Royston Cave

About

Royston Cave remains an enigma. No records of its age or purpose exist. Some theories suggest it was used by the Knights Templar while others claim it was a private chapel or hermitage, and some believe it to be a pagan site situated on two energy lines. Discovered by accident in 1742, Royston Cave is man-made, bell-shaped and cut 8 metres into the chalk that lies beneath Royston’s ancient crossroad, Ermine Street and Icknield Way. The cave is decorated with low-relief wall carvings which are mostly Christian in depiction and medieval in style. The carvings include representations of the Holy Family, the Crucifixion and notable saints such as St George, St Catherine and St Christopher. Elsewhere are figures of a horse and an Earth Goddess, believed to be pagan fertility symbols. In addition to the carvings, the cave was found containing a human skull, an unmarked piece of brass and fragments of a drinking vessel.

At a glance

• Typical visit: about 30 minutes