Beneath the surface of Nottinghamshire lies a hidden world. The area was associated with coal mining for centuries and although today the last mines have closed, the county has a rich mining heritage and physical remnants of the coal industry still abound. The city of Nottingham is built on red sandstone which has been worked and hollowed out over millennia. Early records show that it was known as ‘the place of caves’ in the language of the ancient Britons. Many of Nottingham’s iconic buildings are built into the rock, Nottingham Castle has a network of caves beneath it and other caves are used for the cellars of public houses. Further afield, Cresswell Crags is a network of natural caves occupied in the Stone Age which contains cave paintings and more recent ‘witch marks’, which relate to local superstitions and folklore. The Byron family is interred in its crypt in Hucknall and numerous other churches in the county have crypts beneath their floors.

This book takes readers on a tour of Nottinghamshire underground, exploring natural and man-made features with a story to tell. The stories include the strange and unusual and this fascinating portrait of Nottinghamshire underground will interest all those who know the county well or are visiting.

Dave Mooney is a Nottinghamshire based writer, musician and public speaker. He gives regular talks on folklore, street music and the county’s underground heritage, as well as giving tours of Nottingham’s sandstone caves.