‘Mountaineering Underground’: A History of Caving c.1890-1939

The thesis examines the development of caving as an organised leisure activity circa 1890-1939. This work was prompted by the observation that caving was not present in academic histories of the outdoor movement in Britain for that period. The thesis seeks to remedy this omission through providing a history of the development of caving in the late nineteenth century from its dual origins as an alternative activity for mountaineers or exploration by cave scientists, to its emergence as a discrete sporting activity in the later interwar years. Caving lacked the widespread appeal of walking, cycling and climbing partly because its environment failed to reflect the interwar interest in healthy exercise in the outdoors. Caving was not linked with the ongoing campaign for access to the outdoors nor with any preparation of the nation for war. However, the thesis argues that despite this there was enough interest in caving to support its growth into an organised, club-based activity for those interested in either cave science or exploration, or for those enjoying sport caving purely as active leisure. The thesis makes use of a wide range of primary and secondary sources to examine the development of caving through the themes of class, gender and identity, both in the context of the changing leisure experience of the interwar years and as an opportunity to contribute to the original exploration of a little-known environment at a time of exploration of the wider world. By 1939 caving was an identifiable sporting activity and had developed to the point where its infrastructure was stable enough to survive into the post-war years and undergo significant expansion and progression. The thesis seeks to place a contemporaneous history of caving alongside existing histories of the interwar outdoor movement in Britain.