Pillar Mine

Overview

For generations the best-known 'cave' at Alderley Edge, Pillar Mine takes its name from a rock pillar inside its entrance that stood for who knows how long -- until vandals demolished it in the 1970s.

History

Pillar Mine, at Stormy Point, is a small, shallow working with Bronze Age mine sites lying between it and neighbouring Doc Mine. Its large open entrance has long been the best-known and most visited 'cave' at Alderley Edge, named for a distinctive rock pillar that stood inside it -- until the pillar was demolished by vandals during the 1970s, a loss the mine has never fully recovered from. Inside the large entrance, the passage quickly reduces in height, largely owing to silt washed in over the years; although the full original height is not known, evidence suggests the floor beneath the main arch has been raised by some 2 metres through this silting. The main passage leads to a round chamber, with a second, smaller chamber reached by climbing up and to the left, and a sloping passage down to the right that often holds water at its end. At a junction within the mine, a passage leads south into Twisted Pillar Cavern, connected to the neighbouring West Mine, while the main passage continues south-west towards Sphinx Chamber. Because of repeated vandalism, Pillar Mine has been enclosed within an outer fence and gated, its interior having suffered from fires, burning candles, broken glass and worse left by ill-prepared and unauthorised visitors -- hazards the Derbyshire Caving Club warns can create both bad air and physical danger for anyone attempting an unauthorised visit.

Geology

A small, shallow copper working at Stormy Point, with Bronze Age mine sites lying between it and neighbouring Doc Mine, connected underground to West Mine via Twisted Pillar Cavern.

Workings

A large entrance passage (partly silted, floor raised about 2m), a round main chamber, a smaller upper chamber, a lower sloping passage, and a connection south into Twisted Pillar Cavern and West Mine.

Closure

No reliable closure date has yet been located.

What remains

Owned by the National Trust; enclosed within an outer fence and gated after repeated vandalism, including the 1970s demolition of the pillar that gave the mine its name.

A large, gated entrance stope, its distinctive pillar now demolished, survives at the surface; underground, a round main chamber, a smaller chamber, a lower sloping passage and the connection to Twisted Pillar Cavern survive.

Related mines

• Alderley Edge Mines — One of the named workings within the wider Alderley Edge Mines complex, at Stormy Point.
• Doc Mine — Immediate neighbour at Stormy Point, with Bronze Age mine sites lying between the two, per the Derbyshire Caving Club's own account.
• West Mine — Connected underground via Twisted Pillar Cavern, per the Derbyshire Caving Club's own survey.

Nearby mines

• Doc Mine — 0.0 km NW
• Twin Shafts — 0.0 km SW
• Alderley Edge Mines — 0.1 km SE
• Engine Vein — 0.1 km SW
• Brynlow Mine — 0.2 km S

Straight-line distance, within 15 km. Show on the map.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• The large open entrance of Pillar Mine is well known as the main 'cave' for visitors; unfortunately, it has suffered over the years and the Pillar was demolished by vandals in the 1970s, and because of the vandalism, the mine has been enclosed in an outer fence and also gated. ¹
• Inside the large entrance, the passage quickly reduces in height, mainly because of silt that has washed in; the full height is not known but evidence suggests that the floor is raised some 2 metres under the main arch, and the main passage leads to a round chamber with a second chamber up a little and to the left and a sloping passage down to the right which often contains water at the end. ¹
• The Pillar and Doc mines are small, shallow mines near Stormy Point, between which lie Bronze Age mines; they are around 50 metres long, 10 metres deep at present, and are at an elevation of 165 metres. ²

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (primary) Derbyshire Caving Club: Other Mines (Doc Mine entry, Alderley Edge mines pages) — Derbyshire Caving Club (leaseholders and surveyors of the Alderley Edge mines for the National Trust)
2. (secondary) Alderley Edge Mines — Wikipedia

Record created: 17 September 2026 · Last researched: 17 September 2026