Brinksway Caves facts for kids

The Brinksway Caves, also called Maggie's Caves, are man-made caves found in Brinksway, near the River Mersey in Stockport. These caves were dug out by workers who chipped away at the soft sandstone rock. This rock naturally wears away on the Cheadle side of the River Mersey.

Discover the Brinksway Caves

What's in a Name?

The Brinksway Caves get their name from a nearby road called Brinksway. This road is a small part of the A560 road. The word "Brinksway" comes from old English words. "Brink" means an edge or a bank, and "way" means a path. So, Brinksway means a road along an edge or bank.

How the Caves Began

The Brinksway Caves have been around since at least 1670. It is thought that workers from a local corn mill or river wideners first dug them. These workers had the right tools and skills to create such caves.

Later, workers building the Stockport Viaduct might have expanded the caves. These workers, sometimes called navvies, often lived in the caves. They used them as homes because they could not find other places to stay.

After the viaduct was built, the caves were used for different jobs. In 1851, for example, they were used to clean gas tar to make a substance called naphtha. A person who made pipes also worked in these caves.

Caves in Modern Times

Before the Second World War began in 1938, parts of the caves were dug out further. This was to create air raid shelters. The first of these shelters opened on October 28, 1939. By 1943, the danger of bombings was less, so the shelters were not open every night. They were closed off to the public in 1948.

Today, the caves are sometimes used as a temporary shelter by people who need a place to stay. Because the caves are in a risky spot, some people have had accidents near the river. In 2015, a person needed help from specialist firefighters after a fall.