England had an unsettled history, especially regarding the medieval one. It is one of England’s most attractive eras. And every archeological discovery dating back then is a thrilling one — such as the recently discovered medieval cave.
Recently railway workers trying to stabilize a railway embankment, found the remains of a medieval sandstone cave. The cave was revealed as a consequence of a landslide near Guildford, in Surrey, England. Most likely, the rest of the cave was demolished during work on the railway back in the 1840s.
Mark Killick, the Network Rail Wessex route director, guarantees that special efforts are being made to preserve the site during the work on the railway.
Giving the decorative Gothic niches, the Calvary Cross carved nearby, and all other sorts of carved initials, archeologists believe that what they found is a shrine or hermitage somehow linked to the ruins of St. Catherine medieval church.
The story of the medieval cave in England
St. Catherine, or St. Katharine as it was formerly known, was built on the top of St. Catherine’s Hill, above the newly discovered cave in the early 14th century.
The name of the hill, before the 14the century was Drakehull, meaning The Hill of the Dragon, “so this has obviously been a site of ritual significance long before the construction of the church on the top of the hill in the late 13th century,” said a spokesperson from Archaeology South-East.
Archeologists presume that the religious site has been built before St. Katharine church was. The traces of soot found on the ceiling of the cave and the charcoal from two possible fire-pits give scientists hope that they will establish the period when the sanctuary was being used.
“Work is underway to soot and charcoal found inside the cave, which will hopefully tell us more about how and when it was used,” said the spokesman of the team that unearthed the British medieval cave.
As our second lead editor, Anna C. Mackinno provides guidance on the stories Great Lakes Ledger reporters cover. She has been instrumental in making sure the content on the site is clear and accurate for our readers. If you see a particularly clever title, you can likely thank Anna. Anna received a BA and and MA from Fordham University.