Editing Wookey Hole Caves

{{short description|Series of limestone caverns in Somerset county, England}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox cave
| name = Wookey Hole Caves
| photo = WookeyHole.jpg
| photo_alt = A cliff with a cave at the base from which flows the River Axe
| photo_caption = The [[River Axe (Bristol Channel)|River Axe]] emerging from Wookey Hole Caves (February 2005)
| location = [[Wookey Hole]], [[Somerset]], UK
| elevation = {{convert|64|m|ft}}<ref name="mrca" />
| depth = {{convert|90|m|ft}}<ref name="mrca" />
| length = {{convert|4380|m|ft}}<ref name="descent277" />
| height_variation = {{convert|150|m|ft}}<ref name="descent277" />
| coordinates = {{coord|51.2293|-2.6718|display=inline,title}}
| coords_ref =<ref name="mrca" />
| map = Somerset
| grid_ref_UK = ST 5319 4802
| survey =
| survey_format =
| discovery =
| geology = [[Dolomite (rock)|Dolomitic conglomerate]] and [[limestone]]
| entrance_count = 6 (incl. 1 artificial, 1 blocked)
| entrance_list =
| difficulty =
| hazards =
| show_cave = 1927
| lighting = Electric
| access = Restricted
| translation =
| language = English
| register = MCRA<ref name="mrca">{{cite book|last1=Gray|first1=Alan|last2=Taviner|first2=Rob|last3=Witcombe|first3=Richard|title=Mendip Underground, A Caver's Guide|date=2013|publisher=Mendip Cave Registry and Archives|isbn=978-0-9531310-5-1|pages=460–469|edition=Fifth}}</ref>
}}

'''Wookey Hole Caves''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|ʊ|k|i}}) are a series of [[limestone]] caverns, a [[show cave]] and tourist attraction in the village of [[Wookey Hole]] on the southern edge of the [[Mendip Hills]] near [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]] in [[Somerset]], England. The [[River Axe (Bristol Channel)|River Axe]] flows through the cave.<ref name="BGS" /> It is a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI) for both biological and geological reasons.<ref name="sssicitation" /> Wookey Hole cave is a "[[solutional cave]]", one that is formed by a process of [[weathering]] in which the natural acid in [[groundwater]] dissolves the rocks. Some water originates as rain that flows into streams on impervious rocks on the plateau before sinking at the limestone boundary into cave systems such as [[Swildon's Hole]], [[Eastwater Cavern]] and [[St Cuthbert's Swallet]]; the rest is rain that percolates directly through the limestone. The temperature in the caves is a constant {{convert|11|°C|°F}}.

The caves were used as dens by [[cave hyenas]]. The caves have been used by both modern humans and [[Neanderthals]] over a period spanning around 45,000 years, demonstrated by the discovery of tools from the [[Palaeolithic]] period, along with butchered animal remains. Evidence of [[Stone Age|Stone]] and [[Iron Age]] occupation continued into [[Roman Britain]]. A [[Cereal|corn]]-grinding mill operated on the resurgent waters of the River Axe as early as the [[Domesday Book|Domesday survey]] of 1086. The waters of the river are used in a handmade [[paper mill]], the oldest extant in Britain, which began operations circa 1610.<ref>{{Cite web| title=Hand-made Paper Mill| url=http://www.wookey.co.uk/hand-made-paper-mill/| publisher=Wookey Hole Caves| access-date=3 December 2013| archive-date=7 May 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507113356/http://www.wookey.co.uk/hand-made-paper-mill/| url-status=dead}}</ref> The low, constant temperature of the caves means that they can be used for maturing [[Cheddar cheese]].

The caves were the site of the first [[Cave diving|cave dives]] in Britain, undertaken by [[Jack Sheppard (cave diver)|Jack Sheppard]], [[Graham Balcombe]] and [[Penelope Powell]]<ref>{{cite news |date=1935-08-19 |work=Dundee Courier |author= |title=Secret River Explored |url= https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000564/19350819/125/0007 |page=7 |location=Dundee, UK }}</ref> in the 1930s. Since then, divers have explored the extensive network of chambers developing breathing apparatus and novel techniques in the process. The full extent of the cave system is still unknown with approximately {{convert|4000|m|-3}}, including 25 chambers, having been explored. Part of the cave system opened as a show cave in 1927 following exploratory work by [[Herbert E. Balch]]. As a tourist attraction it has been owned by [[Madame Tussauds]] and, most recently, the circus owner [[Gerry Cottle]]. The cave is notable for the Witch of Wookey Hole, a roughly human-shaped [[stalagmite]] that legend says is a witch turned to stone by a monk from [[Glastonbury]]. It has also been used as a location for film and television productions, including the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' serial ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen]]''.

==Description==
The show cave consists of a dry gallery connecting three large chambers, the first of which contains the Witch of Wookey formation. There are various high-level passages leading off from these chambers, with two small exits above the tourist entrance. The [[River Axe (Bristol Channel)|River Axe]] is formed by the water entering the cave systems and flows through the third and first chambers, from which it flows to the [[Resurgence (spring)|resurgence]], through two [[Sump (cave)|sumps]] {{convert|40|and|30|m|ft}} long, where it leaves the cave and enters the open air.{{sfn|Irwin|1977|page=162}}{{sfn|Barrington|Stanton|1977|page=179}}

The river is maintained at an artificially high level and falls a couple of metres when a sluice is lowered to allow access to the fourth and fifth chambers, two small air spaces. Normally, however, these are only accessible by cave diving. Beyond the fifth chamber a roomy submerged route may be followed for a further {{convert|40|m|ft}}, passing under three large [[rift]]s with air spaces, to surface in the ninth chamber&nbsp;– a roomy chamber over {{convert|30|m|ft}} long and the same high. High-level passages here lead to a former resurgence, now blocked, some {{convert|45|m|ft}} above the current resurgence.{{sfn|Irwin|1977|page=162}}{{sfn|Barrington|Stanton|1977|page=179}}

An artificial tunnel {{convert|180|m|ft}} leading off from the third chamber allows show cave visitors to cross the seventh and eighth chambers on bridges, and skirt around the ninth chamber on a walkway, before exiting near the resurgence.{{sfn|Irwin|1977|page=162}} A second excavated {{convert|74|m|ft|adj=mid|-long}} tunnel from the ninth chamber allows visitors to visit the 20th chamber.<ref name="wmn">{{cite web|last1=W|first1=Bayley|title=PICTURES: Rare rock formation revealed at Wookey Hole Caves|url=http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/PICTURES-Rare-rock-formation-Wookey-Hole-Caves/story-27535621-detail/story.html#1|website=Western Morning News|access-date=29 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Price|first1=Duncan|title=Operation Twenty|journal=Descent|date=Oct–Dec 2015|issue=246|pages=24–26}}</ref>

