Oxlow Cavern
Encyclopedia
Oxlow Cavern is a part-natural and part-mined
cavern
near Castleton, Derbyshire
, England
. It is situated on the south side of the road running from the A623 at Sparrowpit
to the Winnats Pass
, west of Castleton, and is almost opposite Giant's Hole
on the other side of the road. A few yards from Oxlow Cavern is the connecting Maskill Mine.
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
cavern
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
near Castleton, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is situated on the south side of the road running from the A623 at Sparrowpit
Sparrowpit
Sparrowpit is a small hamlet between Chapel-en-le-Frith and Peak Forest in the High Peak area of the Peak District, Derbyshire, England.The name is derived from 'spar row pit' from the fluorspar mines....
to the Winnats Pass
Winnats Pass
Winnats Pass is in the High Peak area of the English county of Derbyshire. It lies to the west of the village of Castleton, in the National Trust's High Peak Estate. The road winds through a cleft, surrounded by towering limestone pinnacles...
, west of Castleton, and is almost opposite Giant's Hole
Giant's Hole
Giant's Hole is a well-known cave near Castleton in Derbyshire, consisting mostly of largepassages. It is part of the Karst topography of the area. There is a complex system connecting the caves to Oxlow Cavern and Maskhill Mine to the south. The Entrance Series is easily accessible making it a...
on the other side of the road. A few yards from Oxlow Cavern is the connecting Maskill Mine.
Description
It is a fine "vertical" cave which is dry, deep, and mostly in big passage formed within a mineral vein. Entering via a 17.5 metres (57.4 ft) mine shaft of small dimensions, which leads down past a mined level, the explorer emerges at the top of a slope in a natural vein cavity. Two further pitches lead down to a col 70 metres (229.7 ft) below the entrance, where there are two ways on. To the East, a descent continues down into the very large East Chamber, and to the west, the impressive West Swirl Passage leads down at 45° to the base of the fourth pitch and the massive West Chamber. A passage at the far end of West Chamber links through to the bottom of Maskhill Mine. The fourth pitch, which is a climb in the West Antechamber wall, reaches a crawl heading north away from the vein into the New Oxlow Series and the long, very tight and wet connection to Giant's Hole.Surveys
- JS Beck, A dyeline printed survey published Hitch n Hike, Bamford, Derbyshire
- (PB Chamber) Cave Diving GroupCave Diving GroupThe Cave Diving Group is a United Kingdom-based diver training organisation specialising in cave diving.The CDG was founded in 1946 by Graham Balcombe, making it the world's oldest continuing diving club...
Newsletter #107 (p30) Apr. 1993