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Lamb Leer () is a 14.59 hectare (36.04 acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest between East Harptree and Priddy in the Mendip Hills, Somerset, notified in 1983. The cavern is a fragment of a very ancient major cave system which now contains one of the largest chambers in the Mendip Hills.
Lamb Leer Cavern was first found by miners looking for lead around 1676, and in 1681, the geologist John Beaumont, the pioneer of pit cave, gave an account of his descent into the cave to the Royal Society. It was rediscovered in 1880, when a new shaft was driven in, and became something of a tourist attraction. By the 1920s, the new shaft had become blocked and in 1936 the original entrance was re-opened. In the late 1930s, a Aerial lift was in place across the Great Chamber. Additional chambers were discovered in the 1960s and 1970s. – which also contains a detailed description of the cave.
In 1974, an un-lifelined caver fell off a ladder in Lamb Leer Cavern, and a novice caver who was at the bottom of the ladder was badly injured, resulting in legal action against the caving club for damages.
The entrance shaft is known as Beaumont Shaft. Your Flexible Friend ... the Ladder by Dave Irwin in Belfry Bulletin: Journal of the Bristol Exploration Club, Autumn 2007, Number 529 Vol 36 No 3 The first large chamber encountered is The Beehive which contains a large stalagmite boss. Next is the Great Chamber which is high and across, and contains some formations. A passage from the roof of the Great Chamber leads to the St Valentine Series of passages, a number of which are well decorated.
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