Gloucester Hole facts for kids
The Gloucester Hole is a cool, square-shaped opening in the limestone cliffs next to the River Wye. It's right across from the town of Chepstow. This interesting spot is on the Tutshill side of the river, in Gloucestershire, England. The river itself acts as the border between England and Wales.
What is the Gloucester Hole?
The Gloucester Hole looks small from the outside, but it leads into a much bigger room inside the cliff! The entrance is about 5 feet 6 inches (1.7 meters) wide and goes back about 12 feet (3.7 meters). This cave was a natural opening in the rock that people made bigger. Inside, it's about 27 feet (8.2 meters) deep and wide, and about 15 feet (4.6 meters) high at its tallest point.
Its Mysterious Past
People have wondered for a long time what the Gloucester Hole was used for. There are a few ideas!
- Some thought the Quakers from Shirenewton might have used it to store tea.
- Others believed Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a famous engineer, stored explosives there when he was building the railway.
However, a local historian named J.G. Wood wrote in 1901 about what he learned from older residents. They told him that this natural cave was made larger. A crane was even set up at its entrance! This crane was used to unload big ships that could moor in the deep water right outside the hole. These large ships couldn't easily reach the shallower docks on the Chepstow side of the river. After being unloaded, the cargo was then put onto smaller boats called trows. These trows would carry the goods further up the river to places like Monmouth and Hereford. For many years, you could still see mooring chains and rings in the cliff below the hole. These were used to tie up the ships, which supports this explanation. You can only get to the cave by boat when the tide is high.
The Flag on the Cliff
Right next to the Gloucester Hole, you'll see a Union Flag painted on the cliff. This flag was first painted in 1935. It was put there by some Chepstow salmon fishermen to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of King George V. The flag is repainted regularly to keep it looking fresh.
During very high tides, the water can reach almost to the top of the flag. In January 2014, there was a big flood, and the water level rose so high that it went above the flag for the first time in many years!
Images for kids
-
The Gloucester Hole at high tide.
-
The Gloucester Hole at low tide, showing how much the water level changes.
