Goatchurch Cavern

Infobox Cave
name = Goatchurch Cavern
photo = Goatchurch entrance kids.jpg
View into main entrance with the chamber infested with school children
location = Burrington Combe
depth = 61.5 metres
length = 750+ metres
coordinates = coord|51.320299|N|2.752243|W|region:GB_type:landmark|format=dms|display=inline,title
geology = Limestone
number of entrances = 2
difficulty = mostly easy
hazards = slippery surfaces
access = Free

Goatchurch Cavern (gbmapping|ST47585823) is a cave on the edge of Burrington Combe in the limestone of the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England.

The cave is historically understood to be approximately 750 metres (2,500 ft) long, although 1500 m (4900 ft) of surveyed passage has been measured (UBSS, unpublished survey, pending: 2007) and reaches a surveyed depth of 61.5 m (202 ft). It has two entrances and a complex network of predominately dry passages terminating, for most visitors, in a thin phreatic tube known as 'The Drainpipe' or 'The Bunny Run'. This is a long tight wriggle through 30 ft (9 m) of passageway that is only practically navigable whilst travelling forwards, something that is of relevance due to the Drainpipe terminating in a small blind-ending boulder chamber; meeting another caver halfway is not a pleasant experience.

It is thought that Goatchurch Cavern was explored by lead miners in the 19th century. [cite book |last=Johnson |first=Peter |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=The History of Mendip Caving |year=1967 |publisher=David & Charles |location=Newton Abbott |ASIN=B0000CNIE0 ] Around 1901 the owner unsuccessfully tried to turn it into a show cave. [cite book |last=Barrington |first=Nicholas |authorlink= |coauthors= William Stanton|title=Mendip: The complete caves |year=1977 |publisher=Cheddar Valley Press |location=Cheddar |isbn=9780950145914] The cave is especially popular for training people who are new to caving. This is due to its easy access and wide range of terrain that does not necessitate the use of special equipment such as ropes or ladders. The two entrances to the cave add interest as cavers can do a round trip. Many of the surfaces within are polished, as a result of numbers visiting over many decades and are slippery.

Notes of exploration in the 1920s record finds from the Pleistocene period including bones of mammoth, bear, hyaena and cave lion. [cite book |last=Irwin |first=David |authorlink= |coauthors= Anthony Knibbs|title=Mendip Underground: A Cavers Guide |year=1977 |publisher=Mendip Publishing |location=Somerset |isbn=0953610306] During November 2003 inscribed marks were noticed in Goatchurch Cavern while cleaning away graffiti. Three finely cut marks were uncovered, resembling the letter W with a patina darker than in nearby graffiti dated 1704. These have been identified as ritual protection marks, possibly dating from the period 1550 to 1750. The term ritual protection mark was preferred to the description "witch marks". [cite web | title=Goatchurch Cavern marks | work=Apotropaios |url=http://www.apotropaios.co.uk/goatchurch_cavern_marks.htm | accessdate=2007-01-27]

A survey was conducted within Goatchurch Cavern to investigate the effect of seasonal variations on the recorded radon concentration, from which an average summer to winter ratio of 4.79 was determined. Radiation doses to users of the caves were estimated and for occupational cavers doses of in excess of 16 mSv were found to be likely. [cite journal
quotes =
author = Sperrin, Malcolm; Gillmore, Gavin; Denman, Tony
date =
year = 2001
month =
title = Radon concentration variations in a Mendip cave cluster
journal = Environmental Management and Health
volume = 12
issue = 5
pages = 476–482
doi = 10.1108/09566160110404881
id =
url = http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/mcb/1083/2001/00000012/00000005/art00003
language = English
format =
accessdate = ]

References

See also

* Caves of the Mendip Hills