Clearwell Caves

Clearwell
Map showing the location of Clearwell
Location Clearwell, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
Coordinates 51°46′16″N 2°36′52″W / 51.77111°N 2.61444°W / 51.77111; -2.61444Coordinates: 51°46′16″N 2°36′52″W / 51.77111°N 2.61444°W / 51.77111; -2.61444
Entrances 1
Access Public
Lighting Yes
Visitors Yes
Features Ochre. Lake
Equipment inside the now preserved Clearwell Mine.
Pool of water within the mine. Note the red ochre colour of the roof

Clearwell Caves, at Clearwell in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, is a natural cave system which has been extensively mined for iron ore. It now operates primarily as a mining museum. The caves are part of a Natural England designated Site of Special Scientific Interest and the notification includes parts of Clearwell along with Old Bow, Lambsquay and Old Ham mine complexes.[1]

Mining

The caves were formed by underground streams from around 180 million years ago.[2] They have been mined for iron ore from Iron Age times Circa 100BC increasing from Roman times[3] and extensively in the last century, which considerably enlarged and extended the network of natural caverns. Ochre has been mined here for even longer.[4]

The nearby scowles at the Secret Forest and Puzzlewood represent similar shallow mines which have been exposed from above.

The mine is still worked intermittently to produce coloured ochres for use as natural pigments. These are washed and milled for sale in the mine's own shop. A range of ochre colours are available, from golden yellow to English Reds. Clearwell is also known as one of the few locations where the rare purple ochre may be found.

Nine chambers are easily accessible from ground level, and represent the earliest workings of the mine. A network of much deeper chambers can be visited in the presence of a guide and with appropriate caving equipment for safety. The upper caves are open to the public.

Recreational use

The caves have been used as a Santa's Grotto at Christmas time for many years, for easter egg hunts and in the summer barbecues, concerts and theatrical performances have been hosted in the upper caves. One chamber is large and well-ventilated enough to permit underground functions. Parts of the Doctor Who episodes "The Christmas Invasion" (2005), "The Satan Pit" (2006) and "Time of Angels" / "Flesh and Stone" (2010) were filmed in the caves,. All the underground scenes of the BBC series "Merlin", were filmed in the Caves. The Caves and nearby quarry at Clearwell have also long been used for filming science fiction scenes, such as in Blake's 7. The caves featured substantially in the children's series "The Changes" and "The Jensen Code" among many others.

Reported paranormal activity

Claims of paranormal phenomena at the caves have been made over the years. These include reports of the sound of metal clanging in the distance[5] and reported sightings of an old miner and the sound of footsteps and pick axes working.

See also

Old Bow And Old Ham Mines

Notes

  1. ↑ Natural England SSSI information on the citation, map and units of assessment
  2. ↑ Clearwell Caves, Geology
  3. ↑ Clearwell Caves
  4. ↑ Clearwell Caves, Ochre
  5. ↑ "Clearwell Caves". Xmotu - Haunted Places in the UK. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
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