Grotte de Royston

Royston

An artificial bell-shaped chamber carved into the chalk beneath a crossroads in Royston, discovered by chance in 1742 by a workman digging a hole for a new market bench. It is decorated with enigmatic carvings — knights, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Saint Christopher, possibly Saint George — whose dating and purpose remain debated: theories include secret use by the Templars after the dissolution of their order in 1312 (their nearest base was at Baldock, 12 km away), a former Augustinian storehouse, or a Neolithic flint mine reused in the Middle Ages. According to the dowsers Hamish Miller and Paul Broadhurst ('The Sun and the Serpent', 1989), this is said to be where the St Michael line crosses a second current they named the Mary line — an unverifiable dowsing claim, like the rest of this theory.

Getting there : Paid entry, guided tours

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound