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Gloucestershire
- Places of Interest
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Clearwell Caves
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Nr Coleford, Royal Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire GL16 8JR
Tel: 01594 832535 Fax: 01594 833362
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Clearwell Caves are set in an Area of Special Landscape
Value on the outskirts of the historic village of Clearwell. The
caves are part of the last remaining working iron mine in the Forest
of Dean and the last ochre mine in the UK. They are part of
a natural cave system that became filled with iron ore around
180 million years ago.
Mining in the Forest of Dean is now believed to have
begun over 7,000 years ago during the Mesolithic period (Middle
Stone Age) as people migrated back into the area after the last
Ice Age (10,000 years ago).
People were collecting ochre pigments, particularly red
ochre which was very highly prized and had important decorative
and ritual uses. Once the use of iron as a metal was established
and certainly by the 1st century AD, there was a thriving
iron industry here.
Large scale iron ore mining continued until 1945 and in
its last year as a large scale mine it produced over 3,000 tons
of ore. Today production of minerals rarely exceeds four tons
per annum. Small scale ochre mining carries on, using
traditional techniques which would often be familiar to even the
earliest miners.
Visitors to the caves are offered a wide range of
activities, from a leisurely and fascinating self-guided underground
walk, descending for more than 100ft, to a more strenuous
adventure caving trip or even a Natural Paint workshop. The cave
shop is a treat in itself with unusual gift ideas, books, souvenirs
and a wide range of spectacular minerals and crystals from
around the world. And of course you can buy the ochre mined here.
Don't forget to pay a visit to the tearoom. Here you'll find a
good selection of freshly prepared lunches and refreshments, along with some
very interesting mining artefacts displayed around the ceiling and walls. An
unusual day out for all ages and a great underground experience. Clearwell
Caves are open from 10am to 5pm, daily, from 14th February until 31st October.
Visitors are still welcome during November but the caves are then being prepared for
the Christmas Fantasy (open 1st - 24th December) so normal displays
are interrupted.
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This
entry is in the Country Living Guide to The South of
England.
For further
information on this title please
Click Here
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