Lamb Leer
Encyclopedia
Lamb Leer is a 14.59 hectare
(36.04 acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest between East Harptree
and Priddy
in the Mendip Hills
, Somerset
, notified in 1983. The cavern is a fragment of a very ancient major cave system which now contains one of the largest chambers on Mendip.
word "leer" which means void and may have been introduced by German miners. A more likely explanation is from the Anglo-Saxon
word "lear" meaning empty or void.
Lamb Leer Cavern was first found by miners looking for lead around 1676, and in 1681 the geologist
John Beaumont
, the pioneer of pit caving
, gave an account of his descent into the cave to the Royal Society. It was rediscovered in 1880, when a new shaft was driven in, and became something of a tourist attraction. By the 1920s the new shaft had become blocked and in 1936 the original entrance was re-opened. In the late 1930s a cablecar was in place across the Great Chamber. Additional chambers were discovered in the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1974, an un-lifelined caver fell off a ladder in Lamb Leer Cavern, and a novice caver who was at the bottom of the ladder was badly injured, resulting in legal action against the caving club for damages.
Period) began. Sediments preserved in the caves are important as they allow geologists to study the record of the changing environmental conditions which occurred over this long period of time.
The entrance shaft is known as Beaumont Shaft. The first large chamber encountered is The Beehive which contains a large stalagmite
boss. Next is the Great Chamber which is 30 metres (98 ft) high and 20 metres (66 ft) across, and contains some formations. A passage from the roof of the Great Chamber leads to the St Valentine Series of passages, a number of which are well decorated.
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
(36.04 acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest between East Harptree
East Harptree
East Harptree is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated north of Wells and south of Bristol, on the northern slope of the Mendip Hills overlooking the Chew Valley. The parish has a population of 680...
and Priddy
Priddy
Priddy is a village in Somerset, England in the Mendip Hills, close to East Harptree and north-west of Wells. It is in the local government district of Mendip....
in the Mendip Hills
Mendip Hills
The Mendip Hills is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon Valley to the north...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, notified in 1983. The cavern is a fragment of a very ancient major cave system which now contains one of the largest chambers on Mendip.
History
Several explanations have been suggested for the origin of the name. One links to an old name for the area which was "Lambden". An alternative suggestion is that in the 1670s miners spoke of "leirey places, that is cavernous" which links to the GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
word "leer" which means void and may have been introduced by German miners. A more likely explanation is from the Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
word "lear" meaning empty or void.
Lamb Leer Cavern was first found by miners looking for lead around 1676, and in 1681 the geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
John Beaumont
John Beaumont (geologist)
John Beaumont was an English physician and early geologist.-Biography:John Beaumont was a physician who lived in Ston Easton in Somerset....
, the pioneer of pit caving
Pit Cave
A pit cave, or vertical cave — or often simply called a pit or pot — is a type of natural cave which contains one or more significant vertical shafts rather than being predominantly a conventional horizontal cave passage. Pit caves typically form in limestone as a result of long-term erosion by...
, gave an account of his descent into the cave to the Royal Society. It was rediscovered in 1880, when a new shaft was driven in, and became something of a tourist attraction. By the 1920s the new shaft had become blocked and in 1936 the original entrance was re-opened. In the late 1930s a cablecar was in place across the Great Chamber. Additional chambers were discovered in the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1974, an un-lifelined caver fell off a ladder in Lamb Leer Cavern, and a novice caver who was at the bottom of the ladder was badly injured, resulting in legal action against the caving club for damages.
Description
The system is dry, lying well above the present day water-table, and it is thought that the passages may well have originated before the Ice Age (PleistocenePleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
Period) began. Sediments preserved in the caves are important as they allow geologists to study the record of the changing environmental conditions which occurred over this long period of time.
The entrance shaft is known as Beaumont Shaft. The first large chamber encountered is The Beehive which contains a large stalagmite
Stalagmite
A stalagmite is a type of speleothem that rises from the floor of a limestone cave due to the dripping of mineralized solutions and the deposition of calcium carbonate. This stalagmite formation occurs only under certain pH conditions within the underground cavern. The corresponding formation on...
boss. Next is the Great Chamber which is 30 metres (98 ft) high and 20 metres (66 ft) across, and contains some formations. A passage from the roof of the Great Chamber leads to the St Valentine Series of passages, a number of which are well decorated.