Lodmore Hole - When You’re In A Hole… Keep Digging

by Phil Hendy

Lodmore Hole is located in a fenced depression in a field some 200 metres east of East Wood on the Yoxter ranges at grid reference ST 5354 5343 and altitude  260m AOD.  The field is level, but covered in patches of gorse and bramble, with many shallow pits and depressions.  Some of these are natural, but others are the traces of old mines.  In 1872 East Wood (or Lodmore Wood as it was then known) and the surrounding area was extensively mined for iron ore.  The shallow cuttings can still be seen in the wood; although some crevices in the lower parts of Lodmore Hole were filled with red ochre, there are no traces of mining in the cave, and it is believed to be entirely natural.

What set this depression apart from others in the field, apart from its size, was the outcrop of rock in the lower northeast part of the pit.  Jim Hanwell had noticed the depression some years ago, but in 1988, Ros Bateman, then living at nearby Lodmore Farm, obtained permission to dig from the M.O.D. through the Brigadier in Taunton and with the agreement of Mr. Cook, the then Yoxter range warden.  Interest in the area had been stimulated by a letter written to Ros’s father by Dr. J.D. Wilcock of Stafford, detailing the results of his dowsing results in the Yoxter area in December 1987.  Ros had accompanied Dr. Wilcock around the fields, and relates that he was quite eccentric – following his dowsing line by taking a direct route, even through hedges. 

THE DIG

Digging commenced in May 1988, with cavers from E.M.I. in Wells.  Digging tailed off towards the end of the year, although the team had uncovered the two main walls at right angles to each other.  At about this time the BEC expressed an interest in the dig, and obtained permission to work there.  In November they fixed netting to the sides of the dig and secured the shoring. By April 1990, the dig was about 25ft deep, and plans were being made to pipe the entrance shaft.  A month later, the first side passage had been found and enlarged, but it did not look promising, and the way on continued downwards.  Measurements made at the time showed that the surface depression was 13ft deep; the shaft to the platform was 25ft deep, with a further 5ft excavated below that.  The dig here was 3ft wide.  The side passage (5ft below the platform) was 16ft long.  However, by the summer of 1990, some slumping was occurring from the bottom of the shoring, and interest was waning. Over the three years that Lodmore Hole was dug, the EMI/BEC team had excavated under the outcrop, exposing a steep bedding plane wall on the east side, descending at an angle of approximately 85o from the horizontal. The north wall appeared to be gently undercut, and the rock was tantalizingly fluted and water worn.  The dig seems to have been abandoned by August 1990.

By 1992 NHASA had been forced to leave its dig at Twin Titties Swallet, just when it was becoming promising.  The diggers heard of Lodmore Hole, and arranged to help with the dig.  Access was reaffirmed with Ron Dawson, who had by then taken over as warden at Yoxter, and arrangement was made with James Bateman, the farmer at Lodmore, to park in his yard, and walk through his farmyard onto the ranges.

NHASA started digging on August 26th, 1992.  It was decided to make the excavation NHASA-sized, an option which would allow a proper look at what lay below the surface, and minimize the chances of missing any way on. Over the first few weeks a stile was built over the fence, a shelter was erected over the surface winch, a path was leveled down to the site hut, and existing spoil heaps were stabilized.  The original shoring was dug out, and the new shaft was made about 4m square.  The old chain-link fencing was laid around the steep unprotected earth bank to the east of the shaft; as vegetation grew through it, the slope was prevented from slipping into the hole.  As the shaft became deeper, it was decided that the usual shoring of angle iron and boards would not be strong enough (having found this out the hard way in Twin T’s) so a cemented stone wall was decided upon.  Of course, it was not possible to build this in the traditional way, from the bottom, because the bottom of the dig kept moving downwards. Therefore, a method was developed of building from the top downwards.  The wall was built in a quadrant for strength, abutting each end of the two natural rock walls.  Side passages were left open by building arches over them.  The fill was mainly stones and mud, with some larger rocks. Cement was usually carried over, but stone dust was transported by vehicle. Dust runs were not without their incidents.  In March 1994, the weather was atrocious, with torrential rain.  Dave Turner’s vehicle became bogged down in the mud, and when we pushed it clear, I found that my boots had sunk into the mud.  The 4WD surged forward, leaving me off balance, whereupon I fell full length into the mire.  At that point, the rain began to fall as near-horizontal hail, which drove straight through the fuzzy bush I was trying to shelter behind.  Dave himself became bogged down, and had to be towed out by tractor.  Pug (Albert’s technical term for mortar) was mixed in an old car roof; water was collected from the hut roof and collected in barrels.  The pug was lowered down the shaft in buckets.

