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<< Our Photo Pages >> Church Hole - Cave or Rock Shelter in England in Nottinghamshire

Submitted by Andy B on Tuesday, 08 August 2006  Page Views: 15817

Natural PlacesSite Name: Church Hole Alternative Name: Creswell Crags
Country: England County: Nottinghamshire Type: Cave or Rock Shelter
Nearest Town: Worksop  Nearest Village: Creswell
Map Ref: SK532741
Latitude: 53.261242N  Longitude: 1.203929W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
 no data Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
 no data Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
 no data Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
 3
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Andy B visited on 20th Aug 2007 Featured as part of BBC's History of Ancient Britain with Neil Oliver

Catrinm DrewParsons have visited here

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by baz : The cave art is difficult to photograph in the semi-darkness. This bas-relief is described as a bird's head with a long, curved bill. I see a bird with a fish hanging from its beak. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Cave in Nottinghamshire. New Discoveries of Cave Art in Church Hole, Creswell Crags, England. Since the announcement of the discovery of palaeolithic parietal engravings in Church Hole cave, Creswell Crags (Bahn et al. 2003), a great deal of new research has been carried out, and the number and importance of figures detected in this site have increased dramatically. At the same time, methodology has changed considerably in adaptation to the new circumstances.

The authors continue: On 14 April 2003 we spotted what we thought were three figures, as reported in Antiquity. In our second campaign in late June/early July 2003 this total was increased to twelve engravings, two of which were on the ceiling of the entrance chamber; and we felt fairly confident that we had now seen most of what the cave contained.

However; in April 2004 we gathered at the cave once again in order to check and finalise the tracings made from photographs, before the international conference on "The Cave Art of Creswell Crags in European Context" which was held in Creswell village from 15 to 17 April. During this stay we were blessed with fine weather (unlike in 2003), and quickly ascertained that natural light, especially on sunny mornings, provided perfect conditions for seeing and detecting figures -often far better than the artificial lights which we had used hitherto.

In particular, we recognised that some enigmatic shapes which we had previously noticed on the ceiling were not, as we had assumed, natural, but instead bas-reliefs - most notably a beautiful and unique depiction of a bird-head with a long curved bill. This was totally unexpected, especially in our first British decorated cave, but once our minds and eyes became attuned to the new phenomenon, the natural morning light began to reveal a whole series of bas-reliefs carved into this soft and very sandy Magnesian limestone. In many cases, artificial light makes these harder to see, or even totally invisible.

More, with photos: INORA - International Newsletter on Rock Art

Note: New dig in progress outside the cave mouth, see comment.
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Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by Andy B : Ice Age engraving of an ibex with superimposed outline by archeaologist Dr Sergio Ripoll Discovered at the caves at Creswell Crags, Derbyshire. Photo credit: Creswell Heritage Trust (Vote or comment on this photo)

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by Andy B : Creswell Crags as it might have been 12,000 yers ago. Ice age hunters revisit a favoured seasonal camp site, with the caves providing shelter while they hunted in the area. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by Andy B : Church Hole as it might have been 12,000 years ago. An artist from the Ice age engraves the wall of the cave using a flint point known as a burin. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by Andy B : Aerial photograph of Creswell Crags Gorge in Derbyshire. Photo Credit: Creswell Heritage Trust (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by DrewParsons : Ibis at Church Hole Cave. September 2013. (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by DrewParsons : Fertility symbol carved into the wall of Church Hole Cave. September 2013.

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by DrewParsons : Ibis or a group of women at Church Hole Cave. September 2013. (1 comment)

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by DrewParsons : Look carefully and you will see the bison carved into the cave wall at Church Hole Cave. The animal is facing towards the right which is into the cave. September 2013. (1 comment)

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by DrewParsons : Ibis at Church Hole Cave. September 2013.

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by DrewParsons

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by DrewParsons

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by DrewParsons : An ibis carved in relief on the ceiling of Church Hole Cave. September 2013.

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by DrewParsons : The full deer carved into the wall of Church Hole Cave at Creswell Crags. September 2013. (1 comment)

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by DrewParsons : The head of the deer carved in Church Hole Cave. September 2013.

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by DrewParsons : Detail of the engraving of a deer in Church Hole Cave. The eye and then the face are to the left of the photo. The engraving is dated to 12,000 years before present by analysis of the mineral seepage which overlays the bottom part of the engraving. September 2013.

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by DrewParsons : Engraving of a deer in Church Hole Cave. The eye and the face are to the left of the photo. Graffiti has been written over it in previous times but access is now controlled via guided tours with entry through a locked gate. The engraving is dated to 12,000 years before present by analysis of the mineral seepage which overlays the bottom part of the engraving. September 2013.

