Unknown

Kirkdale Cave

Details

Artist

Unknown

Title

Kirkdale Cave

Date

About 1824

Medium

Watercolour

Dimensions

H: 43 x W: 51.5 cm

Reference

CVCSC:0048.F

Collection

British Folk Art

Status

On Display

Kirkdale Cave in North Yorkshire was the site of an important scientific discovery, when in 1821 the bones and teeth from animals including elephants, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, hyenas and bison were found. The bones were identified by William Buckland (1784-1856), the first Reader in Geology at Oxford University, who appears in the foreground. Dating from around 125,000 years ago, in the period before the last ice age, the bones were important evidence in establishing the idea of a deep geological past.

Kirkdale Cave About 1824 © Compton Verney