By June 1993, the shaft had been built down to -5m, and old shoring was still being taken out.  Spoil was winched out using a tripod; the buckets were then transferred to an inclined cable, up which they were hauled to be tipped around the sides of the depression.  As we went deeper, a series of dry stone retaining walls were built around two sides of the depression, to provide a series of terraces for tipping. A wooden gantry was built over the side of the shaft opposite the winch, from which buckets could be handled.  The fixed steel ladder was moved to the wall at the foot of steps adjacent to the top winch. All ladders in the dig were of rigid steel; this allowed safe rapid descents, though towards the end, ascents were much slower!

By December 1993, it was reckoned that we were no more than 1m above the point reached by the original diggers.  The side passage to the left of the dig (westwards)was re-opened.  It was nothing more than a gap where rocks had settled under the overhanging wall.  This passage descended as a crawl, about 3.7m long, with a sloping roof on the right, and an unstable-looking boulder pile to the left.  It was not dug seriously, but was left open, just in case.

The first pitch was about 10m deep; at this point, the dig area was quite large, so the opportunity was taken to reduce the area by building a platform.  Another winch was bolted to the wall, with the rope running over a pulley to the back of the shaft to allow a better hang for the bucket. All winches were car back axles, converted by Fred Davies, with a handle fitted where the transmission formerly entered the differential.  The drum was simply a car wheel hub, sometimes with extra sections welded on to increase the rope-carrying capacity.

Digging continued, and by July 1998, a second ledge was built about 4m below the first.  The shoring wall was being constructed as vertical as possible, but the back wall was receding, thereby increasing the working area.  This back wall showed thin near-vertical beds of limestone, with a 5cm band of chert adjacent to the main bedding wall.  We were now well into unknown territory.  A second side passage was revealed on the left (December 1994); it was similar to the first, and just as unpromising.   Some air spaces began to appear under the back wall, but they proved to be no more than settlement gaps.  The depth reached 13m, and digging continued.  Now the back wall became very unstable, and a concrete lintel was cast under it.  The decision was taken to build masonry under this wall as well.  To decrease the working area yet again, due to the cutback of the far wall, a third platform was laid 3m below the second one.  This platform was L-shaped, with a narrow section running along the left hand wall.  The fourth ladder was fixed below this.  A third winch was then bolted to the wall. The fill was still mainly mud and stones, but with some clay pockets.  At times, there was a heavy drip, but there was no sign of any running water.  This surprised James Bateman, who expected us to hit water as he had a 40ft deep well at the farm, at about the same altitude as Lodmore Hole.  Even at our maximum depth (37m), there was no trace of water backing up the hole. Mixed in with the limestone we found odd pieces of chert, and some rounded old red sandstone cobbles.

As the fourth section of the dig was deepened, excitement grew as what appeared to be a half-tube began to be revealed in the bedding wall, adjacent to the platform. However, at 3m, the ‘half-tube’ ended, and proved to be no more than an alcove.  The bedding wall continued relentlessly down, thus widening the dig area to the right, although as we were building a wall under the back face, it was not being extended in that direction.  Five metres down the fourth pitch we decided to build another platform, really more of a ledge, with a fixed ladder bolted to the wall. 

By August 1997, we had a measured depth from the top of the main shaft of 83ft (25m).  It became difficult to drag buckets up from below the third winch, and in June 1999, a length of conveyor belt was hung down from the fifth ledge to smooth the way.  On the 23rd June 1999 we were digging as usual, although some members of the team were beginning to become disheartened, having dug so far with no result. Jonathan Riley completed building a section of wall, and then I began to dig.  Suddenly I felt the floor move and heard a rumbling sound from below.  I moved back smartly, and then began to grovel in the floor.  By pulling stones and mud out of the way, a 25cm triangular black hole appeared.  To the right was a chert band, matching that in the back wall of the dig.  Lying against this at an angle was a slab of rock, some 50cm square and 15cm thick. Looking down the hole, I could see a drop of about 3m, appearing to widen as it got deeper.  Only one side (the bedding plane wall) was solid, the rest was loose stone.  There was an obvious cold outward draught, and what looked to be walking-size passage leading off at the bottom.  Time was getting on, so after everyone had looked down the hole, we covered it, changed and returned to the Hunters’ Lodge for our usual debrief session.

