Thrupe Lane Swallet
| Thrupe Lane Swallet | |
|---|---|
| Location | Croscombe,Somerset |
| OS grid | ST603458 |
| Coordinates | 51°12′38″N2°34′08″W/ 51.21047°N 2.568998°W |
| Depth | 117 metres |
| Length | 1417 metres |
| Geology | Limestone |
| Cave survey | Geological Conservation Review |
| Registry | Mendip Cave Registry[1] |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
| Location | Somerset |
|---|---|
| Interest | Geological |
| Notification | 1992 |
Thrupe Lane Swallet(grid referenceST603458) is a 0.5 hectares (1.2 acres)geological Site of Special Scientific InterestinSomerset,notifiedin 1992. It is also aGeological Conservation Reviewsite.
The name Thrupe Lane comes from the nearbyhamletof Thrupe, which inAnglo-Saxonmeantdairy farm.[2]
Theswalletis a small, single pothole cave system that is dominated by a series of deep (117 metres (384 ft)) and mainly vertical passages, which follow fault lines, natural joints in the rock and mineral veins.[3]It shows a form of cave development not seen elsewhere in the Mendips and contains the tallest vertical shaft in any known cave on theMendip Hills,Atlas Pot, which is 60 metres (197 ft) deep.[4]The stream that flows through the cave is one of those that feeds St Andrew's Wells in the grounds of theBishop's PalaceinWells.[5]
Thrupe Lane Swallet was first entered in 1974 following digging by three caving groups. The entry shaft has beenblastedopen to ensure a stable entrance.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Thrupe Lane Swallet".Mendip Cave Registry & Archive.Retrieved30 March2012.
- ^Witcombe, Richard (2009).Who was Aveline anyway?: Mendip's Cave Names Explained(2nd ed.). Priddy: Wessex Cave Club. p. 180.ISBN978-0-9500433-6-4.
- ^"Thrupe Lane Swallet"(PDF).English Nature.Retrieved29 January2007.
- ^"Mendip Caves: Eastern Mendip".British Geological Survey. 2008.Retrieved6 February2009.
- ^"Thrupe Lane Swallet".Mendip Cave Registry & Archive. 2009.Retrieved30 March2012.
- ^Irwin, David John; Knibbs, Anthony J. (1999).Mendip Underground: A Cavers Guide.Bat Products.ISBN0-9536103-0-6.—which also contains a detailed description of the cave.
External links
[edit]- English Nature website(SSSI information)