Out and About… Royston Cave, A Year of Discovery
280 years ago this month, on one fateful day in August 1742, builders digging up the floor of a market house in Melbourn Street struck upon a millstone buried in the earth.
Hidden beneath it was a vertical shaft that led deep into the ground, down into what is still considered to be one of the most unique and mysterious sites in Britain. Royston Cave had been discovered.
Royston has been welcoming visitors to its cave ever since. It became the town’s premier attraction, advertised at the time as ‘the greatest curiosity of the kind in Europe’, and people still travel across the country to see it.
But, this month, we want to give something back to you, our own community, because, as our shared history, we believe Royston Cave belongs to us all. So, as an extra special celebration of 280 years since our town’s greatest discovery, and 280 years of tours, we’ve teamed up with our friends at the Listing to exclusively offer its readers a free cave tour!
For a whole day, on Thursday 11th August, we’ll open our doors to the people of Royston and let you experience the cave’s magic for free, so you can discover the mystery beneath your town. To redeem your 2 free tickets, cut out the coupon (in The Listing August magazines) and take it to Royston Museum between now and the 11th August. Never been before? Now’s your chance! It’s first come first served so don’t miss out.
Plus, it’s competition time!
Feeling creative? We’ve just launched a national competition to design your own carving! When people made the cave originally, they used symbols and figures that represented their world and beliefs at that time. Imagine you were building the cave today. What would you include? Submit a design for a new carving which captures and represents you, your beliefs, and the world in which you live. There’s no age limit, and it can be of any subject and drawn in any media. So allow your creativity to run free! The winner will receive an exclusive Royston Cave experience, including a private tour of the cave for you and your family, a bundle of Cave merchandise, and the winning entry made in clay!
The competition closes at midnight on Friday 19th August. Submit your entry to info@roystoncave.co.uk.
We have plenty more planned for August too, including the rare publication of the very first reference to Royston Cave in existence; a letter and a charming illustration by one George North. We encourage you to follow along on our social media as we make regular announcements throughout the month.
