The Kiln Cave

The Kiln Cave is at a slightly lower level than the passage from the Horse Shoe Cave. The entrance to this cave was via a staircase which led down to this area from number 48 Bridlesmith Gate above. At some stage in the past there was a door between the base of the steps and the cave itself. The sockets which held the door frame can still be seen.There were nine brick-built wine bins dating from the 18th century around the walls of the cave. When the Society discovered this cave, most of the bins were in poor condition. A sandy area was observed in the base of one of the bins so it was decided to remove all but three bins so that the area could be excavated.Bridge over Kiln
The sandy area turned out to be a large deep bowl-shaped pit which produced artefacts dating from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries along with a small broken bottle bearing the inscription Cock’s Black Oils.There is some suggestion that the Kiln Cave may be an unfinished malt kiln. There are several known underground malt kilns known in Nottingham.The Square Cave seen from the Kiln Cave