This single Page presents a unique, although partial record of a previously unrecorded Bone Cave. Some details have been witheld as a matter of protecting the privacy of the landowner.
The Turnchapel Bone Cave is, as far as we can determine, previously unrecorded anywhere in the published literature. This "little gem" of a cave location is one of many such surprises lurking in the depths of the Society's Archives. Surprisingly also is the fact that having discovered the site, we have apparently done very little about it.
The accidental discovery of the site in March 1978 was as a result of a general and systematic investigation, by the Society, of all limestone quarry faces in the area. The discovery of this location in the Turnchapel Quarry was followed by the permission of the interested landowner to allow us to photograph it and proceed with the clearance of a general refuse heap built up in front of it and to clear the immediate area of the embedded heavy growth of foliage.
There was then a quick change of ownership of the land. Permission to undertake further site-clearance work and follow-up passive investigative research, was withdrawn, with "privacy" being cited as the reason. The Society has, however, maintained a "watching brief" on this location.

The Society's Photographic Archive contains only two low-quality views (colour) of this amazing bone cave, recorded at the time of our discovery in March 1978. We have digitalized them without using any digital enhancing processes and they are featured below. Both views feature an obvious bedrock limestone quarry face containing a cave, which at the point of observation, is filled almost completely to the roof with cave sediment taking the form of a "Talus", implying that it has accumulated in the cave passage as a result of falling or rolling down from a higher level, much in the same way as sand falls through the central orifice from the top to the bottom chamber in a classic egg-timer!

The last time the Site was visited was in April 2004, for the occasional "watching brief" appraisal. The following image indicates the situation as viewed at that time. The landowner assures us that there are no plans to change the status quo of this area, a situation about which drastic steps have been taken to guarantee. Privacy continues to be the overruling priority. The next visit is planned for 2006.

Image TBC3. (above)  Indicates the same location as seen in April 2004.
Note the damaging growth of the established trees and the continued presence of the lowered area in front of the "Talus" section. The foliage really needs to be cleared.

The site is not subject to current activities by the Society under its Science Programme, due to the continuing privacy requirements of the landowners.

[end]