From the ninth chamber, a dive of about {{convert|200|m|ft}} passes almost immediately from the [[Dolomite (rock)|Dolomitic]] [[Conglomerate (geology)|Conglomerate]] into the [[limestone]], and descends steadily for {{convert|70|m|ft}} to a depth of {{convert|23|m|ft}} under a couple of high rifts with [[airbell]]s (enclosed air spaces between water and roof) before reaching air space in the 19th chamber. The 20th chamber is at the top of a large boulder slope&nbsp;– {{convert|60|m|ft}} long, {{convert|15|m|ft}} wide, and {{convert|22|m|ft}} high. From here a roomy passage some {{convert|400|m|ft}} long ascends towards a now-blocked fossil resurgence in the [[Ebbor Gorge]]. The total length of passages in this area is about {{convert|820|m|ft}}.{{sfn|Irwin|1977|page=162}}{{sfn|Barrington|Stanton|1977|page=179}} A passage near the end connects with Chamber 24 near Sting Corner.<ref name="descent277">{{cite journal| last1=Simmonds| first1=Vince| title=Land of Hope and Glory| journal=Descent| date=December 2020 – January 2021| issue=277| pages=26–29}}</ref>

The continuation is found in the 19th chamber, where {{convert|152|m|ft}} of passage descending to a depth of {{convert|24|m|ft}} surfaces in the 22nd chamber&nbsp;– {{convert|300|m|ft}} of dry passages at various levels with a static pool. The way on is within this pool at a depth of {{convert|19|m|ft}} where {{convert|100|m|ft}} of passage ascends to surface in the 23rd chamber&nbsp;– {{convert|100|m|ft}} of large passage, followed by four short sumps that arrive in the 24th chamber. This is {{convert|370|m|ft}} of what is described in the guidebook as "magnificent" river passage, {{convert|13|m|ft}} high and {{convert|2|m|ft}} wide, which finishes at a cascade falling from a {{convert|30|m|ft|adj=on}} long lake. There are also more than {{convert|370|m|ft}} of high-level passages above the river. The way on continues underwater for some {{convert|100|m|ft}} reaching a depth of {{convert|25|m|ft}} before surfacing in the 25th chamber&nbsp;– called the Lake of Gloom because of its thick mud deposits.{{sfn|Irwin|1977|page=162}}{{sfn|Barrington|Stanton|1977|page=179}} The sump at the end of this has been dived for {{convert|400|m|ft}} to a maximum depth of {{convert|90|m|ft}} before gravel chokes prevented further progress. The end is about {{convert|1000|m|yd}} northeast of the entrance.<ref name="mrca" />

==Hydrology and geology==
Wookey Hole is on the southern [[escarpment]] of the [[Mendip Hills]], and is the [[Spring (hydrology)|resurgence]] that drains the southern flanks of North Hill and Pen Hill. It is the second-largest resurgence on Mendip, with an estimated [[Drainage basin|catchment area]] of {{convert|46.2|km2}},{{sfn|Drew|1975|page=200}} and an average [[Discharge (hydrology)|discharge]] of {{convert|789|L}} per second.{{sfn|Drew|1975|page=191}} Some of the water is allogenic in origin i.e. drained off non-limestone rocks, collecting as streams on the surface before sinking at or near the Lower Limestone Shale&nbsp;— Black Rock Limestone boundary, often through [[Sinkhole|swallets]] such as Plantation Swallet near St Cuthbert's lead works between the Hunter's Lodge Inn and [[Priddy Pools]].<ref>{{cite news|title=River Axe's main source discovered through mining|url=http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/river_axe_s_main_source_discovered_through_mining_1_314360|access-date=31 May 2014|newspaper=Weston, Worle & Somerset Mercury|date=2 November 2007}}</ref> It then passes through major cave systems such as [[Swildon's Hole]], [[Eastwater Cavern]] and [[St Cuthbert's Swallet]], around [[Priddy]],{{sfn|Waltham|1997|page=199}}{{sfn|Drew|1975|page=209}} but 95% is autogenic water that has [[percolation|percolated]] directly into the limestone.{{sfn|Drew|1975|page=209}}

The southern slopes of the Mendip Hills largely follow the flanks of an [[anticline]], a [[Fold (geology)|fold]] in the rock that is [[Convex set|convex]] upwards and has its oldest [[Stratum|beds]] at its core. On the Mendips the crest of the anticline is truncated by erosion, forming a plateau. The rock [[Stratum|strata]] here dip 10–15 degrees to the southwest.{{sfn|Waltham|1997|page=203}} The outer slopes are mainly of [[Carboniferous Limestone]], with [[Devonian]] age [[Old Red Sandstone]] exposed as an [[inliers and outliers (geology)|inlier]] at the centre. Wookey Hole is a [[solutional cave]], mainly formed in the limestone by chemical [[weathering]] whereby naturally acidic [[groundwater]] dissolves the carbonate rocks, but it is unique in that the first part of the cave is formed in [[Triassic]] [[Dolomite (rock)|Dolomitic]] [[Conglomerate (geology)|Conglomerate]], a [[cementation (geology)|well-cemented]] fossil limestone [[scree]] representing the infill of a [[Triassic]] valley.{{sfn|Waltham|1997|pages=203–205}}

The cave was formed under [[phreatic]] conditions i.e. below the local [[water table]], but lowering [[base level]]s to which the subterranean drainage was flowing resulted in some passages being abandoned by the river, and there is evidence of a number of abandoned resurgences.{{sfn|Waltham|1997|page=203}} In particular, the passages in the 20th chamber are interpreted as a former [[Vauclusian spring]], the waters of which once surfaced in the Ebbor Gorge.{{sfn|Waltham|1997|page=205}} It is uncertain whether that was the original rising or whether it formed when the main rising at Wookey was blocked.{{sfn|Smith|1975|pp=285–290}}

The current resurgence is located close to the base of the Dolomitic Conglomerate at the head of a short gorge formed by [[headward erosion]] with subsequent cavern collapse.{{sfn|Waltham|1997|page=204}} The [[River morphology|morphology]] of the passages is determined by the rock strata in which they are formed. The streamway in the outer part of the cave system that is formed within the Dolomitic Conglomerate is characterised by shallow loops linking low [[bedding (geology)|bedding]] chambers, or tall narrow passages, known as 'rifts', developed by phreatic solutional enlargement of fractured rifts. The streamway in the inner part of the system formed within the limestone is characterised by deep phreatic loops reaching depths as much as {{convert|90|m|ft}}, with the water flowing down-dip along bedding planes and rising up enlarged joints.{{sfn|Waltham|1997|page=204}} In the far reaches of the cave the passages descend to {{convert|26|m|ft}} below sea level.<ref name="mrca" /><ref name="BGS">{{cite web|title=Wookey Hole and Ebbor Gorge|url=http://www.bgs.ac.uk/mendips/localities/wookey.html|publisher=British Geological Survey|access-date=11 February 2014}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Cheeses stored at Wookey Hole Caves.JPG|thumb|Cheddar cheeses in Wookey Hole Caves]]

Witcombe suggests that the name ''Wookey'' is derived from the [[Celtic languages|Celtic]] ([[Welsh language|Welsh]]) for 'cave', ''ogo'' or ''ogof'', which gave the early names for this cave of ''"Ochie"'' or ''"Ochy"''. ''Hole'' is [[Anglo-Saxon]] for cave, which is itself of Latin/Norman derivation. Therefore, the name ''Wookey Hole Cave'' basically means ''cave cave cave''.{{sfn|Witcombe|2009|p=202}} [[Eilert Ekwall]] gives an alternative derivation of ''Wookey'' from the [[Old English]] ''wocig'', meaning a noose or snare for animals.{{sfn|Ekwall|1964|p=532}} By the 18th century the caves were commonly known as "Okey Hole".<ref>{{cite book|first=Benjamin|last=Martin|title=The Natural History of England: or, A Description of each Particular County, in Regard to the Curious Productions of Nature and Art|url=https://archive.org/details/naturalhistorye00martgoog|year=1759|publisher=W. Owen|page=[https://archive.org/details/naturalhistorye00martgoog/page/n81 63]}}</ref> It was known as such when it was first described in print in 1681 by the geologist [[John Beaumont (geologist)|John Beaumont]].<ref name="beaumont">{{cite book |title=The Philosophical Transaction of the Royal Society of London 1685–1800 |date=1809 |publisher=C. and R. Baldwin |location=London |pages=487–488 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L0JKAAAAYAAJ&q=john+beaumont+mendip&pg=PA487|access-date=29 April 2019}}</ref>

Fossils of a range of animals have been found including [[Panthera spelaea|cave lion (''Panthera spelaea'')]], [[Cave hyena|cave hyena (''Crocuta crocuta spelaea'')]] and [[European badger|badger (''Meles meles'')]].{{sfn|Page|1906}} Cave hyenas are thought to have used Wookey Hole as a den.<ref>Tratman E.K., Donovan D. T., and Campbell J. B., [https://www.ubss.org.uk/resources/proceedings/vol12/UBSS_Proc_12_3_245-279.pdf The hyena den (Wookey Hole) Mendip Hills, Somerset], ''Proceedings of the University Bristol Spelaeological Society''. (1971) 12, no. 3, 245–279.</ref>  Wookey Hole was occupied by humans in the [[Iron Age]], possibly around 250–300 BC,{{sfn|Smith|1975|p=381}} while nearby Hyena Cave was occupied by [[Stone Age]] hunters. Badger Hole and Rhinoceros Hole are two dry caves on the slopes above the Wookey ravine near the Wookey Hole resurgence and contain in situ cave sediments laid down during the Ice Age.<ref name="sssicitation">{{Cite web|url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1001272.pdf |title=Wookey Hole |access-date=20 November 2008 |work=SSSI citation |publisher=English Nature }}</ref> Just outside the cave the foundations of a 1st-century hut have been identified. These had been built on during the [[Roman Britain|Roman era]] up to the end of the 4th century.<ref>{{cite web|title=Prehistoric and Roman occupation, Hole Ground, Wookey Hole|url=http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/record/24440|work=Somerset Historic Environment Record|publisher=Somerset County Council|access-date=9 December 2013}}</ref>

In 1544 products of Roman [[lead]] working in the area were discovered. The lead mines across the Mendips have produced contamination of the water emerging from the caverns at Wookey Hole.{{sfn|Macklin|1985|pp=235–244}} The lead in the water is believed to have affected the quality of the paper produced.{{sfn|Gough|1967}}

The designation of the water catchment area for Wookey Hole, covering a large area of the Mendip Hills as far away as [[Priddy Pools]], as a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI) during the 1970s and 1980s was controversial because of conflicts of interest between land owners, recreational cavers and cave scientists.{{sfn|Gunn|Gunn|1996|pp=121–127}} Initial proposals put forward by the Council of Southern Caving Clubs (part of the [[British Caving Association]]) were that SSSI designation, which would restrict what farmers and other landowners were allowed to do, would cover the entire catchment area. This was opposed as being too restrictive and difficult to enforce. It was argued that agricultural use of fields not directly in contact with cave entrances would have little detrimental effect on the caves themselves. There was also debate about which caves and cave features should be considered "important". The final settlement resulted in a smaller area being designated and many agricultural practices being removed from the list of proscribed "Potentially Damaging Operations".{{sfn|Gunn|Gunn|1996|pp=121–127}}

The entrance weir and sluice gate servicing the paper mill was built about 1852. The tunnel excavated from the third chamber to the ninth chamber and then out to daylight was dug in 1974–1975 by ex-coal miners from the [[Radstock]] area.<ref name="mrca" /> The show cave was further extended in 2015 by excavating a tunnel from the ninth chamber to the 20th chamber.<ref name="wmn" />

The constant temperature of {{convert|11|C}} in the caves is used by Ford Farm of [[Dorset]] to mature [[Cheddar cheese]] in the 'Cheese Tunnel'&nbsp;– an excavated side tunnel between the ninth chamber and the exit to the show cave.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cave-aged cheese|url=http://www.wookey.co.uk/cave-aged-cheese/|publisher=Wookey Hole Caves|access-date=3 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Wookey Hole Cave Aged Cheddar wins awards for Dorset based Ford Farm|url=http://www.blackmorevale.co.uk/Wookey-Hole-Cave-Aged-Cheddar-wins-awards-Dorset/story-19745462-detail/story.html|work=Blackmore Vale Magazine|access-date=3 December 2013}}</ref>

