Graffiti attack at Wookey Hole Caves
Two sections of Wookey Hole Caves in Somerset were the victim of a break in and graffiti attack during Sunday night. At 8am on Monday morning, staff discovered that images and words had been drawn in the caves, and a broken padlock where the public normally exit the caves. A rope believed to be used by the raiders to abseil into the valley was left behind and mock cave paintings were produced deep inside the caverns.
Elaborate drawings of a cave man and woman, a baby and a mammoth were also painted in the cave exit tunnel. Wookey Hole owner Daniel Medley said: “It seems the images were well planned and have been drawn by some sophisticated and talented artist. For now the caves are open and we are letting the public decide whether they think the graffiti is art or vandalism.
YouTube link.
“Nothing offensive has been drawn but obviously the caves are a natural environment and some people do not like graffiti. It seems they started just inside the back door, which is an artificial tunnel created many years ago to let people out of the caves. They then made their way deeper into the caves. They didn’t get into the Witch’s Kitchen where the famous Witch of Wookey stalagmite stands but they did get to the Cathedral Chamber.”
It seems spray cans were used to create the graffiti and one section appears to have been made in some kind of chalk. The drawings are a pastiche of cave art. One headed 33,000 BC shows cavemen being chased by mammoths and another headed 2013 shows graffiti artists being chased by the police.
Elaborate drawings of a cave man and woman, a baby and a mammoth were also painted in the cave exit tunnel. Wookey Hole owner Daniel Medley said: “It seems the images were well planned and have been drawn by some sophisticated and talented artist. For now the caves are open and we are letting the public decide whether they think the graffiti is art or vandalism.
YouTube link.
“Nothing offensive has been drawn but obviously the caves are a natural environment and some people do not like graffiti. It seems they started just inside the back door, which is an artificial tunnel created many years ago to let people out of the caves. They then made their way deeper into the caves. They didn’t get into the Witch’s Kitchen where the famous Witch of Wookey stalagmite stands but they did get to the Cathedral Chamber.”
It seems spray cans were used to create the graffiti and one section appears to have been made in some kind of chalk. The drawings are a pastiche of cave art. One headed 33,000 BC shows cavemen being chased by mammoths and another headed 2013 shows graffiti artists being chased by the police.
