Cox's Cave

Cox’s Cave lies inside Cheddar Gorge on the Mendip Hills in Somerset. A show cave open to the public, it was first spotted in 1837 by mill owner George Cox while he quarried limestone. Cox turned it into a private show cave the next year and ran it until the 5th Marquess of Bath took over early in the 20th century. In 1987 a tunnel linked it to the nearby artificial Pavey’s Cave. The cave contains seven small grottoes connected by low archways. The cave’s most striking feature is the Home of the Rainbow, where minerals from the surface colour the stalagmites in nearly black, green, orange and pure white. The French speleologist Édouard-Alfred Martel visited in the 19th century and declared Cox’s Cave the finest of 600 caves he had seen. Visitors still follow the same route Cox laid out in 1838. The cave’s modest size makes it easy to explore in under an hour. Inside, the grottoes open one after another, each lit to show off the mineral streaks. The low archways force visitors to walk slightly bent, adding to the sense of discovery. Outside, the gorge’s towering cliffs frame the entrance. The cave sits beside the larger Gough’s Cave, yet remains quieter and more intimate.