===Cave archaeology===
Archaeological investigations were undertaken from 1859 to 1874 by [[William Boyd Dawkins]], who moved to [[Somerset]] to study classics with the vicar of [[Wookey]]. On hearing of the discovery of bones by local workmen, he led excavations in the area of the hyena den. His work led to the discovery of the first evidence for the use by Paleolithic humans in the caves of the Mendip Hills.{{sfn|Ramsay|1878|p=474}} [[Middle Paleolithic]] tools thought to have been created by [[Neanderthals]] been found in the cave. These are thought to date to [[Marine Isotope Stage]] 3 (around 57-29,000 years ago).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Holloran |first=Fiona |last2=Frémondeau |first2=Delphine |last3=Wilson |first3=Linda |last4=Martin |first4=Louise |last5=Stevens |first5=Rhiannon E. |date=2024-11-13 |title=Integrating Morphology and ZooMS-Identified Fauna Provides Insights Into Species Diversity and Neanderthal - Carnivores Interactions in Shared Landscapes: Evidence from Picken's Hole, Britain |url=https://paleoanthropology.org/ojs/index.php/paleo/article/view/1194 |journal=PaleoAnthropology |language=en |pages=335–360 Pages |doi=10.48738/2024.ISS2.1194}}</ref> Most Neanderthal artifacts at Wookey Hole have been found in the Hyena Den, generally near the entrance, which shows evidence of on-site [[knapping]].<ref>White, M., & Pettitt, P. (2011). [https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/152474/7/9014.pdf The British Late Middle Palaeolithic: An Interpretative Synthesis of Neanderthal Occupation at the Northwestern Edge of the Pleistocene World]. ''Journal of World Prehistory'', 24(1), 25-97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10963-011-9043-9</ref> An incised red deer tooth found in association with these tools has a [[Radiocarbon dating#Calibration|radiocarbon age]] of around 40,400±1600 years (though this age is [[Radiocarbon calibration|uncalibrated]] and thus not true calendar years).<ref>{{cite web|last=Jacobi |first=Roger |title=The Late Pleistocene archaeology of Somerset |url=http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/hes/downloads/HES_150_Years_Chapter_8.pdf |publisher=Somerset Heritage |access-date=3 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303171014/http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/hes/downloads/HES_150_Years_Chapter_8.pdf |archive-date=3 March 2014}}</ref>

[[Herbert E. Balch]] continued the work from 1904 to 1914,<ref>{{Cite web| title=A Potted History of H. E. Balch 1869–1958 | work=Bristol Exploration Club | url=http://www.bec-cave.org.uk/index.php/publications-mainmenu-32/belfry-bulletin-mainmenu-33/533-belfry-bulletin-no-493-october-1997?showall=&start=9 | access-date=29 December 2013}}</ref> when he led excavations of the entrance passage (1904–1915), Witch's Kitchen (the first chamber) and Hell's Ladder (1926–1927) and the Badger Hole (1938–1954), where Roman coins from the 3rd century were discovered along with [[Aurignacian]] flint implements.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/record/24354|title=Badger Hole cave, Wookey Hole|work=Somerset Historic Environment Record|publisher=Somerset County Council|access-date=21 September 2008}}</ref> Rhinoceros Hole was scheduled as an [[ancient monument]] in 1992.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1010292 |desc=Rhinoceros Hole, Wookey|access-date=5 April 2015}}</ref> The 1911 work found {{convert|4|to(-)|7|ft}} of stratification, mostly dating from the [[Iron Age]] and sealed into place by Romano-British artefacts. Finds included a silver coin of [[Marcia (gens)|Marcia]] (124&nbsp;BC), pottery, weapons and tools, bronze ornaments, and Roman coins from [[Vespasian]] to [[Valentinian II]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/record/24355|title=Wookey Hole Cave, Wookey Hole|work=Somerset Historic Environment Record|publisher=Somerset County Council|access-date=21 September 2008}}</ref> (1st to 4th centuries).

The work was continued, first by E. J. Mason from 1946 to 1949, and then by G. R. Morgan in 1972.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hyena Cave, Wookey Hole |work=Hominid bearing caves in the south west |url=http://capra.group.shef.ac.uk/1/swest.html#Hyaena%20Den |access-date=23 February 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204160157/http://capra.group.shef.ac.uk/1/swest.html |archive-date= 4 February 2012}}</ref> Later work led by Edgar Kingsley Tratman explored the human occupation of Rhinoceros Hole,{{sfn|White|Pettitt|2011|pp=25–97}} and showed that the fourth chamber of the great cave was a Romano-British cemetery.{{sfn|Hawkes|Rogers|Tratman|1979|pp=23–52}}{{sfn|Proctor|Collcutt|Currant|Hawkes|1996|pp=237–262}} During excavations in 1954–1957 at Hole Ground, just outside the entrance to the cave, the foundations of a 1st-century hut and Iron Age pottery were seen. These were covered by the foundations of Roman buildings, dating from the 1st to the late 4th century.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/record/24440|title=Prehistoric and Roman occupation, Hole Ground, Wookey Hole|work=Somerset Historic Environment Record|publisher=Somerset County Council|access-date=21 September 2008}}</ref>

===Exploration===
[[File:Wookey Hole caves - geograph.org.uk - 1250476.jpg|thumb|left|upright|An underground lake in the first chamber]]

The cave as far as the third chamber and side galleries has been known since at least the Iron Age period.{{sfn|Barrington|Stanton|1977|page=179}} Before the construction of a dam at the resurgence to feed water to the paper mill downstream, two more chambers (the Fourth and Fifth) were accessible. Further upstream the way lies underwater. Diving was first tried by the [[Cave Diving Group]] under the leadership of [[Graham Balcombe]] in 1935. With equipment on loan from [[Siebe Gorman]], he and [[Penelope Powell|Penelope ("Mossy") Powell]] penetrated {{convert|170|ft|m|sigfig=2|abbr=on|order=flip}} into the cave, reaching the seventh chamber, using [[standard diving dress]]. The events marked the first successful [[cave diving|cave dives]] in Britain.<ref>{{Cite web| title=UK Caves Database | url=http://www.ukcaves.co.uk/ | access-date=23 February 2007}}</ref><ref name="BuxtonCDG">{{Cite web|url=http://www.cavedivinggroup.org.uk/Essays/History/JBArticle.html|title=The Cave Diving Group|last=Buxton|first=John S.|publisher=CDG|access-date=28 September 2008|archive-date=31 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081031073104/http://www.cavedivinggroup.org.uk/Essays/History/JBArticle.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Diving at Wookey resumed in early June 1946 when Balcombe used his homemade respirator and waterproof suit to explore the region between the resurgence and first chamber, as well as the underground course of the river between the third and first chambers. During these dives, the Romano-British remains were found and archaeological work dominated the early dives in the cave. The large ninth chamber was first entered on 24 April 1948 by Balcombe and Don Coase. Using this as an advance dive base, the 10th and then 11th chambers were discovered. The way on, however, was too deep for divers breathing pure oxygen from a closed-circuit [[Diving rebreather|rebreather]]. The [[List of UK caving fatalities|cave claimed its first life]] on 9 April 1949 when Gordon Marriott lost his life returning from the ninth chamber.<ref name="farr">{{cite web|last=Farr |first=Martyn |title=60 years in a cave |url=http://www.divernetxtra.com/technol/cave896.htm |publisher=Divernet |access-date=17 November 2013 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140417030059/http://www.divernetxtra.com/technol/cave896.htm |archive-date=17 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=A Century of British Caving|url=http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/~arb/cpc/century.html|publisher=Craven Pothole Club|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref> Another fatality occurred in 1981 when Keith Potter was drowned on a routine dive further upstream.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rose|first=Dave|title=Keith Potter|url=http://www.oucc.org.uk/procs/proc10/potter.htm|work=Proceedings 10 : "Pozu del Xitu"|publisher=Oxford University Cave Club|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Cave Rescues and Incidents for the Year ending 31 December. 1981|journal=Belfry Bulletin|date=June–July 1982|volume=410/411|url=http://www.bec-cave.org.uk/index.php/publications-mainmenu-32/belfry-bulletin-mainmenu-33/451-belfry-bulletin-no-410411-junejuly-1982?showall=&start=2}}</ref>

