Photo source: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
About this place
Kinver Edge is a sandstone ridge in Staffordshire, near Stourbridge, capped by the remains of a hillfort and pocked with caves cut into its rock face.
The Rock Houses here were lived in until the mid-20th century, making them the last inhabited cave dwellings in England.
One, Holy Austin, has been part-restored so visitors can walk through rooms with real fireplaces and furniture.
The National Trust manages the site and the Rock Houses are open on a limited schedule, so it is worth checking days before travelling.
History
Families dug and extended these sandstone dwellings over generations, adapting natural caves into proper homes with chimneys, windows and separate rooms. People were still living in them into the 1950s and 1960s, long after most of Britain had left cave life behind. The National Trust took on the site and has since restored part of Holy Austin Rock Houses, including a recreated cottage interior, to show how residents actually lived.
Architecture
The dwellings are cut directly into soft red sandstone rather than built up from it, with rooms, fireplaces and chimneys carved from the rock itself. Holy Austin's restored section, known as Fletcher's Cottage, recreates a furnished front room as it might have looked when families lived there.
Worth knowing
These are recognised as the last inhabited troglodyte dwellings in England, occupied right up until the mid-20th century, a detail that surprises most first-time visitors.
Facilities
Plan your visit
Nearest station: Blakedown Rail Station (4.1 miles)
Open on a limited schedule with volunteer-led hours; check the National Trust website for current opening times before visiting.
Nearby properties