Fairy Cave Quarry. The Last 45 Years.
- Thread starter The Old Ruminator
- Start date
The Old Ruminator
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I did the Paul Deakin trip. He had this very nice lady with him. Nothing was said. We got to Elephant's Trunk Chamber and she took all of her clothes off. I was quite bemused. Photos taken, clothes back on and out we went. Never had copies though -- :blink:
The Old Ruminator
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In August 1972 we were looking at the fossil phreatic bore tube ending at a stal bank at the far end of Withyhill's Glistening Pool Series. There was a six inch slot here through which you could see the stal bank ascending. In the mean time we were working at other sites in the quarry including Pink Pool Chamber. On the 12th Nov 1972 we passed the GP Series squeeze to enter a big well decorated chamber. On the trip was the well known Mendip caver Alan Butcher ( Butch ). There was much excitement at the dig which Butch likened to " Cave Fever ". I seem to remember Butch could not get through. Two weeks later while leading a tourist trip from Aldershot I found another chamber in Withyhill which we called " Jonathan's Chamber ". Strange thing is we never got to name the big chamber at the end of GP Series. Too much happening at the time I guess. Late in 1972 the first flooding of Wittyhill took place. The start of all the silt we know see before Helectite Corner. Quarrying had disrupted the flow into Hillwithy which resulted in periods of back up. Much has now been done to alleviate the problem.
John Keat in the modified squeeze up into GP Series big chamber.
John Keat in the big chamber looking quite pleased.
If you look at the Google view you will see the big chamber is close to the farm in the dry valley. I seem to remember smelling silage in the chamber once possibly a clue to a surface link. The phreatic tube goes onward into further blockages below the chamber.
John Keat in the modified squeeze up into GP Series big chamber.
John Keat in the big chamber looking quite pleased.
If you look at the Google view you will see the big chamber is close to the farm in the dry valley. I seem to remember smelling silage in the chamber once possibly a clue to a surface link. The phreatic tube goes onward into further blockages below the chamber.
The Old Ruminator
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OR Scribble based on Duncan Price's resurvey. The new laser survey showed a slightly different relationship between Withyhill and Shatter which enabled me to firm up my theory of cave development here. Of course I may well be wrong but the clues seem to be in place. Both Withyhill and Shatter had phreatic origins as the northern catchment primarily existed under the water table. The valley of the Mells River cut down in time enabling the catchment and the caves to drain. This process is still ongoing today though the active streamways are likely to be immature. The major phreatic route (solid lines) ran close to the fault ( dashed line ). Flow initially came through Glistening Pool Series to enter Jonathan's Chamber then onward to Shatter joining it at Four Ways. Graham Price et al dug the stream cobble and stal blockage beyond Jonathan's to enter a big bouldery chamber which probably lies within the fault zone. So far efforts have failed to establish the link to Shatter but a strong draught blows through Price's breakthrough point . Myself and Price ( 2000 ) then others tried to force the route onward but it was blocked with stal. A draught test between the two caves might establish a link elsewhere in the chamber. The main phreatic route went onward to enter Pink Pool Chamber in WL before arriving near to the base of Maypole Chamber in Balch. Here it may well have veered Eastwards away from the fault to form Erratic Passage though later drainage continued south along the fault zone. At some time the phreatic bore tube in Shatter was captured by the Withyhill main route. I have marked the capture route C and this is essentially a series of narrow scalloped rifts quite unlike the rest of GP Series. From the time of capture Shatter became relict and the Withyhill- Hillwithy-Hilliers route became dominant. The valley bottom is shown as a dotted line with Withybrook Slocker and Midway Slocker near the upper ends. These are todays main stream sinks though its not known how present day topography , if indeed it does , relates to the subterranean scene. Withybrook could indeed be misfit though today its primarily responsible for flooding in Withyhill. Certainly Withybrook is still a long way north of the limestone boundary though recent work by Price et al on the cave and surface sediments may yet reveal further clues. Essentially the cave systems at Fairy Cave Quarry are still several hundred metres from the end of the limestone 9 having not yet entered the Black Rock Series and may yet extend further south. Whether post glacial head deposits kept the original streams above the limestone is not currently known.
The Old Ruminator
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The Lillies. Somewhere in Shatter.
The Old Ruminator
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Quarry views 1970's. Dead centre Balch Erratic Passage veering eastward away from the fault plane.
Withyhill blocked. ( Behind the cavers ).
WL Cave. Dead centre.
Shatter original entrance. Conway and Saxton were attracted to a draught here and began the dig to open the cave. It could have been missed with tragic results as the drilling rig had already driven holes into Diesel Chamber. The smell of diesel was the result of adding it to the shot hole prior to firing.
Gravel supplies from the crusher and the new east level which completed the destruction of Bach Main Chamber.
Near Diesel Chamber.
I was never happy with the name Shatter Cave as it gave the impression of mass destruction. Certainly this is evident in the first chambers Canopy and Diesel but beyond Erratic Rift all is fine.
Withyhill blocked. ( Behind the cavers ).
WL Cave. Dead centre.
Shatter original entrance. Conway and Saxton were attracted to a draught here and began the dig to open the cave. It could have been missed with tragic results as the drilling rig had already driven holes into Diesel Chamber. The smell of diesel was the result of adding it to the shot hole prior to firing.
Gravel supplies from the crusher and the new east level which completed the destruction of Bach Main Chamber.
Near Diesel Chamber.
I was never happy with the name Shatter Cave as it gave the impression of mass destruction. Certainly this is evident in the first chambers Canopy and Diesel but beyond Erratic Rift all is fine.
The Old Ruminator
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August 1969.
We find new passage in WL.
Probing the Fairy/Fernhill choke 1971.
