Welcome to the Witch’s Parlour—also known as Chamber 3 at Wookey Hole.
This naturally formed, dome-shaped cavern is steeped in geology, history, and mystery. This remarkable space marks the last point early explorers could reach before the age of cave diving, and today, it remains one of the most iconic underground locations in Somerset.
This spectacular space has a desrved place in history. This is where the first ever recorded cave dive took place and the words first underground live broadcast in 1935.
Lots of people get married in this cave every year. It has also seen many concerts thanks to its great acoustics and been a film set for multiple Dr Who episodes and the original Wicker Man.
This chamber was carved by the relentless force of underground streams and whirlpools—waters that would eventually become the River Axe.
In 1935, Chamber 3 was the furthest place you could reach in the caves on foot.
In that year two courageous divers, Graham Balcombe and Penelope “Mossy” Powell, walked along the river bed from Chamber 3 to Chamber 4. Their heavy deep sea diving equipment was not at all suitable for exploring caves.
In spite of this, Balcombe reached Chamber 7 later that year. And in 1948, using oxygen equipment developed during the World War II, he and his colleagues reached later Chamber 9.
Find out more about cave diving in Wookey Hole in this video with Cave Guide Neil.
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