Mystery Medieval Cave Discovered Below Guildford’s Historic St Catherine’s Chapel
March 2020
A mysterious cave, possibly medieval, has been discovered by workmen on the historic St Catherine’s Hill, by the Portsmouth Road, on the southern edge of Guildford.
https://www.guildford-dragon.com/2020/03/31/mystery-medieval-cave-discovered-below-guildfords-historic-st-catherines-chapel/
Revealed: Markings Inside the Mystery Medieval Cave Found at St Catherine’s Hill
Experts believe the cave discovered last week by rail workers repairing a landslip below the ancient chapel on Guildford’s St Catherine’s Hill dates from the 14th century.
The sandstone cave is made up of several sections ranging from 0.3 metres to about 0.7 metres high. Originally it may have been much larger, but only this small part survived the digging of the railway cutting through the hill in the early 1840s.
Initial findings by a specialist archaeologist suggest the cave was a later medieval shrine or hermitage associated with the early 14th century chapel of St Catherine, the ruins of which overlook the Old Portsmouth Road in the south of the town.
The site may even have earlier origins in pagan religious activity, due to its pre-14th century name of Drakehill or Hill of the Dragon.
Images taken from the cave show a Gothic niche decorated in dots with a Calvary cross nearby.
https://www.guildford-dragon.com/2020/04/06/revealed-markings-inside-the-mystery-medieval-cave-found-at-st-catherines-hill/
Video of the exterior of St Catherine's Hill Cave, Guildford
https://youtu.be/mLZ-W2LZLNg
DO NOT TRY TO VISIT THE CAVE AS THE AREA IS VERY UNSTABLE AND DANGEROUS
Something is not right. This message is just to keep things from messing up down the road