Report - Victorian Folly The Marches July 2019

[grindle]

The urban myth is that this cave dates back to the times of the Knights Templar;
Situated on private land
The caverns comprise an irregular series of neo-Romanesque chambers hollowed out of sandstone, with carved archways, pillars, symbols and niches, apparently for candles. One suggestion is that they were the result of quarrying during the mid-19th century and were then turned by the landowners into a grotto or underground folly.

There have been speculative claims that the caverns are older, perhaps dating back at least to the 17th century, and some press articles have associated them with the Knights Templar.However, historian and author Dan Jones considers that there is no evidence linking the caves to the Templars and Historic England dates the grotto as probably late 18th-century or early 19th-century.

 

[Alley]

Interesting place. Do you know how it was dug? I don't see many pick marks. The columns look like they were turned on a lathe.

 

[grindle]

Interesting place. Do you know how it was dug? I don't see many pick marks. The columns look like they were turned on a lathe.

The caverns comprise an irregular series of neo-Romanesque chambers hollowed out of sandstone, with carved archways, pillars, symbols and niches, apparently for candles. One suggestion is that they were the result of quarrying during the mid-19th century and were then turned by the landowners into a grotto or underground folly.
There have been speculative claims that the caverns are older, perhaps dating back at least to the 17th century, and some press articles have associated them with the Knights Templar.However, historian and author Dan Jones considers that there is no evidence linking the caves to the Templars and Historic England dates the grotto as probably late 18th-century or early 19th-century. According to Wiki