University of Bristol Spelæological Society
Encyclopedia
The University of Bristol Spelæological Society (UBSS) was founded in 1919 by cavers in the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...

. Among its earliest activities was the archaeological excavation of Aveline's Hole
Aveline's Hole
Aveline's Hole is a cave at Burrington Combe in the limestone of the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England.The earliest scientifically dated cemetery in Britain was found at Aveline's Hole...

.

The club owns a hut which was formerly a ladies cricket pavilion which was bought for ₤5 in 1919 and moved to its place in Burrington Combe
Burrington Combe
Burrington Combe is a carboniferous limestone gorge near the village of Burrington, on the north side of the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in North Somerset, England....

 where it still stands.

The club maintains one of the largest collections of caving books and journals in the country in its library in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

,http://ubss.org.uk/stables.php as well as publishing the long-standing academic journal, Proceedings of The University of Bristol Spelæological Society.

Following numerous expeditions to the Burren
The Burren
The Burren is a karst-landscape region or alvar in northwest County Clare, in Ireland. It is one of the largest karst landscapes in Europe. The region measures approximately 250 square kilometres and is enclosed roughly within the circle made by the villages Ballyvaughan, Kinvara, Tubber, Corofin,...

, County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...

 over the years, the UBSS has published the definitive guides to the caves of the region: Caves of Northwest Clare (1969), Caves of County Clare (1981), Caves of County Clare & South Galway (2003).

Notable past members of the club include Professor E K Tratman who gave his name to Tratman's Temple in Swildon's Hole
Swildon's Hole
Swildon's Hole is an extensive cave in Priddy, Somerset. At in length, it is the longest cave on the Mendip Hills. It has been found to be connected to Priddy Green Sink and forms part of the Priddy Caves Site of Special Scientific Interest ....

and to the Tratman Award.

Publications

Some of the back issues of Proceedings of The University of Bristol Spelæological Society are available for purchase from 1960 to the present. Current issues are exchanged for publications with other caving clubs to stock the library. Individual papers from issues over five years old are available as free downloads from the Society's website.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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