Ancient Monuments

History on the Ground

This site is entirely user-supported. See how you can help.

Badger Hole, Warton Crag

A Scheduled Monument in Warton, Lancashire

We don't have any photos of this monument yet. Why don't you be the first to send us one?

Upload Photo »

Approximate Location Map
Large Map »

If Google Street View is available, the image is from the best available vantage point looking, if possible, towards the location of the monument. Where it is not available, the satellite view is shown instead.

Coordinates

Latitude: 54.1489 / 54°8'55"N

Longitude: -2.7947 / 2°47'40"W

OS Eastings: 348189.468979

OS Northings: 472852.591451

OS Grid: SD481728

Mapcode National: GBR 8NXG.RH

Mapcode Global: WH83N.1ZG8

Entry Name: Badger Hole, Warton Crag

Scheduled Date: 3 September 1992

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1012108

English Heritage Legacy ID: 13252

County: Lancashire

Civil Parish: Warton

Traditional County: Lancashire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Lancashire

Church of England Parish: Warton St Oswald (or Holy Trinity)

Church of England Diocese: Blackburn

Details

Badger Hole lies c.20m up the west face of Warton Crag. It occupies a
prominent position c.5m below the surface of the plateau with commanding
views over the reclaimed salt marsh of Morecambe Bay. The cave consists of a
single chamber, about 5m long by 3m wide, with a partially blocked passage
leading inward. The mouth of the cave is relatively low and looks out onto a
platform approximately 6m long and 1.5m wide. Excavations in the mouth of the
cave and the chamber have uncovered material from a number of periods,
including the Roman and the Late Upper Palaeolithic. The latter consisted of
lithic artefacts, but no faunal remains. Further archaeological deposits
survive in the area of the entrance platform and cemented to the walls of the
main chamber. The scheduling includes the cave and the deposits which extend
in an arc of 1.5m out beyond the cave entrance.

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 Palaeolithic caves of Lancashire and Cumbria form a significant regional
group of which Badger Hole is an important example with surviving
unexcavated deposits.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Jackson, J W, 'Lancs., with remarks on the contents of two adjacent caves' in Further Report Upon The Excavations at Dog Holes, Warton Crag, , Vol. 28, (1911)

Source: Historic England

Other nearby scheduled monuments

AncientMonuments.uk is an independent online resource and is not associated with any government department. All government data published here is used under licence. Please do not contact AncientMonuments.uk for any queries related to any individual ancient or schedued monument, planning permission related to scheduled monuments or the scheduling process itself.

AncientMonuments.uk is a Good Stuff website.