Details

Savory's Hole lies in the upper valley of Ebbor Gorge, 2m above the valley
floor and 56m below the main plateau, on the right bank facing east. It
consists of a low shelter, c.4m long and 5m wide, with a roof c.1.5m high at
the entrance rising to c.2m towards the back of the cave. The cave was
partially excavated by the Mendip Nature Research Committee in 1913 and 1919
and by the Prehistoric Society in 1958. The excavations revealed an upper
earthy level containing human bones, possibly burials, of uncertain age which
overlay several feet of thermoclastic scree resting on a stalagmite floor.
Split long bones of large mammals indicate Later Upper Palaeolithic or
Mesolithic activity in the cave. Although the cave interior is now largely
excavated, considerable quantities of deposit survive in the talus which
extends 7m either side of the cave entrance and a similar distance towards the
valley bottom. The monument therefore includes the cave and all surviving
deposits stretching from the cave entrance in an arc of radius 7m.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Palaeolithic caves and rock shelters provide some of the earliest evidence of
human activity in the period from about 400,000 to 10,000 years ago. The
sites, all natural topographic features, occur mainly in hard limestone in the
north and west of the country, although examples also exist in the softer
rocks of south-east England. Evidence for human occupation is often located
near the cave entrances, close to the rock walls or on the exterior platforms.
The interiors sometimes served as special areas for disposal and storage or
were places where material naturally accumulated from the outside. Because of
the special conditions of deposition and preservation, organic and other
fragile materials often survive well and in stratigraphic association. Caves
and rock shelters are therefore of major importance for understanding this
period. Due to their comparative rarity, their considerable age and their
longevity as a monument type, all examples with good survival of deposits are
considered to be nationally important.

The 21 sites in Somerset form the densest and one of the most important
concentrations of this type of monument in the country. Although parts have
been excavated, Savory's Hole is important for the in situ survival of
substantial archaeological deposits outside the cave entrance, which retain
high potential for preserving evidence of human activity in the Late Glacial
and early Postglacial periods.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Balch, H E, Mendip - the Great Cave of Wookey Hole, (1914)
Barrington, N, Stanton, W I, Mendip: The Complete Caves and a View of the Hills, (1977)
Campbell, J B, The Upper Palaeolithic of Britain, (1977)
McBurney, C B M, 'Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society' in Report On The First Season's Fieldwork On Br.U.P Cave Deposits., , Vol. 25, (1959), 260-69

Source: Historic England