Among the many mysteries of Royston Cave is evidence that a substantial wooden structure once occupied its upper chamber.
While the cave’s lower level is famous for its medieval carvings, the upper domed section contains a number of slots, niches and holes whose purpose has long puzzled researchers.
In 1976 when archaeologists Sylvia Beamon and Lisa Donel excavated part of the cave floor, they uncovered a large post hole, two smaller holes and traces of decayed wood, suggesting that a timber structure once stood within the cave.
Former Cave Manager Peter Houldcroft developed this idea further during the 1990s. After surveying the slots and niches in the upper cave, he concluded that they were too shallow and too few in number to support a balcony or full second floor. Instead, he proposed a free-standing wooden platform supported by a central trestle and stabilised by beams lodged in the wall slots.
Houldcroft estimated that the platform may have been around three metres in diameter, leaving a gap between the structure and the cave walls. A ladder could have connected the platform to the chamber below, while visitors entering through the North Shaft would have stepped directly onto it.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Houldcroft’s theory is the platform’s possible shape. He noticed that the positions of several niches and shafts align roughly at 60-degree intervals. When two equilateral triangles were superimposed over his plan of the cave, the points matched these features remarkably well. This led him to suggest that the platform may have taken the form of a six-pointed star.
Although no definitive proof survives, the theory offers a fascinating explanation for many of the cave’s otherwise mysterious architectural features and provides a glimpse into how the chamber may once have been used.
The 2026 season is coming to a close, with Royston Cave open on weekends and Bank Holidays until end September.
By Emma, Royston Cave Manager
For more information: info@roystoncave.co.uk | FB @roystoncave | Insta @royston_cave | www.roystoncave.co.uk
Royston Cave is open on weekends and Bank Holidays until the end of September 2026, every weekend afternoon.
Private tours and group bookings are available year round.
To book a tour, visit: www.roystoncave.co.uk
Royston Cave, Melbourn Street, Royston SG8 7BZ
