deadman's Clough
Deadman's Clough is a stream in the civil parish of Hazlebadge in the Derbyshire Peak District. The stream rises to the south of Bradwell, where it meets the Bretton Brook to the west of Abney.
More caves in this region
📷 3Caves · Yorkshire & the Humber
Blood Pot
Blood Pot is a cave in the United Kingdom.
📷 3Caves · Yorkshire & the Humber
Excalibur Pot
Excalibur Pot is a cave in the United Kingdom.
📷 3Caves · Yorkshire & the Humber
Fell Pot Hole
Fell Pot Hole is a cave in the United Kingdom.
📷 3Caves · Yorkshire & the Humber
Gamma Pot
Gamma Pot is a cave in the United Kingdom.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Speedwell Cavern?
- Speedwell Cavern is in Yorkshire & the Humber, in the United Kingdom — coordinates 53.3414°, -1.7921°.