Joseph Mallord William Turner

These rather rough sketches were made with the page turned vertically. The irregular outlines and heavily hatched shadows at the top seem to indicate a cave, supported by the inscription across a narrow band demarcated by horizontal pencil lines below, perhaps with rock formations, which appears to be inscribed to the effect that ‘People prepare to go into the Cave’.

Below seems to be another cave interior, with upright forms with cross-pieces, probably the telegraph pole-like frames associated with rope-making, formerly carried out in the Peak Cavern to service the local lead mines and still demonstrated today;1 see also the slight sketches on folios 40 recto and 41 verso (D22224, D22227) and possibly on folio 36 recto (D22216), and an 1805 engraving after Edward Dayes (1763–1804) of The Peak Cavern, Derbyshire: View from the Interior of the Great Arch (Tate impression: T06400), with rope being wound. The lower third of the page appears to show another aspect of the cave.

For other views of Peveril Castle, Castleton and Peak Cavern, see under folio 1 verso opposite (D22152).