Royston Cave

Last month we had the pleasure of welcoming John Ambler to the cave. He very generously performed scans of the cave by using 3D Gaussian splattering. This is a rendering technique that represents a scene as thousands or millions of tiny 3D Gaussian blobs, which can be projected and blended extremely quickly to create smooth, […]

Merchandise may seem a recent commercial development, but during the medieval period there were mass-produced metal badges sold at holy shrines as proof of pilgrimage, and to identify the wearer for hospitality. There is one badge, of Richard Caister, that has been identified which bears a resemblance to the carving in the cave situated in

On the western side of Royston Cave stands Saint Catherine, holding the infamous spiked wheel associated with her martyrdom. At the age of 14, Catherine experienced a vision of the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus, who placed a ring on her finger. She subsequently converted to Christianity and dedicated her life to the Church.

The ministry of John the Baptist reached its peak when Jesus came to him to be baptised in the Jordan River. John’s outspoken condemnation of Herod Antipas for marrying his brother’s wife, led to his imprisonment. After Herod’s stepdaughter, Salome, danced for him on his birthday, he promised to give her whatever she asked for.

Royston has such a wonderful history, and of course, one of the most unique caves in the country; however, we have noticed that sometimes when families come into the cave, the children are not always as excited as we are! This May half term, there will be age-appropriate tours aimed at those children under the

Monthly Update – From Emma, Royston Cave Manager… April is an exciting month for Royston Cave because we begin our 2025 public tour season. The steps have been swept, the cobwebs dusted away, and the guides are ready to begin their tours. Tour prices have been frozen for this year, and times have slightly increased,

Monthly Update – From Emma, Royston Cave Manager… On the 24th of March 1603, Queen Elizabeth I died without a direct heir. King James VI of Scotland, her closest relative, became King James I of Scotland and England. He stopped at Royston on 30th April 1603 as he made his way to London for the

Monthly Update – From Emma, Royston Cave Manager…  Apart from the cross symbol, the shape of a heart appears more times within the cave than any other. There are double hearts, hearts within a hand, or hearts displayed on the tunics of figures carved on the chalk walls. It is not known when the shape

One of the largest and most prominent carvings in Royston Cave is a figure thought to represent St Christopher, which stands directly below the entrance shaft on the northern side of the cave. St Christopher began life as a man called Reprobus, who was born in Canaan, in the Middle East, and is said to

Royston has such a wonderful history, and of course one of the most unique caves in the country, however, we have noticed that sometimes when families come into the cave, the children are not always as excited as we are! After the success of our Storytime Special last autumn, we are excited to hold some