It’s 20 years since the discovery of the Ice Age rock art at Creswell Crags and to celebrate there will be an open day in Church Hole Cave on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 April. Visitors are invited to come along and take a sneak peek inside the cave to see the art for themselves, all for free.
From 10.30am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 3.30pm on Saturday and Sunday, one of the Learning Team will be on hand to show visitors the rock art and explain just how important it is in our understanding of the Ice Age in Britain and Europe. It will be free entry into the cave, so as many people as possible can pop in throughout the day, and the team will be encouraging visitors to make a donation to Creswell Heritage Trust, the charity that looks after the caves.
The cave open day is part of a wider celebration about the rock art at Creswell Crags. When it was discovered 20 years ago this week, it was it was realised to be Britain’s oldest rock art. It was the first discovery of Ice Age art in Britain and a hugely important moment for our understanding of human habitation during the Palaeolithic period.
The investigation at Creswell Crags led to the discovery of the majority of engravings inside Church Hole Cave, where a total of 23 definite markings were found, including the engravings of a bison, stag, ibis, and depictions of the female form. The engravings were dated to over 12,000 years old.
To highlight its importance Creswell Crags is also hosting a day of expert-led talks on Saturday 15 April and a new temporary exhibition about the rock art is now open in the Museum. There will also be family activities in the meadow on Saturday to inspire young archaeologists, and a talk about children in the Ice Age.
As a site of human habitation for over 50,000 years, Creswell Crags was the chosen starting place for the search for Ice Age rock art and on 14 April 2003, Paul Bahn, alongside Sergio Ripoll and Paul Pettitt, found the Ice Age rock art inside Church Hole Cave. On Friday 14 April 2023, Paul Bahn will be back at Creswell Crags to relive the very moment the team discovered the art as he takes visitors on an exclusive tour to tell the story of the search of a lifetime.
Hannah Steggles, Head of Public Engagement at Creswell Crags, said,
‘The Ice Age rock art is so important to Creswell Crags and to the wider understanding of the Ice Age in Britain and beyond. It was an incredible discovery 20 years ago and we love that we can share the art with our visitors on our cave tours. We want as many people as possible to see the art on this special anniversary weekend, so we thought a Cave Open Day would be a great way to introduce more people to the important history of Creswell Crags.’
To celebrate the Art of our Ancestors, Creswell Crags are hosting a range of rock art inspired events for everyone to take part in. For all the information about the events visit www.creswell-crags.org.uk/art20years.
Posted on 12 April 2023
