Introduction to cave digging at Home Close Hole and the website index

INTRODUCTION

The original main purpose of this website was to give an account of the cave digging and excavations at Home Close Hole, Wigmore Farm, Red Quar, Mendip, UK. Home Close Hole lies some 320 metres to the east of Wigmore Swallet and about 100 metres directly above the Young Bloods' Inlet to that cave. However, I thought that just the raw, undiluted account might prove far too exciting, so it's been diluted with a few other items that might be of interest to you and some that probably will not be, but they are going in anyway.

The cave digging at Home Close Hole may be conveniently divided into four main phases; firstly, the initial JCB excavation of a great open-cast pit in the depression (hopefully) over the high avens in the Young Bloods' inlet to Wigmore Swallet and the installation of a concrete pipe shaft. Secondly, surface works in preparation for sinking the shaft below the level of the concrete pipes. Thirdly, the sinking process itself and fourthly and finally, the triumphant break-through into the cave passages below.

So far, phases one and two have been completed, (thank goodness). The excavation phase is well underway and we live in hope that the final phase, the triumphant breakthrough, will satisfy our wildest expectations. Well, there would be no point in doing any of this otherwise, would there ?

Note: There are those who insist on referring to this hallowed spot as Holm Close Hole, or sometimes Holme Close Hole - they are mistaken, but I mention it here to get the alternative names indexed by the search engines.

The latest information about Home Close Hole may be found in LATEST (where else?). LATEST also lists any new additions to the site and there is another listing showing the dates of the last 12 (or one dozen) page updates. If you are in a hurry, then look at LATEST first; it has links to most pages on the site. If you want photographs rather than words then try Photographs. If you want to know where the heck the dig is then see the page called "W". Finally, if you are a glutton for punishment then browse the INDEX listing below, this has links to every page on the site.

INDEX

This index listing below contains links to every page on this website. Note that there are three 'sub-index' pages, namely MORE!, BIBLIOGRAPHY and TECHNICAL MATTERS. These contain links to the indented pages directly below them in the listing. The BIBLIOGRAPHY index also contains a few plain references; these are to pages which I can't get permission to duplicate, which I can't find, or which I haven't got round to processing yet.

Created: 25 November 2008
Major re-hash: Thu Jul 28 2011
Revised:

The Log

Cave digging at Home Close Hole, Wigmore Farm, Mendip, UK

INTRODUCTION

INDEX