The
Peak Cavern, also known as the
Devil's Arse (called so because of the flatulent-sounding noises from inside the cave), is one of the four
show caveShow caves — also called tourist caves, public caves, and in the United States, commercial caves — are caves that are managed by a government or commercial organization and made accessible to the general public, usually for an entrance fee...
s in Castleton,
DerbyshireDerbyshire 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...
,
EnglandEngland 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...
.
Peakshole WaterPeakshole Water is a stream in the Peak District, Derbyshire named after its source Peak Cavern. It flows through the village of Castleton to join the River Noe in nearby Hope.-References:*...
flows through and out of the cave.
The
Peak Cavern, also known as the
Devil's Arse (called so because of the flatulent-sounding noises from inside the cave), is one of the four
show caveShow caves — also called tourist caves, public caves, and in the United States, commercial caves — are caves that are managed by a government or commercial organization and made accessible to the general public, usually for an entrance fee...
s in Castleton,
DerbyshireDerbyshire 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...
,
EnglandEngland 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...
.
Peakshole WaterPeakshole Water is a stream in the Peak District, Derbyshire named after its source Peak Cavern. It flows through the village of Castleton to join the River Noe in nearby Hope.-References:*...
flows through and out of the cave.
Overview
Unlike the other show caves in the area, Peak Cavern is almost entirely natural; the only artificial part of the cave was blasted to bypass a low tunnel that was only accessible by lying down on a boat. The cave system is the largest in the
Peak DistrictThe Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
, and the main entrance is the largest cave entrance in Britain. Until 1915 the cave was home to some of Britain's last troglodytes (the cave-houses at Kinver Edge near Kidderminster were populated until the 1950s), who lived in houses built inside the cave mouth, and made a living from rope making, while the depths of the cave were known as a haven for bandits. It was supposed to be the place where
thieves' cantThieves' cant or Rogues' cant was a secret language which was formerly used by thieves, beggars and hustlers of various kinds in Great Britain and to a lesser extent in other English-speaking countries...
was created by a meeting between Cock Lorel, leader of the
roguesA rogue is a vagrant person who wanders from place to place. Like a drifter, a rogue is an independent person who rejects conventional rules of society in favor of following their own personal goals and values....
and the
King of the GypsiesThe title King of the Gypsies has been claimed or given over the centuries to many different people. It is both culturally and geographically specific. It may be inherited, acquired by acclamation or action, or simply claimed. The extent of the power associated with the title varied; it might be...
.
Several passages lead from the entrance, known as "The Vestibule". The only one open to the public is "Lumbago Walk", named as traversing it requires most adults to stoop. The route continues through two main caverns, "The Great Cave" and "Roger Rain's House", and into a passage, "Pluto's Dining Room". This is the furthest point currently open to the public, but the show cave used to extend considerably further: down "The Devil's Staircase" to "The Halfway House" and then along an underground stream known as the "Inner Styx", via a series of bridges and under "Five Arches".
At this point, several routes are open to cavers. The main path, to the right, leads to "Victoria Aven", a sizeable
shaft-Climbing:In rock climbing and ice climbing, a pitch is a steep section of a route that requires a rope between two belays, as part of a climbing system...
and on to "Far
SumpA sump is a low space that collects any often-undesirable liquids such as water or chemicals. A sump can also be an infiltration basin used to manage surface runoff water and recharge underground aquifers....
", through which lies the Far Sump Extension. This area was first explored in 1980, but difficult access limited discoveries until routes through from
Speedwell CavernThe Speedwell Cavern is one of the four show caves in Castleton, Derbyshire, England.It consists of a horizontal lead miners' adit leading to the cavern itself, a limestone cave...
and James Hall's Over Engine Mine were opened in 1996. This permitted further exploration, and in 1999 Titan Shaft was discovered, at 141.5 metres (464 ft) the deepest
pitch-Climbing:In rock climbing and ice climbing, a pitch is a steep section of a route that requires a rope between two belays, as part of a climbing system...
in Britain.
The name
The name of the cave was changed in 1880 from "Devil's Arse" to "Peak Cavern" in order not to cause offence to Queen Victoria during a visit for a concert. More recently the cave has been promoted using its older, more vulgar name.
See also
- Neil Moss
Neil Moss was the victim of a famous caving accident in England on Sunday, March 22, 1959. A twenty-year-old undergraduate studying philosophy at Balliol College, Oxford, Moss became jammed underground, 1,000 feet from the entrance after descending a narrow unexplored shaft in Peak Cavern, a...
— famous caving accident in Peak Cavern
- The Devil's Point
The Devil's Point is a mountain in the Cairngorms of Scotland, lying to the west of the Lairig Ghru pass. The name is derived from Gaelic, meaning "Penis of the Demon". The English name is a result of a visit to the area by Queen Victoria...
, Cairngorms, Scotland — also renamed to spare Queen Victoria embarrassment.
External links