Creswell Crags is a limestone gorge honeycombed with caves and smaller fissures. Stone tools and remains of animals found in the caves by archaeologists provide evidence for a fascinating story of life during the last Ice Age between 50,000 and 10,000 years ago.  Creswell Crags is situated in Wellbeck in Nottinghamshire.

Creswell Crags was among the most northerly places on earth to have been visited by our ancient ancestors, a story that is unique on a European and World scale. All of the caves are protected by metal grills to preserve the rare archaeological deposits that remain inside. At the east end of the gorge is the Museum and Education Centre. The gorge is part of the Creswell Heritage Landscape Area.

There are many exciting and interesting things to do at Creswell Crags.

-Visit the "Age of Ice" exhibition in the Museum and Education Centre.

-Go on a tour around Robin Hood Cave and explore the people and animals that lived here in the past.

-Follow up with a tour of the world famous rock art in Church Hole Cave.

In addition to all the exciting activities, Creswell Crags has become greener by investing in renewable technologies.

Creswell Heritage Trust director Ian Wall is an avid supporter of green technology and believes that many businesses can benefit from its energy-saving options. The caves offered a constant, temperature of around 10 degrees C. rain or shine throughout the seasons and similarly the new building also draws much of its heat from the ground in a sustainable way. The installation of ground source heat pumps (GSHP) means that the centre is warmed by natural, geothermal heat from 100 metres below ground.  Ian says “The system was quite costly to install but it’s one of those technologies that pays for itself over a number of years”.

Other green technologies include a grey water harvesting tank, which collects rainwater for toilet flushing. Low energy LED light bulbs are fitted throughout the centre, embedded in the sustainable oak panelled ceilings and in the oak roofs above the external walkways. The glass in the floor to ceiling windows in the coffee shop and the education suite was specially designed to attract and retain maximum solar heat. Even the car park has its own energy-saving feature. A solar-powered ticket machine delivers prize draw tickets to visitors who choose to make a donation.

“The Ice Age hunter-gatherers were custodians of the landscape,” Ian pointed out. “They didn’t over-hunt; they were very much aware of the need to hunt sustainably and resource-manage what they had. There’s a strong underlying theme here about sustainability and us looking after the resources for the future.” The tribes that sheltered in the gorge over 12,000 years ago would have been very aware of their resources and no part of their hunt would have gone to waste. Ice Age animal such as reindeer and wild horses provided food, their bone and antlers were used to make tools, and their intestines were transformed into thread for sewing hide and fur into clothing. Heritage Officer, Rebecca Clay explains ‘These people may have even used the natural pigments found in the landscape such as ochre and manganese to illuminate the engravings they had carved onto the walls of Church Hole Cave in the gorge’.

Heritage officer, Rebecca Clay explained: “Many of our building materials were sourced locally, and the builders and trades people were drawn from local companies in order to support the local community as much as possible. Our coffee shop uses locally sourced products where possible, and we sell local and recycled gifts in the shop. Even our furniture was chosen to be repairable, not disposable.”

Maria Smith, Curator, said of the exhibitions: “We focus a lot on the changing environment and how it has changed over thousands of years, and also the human impact on the environment. It’s very important to me that this wonderful building and collection stays relevant for the local communities and also that we become sustainable as a museum and are able to look after ourselves.”