| Swildon's Hole | |
|---|---|
 Entrance structure | |
  | |
| Location | Priddy, Somerset, England |
| OS grid | ST 5312851297 |
| Coordinates | 51°15′32″N 2°40′23″W / 51.258897°N 2.673094°W |
| Depth | 167 metres (548 ft) |
| Length | 9,144 metres (30,000 ft) |
| Elevation | 238 metres (781 ft) |
| Discovery | 1901 |
| Geology | Limestone |
| Access | Manor Farm |
| Cave survey |
|
| BRAC grade | 4 |
| Registry | Mendip Cave Registry[1] |
Swildon's Hole is an extensive cave in Priddy, Somerset. At 9,144 metres (30,000 ft) in length, it is the longest cave on the Mendip Hills.[2] It has been found to be connected to Priddy Green Sink and forms part of the Priddy Caves Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
The upper series of the cave compresses many features into a relatively short space. The cave goes far beyond this, however, and the lower reaches of the cave continue to provide challenges for even the most experienced of cave divers.
The name may be a corruption of Swithun, an Anglo-Saxon bishop of Winchester, as the land in the area was owned by St Swithin's Priory in Winchester.[3]
- ^ "Swildon's Hole". Mendip Cave Registry & Archive. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^ "Mendip caves: Wookey Hole catchment". British Geological Survey. 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
- ^ Witcombe, Richard (2009). Who was Aveline anyway?: Mendip's Cave Names Explained (2nd ed.). Priddy: Wessex Cave Club. p. 174. ISBN 978-0-9500433-6-4.