Previous News
1 Jan 2022 - ATLAS digging logs for 2021 added to the archive.
25 Jul 2021 - Dr. W. I. Stanton's 'Map of Mendip Depressions', on which he plotted hundreds of karst features, many of which have since been lost to farming or development, has been digitised thanks to Tom Harrison and is now included for viewing as part of the Mendip Cave Registry Google Earth browser. You can also view the map overlay separately using this link. (You will need Google Earth installed to open these links.)
3 Jan 2021 - ATLAS digging logs for 2020 added to the archive.
28 Aug 2020 - Do you shop at Amazon? You can now select MCRA as the charity Amazon will donate a small percentage of your purchase to. It'll cost you nothing and every little contribution helps. Just start shopping from smile.amazon.co.uk.
14 Aug 2020 - Volume Two of Somerset Underground is now available for purchase online. See the For Sale section for details, where Somerset Underground Volume One can also be found.
01 Jul 2020 - Following the lengthy lockdown we are pleased to announce the resumption of online sales of Somerset Underground Volume One and all other publications.
18 Jun 2020 - We are pleased to announce that the advances for Volume Two of Somerset Underground 2 have safely arrived, with the main shipment anticipated to appear towards the end of July. Priced at a mere £10, this stitched, flexibound, full-colour production comprises 261 pages and contains details of 600 natural caves, mines, sinks, risings, springs, holy wells and artificial underground sites in West Mendip, Burrington and North Mendip.
23 May 2020 - The MCRA logbooks collection is now back online, with a new look and additional features including search and full screen slideshow.
11 May 2020 - After many satisfying years with BCA Web Services the website hosting is being transferred. This has caused the Logbook viewer to be temporarily off-line. It will be replaced in a few days with a new and improved version.
1 May 2020 - Added a new and improved search and view screen to the Mendip Cave Bibliography
29 Mar 2020 - 31 Portland Cave Surveys added to the download archive.
23 Mar 2020 - Unfortunately due to the current Covid 19 shutdown we are unable to process any sales. Please bear with us and hopefully the situation will improve soon.
8 Mar 2020 - Many thanks to those who attended last night's launch of Somerset Underground Volume One. It was a very successful night and it's always good to see the Hunters' packed out.
21 Jan 2020 - COMING SOON - The MCRA is pleased to announce that Volume One of the long-anticipated Somerset Underground has now arrived, and will be officially launched at the Hunters' Lodge Inn at 8 p.m on Saturday 7th March. Priced at a mere £10, this stitched, flexibound, full-colour production comprises 275 pages and contains details of more than 750 natural caves, sea caves, mines, sinks, risings, springs, holy wells and artificial underground sites in Bristol, the Avon Gorge, Broadfield Down, the entire Bristol Channel and West Somerset including Milverton, the Quantocks, the Brendons and Exmoor.
2 Jan 2020 - ATLAS digging log for 2019 added to the archive.
14 Nov 2019 - New MCRA e-book published: 'A History of Mendip Cave Rescues & Incidents' by Alan Gray, available now from the Articles and Books page.
11 Sep 2019 - ATLAS logs from 2002-2008 recovered from the lost ThrupeLite website added to the digging log archive.
03 Jan 2019 - Collated report for 2018 added to the ATLAS digging log archive.
18 Aug 2018 - Dave Yeandle's caving log books uploaded. Additional material added to the Luke Devenish archive.
21 Oct 2017 - More log book collections uploaded: BEC St. Cuthbert's Swallet, Fred Davies, Dick Pike and the recently rediscovered Volume 17 of the Sidcot School logs.
30 Aug 2017 - Earth Colours price reduced by £10.
18 Jun 2017 - Blagdon Bone Fissure by R. M. Taviner added.
14 May 2017 - Axbridge Caving Group Publications 1950 - 2014 added to the archive.
25 Apr 2017 - Dorset Caving Group Journals and Longwood Valley Sink 1984-1990 digging logbooks added to the collection.
24 Apr 2017 - Added the Gerard Platten Scrapbook Index, as compiled by Dave Irwin.
22 Nov 2016 - A summary of an assemblage of bones and a pot sherd found in Wookey Hole cave, Mendip Hills, Somerset by Vince Simmonds added.
4 Nov 2016 - The Sandford Gulf and other lost caves of Sandford Hill by R. M. Taviner added.
23 Oct 2016 - An overview of the archaeology of Mendip caves and karst by Vince Simmonds, 2016 revised edition.
11 Oct 2016 - Articles The Great Wheel Pit Mystery and Swildon's - What's in a name? by R. M. Taviner added.
21 Mar 2016 - Mines and Minerals of the Mendip Hills available to purchase.
17 Jan 2016 - Added Alan Gray's logbooks to the archive.
19 Jul 2015 - Uploaded 9 additional volumes of Willie Stanton's log books (completing the set), plus 6 of his Sidcot School essays. Also a 1938-39 log book from Phil Weaver, and Thomas Geoffrey and John Theodore Swarbrick's “A Survey of the Lead, Calamine and Ochre Mines on Sandford Hill 1948-51”.
