Lace Market Caves

[Compo 10,328]

I was at school in the 60s and occasionally ventured into the lace market area when playing truant. I recall a series of caves, occupied form the most part by tramps. Can anyone tell me what street they were on - my old memory is failing

[Paulus 541]

Dunno' Compo lad, but in my search to assist I found this (courtesy of G**gle, of course)

http://nottinghamcavessurvey.org.uk/history.htm

[Cliff Ton 10,475]

I'll suggest this........at the bottom of Hollow Stone.

Something still seems to be there today if you look closely http://goo.gl/maps/ZAEF2

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Nottingham is riddled with caves. Try the Broad Marsh caves for starters. I bet nearly every shop and factory in the Lace Market is linked by caves or deep cellars.

I remember sometime in the 80s going down some caves with the Nottingham Civic Society. They were under what was then The Moon café down Hockley somewhere. I've got photos that my dad took.

[Bilboro-lad 294]

Those caves in the picture are bricked up now. You can still see in the caves around the corner. I went past on Sunday.

http://s6.postimg.org/mjkjmzf5d/hollowstone.jpg

[denshaw 2,872]

Could have been Garners hill, where the Contemporary now stands.

[Compo 10,328]

I think it was teh hollow stone caves I was thinking of. Garner's hill rings a bell though.

[The Engineer 614]

I was a member of "The Nottingham Historical Arts Society" in the 70s and recall excavating caves in Bridlesmith Gate (West side). I got a "pre-commercial" tour of the Drury Hill cave complex that was discovered during demolition in readiness for building the Broadmarsh Centre. Someone from the NHAS also showed me around the Peel Street complex, which is probably the biggest set of interconnected caves we have.

The fascination for Nottingham caves is that they are all man-made. Temperature down there is pretty constant (cool) and therefore ideal to use as pub cellars. Other uses have been malting, tanning, wells and cesspits. I recall seeing a cesspit right next to a well - guess they hadn't figured out sanitation in those days. I think that was under Bishop's House on High Pavement.

Victorians had no qualms about building over caves but new buildings are likely to need deep concrete pillars to satisfy the architects, in some cases causing irreversible damage to caves.

engineer

[carltonfox 4]

My dad was also a member of the Nottingham Historical Arts Society in the 1970s. I was only around 7-8 years old at that time, but on many occasions used to accompany him on his "expeditions" with the society excavating the caves of Nottingham.

Also remember going with him to The Bell Inn at The Old Market Square several times whilst the society excavated the well in the large back room.

This was in the days of the old Sunday licencing hours . The Bell was then owned by the Jackson family . So at 2pm when the jazz band had finished its last set and the customers were all out, the carpet would get rolled back and the excavation of the well would take place until the staff returned to open up for the evening session.

My greatest memory of this adventure was discovering the dumb waiter lift at the end of the bar. While history was being uncovered down the well I was on my little adventure sending the dumb waiter up and down all afternoon.

My other little discovery was the finding and sampling the cherry brandy behind the bar. Thats a story for another time !

I also went with my dad while he was involved in helping to excavate caves which I think would have been Bridlesmith Gate. Think now in the days of health & safety a 7-8 year old would not be allowed on such projects.

As a regular of The Bell now its great to see that the very same well my dad helped to uncover has been made into a feature . Every now and then when I go in The Bell, i stand next to the well, have a " small" cherry brandy ( when its stocked) , half close my eyes and find myself being transported back in time . . Great memories

[The Engineer 614]

Bridlesmith Gate caves were excavated on Wednesday evenings. There would be a skip each week that we had to fill in a couple of hours. I was apprentice to a guy called Martin (sadly no longer with us) who did all the lighting and ventilation. I remember he rigged up some car heater blowers (from the scrappy) and made inflatable tubes out of bin liners, which we could extend into the caves.

I do remember a family with one or more "youngsters" now that you mention it. Didn't know about The Bell well but expect most Nottingham town centre pubs had one!

[Cliff Ton 10,475]

Could have been Garners hill, where the Contemporary now stands.

Quite a few caves disappeared behind the Contemporary monstrosity.