Hello All
It seems all to remote and elaborate to be a dovecot to me. The upper section of cave there is a ledge with marks that indicated a timber floor in the upper level of the cave at one time. Perhaps the round window was used for a lantern to signal smugglers to land? The site was very remote and from view of prying eyes.
Just to confuse things there are two places called Culver hole. Culver hole ( Port Eynon ) is the one with the round window and stone work. There is another cave also called Culver hole.
Culver Hole(Llangennith)
Only accessible at low tide, this cave can be found in the cliffs east of Burry Holmes. The narrow entrance leads to a roomy chamber. During excavations in 1924 and 1931, the skeletal remains of over 40 humans were found in the main chamber alongside the fragments of at least 11 Bronze Age burial urns. Other finds included Iron Age pottery, Romano-British coins and a brooch and brass ring dated from the Dark Ages.
There are about 27 other known caves along this part of the coast. Some are very small but still ideal places for pirates and smuggler haunts.
Spritsail Tor
The twin entrances of this small cave were discovered during quarrying work in 1839. Later in 1849 and 1933 the remains of Ice-Age animals, fragments of worked animal bone, pottery and human bones were found leading to the suggestion that the cave was first occupied by Palaeolithic man and later for domestic and funerary use during Roman Times.
Nottle Tor Cave(destroyed)
Before this cave was quarried away, Colonel Wood excavated the fissure in the limestone rocks of Nottle Tor in 1869. Here he found evidence of upper Palaeolithic occupation, including some worked flints alongside other unworked flints, now on display at Swansea Museum.
Lewes Castle Cave
This cave delves 12 metres into the cliff rock above Fall Bay and is fronted by 3 entrances, one of which is sealed with natural deposits. The main entrance is 2 metres high by 1 metre wide, but it is believed that when fully excavated, this opening will double its current size. An excavation of the cave in 1986 revealed the remains of hyena, reindeer, mammoth and woolly rhinoceros. Today, the cave is often used as a shelter by climbers.
Unnamed caves at Mewslade
Above the raised beach platform and the small, but noisy, blow hole located in it, are three unconnected caves. The eastern cave is blocked by cobbles deposited by the sea. The central cave measures over 3 metres high, 2 metres wide and is 5 metres deep from which Dr D Maling unearthed the bones of a bear, during an excavation in 1962. The western cave has a much smaller entrance and is again blocked by sea tossed rubble.
Mewslade Quarry Caves
This disused quarry has three caves entrances of negotiable size. A report has stated that human bones were found here within the last century. It was excavated by Cwmbran Caving Club in 1985 during an attempted extension, but this has since been filled with domestic rubbish. The largest cave is partly blocked by a large boulder and is known to hibernate bats during the winter months - metal grills are placed over the three entrances over winter to protect the bats.
Pitton Cliff Caves
Sheltered within a sycamore wood, the caves, nonetheless, are frequented by locals youths giving rise to a certain amount of domestic debris and glass. The main shelter has produced some archaeological evidence during excavation, including a hacked bone fragment from an animal such as an ox and patches of stalagmite.
Mansel's Shelter
Called Mansel's Shelter by Mr J. G. Rutter during an excavation with Mr E. E. Rutter, there is no record of archaeological interest found. The floor of this small cave is bare rock, but is thought to have been covered in loose rock fragments fallen from the roof at one time. These fragments are likely to have been cleared during past archaeological investigations.
Red Fescue Hole
This shelter was used frequently by sheep until human bones were found during an 1985 excavation. The site is believed to hold more archaeological finds, such as the flint implement, charcoal, and shells found within, and has been protected from sheep damage by placing large boulders upon the floor.
Red Chamber Sea Cave
Only accessible at low tide, the chamber contains a red-coloured western wall from hard sandy deposits. The cave contains no evidence of animals but may have been used at one time in search for lead and was blasted to remove calcite.
Ram Grove Exsurgence
This cave is heavily blocked by large boulders, some of which were removed by the Cwmbran Caving Club in 1985 and 1989. Although access to the cave is restricted, a strong spring of fresh water is released from between the boulders. The source of the spring has not been found and it tends to stop flowing in very dry weather.
Twll-y-Flwyddyn
West of The Knave, this cave has an impressive 15 metre high entrance, but only penetrates the rock after a climb of 10 metres. The chamber is used as a pigeon loft.
Ogof Arllechwedd
Bronze Age pottery was uncovered from the clay earth floor of this cave in 1982. There is evidence of badgers using the shelter as a set and some unauthorised digging since the 1982 excavation.
Ogof Wyntog
A cave with two entrances, found to have archaeological artifacts in a 1974 excavation. A large quantity of animal bones were found but most were unfortunately thrown away in error by the Glamorgan/Gwent Archaeological Trust. Initials of previous explorers are scratched on the wall of the largest chamber along with an inscription in memory of E. C. Cunnington who was killed in the First World War.
Ogof Ffynnon Wyntog
Also known as Deborah's Spring, this caves issues forth an exsurgence of fresh water. It is not known where the source of this water is, despite searches of up to a mile inland. The cave is dangerous to explore and has been blocked by a large boulder.
Deborah's Hole
A small bone cave, found below and to the east of the Knave. The narrow entrance leads to a small chamber in which animal remains from the Pleistocene epoch and a possibly Upper Palaeolithic flint blade were discovered by Colonel Wood in 1861. The cave can be accessed by the larger middle entrance or the smaller east entrance, but the entrance on the west is no more than a crack. Some dates have been carved on the wall of the cramped chamber, the earliest believed to be an authentic 1734 inscription. Greater Horseshoe Bats have hibernated in the warmer second chamber on occasion, so winter exploration is forbidden.
Deborah's Cliff Shelter
There is some evidence that this cave had been excavated in an undocumented event some time prior to 1943. There is a mound of earth near the entrance of the cave, containing fragments of animal bones and pottery, which is thought to be the excavator's debris. Whatever was found during this excavation may have been mistakenly reported as found in the nearby Deborah's Hole.
Here are some more names of caves in the area.
Foxhole Cave
Spring Squill Hole
Blackhole Gut Hole
Upper Blackhole
Rockrose Hole
Stonecrop Holes
Longhole
Wilbower Cave
Ramsons Hole
The cave in the picture is on Worms head. A headland that juts out into the sea not far from Rossili sands.
Situated on the most westerly tip of the headland of Worm's Head, about 4.5 metres above the high water mark is one of Gower's least accessible caves which only experienced cavers should attempt to access. The entrance, washed by storm waves, leads to two small chambers, with a short passageway continuing deeper into the Outer Head.
Henry VIII's official antiquarian, John Leland, was intrigued with the cave and wrote:
"There is a wonderfull Hole at the poyant of Worme Heade, but few dare entre it, and Men fable there that a Dore within the spatius Hole hathe be sene withe great Nayles on it". - John Leland.
Leland retells this local legend and reinforces the belief that behind this nailed shut door lays an underground passage which leads to other caves near Llandyb?e and Carreg Cennen Castle in Carmarthenshire. This has since been proved incorrect and excavations have alternatively uncovered human and animal bones such as mammoth, rhinoceros, bear and reindeer; and flint flakes and sling-stone, proving at one time this cave was easier to access.
The cave was first excavated by E. C. Cunnington before 1914. A later excavation, in 1989 by Davies, discovered a rhyolite blade believed to be Upper Palaeolithic, but much archaeological interest may still remain under the clay and disturbances created by a previous excavation in 1923 by Riches, when a large amount of clay was removed from the floor of the second chamber and dumped.
As you can see the coast line around Rossili Sands interesting pirate smugglers haunts.
Hardluck.
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