Cave farm & Mine shafts

Some time ago while exploring on Morridge Moor in the Staffordshire Moorlands I came across a property called Cave Farm which was clearly marked on the Ordnance Survey map and not far from Hob Hay.

I decided to call in to hopefully get permission to photograph the cave which I assumed to be located on the property. On reaching the house I met the owner a Mrs Jane Prince who assured me that there was no cave located on her property despite it being called Cave farm? After talking with Jane for a while about the area she related the following story to me, last November she had been out walking her two Golden Retrievers, and she had ended up at Blakemere, the haunted pool which can be found on top of Morridge Moor about two miles away from where she lived.

Haunted Blakemere.

Blakemere, as I have written about previously is said to be haunted by a woman who was drowned here after having been accused of witchcraft, and it is said that no animal or bird will drink from its dark waters, so when Jane reached the pool with her Golden Retrievers which under normal circumstances would enter any water straight away, she became alarmed by the fact that they would’nt approach the pool, so with the dogs behaving out of character she decided to head for home before darkness descended. Is it posssible that the dogs were able to sense something that remained hidden to our own senses, perhaps there is more to the legend of Blakemere than merely old wives tales!

Another place that Jane told me about was a mine shaft which is close to Cave farm and not far from the triangulation point .

The mine shaft which I found in a field close to Cave farm.

I am not sure what was mined here but there are disused copper mines in the area so this may be one of them. I have been told by Jane that some Cavers have recently been exploring the mine, and the flash from my camera has revealed a set of ladders attached to the side of the mine shaft.

Another view of the mine shaft.

Morridge Moor is an intriguing place which can be dangerous if you are not familiar with it, not only are there mine shafts dotted about, there are also reports of a Black Panther which has been seen by many people in this area including the Editor of the Leek post and Times. There are also tales of spirits which are said to haunt the area, such as at Blakemere and the spirits of people killed while using the old pack horse trail that cuts across the moor. Added to this the fact that brigands and thieves were hung from the gibbet on Gib Tor and perhaps their spirits still wander the moor, however these are not the only dangers as the army tests its artillery on part of the moor so there is the chance of stepping on unexploded ordnance, so if you are unfamiliar with this place I would suggest that you don’t wander to far from the road that crosses the moor!