The following week there was, not surprisingly, a good turnout.  Some spoil was removed in buckets, and then the big slab was raised using the winch, and carefully laid to one side.  A short length of rigid ladder was fixed in the hole, and Jonathan gingerly wriggled down a steep rubble slope and into the slot.  We found that our masonry wall at this point was only a short way above solid rock.  The drop was about 2m, landing on a boulder slope in a rift about 60cm wide.  At roof level, leading upwards for about 3m with the bedding wall on the left, and heading under the third platform that lay above, there was a steep crawl-sized passage in rubble.  It did not lead anywhere, but was left open, once the jammed stones supporting the floor had been supported with cement.  The boulder floor under the drop sloped steeply down for about 2m back under the present floor of the shaft.  It was not possible to enter it; the ‘walking-size’ passage was an illusion.

It was decided to carry on digging out the floor of the main dig, to intercept the cavity below.  This was done, revealing a large jammed block to one side of the floor (south).  It was immovable, so was left in situ.  We uncovered solid rock opposite the main wall and descending at the same steep angle, so we found we were digging in a fairly narrow rift.  As we went down, the main wall became undercut where slabs had become detached.  Some unstable looking ones were levered off, partly for safety, but also to increase working space.  Eventually, the solid block was completely exposed, and was left bridging the rift.

We continued working most Wednesday evenings (the traditional Mendip digger’s night) except for when the ranges were required for the defence of the realm. On one memorable occasion, RAF troops covered in camouflage paint and firing blanks unexpectedly surrounded the diggers as they walked to the dig after they had unwittingly walked through their tripwires, setting off thunderflashes.  The strangely-dressed cavers did not deter the RAF, although later it was found that they were exercising on the right night – but at the wrong place!  Aerial attack of a more natural (though much more threatening) kind occurred when the team ceased work early due to a massive thunderstorm.  They were chased off the field by lightning, with strikes hitting the ground behind them, and advancing as they fled.  One night, a heavy snowstorm caused an early withdrawal from the dig, causing a few route-finding problems on the way back to the farm.  We also had a few problems finding our way through the thick Mendip mist.

The floor of the dig was now rapidly being lowered as the working area decreased in size.  Several large slabs of rock, which had become detached from the bedding wall, were broken into more manageable pieces by using a sledgehammer, but one resisted all attempts to crack it.  On 17th November 1999 Aubrey Newport was asked if he would do the necessary.  Four 25cm lengths of Cordtex were inserted into the holes, and the charge was detonated from the surface.  Fumes prevented examination of the damage until the following week, but then we found that Dr. Nobel’s Magic Rock Remover had done its stuff, with no collateral damage. The fragments were removed, and digging continued.  Some sideways development was now occurring as the main wall was undercut, and in early December, a space was revealed beyond a large vertical slab.  By squeezing over it, a low crawl was entered, with a possible continuation to the south – under the boulder pile, which we had been carefully stabilizing with copious amounts of pug!  The slab was dug around and smashed, and we continued to lower the floor, being careful to preserve the continuation of the crawl. Jonathan bravely wriggled into this and reported what looked like a pit at the end, approximately 3m deep but largely choked with boulders.  We hoped that as we carried on digging the main shaft we would find a safer way to this pit, but it was not to be.  Some metre and a half lower, we found that the two solid walls of the shaft had converged to the point where further digging would be extremely difficult if not impossible.  There was no chance of reaching the pit at a lower level.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and it now appeared that what we should have done was to remove the massive boulder pile found on 23rd June.  This now loomed nearly 2m above us, and would present a real challenge to break up and remove, thanks to our generous grouting.  There was no option but to engineer the crawl under these boulders. Between June and August 2000, Jonathan Riley gradually worked his way into the crawl, carefully removing some stones, and cementing in the others.  At least the left hand wall was solid.  A level floor was laid, and at the end, where solid rock with a chert band was again encountered, there was just room to turn round.  The crawl was about 2m long, and there was still an encouraging draught.  In September, work was started on digging out the pit.  We removed several large stones, which quickly increased the working space.  Much of the debris was used to backfill the bottom of the main shaft to within half a metre of the crawl level.  The pit was found to be about 1.5m deep, with a further metre visible descending steeply along the line of the crawl.  Once we were in the pit, spoil hauling became a real problem, as it was impossible to drag full buckets along the crawl without leaving most of the contents behind. The old Twin T’s technique was brought in, whereby mud was placed in bags, tied with a tape strop using a lark’s head knot, and dragged out of the crawl. Eventually we entered a short section of natural open passage.

