Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1907-02-02
A REMARKABLE CAVE.
Was 1t Hewn Out of Rock by Smith
For Smithy?

For Smithy?
To the majority of residents in
Edinburgh and the vicinity the re-
markable Gilmerton Cave is I'M
known, and unvisited even if known
by hearsay. We are not, however,
the first to notice the cave, for in
/ 1882 the Rev. Thomas Whyte, then
minister of Liberton, has the follow
ing story on record: Here is a IA
nous cave dug out Of a rock by one
George Paterson, a smith. 1t was
finished in 1924, after five years
hard labor, as appears from the in
scripticn on one of the chimney
heads. In this cave are several apart
ments, several beds, a spacious table,
with a large punch bowl, all cut out
of the rock in the incest manner.
Here there was forge, with n well
and washing house. Here there were
several windows, which communicate
ed light from above. The author of
this extraordinary piece of workman
ship lived in it for a long time with
his wife and family, and prosecuted
his business as a smith. He died
in it about the year 1875. He was a
feuar, or feodary, and consequently
the cave he formed and embellished
so much, and the garden above 1T,
were his own property, and his pos
terity enjoyed it for some time after
his decease. His cave for many years
was deemed a great curiosity. and
visited by all the people of fashion.
Having procured the gate key and
a couple of oil lamps, we unlock the
door, and descend at once by fight
of twelve steps to the beginning of
long passage. On the right is the
forge, indisputably enough, on the
left the jamb of the first doorway.
The main passage, which is about six
feet high and three feet broad
throughout, maintains a straight di-
rectiOn,- roughly, westward for dis
lance of forty-one feet. 1t then turns
abruptly to the northwest, and after
expanding into three rounded cham
bers ends in long passage, eighteen
feet long and very narrow, which is
said to be the beginning of an under
ground communication with Craig
millar At the foot of the entrance
steps the doorway on the left leads
into a partly straight sided chamber,
which expands into two curved inner
rooms, ledge of the rock being left
in each about eighteen inches to serve
as seats or beds. All the hewn work
throughout these chambers and pas
sages has been done with an imple-
ment of iron, not chisel-shaped, but
sharp pointed. The question arises
Is the story of George Paterson likely
to be true? Can we find him in any
records, local or other? Where was
he buried? So remarkable a feat as
the hewing out of series of cham
bers in solid rock and the dwelling
therein of blacksmith and his fam
lily would surely help to keep green
the record of the man who performed
it, But the parish records are silent,
and locally nothing more is known
of Paterson than what is contained in
the statement by the parish minister
of 1882.
Computing very roughly the
amount of rock actually hewn and
removed from the cave before the
chambers and passages were in fit
state for habitation, we are confront
ed with the result that rock to the
extent of half a million cubical feet
has been thus displaced-probably
an underestimate. Is it creditable
that this quarrying was the work of
one pair of arms, even If those arms
drove the pick for several years?
Judging the work from the stand
point of archaeology also, we find
that the Gilmerton Cave is only one
of large number of chambered and
recessed hollows in similar rock,
hewn in the same style, and with
similar entrances, door jambs and
bar holes. Edinburgh Scotsman.