Further progress required apparatus that could overcome the depth limitation of breathing pure oxygen. In 1955, using an [[Aqua-lung|aqualung]] and swimming with fins, Bob Davies reached the bottom of the 11th chamber at {{convert|15|m|ft|abbr=on}} depth in clear water and discovered the 12th and 13th chambers. He got separated from his guideline and the other two divers in the 11th chamber, ending up spending three hours trapped in the 13th chamber, and had much trouble getting back to safety.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.cavedivinggroup.org.uk/Essays/History/1950.html| title=CDG History 1950–1959| publisher=Cave Diving Group| access-date=12 July 2012}}</ref> Opinion hardened against the use of the short-duration aqualung in favour of longer-duration closed-circuit equipment. Likewise, the traditional approach of walking along the bottom was preferred over swimming. Employing semi-closed circuit nitrogen-oxygen rebreathers, between 1957 and 1960 John Buxton and Oliver Wells went on to reach the elbow of the [[sump (cave)|sump]] upstream from the ninth chamber at a depth of {{convert|22|m|ft|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Farr|1991|page=75}} This was at a point known as "The Slot", the way on being too deep for the gas mixture they were breathing.
[[File:Cave diving equipment.JPG|thumb|Cave diving equipment in the museum at Wookey Hole Caves]]
A six-year hiatus ensued while [[Open circuit scuba|open circuit]] air diving became established, along with free-swimming and the use of neoprene [[wetsuit]]s. The new generation of cave diver was now more mobile above and under water and able to dive deeper. Using this approach, Dave Savage was able to reach air surface in the 18th chamber (chambers did not have to have air spaces to be so named; they were the limits of each exploration) in May 1966. A brief lull in exploration occurred while the mess of guidelines laid from the ninth chamber was sorted out before John Parker progressed first to the large, dry, inlet passage of the 20th chamber, and thence followed the River Axe upstream on a dive covering {{convert|152|m|ft}} at a maximum depth of {{convert|24|m|ft}} to the 22nd chamber where the way on appeared to be lost.{{sfn|Farr|1991|page=98}}{{sfn|Hanwell|Price|Witcombe|2010}}

Meanwhile, climbing operations in the ninth chamber found an abandoned outlet passage that terminated very close to the surface, as well as a dry overland route downstream through the higher levels of the eighth, seventh and sixth chambers as far as the fifth chamber. These discoveries were used to enable the show cave to be extended into the ninth chamber and the cave divers to start directly from here, bypassing the dive from the third chamber onwards.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cathedral Cave|url=http://www.wookey.co.uk/cathedral-cave/|publisher=Wookey Hole Caves|access-date=24 November 2013|archive-date=2 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202223404/http://www.wookey.co.uk/cathedral-cave/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The way on from the 22nd chamber was at last found by Colin Edmond and [[Martyn Farr]] in February 1976 and was explored until the line ran out. A few days later Geoff Yeadon and Oliver Statham somewhat controversially reached the 23rd chamber after laying just a further {{convert|9|m|ft}} of line. After a further three short dives they surfaced in the 24th chamber to be confronted by what Statham described as "a magnificent sight—the whole of the River Axe pouring down a passage {{convert|40|ft|m|disp=sqbr}} high by {{convert|5|ft|spell=in|disp=sqbr}} wide" terminating in a blue lake after {{convert|90|m|ft}}. This lake was dived by Farr a few days later for {{convert|90|m|ft}} at a maximum depth of {{convert|18|m|ft}} to emerge in the 25th chamber, a desolate, muddy place named "The Lake of Gloom".{{sfn|Farr|1991|pages=103–106}}

The 25th chamber represents the furthest upstream air surface in Wookey Hole Cave. From here the River Axe rises up from a deep sump where progressive depth records for cave diving in the British Isles have been set: firstly by Farr ({{convert|45|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}}) in 1977, then Rob Parker ({{convert|68|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}}) in 1985, and finally by [[John Volanthen]] and [[Richard Stanton (cave diver)|Rick Stanton]] ({{convert|76|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}}) in 2004.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/3703800.stm|title=Divers head for new depth record|publisher=BBC|access-date=10 November 2008 | date=30 September 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Rick Stanton |url=http://www.divernet.com/other_diving_topics/cave_diving/160916/rick_stanton.html |publisher=Diver Net |access-date=9 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214070320/http://www.divernet.com/other_diving_topics/cave_diving/160916/rick_stanton.html |archive-date=14 December 2013}}</ref> The pair returned again in 2005 to explore the sump to a depth of {{convert|90|m|ft|abbr=on}}, setting a new British Isles depth record for cave diving.{{sfn|Hanwell|Price|Witcombe|2010}} This record was broken in 2008 by Polish explorer [[Artur Kozłowski (speleologist)|Artur Kozłowski]], then later again by [[Michal Marek]], on dives in [[Pollatoomary]] in [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]].<ref>{{cite news| last=Gallagher| first=Emer| newspaper=[[The Mayo News]]| title=Explorer plunges to new depths in Mayo| url=http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&id=4721| date=16 July 2008| access-date=21 September 2011}}</ref><ref name=onet-may2019>{{cite web| title=Polak zginął podczas nurkowania w Irlandii| date=16 May 2019| website=wbi.onet.pl| url=https://wbi.onet.pl/irlandia-nie-zyje-36-letni-michal-marek-z-galway/n28m88b| language=pl| access-date=18 May 2019}}</ref>
Taking advantage of the tunnel driven through to Chamber 20 by the show cave management in 2015, a team began seriously to investigate the leads in that area. One small passage was pushed to a sump that was dived through to Sting Corner in Chamber 24. In 2020 a dry connection was made to the same location.<ref name="descent277" />

