Broad Marsh West

The caves which are now known as the Broad Marsh system, are mostly located to the west of the Drury Hill system. They were owned by properties on Broad Marsh and also by some of the larger properties on Low Pavement. The caves were set into the cliff to the north of a street known as Broad Marsh. The street was named after the marshy area between it and the River Leen. Being at the level of the water table, there are no caves south of Broad Marsh.Photo taken 1968
Originally the caves were largely separate entities. However, sometime during the late 19th or early 20th centuries, they were gradually joined together into one system. During the years that followed some were filled with rubbish as people used them as a dumping ground. In 1939 the owners of the caves carried out a survey to see whether the caves would be of use as air raid shelters. Extensive work was carried out to prepare the caves for use by the people living and working around Drury Hill. After the end of the Second World War, the caves largely fell into disuse and some began to fill up with rubbish.