Nottingham’s City of Caves is steeped in legend and haunted by spirits — are you ready to face what waits in the dark?
Underneath Nottingham’s Broadmarsh Centre lies a forgotten underworld — a vast, winding network of tunnels and caverns carved into the city’s ancient sandstone.
This shadowy labyrinth, known as the City of Caves, has sheltered the poor, hidden the fearful, and, some say, trapped the dead. It is known as one of the most haunted caves in England.
With more than 500 man-made caves beneath the city – more than anywhere else in the UK – Nottingham is a place quite literally built on secrets.
For centuries, people have lived, worked, and hidden in these subterranean hollows. Today, they echo not only with the voices of history, but with the whispers of the unexplained.
The Hidden History Beneath Broadmash
The City of Caves lies directly beneath Broadmarsh Shopping Centre – but this modern structure masks a much older story.
Nottingham’s soft sandstone was ideal for carving, and since Roman times, people have shaped the rock into storage rooms, shelters, and even homes.
By the 9th century, the area was called Tigguo Cobauc, meaning the “Place of Caves”, by a Welsh monk.
Some of the oldest chambers date to the 4th century. These caves have served as medieval tanneries, slum dwellings, cellars, cesspits, and bomb shelters during the Second World War.
During the Blitz, over 80 of the caves were converted into air-raid shelters, absorbing the shock of enemy bombs while families huddled together in fear.
Nottingham, curiously, avoided the worst of the Black Death — and some credit this to the tannery caves, where the foul air may have deterred plague-carrying rats.
The caves were inhabited as dwellings until 1845, when the St Mary’s Enclosure Act made it illegal to rent them out for housing. But many believe the suffering endured down there – in poverty, disease, and war – left an indelible mark.
City of Caves Ghosts
Paranormal reports from the City of Caves are chillingly frequent.
Visitors often describe a hostile male presence, particularly in the deeper tunnels. Some women report feeling targeted — shadowy figures appear behind them, then vanish.
There are accounts of stones being thrown, disembodied voices, and sudden cold spots that move through rooms like an invisible figure passing by.
One recurring spirit is known as The Weeping Woman, a Victorian figure dressed in black, often seen crying before fading into the gloom.
Another, more unsettling, is The Lantern Man, a cloaked spectre carrying a faintly glowing light who appears in silence… and then vanishes without a trace.
The tannery is thought to be the most active area.
Visitors have reported spikes in EMF readings, nausea, dizziness, and the overpowering sense of not being alone.
One particularly terrifying entity is said to smell of sulphur and has been linked to violent poltergeist activity, from sudden shoves to items flying through the air.
In the air-raid tunnels, people have heard the sounds of bombs falling, even when no audio is playing. Some hear screams, running footsteps, or even children laughing in the dark.
Nottingham’s Network of Tunnels
The City of Caves doesn’t stop beneath Broadmarsh. The same sandstone tunnels stretch beneath much of Nottingham — including its most haunted pubs.
- Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, dating to 1189, is built into the castle rock and linked via Mortimer’s Hole, a tunnel steeped in betrayal and royal murder.
- Ye Olde Salutation Inn has cellars dating to the 15th century, where the ghost of Rosie, a child spirit, is said to interact with visitors who leave her marbles or dolls. (You can read about Spooky Isles’ visit to Rosie here!)
- The Bell Inn, founded by Carmelite monks, hides a system of caves beneath its alehouse — one section was even sealed off by the Ministry of Defence during WWII before they discovered an underground river made it unusable.
In fact, many Nottingham pubs have caves, some serving beer, others serving fear.
Visiting the City of Caves
The City of Caves, Broadmarsh Shopping Centre, Nottingham NG1 7LS, is open to the public year-round and offers 45-minute guided tours from 10am to 5pm daily.
You’ll explore the medieval tannery, wartime shelters, and Victorian cellar dwellings. Tours start from Garner’s Hill, near Nottingham Contemporary.
Book your City of Caves tickets through the National Justice Museum.
Bring sturdy shoes and a jumper — it’s cool underground. And maybe, bring your courage too.
Because the dark in Nottingham’s caves doesn’t always stay where it belongs.
Have you been underground in Nottingham’s City of Caves? Tell us about your experience in the comments section below!