Digging continued along and downwards. The solid rock we had found at the end of the crawl did not extend very far down, and we soon realized that this wall was merely the downwards continuation of the boulder pile.  The roof, however was solid, and showed some small half-tubes.  Some joints in the left hand wall were filled with red ochre, and there were a few short stalactites.  The floor was mud and stones, but as we progressed, the mud became a deep thick glutinous mass, with large rocks in it.  Eventually, the roof dipped to the floor, just above which there was a small phreatic tube, and digging in this direction ceased. However, gaps began to appear in the right hand wall, which ‘windowed’ into the base of the boulder ruckle. This appeared to offer a continuation sloping downwards, offset to the right.

Being fully aware of the mass of boulders lying above, we carefully began to remove the base of the boulder ruckle.  It appeared to have some solid roof, but it was decided to try to cement a wall at the top end of the space, supporting everything with a framework of scaffolding until the cement had set.  This was started in January 2001, but it was very slow work.  Enthusiasm was beginning to wane, for a variety of reasons.  The death of Richard Kenney, our stalwart top winch man, in December 2000, and soon after the withdrawal of John Ham for personal reasons robbed us of two valued members of a workforce, which was diminishing just when more people were needed.  To dig and remove spoil to the surface now required at least seven men, but due to the slow rate of progress caused by the need to carefully support the boulder ruckle, many diggers just stood around idle for long periods of time, and were fast losing enthusiasm.

The outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in February 2001 hastened the decision to pull out.  For six long months digging had to cease, which gave us plenty of time to consider the options over many pints in the Hunters’. We decided it was time to move on. When access was again permitted, we would remove our tackle and make the entrance safe.  We had a certain amount in the kitty, and with a small legacy from Richard Kenney, we decided to build a cap over the shaft – after all our efforts, it would be criminal, indeed almost impossible, to backfill it. However, in August that year Brian Prewer and I met John Locke, the Army land agent and his assistant Nigel. We showed them the site, and descended the hole.  John was very keen to preserve the hole, possibly as a training site (?!!!), and suggested that the Army maintain the perimeter fence and shaft, provided that we left the fixed ladders.  We gratefully accepted the offer.

NHASA returned on August 22nd.  It was realised that the dig at the end was too dangerous to allow access for non-cavers, and so with great regret the entrance to the crawl was sealed with a thin wall of cemented stone, leaving just the main shaft of four pitches and six ladders.  It would be easy to reopen this crawl if necessary.  Once this was done, we began to remove the winches and other equipment, and stack it on the surface.  The next problem was to get it removed.  Luckily, we were able to do a deal with the Priddy Friendly Society.  In exchange for paying for two of its members to attend a firework training course (to allow safe running of the November bonfire and firework display), they agreed to provide transport to take the gear away.

On November 14th 2001, we met Steve Sparkes, Chris Winter and Fred Payne of the Friendly Society at Castle Farm, and with permission granted from Sharon Brown crossed her fields with 4WD vehicles and trailers.  It was a drizzly day, but it did not take long to load everything up, and take it to Upper Pitts for storage.

All that was left was to say goodbye to NHASA's longest dig.  On October 14th seven of us walked for the last time across the muddy fields to the dig.  There was distant lightning in the south.  We assembled on the second platform, where we celebrated our achievement with sherry, champagne and Brenda Prewer’s famous cake.  A last visit was made to the bottom; it was a gloomy place now that the tackle and electric lighting had been removed.  We exited, and made our way to the Hunters’, releasing on the way an amphibian which had taken up residence.  We rescued many frogs, toads and newts over the years, and on one occasion a small adder that had fallen down the shaft.  Thrushes nested in the entrance shaft, and swallows raised families in the shed.  They were very tolerant of being disturbed by the diggers and our noisy generator once a week.  So the Lodmore Hole dig came to an end.  Others may take up the challenge in later years, but for us it was time to regroup and move on.  Chancellor’s Farm Dig was waiting.

DESCRIPTION 

The cave is located within a fenced area, entered via a stile in the northwest corner.  Steps lead to a path around the shaft to a wooden viewing platform.  This was beginning to deteriorate (April 2004) and should not be walked upon.  The shaft is partly protected by a scaffolding fence.  All pitches have fixed ladders (safe in 2004).  The first entrance pitch of 10m is roomy, with the near-vertical bedding plane wall on the left, and a joint wall, with thin exposed beds at the back. There is a band of chert in the angle between the walls.  The rest of the shaft is a curved wall, built to retain undug infill – the complete extent of the shaft is not known.  The ladder is a little short of the bottom, but it is easy to reach the first platform, where No. 2 winch (‘John Ham’s’) was bolted to the wall.  A low 3.7m crawl under the hanging roof extends to the left. It was enlarged from a low passage, where infill running in from the left had settled, leaving a gap under the roof.

