Nottingham's Underground Caves

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Nottingham's Underground Cave City Uncovered with Lasers



The labyrinthine complex of caves under the city of Nottingham certainly has history, from giving passage to sieging soldiers in the 1300s to housing an underground butcher centuries later. Now it's all been mapped, thanks to a thorough 3D laser scan.

Above is a complete map of the Peel Street Caves, a former sand mine that was utilized as an air raid shelter during World War II. Some of the houses on the residential streets above the caves have basements that open directly into them, which sounds like just about the coolest damn thing a kid could ever find in a basement. I mean, I was excited when I found my dad's old trumpet in the basement, much less an entrance to an incredible historic cave complex. For example....



That's Mortimer's Hole, a craglike entrance through which the soldiers of Edward III supposedly entered the castle at Nottingham and captured Roger de Mortimer in 1330. It's one of many fascinating historical tidbits to be found at the Nottingham Cave Survey, which is using a laser scanner to meticulously catalog the shape and surface of the entire cave complex. Here's a walkthrough:



The project has catalogued over 450 sandstone caves under Nottingham, though Goose Gate sounds particularly intriguing:

Goose Gate is a large cave system of varying date. The system includes a malt kiln complex and well, and a butchery of 19th century date. There are a number of interesting medieval sandstone pillars within this system.The caves and premises above them are currently being developed for a restaurant and bar. Customers will be able to dine in the caves!

Dining in the caves? That's verging on a little too uncovered. [ Nottingham Cave Survey via BLDG Blog via io9 ]

[Pistonsbeneath]

two amazing notts caves...merked some amazing butchers

[alphacat]

One can only imagine the smell of hundreds of medieval warriors penned up in a cave...

I already know that someone has to have thrown parties down there though.

[.onelove.]

Been in Notts for a year, my life resolves around a 20 minute triangle between the Uni, Accommodation and Stealth.

[FilthyDub]

Awesome place, wish i could go there. Though i'd have to wait til' moneys starting to flow..
Expensive to fly from sweden.

[Y_H]

Would love to explore that!

[mercules]

My bar's cellar is part of the caves and leads to the complex. Wicked to explore and properly haunted aswell.

[Pistonsbeneath]

My bar's cellar is part of the caves and leads to the complex. Wicked to explore and properly haunted aswell.

haunted by who?

digital mystikz?

[alphacat]

My bar's cellar is part of the caves and leads to the complex. Wicked to explore and properly haunted aswell.

We demand photos, bruv! ASAP!

[cosmic_surgeon]

Looks well cool, had no idea Notts had these. Will be reaching Notts sometime over summer I think, is there any cool little touristy walk around thing you can do?

[mercules]

You can go on a tour of the caves from Nottingham Castle

[NilsFG]

My bar's cellar is part of the caves and leads to the complex. Wicked to explore and properly haunted aswell.

haunted by who?

digital mystikz?

COOKIE MONSTA!

Now we know where he came from.

Could be dza aswell.

[laurent__duval]

My bar's cellar is part of the caves and leads to the complex. Wicked to explore and properly haunted aswell.

moog?

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Oddly enough, about 14 miles away...

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/ ... ticle.html

Has CCTV captured the hand of salon's mischievous ghost?

IT'S enough to make your customers' hair stand on end.

Staff at Derby salon Sally Montague believe they have caught a ghost on a security camera.

Workers at the Iron Gate hairdresser were checking CCTV footage after a receptionist had her phone stolen, and were shocked to see a ladder moving on its own.

On closer inspection, they saw what appeared to be a hand materialise at the side of the ladder and pull it.

Directly beneath the corner where the ghostly goings-on happened is a secret underground tunnel leading to the cathedral, thought to have been used by nuns hundreds of years ago.

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/sport ... ticle.html >You can watch a video of the CCTV footage here.

Salon owner Sally Montague said: "What we've caught on camera is very strange and I can't think of a logical explanation. None of us can work it out.

"It doesn't frighten me because strange things are always happening, like items going missing. But I definitely wouldn't want to spend a night there on my own."

Linda Sayers, area manager for Sally Montague, said it was not the first time something strange had happened in the salon.

She said: "Once we were sat in the back office and the printer started going, even though it wasn't switched on at the mains. I know it sounds corny, but we feel there has been something here for years and that it looks after us.

"None of the staff have ever felt threatened.

"We read in a Derby history book that there used to be a tunnel from the cellar which led to the cathedral. You can see a faint outline of where it was bricked up."

She said staff did not check the CCTV footage often, only when needed. She added: "There are probably lots of things we have missed."

Local historian and ghosthunter Richard Felix said the Iron Gate building was known to be haunted.

He said: "It is haunted by a nun that has been seen by many people there before. Some say it is a grey woman. I am not surprised that staff have reported spooky things happening.

"However, I have yet to see actual, convincing CCTV footage of a ghost so I am very interested in studying it. It sounds very exciting.

He said that he did not know of a tunnel, but he could see no reason why there would not be.

"There are lots of underground tunnels in the city centre, and this one would definitely account for the possibility of the ghost being a nun," he said.

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Article on laser-scanning the caves with really cool pics...

... and more info about the project.