Knights Templar hide-out of caves and tunnels found through a rabbit hole in England

From the remote farmer's field in the Shropshire countryside in England, it looks just like a rabbit hole.

But just like in Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, through the rabbit hole is an incredible complex of tunnels and sanctuary spaces which according to local legend were used by followers of the Knights Templar Christian religious order.

The Knights, also known as the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ, were active between the 12th and 14th centuries but followers continued to meet and practise their rituals for hundreds of years afterwards. Named after Temple Mount in Jerusalem, and with distinctive white tabards with red crosses, the Knights were active in the Crusades and in defence of the Holy Land.

It is believed that the Caynton Caves, near Shifnal, in Shropshire, were used by followers of the Knights Templar in the 17th century, the BBC reports.

According to Historic England, which listed the grotto in 1984, it consists of 'apparently irregular ambulatories opening into inner sanctuaries'.

There are Norman-style decoration to bays between columns and one Norman-style doorway with beak-heads and roll moulding with many decorative quatrefoils and designs. At the time, the grotto was being used for black magic rites, according to the Historic England report.

A rabbit hole in the UK conceals the entrance to an incredible cave complex linked to the mysterious Knights Templar.

The BBC says the caves now look like something out of  'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'.

The images were captured by photographer Michael Scott. 'I traipsed over a field to find it, but if you didn't know it was there you would just walk right past it,' he said.

News
Disabled baby euthanized in the Netherlands
Disabled baby euthanized in the Netherlands

Doctors in the Netherlands euthanized a severely disabled one-year-old child, the first case reported by Dutch authorities under rules introduced in 2024 that allow ending the lives of seriously ill children between the ages of one and 12.

400% increase in euthanasia deaths in Australian state of Victoria
400% increase in euthanasia deaths in Australian state of Victoria

Right To Life UK said the surge in numbers showed why UK MPs were right to reject assisted suicide.

Ukrainian churches appeal for aid in starving Oleshky
Ukrainian churches appeal for aid in starving Oleshky

Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for the crisis in Oleshky.

Westminster Abbey plans memorial to JRR Tolkien
Westminster Abbey plans memorial to JRR Tolkien

The memorial will go next to that of his friend CS Lewis.