Description:
The Hermitage is a long range of perpendicular rock, overlooking the vale of the Trent, with houses that have been built against the cliffs, using the caves behind as storage or housing.
The caves which are found here as well as all over Nottingham are one of the most difficult and intricate problems of local archaeology. Some of them are natural; others are artificial, but date back to prehistoric times, others again are mediaeval or even modern cellars. They have always been famous, and Asser, the friend and biographer of King Alfred, writing about 900, tells us that the ancient name for Nottingham was Tiuogobauc, which he translates as meaning 'the cave dwellings'.
The caves at Sneinton are given the name 'Hermitage' which suggests the home of either a 'Dark Age' or Medieval religious recluse.