Trent & Peak Archaeology / The University of Nottingham

The Dragon Public House  LD10 Description - LD10, The Dragon Public House 001 rectangular storage cave with shallow arched ceiling, c. 4m x 5m x 1.9m high. Low brick and concrete thralls on E, S, and W sides, including in front of 001c and 001d. W wall of 001 3”h brick protruding c. 1m from actual sandstone wall. Concrete floor. Flat bottomed alcove 001a 0.7m w x 0.5m h x 0.25m deep on east wall. Subrounded shaft 001b 1.5m d x 1.6m high in ceiling towards N end of cave. Capped with steel and holds one of two vertical supporting I-beams. 001C ceiling- height arched opening c. 1m wide running to S, bricked up (3”h brick) 4/5ths high with brick, stone and rubble fill behind. Archway 0.4m deep then opens out, enitrely filled. Archway has slot at top for strengthening steel or doorframe. 001D bricked opening (3”h brick but clearly quite old) running to SW. Bricking pierced by modern pipes. Floor (concrete?) behind 001d c. 1m lower than in 001, Modern brick wall to W, cave opens out to SE but bricked with older brick (mixture of sizes, some quite narrow). 001E three narrow rock-cut steps (very square & neat, could be concrete) down to 002. 001 appears to be a separate cave joined later to the main Dragon caves by 002. The change in level and opening to S (001c) support this. Very little visible toolmarking in 001 except in shaft 001b. Surface generally very smooth but does not look eroded. 002 Small rectangular cave / shaft connecting 001 and 003. Appears to cut through NW corner of 001 to floor level of 003. rectangular rock-cut shaft c. 2m x 1.5m, bedrock to c. 4m high then c. 4m of 3”h brick, capped with steel. Fairly regular small tiger-stripe toolmarking across rock surface. Concrete floor. Connects to 003 through modern door and 3”h brick aperture. 003 long, slightly amorphous cellar cave, xm long x xm wide at narrowest, opening  out at N end xm wide. Irregular ceiling, follows bedding plane?, never more than 2m high and often less. Central rock pillar at N end, very very irregular. Low but deep brick and concrete thralls around most walls. Concrete floor. Large and irregular toolmarking across all surfaces. Brick walling in parts across some of N and E walls, including very modern brick forming other side of 001d. Central steel column. One steel RSJ at base of 003b. Narrow (0.15m) 'speaking tube' air vent 003a at N end of cave, running S at c. 50°・ for ?4m then blocked. E wall pierced by two sets of three small niches, possibly once for shelving. 003B large vertical opening at S end of cave. Rock cut back horizontally on E wall from 1.5m high, but blocked with 3”h brick to height of c. 3.5m, then opens out to E. Ceiling arches upwards gradually to 3m then sharply to vertical. Rock stops at 3.5m, then corbelled brick presumably supporting stairs up to flagstone cap at c. 5m ・ pub floor? 003C brick steps and supporting  brick wall at S end of cave. 003D brick walling opposite 003c steps, inset into irregular-shaped aperture in rock c. 5m wide, runs to ceiling but lowest 0.2m rock. No holes, no idea what lies behind. Connects via short passage 004a to 004. 004 irregular-shaped and brick partitioned rock-cut cave with beer cellar hatch to street. Cave has elegant carved stone central pillar 004b. 004a short arched rock-cut passage c. 2m x 1m x 1.8m high running N-S to 003 and steps 003c. 004C 3”h brick-lined modern short passage with concrete-beamed roof running 4m south to concrete-lined shaft below on-street cellar hatch. 004D semi-vertical shaft c. 1.2m d with 1m rockhead then corbelled brick, may be pre-Victorian. Capped with corrugated iron at street level. 004e similar and parallel smaller shaft, oval at base 0.6m x 1.3m, separated at base by 0.6m rock but joins 004d above rockhead. 004F short passage running parallel to 004c, separated by rock. Runs S towards road but blocked with 3”h modern brick after 0.8m. Begins to open out at this point. 004G cave to NE of carved pillar 004b, blocked to S with two phases of 3”h brick, blocked then opened(?) to N with 3”h brick. Cave very full of rubbish including recent collapse (some v large pieces of rock), has modern 3”h brick supporting wall running N-S after 2m. Not explored in detail.