Trouble with keeping Withyhill open and Price's Purgatory 1972. Being Cerberus newsletter editor at the time I generally got to name stuff. I had a plan. Use up my contemporaries names then save the big one for me. So we had Roses Rift then Price's Purgatory. Chipchase Chasm -- Umm still waiting on that one. Graham Price had recently joined us in 1972 and was the only one skinny enough to push down the crack which bore his name.
Roses Rift, Withyhill, Hillwithy and Culdesac Pot, Spring 1972.
We find new passage in WL.
Probing the Fairy/Fernhill choke 1971.
Trouble with keeping Withyhill open and Price's Purgatory 1972. Being Cerberus newsletter editor at the time I generally got to name stuff. I had a plan. Use up my contemporaries names then save the big one for me. So we had Roses Rift then Price's Purgatory. Chipchase Chasm -- Umm still waiting on that one. Graham Price had recently joined us in 1972 and was the only one skinny enough to push down the crack which bore his name.
Roses Rift, Withyhill, Hillwithy and Culdesac Pot, Spring 1972.
The Old Ruminator
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Looking for the Withyhill / Shatter link Spring 2000. We tried the nearest point to Fourways in Shatter from the boulder chamber beyond Jonathan's. This consisted of a very tight rift which we widened. It never really looked convincing and we gave it up. Later other Mendip cavers continued the dig to end up in a small grotto. They called the grotto " Priceless Grotto ". The name could have three meanings which for the sake of good relations elsewhere I shall not explain.
Priceless Grotto.
Jonathan in widened rift to Priceless Grotto.
Priceless Grotto.
Jonathan in widened rift to Priceless Grotto.
The Old Ruminator
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Price et al's breakthrough point between Jonathan's Chamber and the boulder chamber. Here the draught is strongest.
Some forty years on. Jonathan in Jonathan's Chamber with daddy.
Back again forty years. John Keat in the awkward approach passage into Jonathan's Chamber. The photo is taken from Pearl Chamber part of the phreatic bore tube close to the capture point in Withyhill. The tube turns down sharp left in the distance to end in stal blockage. It reappears again in Jonathan's Chamber.
Forward again forty years. Jonathan exits the approach tube which was originally blocked by boulders.
Some forty years on. Jonathan in Jonathan's Chamber with daddy.
Back again forty years. John Keat in the awkward approach passage into Jonathan's Chamber. The photo is taken from Pearl Chamber part of the phreatic bore tube close to the capture point in Withyhill. The tube turns down sharp left in the distance to end in stal blockage. It reappears again in Jonathan's Chamber.
Forward again forty years. Jonathan exits the approach tube which was originally blocked by boulders.
The Old Ruminator
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The wonder that is Jonathan's Chamber. Yes, he is within the taped route.
The Old Ruminator
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To make things a bit clearer.
W Withyhill,
S Shatter.
C Capture route. ( Between vertical blue lines )
Solid line through cave. Earliest phreatic route.
Dotted line.( 5) Alternative route along strike into Shatter.( Surmised ).
J. Jonathan's Chamber.
4 Four Ways.
Duncan Price's re survey.
W Withyhill,
S Shatter.
C Capture route. ( Between vertical blue lines )
Solid line through cave. Earliest phreatic route.
Dotted line.( 5) Alternative route along strike into Shatter.( Surmised ).
J. Jonathan's Chamber.
4 Four Ways.
Duncan Price's re survey.
The Old Ruminator
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Our resident geologist points out tremor damaged formations in Shatter Cave. ( First generation stal ).
As above. Stalagmite stub left and broken top section centre. The biggest example is in Ring Road Chamber where a big boss is tipped over and broken.
As above. Stalagmite stub left and broken top section centre. The biggest example is in Ring Road Chamber where a big boss is tipped over and broken.
The Old Ruminator
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Ahh. there it is . Early 70's view of Ring Road Chamber with tipped up boss behind Ray Saxton.
The Old Ruminator
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It was his lucky cave finding hammer. :
The Old Ruminator
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The Ray Saxton's hammer trips were on the first and second of May 1969 three weeks after the cave's discovery and the first attempts to create a photographic record. The slides are losing their colour now but I have made no attempt to correct the colour balance here. They are as they are and few folks were taking photos at the quarry back then.
I never did ask him why he carried the hammer around. Like I said he probably used it to discover the cave.
He and Conway seemed to disappear after the discovery of Shatter Cave. I wonder where they are now.
I never did ask him why he carried the hammer around. Like I said he probably used it to discover the cave.
He and Conway seemed to disappear after the discovery of Shatter Cave. I wonder where they are now.
The Old Ruminator
Well-known member
Time for quiet reflection in Withyhill Cave. Some folk are naturals in cave photos whilst some seem to spoil them. Jo. shown here was one of the better ones. Always had the right expression bearing in mind all the fuss the photographer might have taken in getting the shot right. My poses for Peter tend to end up as a rictus grin specially after about the sixth attempt at getting the slave guns to work. Yes a good model is hard to find --
Mind you she was not too happy here in Fernhill. The ladder I brought was too short.
Jo and the Baobab Tree in Withyhill. Often gets called the Banyan Tree which is horticulturally incorrect.
Mind you she was not too happy here in Fernhill. The ladder I brought was too short.
Jo and the Baobab Tree in Withyhill. Often gets called the Banyan Tree which is horticulturally incorrect.
The Old Ruminator
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Yes the striking suit helps as well.
The Old Ruminator
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A nice smile from Yetta too. Male models just don't know how to smile.
Sorry Yetta you wont make that one. ( Nor would half the more senior cavers on Mendip.) Squeeze up into Green Lake Grotto.
Sorry Yetta you wont make that one. ( Nor would half the more senior cavers on Mendip.) Squeeze up into Green Lake Grotto.
