This is my first report here, recently explored Beech caves near Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
A brief history (according to what could be found on google);
Beech Caves is a system of man made caves which spans an area of about 2400 sq meters. When the caves were first built is unknown, but a likely start time would be in 1633, when a man named by Roger Low was paid 22 pence per score to remove 130 feet of stone from the site on 31st August, 1633.
There is also a record which states that the nearby Trentham hall was built using the same red Keuper Sandstone found in Beech caves the same year Roger Low was paid to extract it, suggesting it was built with stone taken from here, though there are no official records stating this. There are also further records of more stone being taken from the cave during the 1680's.
An 1850's Tithe map shows the area where the caves are as being under the ownership of a man named Thomas Fitzherbert, though the caves themselves did not appear to be shown on any map until 1924, when it was shown for the first time as "Beech Caves", though who named it is unknown.
Apparently the caves were strictly out of bounds during the second world war, with locals telling of how it was permanently guarded by troops and believed to be an ammo storage site for the ordinance factory at nearby Swynnerton, though there are no official records to show this.
Today the caves have not been sealed off and have been left open to anyone who wants to see them, which has led to a lot of graffiti and rubbish being left in them. There has been plans by the local council to seal the caves off in the near future due to health and safety reasons.
I've attached a few photo's that i had taken while visiting the caves, theyre not the best as i am still learning how to use my camera but the photo's really dont do it any justice on the actual size of the place.
Thank you for reading
A brief history (according to what could be found on google);
Beech Caves is a system of man made caves which spans an area of about 2400 sq meters. When the caves were first built is unknown, but a likely start time would be in 1633, when a man named by Roger Low was paid 22 pence per score to remove 130 feet of stone from the site on 31st August, 1633.
There is also a record which states that the nearby Trentham hall was built using the same red Keuper Sandstone found in Beech caves the same year Roger Low was paid to extract it, suggesting it was built with stone taken from here, though there are no official records stating this. There are also further records of more stone being taken from the cave during the 1680's.
An 1850's Tithe map shows the area where the caves are as being under the ownership of a man named Thomas Fitzherbert, though the caves themselves did not appear to be shown on any map until 1924, when it was shown for the first time as "Beech Caves", though who named it is unknown.
Apparently the caves were strictly out of bounds during the second world war, with locals telling of how it was permanently guarded by troops and believed to be an ammo storage site for the ordinance factory at nearby Swynnerton, though there are no official records to show this.
Today the caves have not been sealed off and have been left open to anyone who wants to see them, which has led to a lot of graffiti and rubbish being left in them. There has been plans by the local council to seal the caves off in the near future due to health and safety reasons.
I've attached a few photo's that i had taken while visiting the caves, theyre not the best as i am still learning how to use my camera but the photo's really dont do it any justice on the actual size of the place.
Thank you for reading
