Crank, St. Helens 1700s

“some scouts went down the caverns for a look around and at the end of the day one of the scouts had not come back out”

Mining tunnels and quarries are aplenty in the North of the U.K., being the hub of industry as it is. Maybe some of these tunnels and quarries are just that, a means for acquiring different kinds of stone… but maybe some hold more secrets than we know…

Crank Caverns sit near the town of Crank, in St. Helens Merseyside. Their origins are muddy, but certain historical records point towards the caverns as being the ruins of the Rainford Delph Quarry, where sandstone mining took place as early as 1700. The records of who owned this quarry, and the workforce behind it are seemingly lost to time, and the stories of the quarry take a more sinister turn in the emergence of the 20th Century, it was no longer considered a place of industry, but a site to stay clear of if you wanted to stay alive.

The surrounding woodland area of Crank Caverns has been utilised for many different purposes throughout the years. After mining operations ceased in 1865, the area became a game reserve for the Earl of Derby and then was swiftly taken over as an ammunition storage facility during World War II accompanying the anti-aircraft position in Crank itself. The stories this place could tell… After the war, the caverns were left unused and undisturbed by humans. Or did they?

Many tales of caution, legends of unknown and unbelievable stories sprung from the abandoned caverns, their illustrious history can only have contributed to this lore. The oldest of the myths of Crank Caverns states that Catholics would use the intricate tunnel systems to seek refuge during King Henry VIII's persecution from 1491 to 1547. Given that the oldest records of these caverns are from 1700, and purely for the purposed of quarrying, it seems unlikely… but who’s to say the tunnel system didn’t predate the mines, and were the perfect starting point for Rainford Delph Quarry?

The caverns are also rumoured to be for the purpose of transporting goods or people… that’s right, secret tunnels baby! The most common being that there is a 7-mile tunnel in the caverns that links up to St. Helen’s Town Hall used for secret executions, of whom no one knows… well, that’s why they’re secret! There’s also talk of tunnels that lead as far away as Up Holland in Lancashire, a serious trek if anyone was to undertake it.

One particular story of the Caverns takes us right back to the 18th Century. It is said that four children, led by their own curiosity (which, we all know, doth killed the cat) decided to explore the mines of sandstone and all but one child completely vanished. The surviving child described small old men with beards who killed his three friends and chased him out of the caverns, stumbling over human remains and discarded bones to escape. Due to the child’s insistence, and the recent cases of missing people in the area, two armed soldiers decided to go take a look in the caverns… and they too found human remains.

Not only that, the soldiers stumbled upon ruins of an ancient church of some unknown practice. Lit by three large candles and two terrifying gargoyles, part of an alter was discovered. The soldiers described the unwavering feeling of being watched whilst in the caves, and the decision was made to seal off the tunnels with gunpowder… the secrets of the unknown church lost in rubble.

Nearly every account of the Crank Caverns include ghosts. It’s no wonder that many think these tunnels to be haunted, given the extensive history and local myths of the place. There’s several different accounts of personal stories from the caves, to mention a few:

“I used to go there in the seventies with my brother and friends it
was always cold down there as I can remember, I also heard another tale about
tunnels which funny enough fits in with the stone coming from Crank to build
holy cross! And the tale is that convicted prisoners who were to be hung went
through a tunnel under the town hall! Up to Crank Caverns [and] the big three
trees on the public footpath…I think it is the middle tree were they
were hung and on the lower branch you can see where the rope was tied.”

“Has anyone ever seen the wandering monk in the cavern next to the mousey?
I saw this when I was about 15, myself and a friend Norman were digging
out what we thought was the entrance at the back of this cavern when we saw (and
felt) a figure move past us. This is said to be the ghost of Sir Edmond
Arrowsmith, who’s Hand is still kept in a church around the Wigan area and said
to have healing powers. Why this ghost would be haunting the Caverns though I
don’t know.”

“He told us some scouts went down the caverns
for a look around and at the end of the day one of the scouts had not come back
out. He told us that they had to
call out the cave rescue people to try and find the boy…..after a long search
they found him or what was left of him (this guy was starting to scare us a
little as we had just come out of the caves ourselves) he said that the boy was
partly eaten and that the parents of the child wanted it all kept secret so that
they could give him a peaceful burial and that they did not want the papers to
get hold of it.”

No matter what transpired in Crank Caverns, its myths and legends like these that keep the imagination of humanity alive and well. We will never stop enjoying a good ghost story (that’s probably why you’re here reading this!) and this is what I love about folklore. Have you ever visited Crank Caverns? Comment below!