Nottingham cave project seeks stories from residents

Some houses are built into sandstone rock faces in Nottingham

Memories, information and even tall tales about Nottingham's caves are being sought for a new archive.

The City of Caves Project mapped more than 800 caves under the city - some of which date back to the Middle Ages.

Researchers said the mapping, which was done in 2022, uncovered a wealth of local knowledge about how they had been used and viewed.

Now the team want people to record their stories - even the far-fetched ones - for an oral history project.

The caves have been used for many different purposes including air raid shelters during World War Two, tanneries and cellar storage.

Many caves are still used - like in this pub - but others remain sealed or undiscovered

Dr Charlotte May, knowledge exchange fellow for the City of Caves project, said: "We're really excited to invite anyone who has a story they want to tell about Nottingham's caves to share it with us.

"Even if the story is more fiction than fact, it tells us a lot about the important role the caves play in Nottingham's urban identity.

"We anticipate uncovering new connections to the caves and unearthing more information about how these sites have been used and talked about in Nottingham's history."

The results of the oral history project will provide a wealth of data to inform further research into the social history of Nottingham's caves, she added.

Researchers want to hear from anyone with memories of using the caves. They can contact the university online here or email [e-mail].

The team will interview some participants in person and use their stories to create a collection at the East Midlands Oral History Archive. The stories will also be publicly available via a new website.