You’re walking down a standard, slightly gray street in the middle of Nottingham’s Broadmarsh Shopping Centre area, and honestly, you’d never guess there’s a labyrinth right under your boots. It’s strange. Most cities build up, but Nottingham? It dug down.
There are over 800 caves beneath the pavement. That’s not a typo.
The City of Caves Nottingham isn’t some natural geological wonder like Cheddar Gorge or those massive limestone caverns you see in postcards. These were carved by hand. People took picks to the soft desert sandstone—which is surprisingly easy to carve but gets harder when it hits the air—and just... started digging. They’ve been doing it since the dark ages.
The Sandstone Secret
Nottingham sits on a massive ridge of Bunter sandstone. It’s the perfect medium for a DIY basement. Back in the day, if you needed an extra room or a place to store your ale, you didn't buy bricks. You grabbed a chisel.
Historians like Dr. David Knight from York Archaeology have pointed out that this subterranean world is basically a mirror of the city above. For every building that stood in the medieval era, there was usually a hole beneath it. It’s why the city feels a bit hollow if you think about it too long.
The City of Caves Nottingham tour specifically takes you through a section of this network that was rediscovered when the Broadmarsh center was being built in the late 1960s. There was actually a huge fight to save them. Developers wanted to fill them with concrete—standard 60s move—but locals and archaeologists campaigned to keep this weird piece of history alive. Thank god they did.
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Tanners and the Smell of Medieval Industry
One of the first things you'll see in the tour is the tannery. It’s the only underground tannery in the UK.
It sounds cool until you realize how tanners actually worked. They used urine and feces to soften hides. Doing that in an enclosed cave with limited ventilation? It must have been absolutely revolting. The smell probably soaked into the rock itself. You can still see the pits where the skins were soaked. It’s a grim, damp reminder that "the good old days" were mostly just smelly and exhausting.
The caves were also used as social housing. That’s a polite way of saying "slums." By the 19th century, families were living in these dark, wet holes. It was illegal, obviously, but when you’re desperate, a cave is better than a gutter. The St. Mary’s Workhouse nearby was overflowing, so the sandstone became a sanctuary for the poorest of the poor.
When the Bombs Started Falling
Fast forward to the 1940s. The City of Caves Nottingham took on a whole new level of importance.
During the Blitz, these caves became the city's deepest air-raid shelters. On the night of May 8, 1941, the Luftwaffe hammered Nottingham. Thousands of people scrambled down into the sandstone.
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It wasn't comfortable. It was terrifying. You’ve got hundreds of people packed into a space with one or two dim lightbulbs, listening to the muffled thump-thump-thump of high explosives overhead. The caves probably shook. Dust would have been falling from the ceiling. But the sandstone held. It’s incredibly strong under compression.
Life Underground
- The Bunks: You can still see where the wooden bunks were bolted into the walls.
- The Graffiti: There are carvings from bored kids and scared adults from eighty years ago.
- The Silence: When the tour guide turns off the lights for a second, the darkness is thick. Total. You realize how much those people relied on each other in the dark.
The Myths People Actually Believe
People love a good legend. You’ve probably heard that Robin Hood used these caves to escape the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Honestly? There’s zero evidence for it.
The "Mortimer’s Hole" legend at the nearby Nottingham Castle is a bit more grounded in reality—that’s the tunnel Edward III supposedly used to capture his mother’s lover, Roger Mortimer, in 1330. But the vast majority of the caves were just boring, functional spaces. They were beer cellars. They were cesspits. They were storerooms for the lace industry.
The City of Caves Nottingham is part of the National Justice Museum now. It’s not just a tourist trap; it’s a protected Scheduled Monument. That means you can’t just go down there and start digging your own wine cellar, though I’m sure some people have tried.
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Why It Still Matters
In a world of glass skyscrapers and identical high streets, Nottingham’s underground is a thumbprint of the people who actually lived there. It’s messy. It’s uneven. It’s literally carved by the hands of thousands of nameless workers.
You see the pick marks. You see the soot on the ceiling from oil lamps. It’s visceral.
Planning Your Descent
If you’re actually going to visit, don't wear your best shoes. The ground is uneven and can be a bit damp.
The entrance is tucked away in the bottom of the Broadmarsh area, near the contemporary art gallery. It’s easy to miss. Once you’re down there, the temperature stays a pretty constant 14 degrees Celsius (about 57 degrees Fahrenheit) all year round. It’s a great place to hide from a heatwave or a rainstorm.
- Book ahead. It’s not a massive space, and tours fill up, especially on weekends.
- Watch your head. If you’re over six feet tall, you’re going to be doing some crouching. The medieval residents weren't exactly giants.
- Check the Museum of Justice. They often do joint tickets. It’s worth it because the museum is inside the old Shire Hall and has its own set of terrifying basement cells.
The City of Caves Nottingham is a reminder that history isn't just in books. Sometimes, it’s right under your feet, waiting for you to notice the trapdoor.
Actionable Steps for Your Visit
To get the most out of the experience, start at the National Justice Museum first to get the context of the city's penal history. Then, walk the five minutes over to the Broadmarsh entrance for the caves. If you have time, head over to Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, which is arguably the oldest pub in England. Why? Because the back rooms of the pub are actually caves carved into the castle rock. You can drink a pint of ale inside the same sandstone that housed tanners and air-raid victims. It rounds out the "subterranean Nottingham" experience perfectly.
Just remember: when you're standing in those caves, you're standing in a space that has been a home, a workplace, and a lifesaver. Respect the rock. It’s seen more than we ever will.