Mother Ludlam's Cave

Mother Ludlam’s Cave is a small sandstone grotto beside the River Wey in Moor Park, Farnham, Surrey. A spring rises inside the cave and has flowed since at least the 13th century, when monks from Waverley Abbey used it for drinking water. The cave was enlarged by the brothers and later fitted with an arched ironstone entrance, perhaps in the 19th century. In 1945 explorers measured the passage at about 200 feet long, though a roof fall in 1961 shortened the accessible section. The name Ludwell comes from an old word for a bubbling spring, and local stories link it to King Lud of South Saxon legend. The cave is best known for the legend of Mother Ludlam, a white witch who supposedly lent a large cauldron to villagers. When it was not returned she pursued the borrower across the countryside, and the Devil’s great leaps formed the hills called the Devil’s Jumps. Another tale says the cauldron followed a careless borrower until he died in Frensham Church, where the vessel still sits. William Cobbett recalled the cave in 1825 as a neat spot with seats and drinking cups, but he found it ruined by neglect and later collapses. Visitors today see a modest opening in the sandstone cliff, framed by an ironstone arch. Inside, a small stream still trickles from the rock, and bats roost in the damp shadows. The entrance grille protects Natterer’s, Daubenton’s and Long-eared bats, while Greater Horseshoe Bats are returning thanks to conservation work. Outside, Moor Park Nature Reserve stretches across alder carr and wet woodland, offering quiet walks beside the river. Above the cave lies Father Foote’s Cave, a smaller shelter tied to a local man who died in 1840 and asked to be taken back to his dug-out home.