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by durhamnature : Artifacts from the cave, from "Early Man In Britain" via archive.org Site in Nottinghamshire England

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by Andy B : Archaeologists at work in the caves of Cresswell Crags Monday 30th June 2003. Dr Paul Bahu (L) and Dr Pettitt look out for more cave art at the site. Picture Credit: Steve Parkin

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by Andy B : Archaeologists at work in the caves of Cresswell Crags Monday 30th June 2003. Dr Sergio Ripoll looks out for more cave art at the site. Picture credit: Steve Parkin

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by Andy B : Archaeologists at work in the caves of Cresswell Crags Monday 30th June 2003. Dr Paul Bahn (L) and Dr Pettitt look out for more cave art at the site. Picture: Steve Parkin

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by Andy B : Archaeologists at work in the caves of Cresswell Crags Monday 30th June 2003. Dr Paul Bahn (L) and Dr Pettitt look out for more cave art at the site. Picture credit: Steve Parkin

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by Andy B : Ice Age engraving of an ibex discovered at the caves at Creswell Crags, Derbyshire Photo credit: Creswell Heritage Trust (1 comment)

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by Andy B : Ice Age Bird Engravings discovered in caves at Creswell Crags, Derbyshire. Picture Steve Parkin.

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by Andy B : Ice Age Bird Engravings with a superimposed outline. Discovered in caves at Creswell Crags, Derbyshire. Photo Credit: Creswell Heritage Trust

Church Hole
Church Hole submitted by Andy B : Ice Age Bird Engravings discovered in caves at Creswell Crags, Derbyshire. Photo credit: Creswell Heritage Trust, used with permission.

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Archaeologists to search for Ice Age artists by Andy B on Tuesday, 08 August 2006
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The search for clues about the first Ice Age artists will begin this summer with the first major excavation at Creswell Crags since the 1920s. A team of archaeologists from the University of Sheffield and The British Museum will be excavating outside Church Hole, a cave at Creswell Crags, between 7 and 19 August 2006. Funded by the British Academy in association with English Heritage and English Nature, the dig is likely to unearth major finds from the Ice Age, when hyenas, Neanderthals and hunter-gatherers lived at the site.

Creswell Crags grabbed the headlines in 2003 and 2004 when archaeologists found the first and currently only known discoveries of Ice Age rock art in Britain, dated to 13,000 years old. The discovery of cave art is the most important find from the British Palaeolithic since the discovery of 500,000 year old hominid remains from Boxgrove, West Sussex in the mid 1990s. Most rock art in Britain is thought to be c.8,000 later than the Creswell discoveries, and typically occurs as a variety of engraved or pecked motifs on rock faces and boulders in open, non-cave situations.

The dig will be led by Dr Paul Pettitt from the University of Sheffield´s Department of Archaeology. He said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to work at such an important site. We know that Church Hole was excavated very rapidly by the Victorians in the 1870s and as a result very little is known about the animals and people who inhabited this cave during the Ice Age.

"Many of the bones and stone tools would have been thrown away and now lie within the Victorian spoil heap directly outside the cave´s entrance. Our plan is to excavate this spoil heap and find the original Ice Age sediments below which contain bones and other artefacts from the period. The excavation will considerably improve our understanding of the Ice Age geology of the Crags and of the activities of our Ice Age ancestors in the region."

Jon Humble, the Inspector for Ancient Monuments with English Heritage added: "The excavations are also likely to show just how much archaeology has developed in the last 80 years since the previous excavations. What were then considered of no interest are now crucial scientific clues to life in the gorge 13,000 years ago and more."

Ian Wall, the Director for Creswell Heritage Trust, the organisation that manages the site at Creswell Crags said: "This is once again a wonderful opportunity to highlight one of the regions major cultural sites and invite visitors to experience the process of archaeology in action. There will be opportunities to talk to the excavation team and view the recent finds. The museum will also be running a series of activities alongside the excavation including regular tours to Church Hole and Robin Hood Cave."

Notes for Editors: Creswell Crags is a Scheduled Ancient monument and a Site of Special Scientific Interest, as well as a potential World Heritage Site. The lies within the former coalfield of North Nottinghamshire and North East Derbyshire and is considered by English Heritage and other partners as an outstanding example of heritage led regeneration.

Creswell Heritage Trust has been awarded a grant of £4.2 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund to create a new Museum and Education Centre at Creswell Crags. The Trust is an independent charitable Trust supported by Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire County Councils, Bolsover District Council, Lafarge Aggregates, English Heritage and English Nature. The Trust´s patrons are Professor David Bellamy and Sir Martin Doughty. The Trust works closely with a number of professional and scientific bodies including the University of Sheffield and the British Museum.

Source: Sheffield University Press Release
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