- Mary, Queen Of Scots Visits The Cavern -

The 16th Century was an interesting period in English history; we had the Tudors, the Dissolution of the Monasteries, 'Bloody' Mary I and the 'Virgin Queen' Elizabeth I. But one famous woman whose life story fascinates so many people to this very day is Mary, Queen of Scots. She had been imprisoned up and down the country and tragically was executed in 1587 at Fotheringhay Castle. However, there is one story that may come as a surprise. There is a story that's been passed down over the generations that tells of Mary, Queen of Scots' visit to Poole's Cavern during her time in the spa town of Buxton, whilst under custodianship of the Earl of Shrewsbury. She apparently enjoyed spending her time bathing in the thermal springs and stayed in a grand hall nearby. When she came to Poole's Cavern in c.1582, despite her current unhappiness she explored the cave with much delight, and after casting her eyes upon a large stalactite deep in the cave, she proclaimed that it shall be named after her. This same stalactite called Mary Queen of Scots Pillar is still here to see more than 400 years later, for all to witness its natural beauty.

Now bare in mind this is just a story that's been told over the centuries. There is no documented proof that she actually visited Poole's Cavern, other than word of mouth. But as many will say, all stories have a starting point and all stories in between the lines have some sort of truth to them. Did Mary really enter this incredible Cavern? And will we unravel this strange historic mystery during our investigation here?

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- Historical Tourism & References In Literature -

Since the story was told of Mary, Queen of Scots' visit to Poole's Cavern, her past presence attracted thousands of tourists to make their journeys to the cave. In a 1636 book called 'De Mirabilibus Pecci: Being The Wonders of the Peak in Darby-shire' written by English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, he describes Poole's Cavern as being one of the Seven Wonders of the Peak. The Cavern was also referenced in a 1681 poetic essay written by writer Charles Cotton who too described this place as a 'Wonder' of the Peak District.

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While Poole's Cavern became a an impressive showcase for people all over the country, a grim reality would soon seep through the cave's cracks. In the late 18th Century, local cottage tenants were suffering from poverty, 'grasping and fighting for payment' it was stated so they could keep a roof over their heads and feed themselves and their families. Many of these tenants decided the only way to bring in money was to extort and threaten incoming tourists by pretending to be 'local tour guides'. According to a report from 1797, these cutthroat charlatans would force unwary guests to pay a tour fee, before luring them into the deepest bowels of the Cavern. They would then threaten the tourists to pay them with every penny that they had, otherwise either violence would commence or even scarier, they would extinguish the candlelight and run away, leaving the innocuous tourists in pitch-black darkness, petrified and lost.

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Sadly this general tone of skullduggery continued for the next few decades, with many visitors who took liberty by hurling rocks at the cave formations. Some of their inconsequential handiwork can be seen on some of the stalactite features, including the famous 'Flitch of Bacon' and 'Mary Queen of Scots Pillar'.

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- Victorian Tourism Through T0 Now -

After the 5th Duke of Devonshire invested a great amount of his wealth transforming the spa town of Buxton into one of the best tourist destinations in the country, his son, William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire officially opened up Poole's Cavern in 1853 as a legitimate visitor attraction and showcave. To make sure that the distained reputation this earthly cavity had gained from years previously would disappear, the Duke appointed Mr. Frank Redfern as the Cavern's first official custodian.

One issue that tourists found was getting into the cave's first chamber. Entry into the Cavern had always been difficult due to glacial sediment at the entrance passage and a low rocky roof, creating a tight and uncomfortable 10-metre crawl space. Frank Redfern realised this problem and came up with a quick solution to enlarge the entrance. He removed tonnes of sediment and blasted away the low roof spaces with explosives. The Cavern pathways were levelled out to accommodate bath chairs and were extended further into the first chamber, and stairs and handrails were also installed soon after. This was just the beginning for the pioneer, as throughout the duration of the Victorian Poole's Cavern, Frank implemented a bandstand museum, a monkey house and formal garden walks. Frank was also responsible for fitting in the cave's first lighting system; a series of huge candelabras.

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In 1859 the candelabra system was entirely replaced by a series of 17 gas lamps spread across the cave, a revolutionary idea in showcaves at that time. The legacy of these lamps can still be seen throughout Poole's Cavern with the old rusted gas pipes and specs of soot deposits plastered on the walls and roof. Surprisingly, the gas lamps were still glowing as late as 1965, when following the death of Mr. Lesley Alcock (the husband of Frank Redfern's granddaughter Jessie who had owned the Cavern since 1955), Poole's Cavern sadly closed down. For the last 120 years, Poole's Cavern remained under the custodianship of the Redfern family, but now the future looked uncertain. Thankfully like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Poole's Cavern was acquired by new owners the Buxton & District Civic Association (now just called Buxton Civic Association or BCA) and after replacing the Victorian gas lamps with 100 new electric lights, Poole's Cavern reopened in 1976.

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While the showcave has extensive chambers rooted underground, it's believed that there are many more geological secrets yet to be revealed. With the most recent discovery of new caves at the end of the Sculpture Chamber, it's suggested that future visitors may one day be able to extend their tour further into the rocky earth.

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- Grin Low Limestone Kilns -

The area where Poole's Cavern is located is called Grin Low Hill, and it was the main site for limestone burning here in Buxton. As early as 1662, this was an extensive area of limestone quarrying which was granted a license to do so by William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire. This demand grew rapidly during the Industrial Revolution period. Across the site where Buxton Country Park is, approximately 100 large lime kilns nicknamed 'Pudding Kilns' remain dating from the 17th and 19th Centuries, built out of earth and rock. The land is also covered in spoil heaps from the waste material left over, and a bulk of these spoils are located within the woodland area. The coal used to burn the limestone came from local collieries like Axe Edge and Goyts Moss.

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In 1820 when Buxton was becoming more populated with tourists and visitors, the 6th Duke of Devonshire commissioned the 'Grin Plantation' for hundreds and hundreds of trees to be planted, shielding the scarred landscape from the lime-burning kilns from the eyes of travellers coming into the spa town. In the 1850s, production of lime moved to a new larger quarry further south of the hill to an area near where Solomon's Temple now stands today. By 1890, the quarry had produced more than 90,000 tonnes of lime. The lime kilns of Grin Low remained in operation until 1952 when it officially closed for good.

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