Jack Cade's Cavern
Encyclopedia
Jack Cade's Cavern is a cavern
, extending several hundred feet underground, in Blackheath
, south-east London
, England
. It is located northwest of the Heath and southwest of Greenwich Park
, beneath a spot called "The Point". It was re-discovered in about the year 1780. They are also referred to as the Blackheath Caverns. The entrance was at the end of a row of small cottages called "Cavern Cottages" at the rear of Trinity Church on Blackheath Hill
, (destroyed in WWII
).
joined to one another by tunnels. The first or main cavern is roughly circular and about 35 ft in diameter. Leading from this is another about 60 ft by 30 ft. There is a long, winding passage leading to a chamber which is about 24ft by 2l ft, varying in height from 6ft to 11 ft 6 in, with a well
of pure water, 27 ft in depth, although in 1939 this was found to be 21 ft, partly brick lined and quite dry. At its lowest it is 170 feet from the surface.
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
, extending several hundred feet underground, in Blackheath
Blackheath
Blackheath is the name of a number of places:*Blackheath, London, England**Blackheath, Kent *Blackheath, Surrey, England**Blackheath, Surrey *Blackheath, West Midlands, England*Blackheath, New South Wales, Australia...
, south-east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is located northwest of the Heath and southwest of Greenwich Park
Greenwich Park
Greenwich Park is a former hunting park in Greenwich and one of the largest single green spaces in south east London. One of the Royal Parks of London, and the first to be enclosed , it covers , and is part of the Greenwich World Heritage Site. It commands fine views over the River Thames, Isle of...
, beneath a spot called "The Point". It was re-discovered in about the year 1780. They are also referred to as the Blackheath Caverns. The entrance was at the end of a row of small cottages called "Cavern Cottages" at the rear of Trinity Church on Blackheath Hill
A2 road (Great Britain)
The A2 is a major road in southern England, connecting London with the English Channel port of Dover in Kent. This route has always been of importance as a connection between the British capital of London and sea trade routes to Continental Europe...
, (destroyed in WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
).
Dimensions
Entered by a flight of forty steps, it consisted of three or more separate cavernsCave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
joined to one another by tunnels. The first or main cavern is roughly circular and about 35 ft in diameter. Leading from this is another about 60 ft by 30 ft. There is a long, winding passage leading to a chamber which is about 24ft by 2l ft, varying in height from 6ft to 11 ft 6 in, with a well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
of pure water, 27 ft in depth, although in 1939 this was found to be 21 ft, partly brick lined and quite dry. At its lowest it is 170 feet from the surface.
Further reading
- History of Lee and its Neighbourhood by F.H. Hart pp. 90-91 Perhaps this has best description of the cavern.
- Kentish Mercury Almanac, 1903
- The Ambulator, 11th edition, p.49
- Underground passages, caverns, etc. of Greenwich and Blackheath, a lecture by J.M. Stone to the Greenwich Antiquarian Society, 26 February 1914
External links
- Blackheath Cavern Subterranean Greenwich and Kent, 19 November 2009
- www.shadyoldlady.com The location of the last known entrance to Jack Cade's Caverns.
- Greenwich Industrial History Society Mr Budd & The Temple of Doom by Tony Lord
- Printed 1810 copy of original survey made in 1695, drawn by Samuel Travers