Longwood Swallet

Longwood Swallet
Location	Charterhouse, Somerset, UK
OS grid	ST48615571
Coordinates	51°17′54″N 2°44′18″W
Depth	175 metres (574 ft)
Length	1.65 kilometres (1.03 mi)
Elevation	213 metres (699 ft)
Discovery	1944
Geology	Limestone
Entrances	1
Hazards	Frequent flooding
Access	Restricted
Cave survey	Geological Conservation Review/UBSS
Registry	Mendip Cave Registry[1]

The Longwood Swallet is a cave near Charterhouse, in the Carboniferous Limestone of the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England. The cave is part of the Cheddar Complex SSSI and is connected to August Hole.

It is 1.65 km in length and reaches a depth of 175m.[2]

The cave was discovered in September 1944 by boys from Sidcot School.[3]

The picture shown is not the Longwood Swallet, it is Longwood Valley Sink. Longwood Swallet's entrance is lidded concrete block construction. A (non-free) picture of Longwood Swallet entrance is available here

The cave is locked and access is controlled by the Charterhouse Caving Company. There is a warning sign posted at the entrance to the cave about flooding. This has always been a problem, but is more pronounced due to the extraction of water from the spring at Charterhouse. When the pumps owned by Bristol Water stop this can cause a flood wave to travel down the stream and into the cave.[4]

See also

• Caves of the Mendip Hills

References

1. "Longwood Swallet". Mendip Cave Registry & Archive. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
2. "Mendip". UK and Ireland Cave Lengths and Depths. Retrieved 18 February 2007.
3. Johnson, Peter (1967). The History of Mendip Caving. Newton Abbot: David & Charles.
4. "Charterhouse Area". Council of Southern Caving Clubs. Archived from the original on 14 August 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2007.