The second 4.5m pitch leads to a slightly larger ledge, with a side passage on the left similar to the one above.  The bottom of the third pitch (4m) is another ledge, where the third winch was located. There is a scaffold bar cemented in place above the main pitch below, and just below the lip on the far wall, a concrete lintel can be seen.  This was built to support some unstable-looking rocks above.  Down to this point, the natural rock can be seen to the right and ahead, but below the lintel, all but the bedding wall was constructed of masonry, as the far (joint) wall became very loose and needed supporting.

The next 16m pitch is descended by using three ladders.  The first, 5m deep and leading from the left of the 3rd ledge, ends on a narrow platform. Opposite this point, and slightly lower, an alcove can be seen in the bedding wall.  From there, three ladders (5, 3.5 and 2m) are fixed to the back wall.  Halfway down the second, the shaft begins to become restricted, and the jammed boulder, discovered on 23/6/99, is passed.  The bottom ladder ends on a very small ledge, from where an easy climb of 2m ends on a backfilled boulder floor. From the foot of the final ladder, the opposite wall is a cemented boulder ruckle.  By ascending this, under the jammed block, a loose passage ascending for 3m along the bedding wall to the south, can be seen. It lies under the ledges in the main shaft.  The loose floor has been stabilised by cementing the stones at the bottom of the passage, but entry is not advised.

To all intents, the cave ends at the infilled floor, but there is a continuation, now sealed, alongside the bedding wall, running to the northwest.  Behind the seal, a low 2m crawl, dug through the boulder ruckle, leads to a 1.5m drop into natural passage.  There is little space to turn at the end of the crawl, and most diggers chose to enter this feet-first.  The drop leads via some built steps into a passage some 7m long and 2.5m high.  Some rock has fallen from the beds on the left, which makes this a roomy place.  There are a few short stalactites and small areas of flowstone, and red ochre fills some of the cracks in the left hand wall.  At the end, the roof has some phreatic tubes; it narrows and descends to a mud floor.  Although at the beginning the passage wall on the right is solid rock, it soon gives way to the base of the boulder ruckle.  This is loose and unstable, but a view is possible of a space through the boulders, descending to the left, slightly offset from the passage.  This space was never entered, and marks the end of the dig. The depth to the foot of the shaft (from datum, 2.7m below field level) is 33m.  Total depth is 37m.

Few formations were found in the cave, although some white flows and short straws are developing as lime is leached from the cemented walls.  Lodmore Hole is an unusual site, in that the bedding was nearly vertical. No significant lateral development was seen, and we can only speculate about what the hole would look like if it was completely excavated, as is currently happening at Templeton.  The cave appears to be fault-related, and although the depth achieved is something to be proud of, the logistics of spoil hauling did not allow us to come to a satisfactory conclusion.

DIGGERS.

Over the years, members of the digging team came and went.  The main clubs represented were EMI and NHASA, with members of the BEC and WCC, and several non-club diggers.  There were too many to be named here.  On any one night between three and 24 diggers could assemble, in all winds and weathers.  Any interclub rivalries were set aside, though there was plenty of leg pulling and in-jokes.  On one occasion, I asked for a bucket of small stones for backfilling the wall, and was sent a kit – a few large rocks and a lump hammer.  Woe betide anyone standing at the foot of the entrance shaft when Albert Francis was in playful mood – they might receive anything from a snowball to a bunch of nettles, depending on the season.

ACCESS.

Permission must be obtained from the range warden at Yoxter, and a telephone call to Lodmore Farm is necessary to ask to park in the farmyard.  From the yard, walk to the right of and behind the farm buildings, and cross a stile into a field (part of the ranges) by a pond.  Turn left, and follow a cattle track through gorse bushes to a gap in the wall leading to a field on the left.  Head roughly south to a gate into the next field, then southeast to the fenced depression.  Alternatively, at the gap in the wall, follow the left hand fence to the field corner (this field is roughly triangular) and crawl under the barbed wire fence.  Walk to the nearest M.O.D. range notice, and continue straight on to the depression.  WARNING:  although live firing does not occur on the ranges, apart from at the butts, the area is often used, day and night, for training exercises.  Do not enter the ranges without permission, especially when red flags are flying – and keep an eye open for RAF cadets lurking in the bushes!

Thanks are due to Ros Bateman and Vince Simmons for help putting together the early history of the dig. The survey data was compiled by Kathy Glenton, and the survey was drawn with help from Brian Prewer.  Photographs are by Brian Prewer and the author.  A more complete description of the dig is available, together with a collection of photographs on CD-ROM.

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