25 Jan 2015 - Almost 100 sites in the Portland and Dorset region added to the online cave registry.
07 Dec 2014 - Volume 13 of Willie Stanton's log book uploaded.
05 Jun 2014 - Thrupe Lane Swallet Bleak Hall dig log added to the archive.
03 Jun 2014 - NHASA Log Book 1971-1991 added to the archive.
31 May 2014 - Added Jack Duck's Log Book 1931-1935.
08 Mar 2014 - BEC Caving Log Books 1943-1999 uploaded, comprising over 2,000 pages.
28 Feb 2014 - Gough's Cave Digging Log added to the logbooks archive.
20 Feb 2014 - Over 1,300 pages of journals and newsletters from the Severn Valley Caving Club uploaded to the archive.
14 Dec 2013 - Following more than three years work Mendip Underground 5 was officially launched at the Hunters' Lodge Inn. A big thank you to everyone who turned up to make it a very successful evening.
01 Apr 2013 - New survey of Pierre's Pot added to the Cave Surveys collection.
11 Nov 2012 - Ralph Wills Caving Diary 1921-1925 added to the log books archive.
18 Jul 2012 - Volumes 11 and 12 of Willie Stanton's Log Books uploaded. Plus 5 volumes from Paul Allen.
4 Jul 2012 - Earth Colours is now on sale.
16 Mar 2012 - 28 volumes of Wessex Cave Club log books uploaded to the archive.
15 Dec 2011 - Thanks again to the efforts of Peter Burgess, electronic transcriptions of Volume 4 and Volume 5 of Tony Jarratt's caving log books are now available.
18 Sep 2011 - The first 10 volumes of Willie Stanton's Log Books covering years 1943-64 now available in the archive.
15 Sep 2011 - List of films that can be viewed at Wells & Mendip Museum added to film page.
9 Jul 2011 - Eric Hensler's caving log book uploaded.
22 May 2011 - Caving log books from Sidcot School Spelaeological Society uploaded. This collection comprises 25 books and nearly 3,000 scanned pages!
13 Apr 2011 - Log books from Don Coase and the Viaduct Sink Dig added to the archive.
31 Jan 2011 - More new pictures added to the ever expanding Photo Archive. Thanks again to Paul Stillman for his tireless efforts!
17 Jan 2011 - Mendip Cave Bibliography updated with references to publications from 2010.
11 Dec 2010 - 58 new pictures from the Sidcot School Speleological Society added to the Photo Archive.
28 Oct 2010 - Several more PDF cave surveys added to the archive.
27 Aug 2010 - Sir William Boyd-Dawkins' 1861 logbook uploaded. Thanks to Wells Museum for allowing us to photograph and make this log book available.
18 Aug 2010 - Liz Price's 1984 publication on Bath Freestone Workings added to the Publications archive.
23 Jul 2010 - Cave hydrology connections are now displayed in the Google earth registry browser. Another 42 new photos added to the archive.
16 Jul 2010 - Volume 2 and Volume 3 of Peter Burgess' electronic transcriptions of JRat's log books available. Several ATLAS digging logs added to the logbooks collection.
1 Jun 2010 - Survey of Priddy Green Sink added to the Cave Surveys collection.
15 May 2010 - The official launch of Is That So? - A Selection of Tales From Caving's Legendary 'Nutters, Characters, Pissheads and Selfless, Generous, Rough Diamonds' took place in the Hunters' Lodge Inn. Plenty of books were sold along with several of Robin 'Reg' Gray's excellent original cartoons used to illustrate the book. A big thank you to everyone for coming along and making it an entertaining evening.
11 Apr 2010 - The complete electronic transcriptions of The Caving Diaries of Luke Devenish added to the logbooks archive.
10 Apr 2010 - 7 surveys donated by Robin 'Tav' Taviner added to the Cave Surveys collection.
25 Mar 2010 - Try a fresh way to explore the entire Mendip Cave Registry using our exciting new Google Earth cave registry browser.
21 Mar 2010 - 14 new photos added to the archive.
24 Feb 2010 - Another 28 new photos added to the photo archive.
15 Feb 2010 - The British Geological Society digital bedrock geology mapping is now available as an overlay on cave registry Google Maps search results.
24 Jan 2010 - Improvements to the cave registry name search to ignore punctuation, so searching for “GB cave” and “swildons hole” now finally finds what you were looking for!
22 Jan 2010 - An additional 44 more photos from John Tucker's collection uploaded to the photo archive.
22 Jan 2010 - Nine new high resolution PDF survey scans added to the Cave Surveys collection, including Banwell Caves and Stanton's 1952 colour survey of Gough's Cave, Cheddar.