In 2019, The University of Bristol Spelaeological Society (UBSS), one of the oldest caving clubs in the country, celebrates 100 years of cave and archaeological exploration and research. On the 9th/10th November, to mark the occasion, the society is hosting a weekend of presentations and fieldtrips celebrating its past, present and future. UBSS member Professor…
New samples taken for DNA analysis from human bone from Aveline’s Hole by Natural History Museum researchers have thrown up surprising results. Graham Mullan reports on their findings. Aveline’s Hole, Burrington Combe, Mendip, contained the largest assemblage of Mesolithic human remains yet found anywhere in Britain. The cave was excavated in the 1920s by the…
Dr Gina Moseley from the Innsbruck Quaternary Research Group will receive one of this year’s prestigious Austrian Science Foundation (FWF) START prizes. The START programme is an Austrian initiative to support and strengthen outstanding research projects in science and humanities. Gina, a member of the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society and current Symposium Lecture Secretary…
At the beginning of the summer break of 2017, six members of the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society (UBSS) travelled to County Clare on our annual Ireland expedition. Our main objective was to continue the re-surveying of the Coolagh River cave which was started last year. We also had the secondary objective of continuing survey…
On 4 August 2016, Pen Park Hole was notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest by Natural England, and cavers and local residents held a celebratory party, as the notification came about after a joint campaign to give the cave added legal protection in the event of nearby development proposals proceeding. The period in…
The good news is that no animals or humans have been harmed recently, well not for a couple of thousand years in anyway, it’s not really a crime scene! This research is being headed up by Dr Rhiannon Stevens from the Institute of Archaeology, University College London and Dr Sophy Charlton from the Natural History…
In November 2015, the University of Bristol unveiled the brand new Bristol Radiocarbon Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (BRAMS). This instrument is based on one of the new generation of ultra-compact high-precision AMS instruments and will be used for 14C analysis in environmental, archaeological and palaeoenvironmental research. The term ultra-compact is relative, as the instrument weighs 4.5 metric…
Pen Park Hole, a spectacular hydrothermal cave beneath north Bristol, has now been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by Natural England. The cave has a long and interesting history. It was first been descended in July 1669 by Captain Samuel Sturmy, a local mariner, accompanied by a miner. It was eventually…
Si Flower and Andrew Atkinson of UBSS have been making progress following the stream in Upper Flood Swallet. The pair, with occasional assistance from John Bennetts (UBSS) and Rob Adams (BEC), began work at a point known as “Terminal 3” where a slightly too tight rift had previously failed to yield to attempts at capping…
A major breakthrough has been made in Tween Twins Hole, Burrington Combe, Somerset. Darkness Below has received the following report from the diggers: After many years of work a team of Wessex Cave Club diggers have made an interesting discovery at Tween Twins Hole in Burrington Combe, Mendip. Tween Twins, known to members of the…
Since the completion of the show-cave tunnel to Chamber 20 in Wookey, last year, a number of groups have been digging and exploring in various nooks and crannies that had never been properly pushed by the divers. This work has now borne its first fruits with the discovery of an overland (dry) route to Edmund’s…
Looking for information on human remains in caves? Look no further. Professor Andrew Chamberlain of the University of Manchester has compiled a gazetteer of all sites in Britain in which human remains have been found. This resource is hosted by the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society (UBSS) and can be found here. The gazetteer contains…
