The general area around what is now Nottingham was once known in the Brythonic language as “Tigguo Cobauc” meaning “The Place of Caves” and was referred to as such by the Bishop of Sherborne Asser in 893 AD in The Life of King Alfred.

Cave dwellings extended out into Sneinton, wherein they were referred to as the “Hermitage”, being as they were occupied by members of a reclusive religious order.

Very little remains of Sneinton Hertimage because in 1829 a rock collapse destroying these buildings, and in 1897 a railway expansion meant cutting away most of the rockface. 

What little remains of these caves is what we explored (alone may I add once ) and myself and Simon investigated.

Documentation suggests the cave may have Been used as back rooms at some stage however exploring the hermitage it shows signs of being used as an air raid shelter.

We have explored many caves within Nottingham which have been documented in history as a air raid shelter and even though this one doesn’t, there is clear signs it was. The signage scattered across the hermitage indicating exit signs even down to toliet blocks and toliet usage is identical to what you would find in Peel Street Caves.

It’s use as a air raid shelter is clearly more evident than any other use I’ve found to be documentated.

Is it haunted…

Every caving system I have visited within Nottingham seems to have some reports of strange activity within its walls and even though there is no such documentation online it is, given its history and its links to other caves within Nottingham, there is reason to believe it could be.

As its named ‘hermitage’ this indicates that hermit or hermits possibly monks lived within for solidarity.

I believe this specific hermitage could have been linked at one time to Lenton hertimage and if that’s the case possibly is linked to the priory that once stood in a Lenton.

Lenton Priory had quite the reputation and the Ghosts of the Lenton Monks have been sighted across most sites across Nottingham. The Lenton monks most definitely would have used the caves to travel, even hide and dwell in.

Check out our investigation here on the footage Below: