This site is open to the public.
Unlike the other show caves in the area, Peak Cavern is almost entirely natural; the only artificial part of the cave was blasted to bypass a low tunnel that was only accessible by lying down on a boat. The cave system is the largest in the Peak District, and the main entrance is the largest cave entrance in Britain. Until 1915 the cave was home to some of Britain’s last troglodytes (the cave-houses at Kinver Edge near Kidderminster were populated until the 1950s), who lived in houses built inside the cave mouth, and made a living from rope making, while the depths of the cave were known as a haven for bandits. In legend, it was where thieves' cant was created by a meeting between Cock Lorel, leader of the rogues and Giles Hather, the King of the Gypsies.
Several passages lead from the entrance, known as “The Vestibule”. The only one open to the public is “Lumbago Walk”.
Historically the cave was known as the Devil’s Arse and the name changed in 1880 to avoid offending Queen Victoria who attended a concert in the cave.