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Giant's Hole in 1947 |
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I came across the attached photograph when I was sorting some old papers yesterday. I thought that it might be of interest for your archives. It was taken by me in 1947 in Giant's Hole (Derbyshire) on a quarter plate camera using home made flash-powder. The cave entrance passage is very different now and this rather fine formation has been vandalised long ago. At that time the entrance passage was blocked by "the curtain" (now blasted away). The stream passed through an opening some 15" high and about a yard long. Passing this meant holding ones breath as the stream backed up when ones body plugged the opening. Getting a plate camera and tripod through was something of a problem as I recall. Beyond this the passage rose to its full height and ended with the stream disappearing under the rock face. This sump could be bypassed by "chimneying" up the cleft and reptating into and along a smooth tubular passage with a thin stalagmite floor. The holes therein contained small pools of water. This passage went a number of yards and entered a cave several feet above the floor. This cave contained the stalactite pillar in the photograph. Beyond this the passage continued to a stagnant sump. A couple of years later there was a dry spell and one could get past this and reach the top of a boulder filled hole which I believe has now been cleared but was too formidable for us. Crazy though it may seem these days we explored this cave in swimming trunks as one was totally immersed at the "curtain", the passages were narrow and the upper entrance passages very muddy. The boy in the photograph was a Boy Scout called Peter Waldron. I did not take any other photographs at that time inside caves. Film was difficult to get but glass plates were possible. Flash bulbs and guns were for professional use and quite outside my pocket at the time. My home made flash powder was a fairly lethal mixture ignited with a fuse, using an open shutter. It created such a thick chemical fog that we could see very little and took longer than usual to find our way out of the cave with all the paraphernalia. Caving was only one of many activities carried out by the Beauchief Senior Scout Troop at that time. This pillar was pristine and (to us) so beautiful that I made an effort to photograph it. I am glad that I did, it never occurred to me then that anyone would destroy it. It did not block access and was not fragile. Some of the Beauchief Rover Crew had been down Giants Hole about the middle of the 1930's and attempted to make a diving helmet! Fortunately they never attempted to use it as they all went into the Forces at the start of the war. I came across the "helmet" in 1946 and asked about it. I was told about Giant's Hole and the syphon. Hence my original interest. Regards, David Johnson
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From David Johnson, January 15th 2003....