During 1996–1997 water samples were collected at various points throughout the caves and showed different chemical compositions. Results showed that the "Unknown Junction", from where water flows to the static sump in the 22nd chamber by a different route from the majority of the River Axe, is upstream of the sump in the 25th.{{sfn|Chapman|Gee|Knights|Stell|1999|pp=107–113}}

==Witch of Wookey Hole==
[[File:Skeleton in Wells and Mendip Museum.JPG|thumb|upright|left|Skeleton in Wells and Mendip Museum labelled as the Witch of Wookey Hole]]

There are old [[legend]]s of a "witch of Wookey Hole", which are still preserved in the name of a [[stalagmite]] in the first chamber of the caves. The story has several different versions with the same basic features:

A man from [[Glastonbury]] is engaged to a young woman from Wookey. A [[witch]] living in Wookey Hole Caves [[curse]]s the romance so that it fails. The man, now a [[monk]], seeks revenge on this witch who—having been jilted herself—frequently spoils budding relationships. The monk stalks the witch into the cave and she hides in a dark corner near one of the underground rivers. The monk [[blessing|blesses]] the water and splashes some of it at the dark parts of the cave where the witch was hiding. The blessed water immediately [[petrified|petrifies]] the witch, and she remains in the cave to this day.{{sfn|Leete-Hodge|1985|p=25}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://beehive.thisisbristol.com/default.asp?WCI=SiteHome&ID=7602&PageID=40527 |title=The Wookey Hole Witch |access-date=1 March 2008 |work=This is Bristol }}</ref>

A 1000-year-old skeleton was discovered in the caves by Balch in 1912, and has also traditionally been linked to the legendary witch, although analysis indicated that they are the remains of a male aged between 25 and 35.<ref>{{cite web |title=Somerset Historic Environment Record, Wookey Hole Cave |url=https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=24355&resourceID=100 |website=Heritage Gateway |access-date=22 December 2019}}</ref> The remains have been part of the collection of the [[Wells and Mendip Museum]], founded by Balch, since they were excavated, though in 2004 the owner of the caves said that he wanted them to be returned to Wookey Hole.<ref>{{cite web| title = Row breaks out over cave bones | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/3779505.stm | work = BBC News | date = 5 June 2004|access-date=17 November 2013 }}</ref>

It was partly the legend of the witch that prompted TV's ''[[Most Haunted]]'' team to visit Wookey Hole Caves and Mill to explore the location in depth, searching for evidence of paranormal activity. The show, which aired on 10 March 2009, was the last episode transmitted in series 11 of the show's run on the satellite and cable TV channel [[Living (UK TV channel)|Living]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Wookey Hole|url=http://www.tv.com/shows/most-haunted/wookey-hole-1237263/|work=Most Haunted|publisher=TV.com|access-date=24 November 2013}}</ref> In 2009, a new actress to play the 'witch' was chosen by Wookey Hole Ltd amid much media interest. Carole Bohanan in the role of Carla Calamity was selected from over 3,000 applicants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.witchology.com/news/2009/2009-07-29-Wookey-Witch.php |title= New Witch for Wookey Hole|publisher= Witchology.com|date= 29 July 2009|access-date=16 September 2009}}</ref>
{{clear}}

==Tourism==
[[File:Wookey hole paper mill.JPG|thumb|The paper mill, dating from around 1860]]

The cave was first opened to the public by the owner Captain [[Gerard Hodgkinson|G.W. Hodgkinson]] in 1927 following preparatory work by Balch.{{sfn|Balch|1928|pp=193–210}} Three years later, [[John Cowper Powys]] wrote of the caves in the novel ''[[A Glastonbury Romance]]''.{{sfn|Rands|1992–1993|p=49}} Hodgkinson took offence at the portrayal of his fictional equivalent, initiating a costly libel suit.{{sfn|Smith|1981–1982|p=18}}

The current [[paper mill]] building, whose [[water wheel]] is powered by a small canal from the river, dates from around 1860 and is a Grade II [[listed building]].<ref>{{Cite web| title=Wookey Hole Paper Mill | work=historicengland.org.uk | url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1058601 | access-date=23 February 2007}}</ref> The commercial production of handmade paper ceased in February 2008 after owner [[Gerry Cottle]] concluded there was no longer a market for the product, and therefore sold most of the historic machinery. Visitors to the site are still able to watch a short video of the paper being made from cotton. Other attractions include the [[dinosaur]] valley, a small museum about the cave and cave diving, a theatre with circus shows, a [[house of mirrors]] and [[penny arcade]]s.

In 1956, Olive Hodgkinson, a cave guide whose husband's family owned the caves for over 500 years, was a contestant on ''[[What's My Line?]]''<ref>{{cite web|title=What's My Line? Season 8 Episode 12|url=http://www.tv.com/shows/whats-my-line/episode-337-95488/|publisher=TV.com|access-date=24 November 2013}}</ref>

In the late 1950s, the caves were photographed by Stanley Long of [[VistaScreen]], to be sold as both souvenirs and as mail-order [[Stereoscopy|stereoviews]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://brooklynstereography.com/2018/12/04/series-wookey-hole-caves/|title=Series: Wookey Hole Caves|last=Ference|first=Ian|date=4 December 2018|website=Brooklyn Stereography|language=en-US|access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref>

