England’s Final Cave Dwellers and Their Rock Homes

England’s final cave residents vacated their dwellings in a countryside area close to Birmingham during the mid-20th Century. For multiple centuries, numerous families resided in what originated as a pair of sandstone caverns within the scenic Kinver Edge, an elevated heath offering extensive vistas. Gradually, these caves were expanded into a collection of rock houses, situated in the Staffordshire countryside, evolving into a popular tourist destination. When they were most popular, hundreds of sightseers from the West Midlands and beyond encountered these contemporary “cave people” until the population decreased and their rock residences were deserted. Claire Hale of the National Trust, the organization responsible for the site, stated, “They had a much higher quality of life in the rock houses.” She added, “If you were living during the Industrial Revolution, people were exposed to pollution, disease – if you live to reach 50, you were doing well. “They [in the rock houses] were living into their 80s.”” The initial documentation of human habitation in the caves is from 1617, though Ms Hale estimated their use might have begun even earlier. She remarked, “Possibly even thousands of years before that as we have an Iron Age hill fort up at the top and potentially people could have taken shelter in them all that way back.” The pliable nature of the red sandstone allowed for simple expansion, with some dwellings increasing considerably in size. Furnishings and heating appliances were put in place, and visitors reported them to be warm during winter and cool during summer. A number featured bathtubs and dining spaces, yet occupants frequently preferred not to publicize their residences. Ms Hale commented, “There was an element of shame living there.” She continued, “The families did have jobs. Children did go to school. But it wasn’t something they shouted about. But despite all that, people lived there for a long time.” The rock houses received another mention in 1777 when Joseph Heeley, author of a travelogue, sought refuge there during a tempest. The 1861 census recorded 11 families residing within them. A significant portion were employed as farmhands or at nearby iron works, while others held occupations such as laundry women, boatmen, and one individual served as a local postman. Rose Novak, who inhabited one until 1956, conveyed to the trust prior to her passing: “Once you got there, it really was nice. “They were like three separate cottages, two-room cottages.”There were quarry tiles on the floor, the sitting room had carpet down… the walls were sandstone, plastered over.”We used to grow everything in the garden. We planted fruit trees, apple and plum and pear. We used to grow all sorts of vegetables, everything.”” Towards the close of the 19th Century and extending into the 20th, the rock houses and their environs constituted a significant tourist draw. Ms Hale clarified, “People didn’t used to go on holiday like we do now, they would go away for the day and it would be somewhere that was easily accessible, they would have come to Kinver Edge.” The Kinver Light Railway commenced a tramway service in 1901, transporting individuals from Amblecote, Dudley, to Kinver. Residents of the rock houses capitalized on this, establishing refreshment stands. Margaret Handley, born in Kinver in 1911, recounted in a pre-mortem interview with the National Trust her assistance to her aunt and uncle with tea services during the 1920s. She stated, “We would see the first people come off [the trams] and this was when they used to get the kettles on for the teas.” Bill Reeves, a former resident of one of the rock houses, also remembered: “I used to make all the cakes, when I was only 10 or 11 years old.”I used to stop in on Friday night, come home from school Friday night and that was my night then, making cakes ready for the weekend during the summer.”” With the rise of automobiles, the tramway operation ceased. Lacking both running water and electricity, inhabitants started relocating from the rock houses to more contemporary accommodations. While the majority of families had departed by the 1930s, the final occupants moved out in the 1960s, leading to the deterioration of the rock houses. The National Trust became involved starting in 1917, when a landowning family donated Kinver Edge to them. During the 1980s, a group was established to advocate for the preservation of the houses. The initial restorations were completed by 1993, with additional ones undertaken from 2010 onwards. Ms Hale indicated that ongoing funding was required for their upkeep, including for geological assessments. Nevertheless, she noted that visitors remained impressed by the Kinver Rock Houses. She remarked, “People refer to them as caves but when you go in, you know, they’re a home, they feel like a home when you’re in there.” She added, “They’ve got, you know, a range in there to cook from, they’ve got beds, they’ve got furniture, they’ve got windows and doors.”