Robin Hood’s prison under Nottingham city to be scanned with laser

London: A dungeon that is believed to have been Robin Hood’s prison after he was captured by the Sheriff of Nottingham, is to be surveyed using a laser. Robin Hood is believed to have been held captive in an oubliette (underground dungeon) located at what is now the Galleries of Justice.

The Nottingham Caves Survey is being conducted by archaeologists based at the University of Nottingham, and is part of a major project to explore every cave in Nottingham. The Greater Nottingham Partnership, East Midlands Development Agency, English Heritage, the University of Nottingham and Nottingham City Council funded the two-year project, which cost 250,000 pounds. Experts from Trent and Peak Archaeology will use a 3D laser scanner to produce a three dimensional record of more than 450 sandstone caves around Nottingham from which a virtual representation can be made. David Knight, Head of Research at the Trent and Peak unit, said there will be no actual excavations just the use of the laser. “The aim is to increase the tourist potential of these sites. The scanning will also make them visible ‘virtually’ which is good in terms of public access because a lot of them are health hazards,” a news channel quoted him as saying. “That’s one of the problems with these caves – they’re very impressive but access is fairly difficult. You can imagine the health and safety issues are quite significant,” he said. The last major survey of Nottingham’s caves was in the 1980s. The British Geological Survey (BGS) documented all known caves under the city. ANI