The Crucible Cave

This cave appears to have been cut during early medieval times. In the 17th century it would have belonged to William Drury, the then owner of Vault Hall on the cliff above and would have been entered from his gardens and orchards. In Victorian times it was situated at the rear of ground between Sherwood place and Valentine Place, two yards running off Broad Marsh.
Excavations in this cave revealed a number of thick-walled crucibles. This type of crucible was used in the 19th century for producing small quantities of white lead. White lead was mostly used in the production of paint but it also had other uses, such as making bread whitener. There was also evidence of a fire which might have been used during white lead extraction and a bone with a white deposit on which might have been used for scraping the white lead from the vessels.There was a paint factory located on Broad Marsh so it is possible that there is a connection between this cave and the factory. The crucibles are made of clay and have very thick sidewalls.