Bank Holiday in Hell

30 August 2004

We have just got back after spending time in Hell; well the HellFire Caves anyway.

To quote the website "They were originally excavated in the 1750's on the site of an ancient quarry by Sir Francis Dashwood (who later became Lord le Despencer) in order to provide work for unemployed farm workers following a succession of harvest failures. It is thought that his inspiration for the design of the Caves came from his grand tour of Europe and the Ottoman Empire. On his return Sir Francis Dashwood founded the Hellfire Club and became a leading member of the Dilettanti Society and the Divan Club. The Hellfire Club originally met at Medmenham Abbey on the River Thames. After this burnt down accidentally they reputedly then held many of their meetings in the Caves, some three hundred feet underground and half a mile from the entrance! At the end of the tunnel is the Inner Temple representing Hell - and it is located 300 ft below St Lawrences Church.We entered the gates on a cold wet bank holiday monday, armed only with a guidebook and two glo-sticks. Billy loved it, although we did play down the spooky haunted stuff until we had come back out again. He now of course remembers it as being more scary than it was. Really good fun and a good way to spend an hour if you're passing.

Hello. My name is Roy. I live in rural Oxfordshire.

This is my blog. I write about things that interest me, make me laugh or that I want to remember.