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Peak Cavern

Edited by lorna | Added on 18th July 2017

 ‘Of the High Peak are seven wonders writ.                                                                                                                     Two fonts, two caves.                                                                                                                                              One pallace, mount and pit.’ 

Peak Cavern, also known as, “the devil’s arse” is considered a ‘wonder’ by Thomas Hobbes and Charles Cotton in their poems, De mirabilibus pecci and the Wonders of the Peak, which focus on the different attractions Derbyshire has to offer.

Castleton and the Peak Cavern, painted by John Webber in 1789

Charles Cotton states in his poem that Peak Cavern is a ‘village underground’ – referring to the fact rope-makers lived in the cave and often were the guides showing well-to-do tourist around the caves by candle light. As a result, guided tours around the cavern today include demonstrations of traditional rope making.

Despite, the poets’ amazement at the cave’s natural attributes, both Hobbes and Cotton engage with the folklore surrounding the cave, Hobbes associating it with ‘hell’ and Cotton with ‘Satan’.  This language exaggerates what was really like to visit these caves and had a lot more to do with dramatising the experience of travelling to Derbyshire.

Peak Cavern was one the places which benefited the most from the exposure Cotton and Hobbes’ poetry gave the site. It was traditional for the upper class to tour around Europe and write about their travels, but the poetry of writers such as Cotton and Hobbes began to encourage more travel within Britain too. By the 1700s the middle classes were following suit, as it became much more accessible to travel between different counties, including Derbyshire.

Further Reading:

Global Gilpin: The Picturesque Takes a Tour

 

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Connections in the Landscape

You can experience Peak Cavern out in the Peak District or Derbyshire by visiting the location marked on the map below, or find it with the help of the Pocket Wonders app.

Connections in the Museum

The objects below can be found in the Wonders of the Peak exhibition. Each has a connection to Peak Cavern.

  • Exhibit 2.36: De Mirabilibus Pecci: Being the Wonders of the Peak in Darby-shire
  • Exhibit 2.37: The Wonders of the Peake by Charles Cotton, published in 1681.
  • Exhibit 2.82: Rope washing line made at Peak Cavern

Save this Wonder

Saving a Wonder adds it to your My Wonders page. You can create your very own trail featuring your saved Wonders and walk it with the help of the Pocket Wonders app.

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