Beer Quarry Caves, Beer, Devon
Beer Quarry Caves is a 2,000 year old stone quarry on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. This where the stone came from that was used in the building of such incredible edifices as Exeter Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Windsor Castle and St Pauls' Cathedral, so next time you're somewhere like that, looking up and admiring the vaulted stone ceilings and the exquisite carvings, spare a thought for how it came to be there. That's exactly the kind of thing you can find out about on a guided tour of Beer Quarry Caves; you can marvel at the vaulted roofs and huge pillars in this fascinating 'underground cathedral', but think about how the stone was excavated, how the men worked here for up to 14 hours a day, 200ft below ground; you can still see the tool marks and inscriptions on the walls - and remember they had only candlelight to work by!
The caves have also been used as a refuge and place of worship, and for storing smuggled contraband; a long and varied history! After your tour have a browse in the museum, and find out about the colony of Greater Horseshoe bats who hibernate here. There's plenty of parking, but one of the nicest ways to get here is by following the footpath across the fields from Branscombe.
Open from the week before Easter to the end of October with tours starting at 10.30am
Booking advised for bigger groups No dogs
T: 01297 680282 All information correct at the time of writing.