The cave and mill were joined, after purchase, by [[Madame Tussauds]] in 1973 and operated together as a tourist attraction until there was a management team buyout in 1989.<ref>{{cite news|last=Scott|first=Andy|title=Historic mill revamps its handmade grades|url=http://www.printweek.com/print-week/news/1110500/historic-revamps-handmade-grades|access-date=4 February 2014|newspaper=Print Week|date=2 February 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Chronology |url=http://www.madametussauds.com/SiteImages/Assets/9/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20Tussauds%20Group%20-%20Chronology.pdf |publisher=Madam Tussauds |access-date=4 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120528040855/http://www.madametussauds.com/SiteImages/Assets/9/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20Tussauds%20Group%20-%20Chronology.pdf |archive-date=28 May 2012}}</ref> A collection of fairground art of Wookey Hole was sold in 1997 at [[Christie's]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Wolf|first=Matt|title=A Folk Art Menagerie of Carnival Castoffs|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/05/arts/arts-artifacts-a-folk-art-menagerie-of-carnival-castoffs.html|access-date=4 February 2014|newspaper=The New York Times|date=5 October 1997}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Moyes|first=Jojo|title=Roll up to buy artistic fairground attractions|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/arts-roll-up-to-buy-artistic-fairground-attractions-1234377.html|access-date=4 February 2014|newspaper=The Independent|date=6 October 1997}}</ref> The present owner is the former [[circus]] proprietor Gerry Cottle,<ref>{{cite web|title=Wookey Hole Caves|url=http://www.britishattractions.co.uk/south-england/wookey-hole-caves-2|publisher=British Attractions|access-date=29 December 2013}}</ref> who has introduced a circus school.<ref>{{cite web|title=Turbo-charged entertainment for lovers of circus |url=http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Turbo-charged-entertainment-lovers-circus/story-20346781-detail/story.html |publisher=Western Daily Press |access-date=29 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230232829/http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Turbo-charged-entertainment-lovers-circus/story-20346781-detail/story.html |archive-date=30 December 2013}}</ref>

The cave was used for the filming of episodes of the [[BBC]] TV series ''[[Doctor Who]]'': the serial ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen]]'' (1975) starring [[Tom Baker]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Doctor Who Fact File |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/episodes/?episode=s0_09&action=factfile |publisher=BBC |access-date=11 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Doctor Who in Somerset |work=Art, Films and Television|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/articles/2007/05/02/doctor_who_feature.shtml|publisher=BBC|access-date=9 December 2013}}</ref> This has since been referenced in the comedy of ''[[The League of Gentlemen]]''. The cave was also used in the filming of the British series ''[[Blake's 7]]'' (1978) and ''[[Robin of Sherwood]]'' (1983).<ref>{{cite web|title=Most Popular Titles With Location Matching "Wookey Hole Caves, Wookey Hole, Somerset, England, UK"|url=https://www.imdb.com/search/title?locations=Wookey%20Hole%20Caves%2C%20Wookey%20Hole%2C%20Somerset%2C%20England%2C%20UK&ref_=ttloc_loc_25|publisher=Internet Movie Database|access-date=19 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Wookey Hole Caves, Somerset|url=http://www.trailofrobinofsherwood.co.uk/wookey.html|publisher=Robin of Sherwood|access-date=24 November 2013}}</ref> The caves were used again for ''Doctor Who'' in "[[The End of Time (Doctor Who)|The End of Time]]" (2009),<ref>{{cite web|title=Police called as caves witness end of time for tenth Doctor |url=http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Police-called-caves-witness-end-time-tenth-Doctor/story-12283608-detail/story.html#axzz2laQVpvJS|publisher=This is Somerset|access-date=24 November 2013}}</ref> including a scene with the Doctor sharing thoughts and visions with the [[Ood]].

In 2005, the museum reported that a [[Dalek]] prop had gone missing from its collection, and that they had received a [[ransom note]] and a detached plunger from the "Guardians of the Planet Earth". The prop was later recovered from [[Glastonbury Tor]] after thieves had supposedly considered it "too hot". Cottle denied that this was a publicity stunt.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/somerset/4090676.stm|title=Missing Dr Who Dalek found on Tor|publisher=BBC|date=14 June 2005|access-date=27 February 2020|language=en-GB}}</ref>

On 1 August 2006, [[CNN]] reported that Barney, a [[Doberman Pinscher]] employed as a security dog at Wookey Hole, had destroyed parts of a valuable collection of [[teddy bear]]s, including one which had belonged to [[Elvis Presley]], which was estimated to be worth £40,000 ([[US$]]75,000). The insurance company insuring the exhibition of stuffed animals had supposedly insisted on having guard dog protection.<ref>{{Cite news| url= https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14154738 | title= Elvis' teddy bear leaves building the hard way: Guard dog rips head off Presley's $75,000 toy in stuffed-animal rampage | agency= Associated Press | date= 3 August 2006 | access-date= 28 August 2007 |quote = 'He just went berserk', said Daniel Medley, general manager of Wookey Hole Caves near Wells, England, where hundreds of bears were chewed up Tuesday night by the six-year-old Doberman Pinscher named Barney. A security guard at the museum, Greg West, said he spent several minutes chasing Barney before wrestling the dog to the ground.}}</ref> Cottle later admitted that he had invented this story as a [[publicity stunt]], and no such bear had ever been owned by the museum.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wright |first1=John |title=Gerry Cottle: 'I've been a millionaire and I've been bankrupt' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/fame-fortune/gerry-cottle-millionaire-bankrupt/ |access-date=24 February 2021 |work=The Telegraph |date=20 September 2020}}</ref>

In February 2009 Cottle turned the Victorian [[bowling green]] next to the caves into a [[crazy golf]] course without first obtaining planning permission.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Pirate-ship-sails-Wookey-Hole-Caves-crazy-golf-row/article-698007-detail/article.html |title=Pirate ship sails into Wookey Hole Caves crazy golf row |date=13 February 2009 |work=Bristol Evening Post |publisher=This is Bristol |access-date=20 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305173021/http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Pirate-ship-sails-Wookey-Hole-Caves-crazy-golf-row/article-698007-detail/article.html |archive-date=5 March 2011}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist |colwidth=30em}}

