Blue John Cavern is somewhere I've been meaning to visit for a while now, after visiting the Chestnut Centre just down the road from it in Chapel-en-le-Frith it has looked like an interesting place to go. Then recently after visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mine near Kraków I was reminded of it and set out to visit it, and although it's not as extensive as the one in Poland, it was still quite impressive inside.
The mine itself produced a yellowish blue mineral which is also the namesake of the mine, and comes from the original french name, bleu-jaunt which when pronounced in an English accent sounds very much like 'Blue John'. The mine itself dates back to the Roman era and is still in use today, mined in the off season, to provide the mineral to local craft makers to produce various jewellery and local memorabilia.
