These city buildings stretch tall... but their foundations are set on a labyrinth of caves and tunnels that were here first... Nottingham’s first city. But this is an underground world that almost no one can see or visit... its there and so close, yet so hard to get to.
There is said to be over 800 man-made caves under use, yet I only know three that are open to the public. Their locations are a closely guarded secret, but in the most obvious places. From the bowels of shopping malls, below bars as beer cellars... to caves converted into air-raid shelters for World War Two and under the castle; there are so many, that local councils are dreading the coming sinkholes, as the rock is soft sandstone.
But this is the thing... surely considering that Nottingham has the largest network of man-made underground caves and tunnels, we would know a reasonable amount about their history?
I am going to attempt to find them... they are the bare bones of the city, hidden beneath an exterior of tram-lines and roads, buildings and gardens.
I was talking to a lady who lived right next to an entrance, and she indeed knew it was there... infact she was rightly proud to live on top of a cave... but she knew very little of it. She did tell me this though:
Just over five years ago, a homeless man was using the caves as a shelter... it was said he knew them well and could get in over 400 meters from the spot he called his home... right below her house.
One day she awoke to the fire department outside... they were running into the main entrance beneath her house unwinding the their fire hose.
The homeless man had burnt himself alive...
I will keep you posted guys... please please please help me out by sharing anything you may know about this. Don't forget to upvote and comment guys!