A rabbit hole in a farmer's field led a photographer to 'black magic' mystery caves

In a real-life version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a seemingly ordinary rabbit's hole in Shropshire, England, led a curious photographer to a 700-year-old chain of caves that some people believe were carved out by the Knights Templar, The Independent reports.

While the whereabouts of the "grotto" had previously been recorded by Historic England, the chambers were long sealed off due to rumors that trespassers would break in for "black magic" rituals. Photographer Michael Scott rediscovered the caves and photographed them, although some of the chambers were so small that they could only be accessed by crawling on hands and knees.

"I traipsed over a field to find it, but if you didn't know it was there you would just walk right past it," said Scott. "Considering how long it's been there it's in amazing condition, it's like an underground temple."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Some historians say the caves are too newly constructed to have been carved out by a medieval knights' order, but the chambers' origins and purpose are still very uncertain.

Scott is likely not the only person to have found himself attracted to the caves, either. "In 2012, it was reported that the owners of the caves closed them to people wanting to visit after they found they had been filled with candles, graffiti, and rubbish," writes The Shropshire Star. "The entrance to the caves was sealed up in attempt to keep the trespassers at bay. There are rumors that the caves have also been visited by pagans and druids wanting to hold ceremonies, and are popular at solstice and Halloween."

Explore the caves below. Jeva Lange