UNEARTHING HIDDEN SECRETS OF THE PAST
elaborate way to show off the wealth of the cave owner, such as the caves beneath Willoughby House (Paul Smith’s shop in Low Pavement).
“Other caves have been used as tanneries and breweries, as well as dungeons/jail cells at the Castle and the two jails which existed in the town - one of the gaols was where the Justice Museum is now, and the second at the old town jail which is where the Nottingham Contemporary now stands.
“During the Second World War approximately 80 caves were used as air raid shelters, but most of these were originally used for other functions.
“A few new caves were created for use as air-raid shelters, or caves were significantly enlarged - such as a cave system beneath Nottingham Castle.”
At least one cave network was even used in the 16th and 17th centuries for isolating plague victims.
Mr Lomax says one of the most unusual he has found dates back to the 19th century “when experiments were carried out on tadpoles” - “to determine what impact light deprivation had upon their development”.
“As for people living in caves, there is very little evidence for this. During the 13th century two monks lived in a hermitage commonly known today as Lenton Hermitage,” he adds.
“A second hermitage exists at Sneinton, on the appropriately named street Sneinton Hermitage, but the earliest reference for that dates to the 16th century.
“There are some references to vagrants living in caves on Hollowstone in the 17th century and in fact the caves there were blocked up in 1607 to prevent them from being inhabited.
“At some point, however, the caves became accessible again and were visited frequently including by a group of seven children who died in February 1826 when part of the roof of the cave collapsed.”
Most of Nottingham’s caves are privately owned, and the city council owns about five percent of them.
The majority are in the city centre, where there are “caves beneath properties on every street”, with a concentration in The Park and others on main roads on the approach to the city from the north and west.
Though not all are accessible, some having been bricked up in the 19th or early 20th centuries.
A number of unique and distinctive caves are also set to open in the near future.
Years of work have gone into unlocking the cave network underneath Gigi Bottega, a high-end boutique fashion shop at the Flying Horse Walk shopping arcade, with the plan to open private cellars for people to rent and store wines at optimum temperature, and the potential for private bookings and events.
While a bricked-up cave in the Lace Market, from where a cobbler sold shoes more than 100 years ago, could be brought back into use as a cafe.
“I am certain there are many more to be identified,” says Mr Lomax.
“Some of these may be beneath people’s homes, and are known to the owners.
“Others may be sealed beneath buildings, or under roads. I suspect there are a few hundred still to be discovered.”
The most recent cave was found just before the first coronavirus lockdown - though Mr Lomax can’t reveal the exact location.
“Heavy rain and a broken drain led to a sinkhole appearing in someone’s garden,” he says.
“The owner followed the correct procedure by contacting me and I visited the site to inspect. There was a deep rock-cut shaft with visible tool marks, and when the collapsed material was removed the entrance to a cave chamber was exposed.
“The cave was at least 4m below ground level and could not be investigated.
“However, the ground was reinstated in such a way that the cave is fully protected. I suspect it is at least 300 years old.”
When he started working for the city council in 2008, there were records of about 450 caves - and Mr Lomax has discovered about 250.
“Some caves have been identified during development works, and, if there is the potential for a cave on the site of a new development, there is a requirement to carry out investigations to see whether a cave is present,” he says.
“I also identified areas where I believed there are caves beneath people’s homes, based on previous knowledge, and this led to around 30 caves being identified.
“I also undertook a large research project studying 18th and 19th century property records and through this I have identified more than 200 caves.
“Some of these may have been destroyed but even where the property no longer exists there is a strong likelihood that the cave does still exist, even if it is not currently accessible.”
He adds: “The Covid pandemic has, of course, had a major impact upon development in the city and, although construction has continued, there have not been as many big developments as there might otherwise have been.
“As such there haven’t been any cave discoveries in the past year as a result of development work.
“There have recently been a number of planning applications and pre-planning enquiries on sites where caves are known to exist, and where there is potential for discoveries of more caves.
“Discussions have been taking place to ensure that these sites are investigated so that any caves present can be preserved. With future development in the city I am certain that more caves will be discovered before long.”