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* {{cite journal|last1=Hawkes|first1=C.J.|last2=Rogers|first2= J.M. |last3= Tratman|first3= E.K.|title=Romano-British cemetery in the fourth chamber of Wookey Hole Cave, Somerset|journal=Proceedings of the University of Bristol Speleological Society|year=1979|volume=15|pages=23–52|url=http://www.biab.ac.uk/contents/43540}}
* {{cite book|last=Irwin|first=Dave|title=Mendip Underground. A Caver's Guide|year=1977|publisher=Mendip Publishing|location=Wells|isbn=978-0-905903-08-8}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Jacobi|first1=R.M.|last2= Hawkes|first2= C.J. |year=1993|title= Archaeological notes: work at the Hyaena Den, Wookey Hole|journal=Proceedings of the University of Bristol Speleological Society|volume=19|issue=3|pages=369–371|url=http://www.ubss.org.uk/resources/proceedings/vol19/UBSS_Proc_19_3_369-371.pdf}}
* {{cite book |year=1948 |last1= Kellaway |first1= G. A. |last2=Welch |first2=F. B. A. |title=Bristol and Gloucester District |series=British Regional Geology |location=London |publisher=[[HMSO]] for Natural Environment Research Council, Institute of Geological Sciences, Geographical Survey and Museum |edition=Second |isbn=978-0-11-880064-8}}
* {{Cite book|title=Curiosities of Somerset |last=Leete-Hodge |first=Lornie |year=1985 |publisher=Bossiney Books |location=Bodmin |isbn=978-0-906456-98-9 |page=25 }}
* {{cite journal|last=Macklin|first=Mark G.|title=Flood-Plain Sedimentation in the Upper Axe Valley, Mendip, England|journal=Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers|year=1985|volume=10|issue=2|pages=235–244|jstor=621826|doi=10.2307/621826}}
* {{cite journal|last=Mason|first=E.J.|year=1950|title= Note on recent exploration in Wookey Hole|journal= [[The Archaeological Journal]] |volume=107|pages=93–94|url=http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/archiveDownload?t=arch-1132-1/dissemination/pdf/107/107_084_128.pdf}}
* {{cite journal|last=Mason|first=E.J.|year=1951|title= Report of human remains and materials recovered from the River Axe in the Great Cave of Wookey Hole during diving operations from October 1947 to Jan. 1949|journal= Transactions of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society |volume=96|pages=238–243}}
* {{cite journal|last=McBurney|first=C.B.M.|year=1961|title= Two soundings in the Badger Hole near Wookey Hole in 1958 and their bearing on the Palaeolithic finds of the late H.E. Balch|journal= Mendip Nature Research Committee Report|volume= 50/51|pages= 19–27}}
* {{cite book|last=McComb|first=Patricia|year=1989|title=Upper Palaeolithic Osseous Artifacts from Britain and Belgium: An Inventory and Technological Description|publisher= British Archaeological Reports International Series |isbn=978-0-86054-618-4}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=117302 |title=Palaeontology |last=Page |first=William |publisher=Institute of Historical Research |year=1906 |work=A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 1 |access-date=9 December 2013 }}
* {{cite journal|last1=Proctor|first1=C.J.|last2=Collcutt|first2= S.N.|last3= Currant|first3= A.P.|last4= Hawkes|first4= C.J.|last5= Roe|first5= D.A.|last6= Smart|first6= P.L.|title=A report on the excavations at Rhinoceros Hole, Wookey|journal=Proceedings of the University of Bristol Speleological Society|year=1996|volume=20|issue=3|pages=237–262|url=http://www.ubss.org.uk/resources/proceedings/vol20/UBSS_Proc_20_3_237-262.pdf}}
* {{cite book|last=Ramsay|first=A.C.|title=The physical geology and geography of Great Britain|year=1878|publisher=Edward Stanford|location=London|page=474| chapter = 28 Newer pliocene epoch, continued&nbsp;— Bone Caves, and traces of man| chapter-url = http://www.geology.19thcenturyscience.org/books/1878-Ramsay-Geology/text-ocr/text/Chap28.html}}
* {{cite journal|last=Rands|first=Susan|year=1992–1993|title=The Topicality of ''A Glastonbury Romance''|journal=The Powys Review|volume=27–28|pages=42–53}}
* {{cite journal|last=Shaw|first= T.R.|year=1996|title= Why some caves become famous&nbsp;— Wookey Hole, England|journal=Cave and Karst Science |volume=23|issue=1|pages= 17–23}}
* {{cite book|last=Smith|first=David Ingle|title=Limestone and Caves of the Mendip Hills|year=1975|publisher=David & Charles|isbn=978-0-7153-6572-4}}
* {{cite journal|last=Smith|first=Penny|year=1981–1982|title=The 'cave of the man-eating Mothers': Its Location in ''A Glastonbury Romance''|journal=The Powys Review|volume=9|pages=10–37}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Stack|first1=M.V.|last2=Coles|first2= S.G.|year=1983|title= Concentrations of lead, cadmium, copper and zinc in teeth from a cave used for Romano-British burials: effect of lead contamination|journal=Proceedings of the University of Bristol Speleological Society |volume=16|issue=3|pages=193–200|url=http://www.ubss.org.uk/resources/proceedings/vol16/UBSS_Proc_16_3_193-200.pdf}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Tratman|first1=E.K.|last2=Donovan|first2=D.T. |last3=Campbell|first3= J.B.|year=1971|title= The Hyaena Den (Wookey Hole), Mendip Hills, Somerset|journal=Proceedings of the University of Bristol Speleological Society|volume=12|issue=3 |pages=245–279|url=http://www.ubss.org.uk/resources/proceedings/vol12/UBSS_Proc_12_3_245-279.pdf}}
* {{cite book|last=Tratman|first=E.K. |year=1975|chapter= The cave archaeology and palaeontology of Mendip|editor-last=Smith|editor-first= D.I.| editor2-last=Drew|editor2-first=D.P.|title= Limestones and Caves of the Mendip Hills|publisher=David and Charles|isbn=978-0-7153-6572-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Waltham|first=A.C.|title=Karst and Caves of Great Britain|publisher=Chapman & Hall|year=1997|isbn=978-0-412-78860-4}}
* {{cite journal|last1=White|first1=M.J.|last2=Pettitt|first2= P.B.|title=The British Late Middle Palaeolithic : an interpretative synthesis of Neanderthal occupation at the northwestern edge of the pleistocene world|journal=Journal of World Prehistory|year=2011|volume=24|issue=1|pages=25–97|doi=10.1007/s10963-011-9043-9|s2cid=53392842|url=http://dro.dur.ac.uk/9014/1/9014.pdf}}
* {{Cite book|last=Witcombe|first=Richard|title=Who was Aveline anyway?: Mendip's Cave Names Explained|year=2009|publisher=Wessex Cave Club|location=Priddy|edition=2nd|page=202|isbn=978-0-905903-31-6}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Wookey Hole Caves}}
* [http://www.wookey.co.uk/ Wookey Hole Caves / Paper Mill / Museum]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080512144216/http://www.divernetxtra.com/technol/wookymap.htm Map of Wookey Hole Cave System]

{{Mendip Hills}}
{{SSSIs Somerset geological}}
{{SSSIs Somerset biological}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Caves of the Mendip Hills]]
[[Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Somerset]]
[[Category:Show caves in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Limestone caves]]
[[Category:Grade II listed buildings in Mendip District]]
[[Category:Somerset folklore]]
[[Category:Iron Age sites in Somerset]]

[[cy:Wookey Hole]]
[[ja:ウーキー・ホール]]