Daniel Gumb’s Cave Home

Daniel Gumb’s Cave Home: Granite Genius

TL;DR
Daniel engineered a fully-functional home from a single granite slab on Bodmin Moor – complete with chimney, garden, and a roof good enough for stargazing.
The cave served as his personal observatory and notebook, and some of his mathematical carvings can still be seen today.
Though nearly destroyed by quarrying, it was saved by local workers and rebuilt 100 yards from its original location.  You can still visit the reconstructed remains today, near Minions village.

How Daniel Gumb Built Cornwall’s Most Eccentric Address

Cave Location and Construction

Daniel Gumb built his unique home on the southern slopes of Stowe’s Hill, near the famous Cheesewring rock formation. Far from being a simple hole in the rock, Daniel applied his stonemasonry skills to create a highly functional residence.

The Roof: Daniel found a massive granite slab, approximately 10 meters by 3 meters, and decided this would be the roof.

The Structure: He carefully excavated the ground beneath the inclined rock and supported the roof with natural rock on one side and stone pillars on the other.

The Interior: He lined the walls with stones cemented with lime, and divided the space into sleeping and living areas, complete with rock benches and a table.

The Amenities: Showing incredible ingenuity, he cut a chimney through the earth. Outside, he created a curtilage (an enclosed area, possibly for livestock) and a kailyard (a garden), transforming his cave into an effective small holding. It was a place to live, study, and be self-sufficient.

“Daniel Gumb discovered a massive granite slab and turned it into his home: a place to live, study, and observe the stars.”

A Workshop, Observatory, and Classroom

Daniel’s cave wasn’t just shelter; it was a sanctuary for his intellectual pursuits.

Views and Astronomy: From this elevated spot, he had far-reaching views across Dartmoor and Exmoor to the east, the Hartland coast to the north, the sea and the port of Plymouth to the south, and St Austell and Bodmin Hills to the west. Crucially, with zero light pollution, the sloping granite roof provided the perfect conditions for stargazing.

Mathematical Proofs: He didn’t have a notebook or blackboard, so he used the one thing he had in abundance, and literally carved his thoughts and findings into the granite. These carvings included channels to collect rainwater and complex mathematical diagrams, such as a method of proving Pythagoras’ Theorem.

The Signature: One of the two surviving carvings is his inscription “D. Gumb 1735”. This date marks his second marriage and serves as a poignant, permanent signature on his unusual home.

The ultimate classroom: The cave was clearly a living classroom – its design taught practical lessons in engineering, self-sufficiency, and observational astronomy, and mathematical proofs were carved into the very walls.  As well as a study space for himself, perhaps Daniel also use it to homeschool his children.

“The remaining carvings are a tangible link to Daniel Gumb’s life, his skills as a mason, and his fascination with mathematics and astronomy“

We don’t know exactly when Daniel built the cave. He may have already been living on Bodmin Moor when he married his second wife Thomazin, or may have moved there with her when they married in 1735. Or, stricken with grief, he may have retreated to the Moor two years later to mourn her death, carving his name and the year of their marriage into the rock, and sending his newborn son Richard to be cared for by his grandfather.
Check out Daniel’s timeline.
Read more about Daniel’s family life.

Destruction, Protection, and Visitors

The cave’s location near the Cheesewring made it a victim of its own material: high-quality granite.

Quarrying Intensifies: Fast forward a century and by the 1840s quarrying of the Stowe’s Hill granite was booming and threatened the entire area. The very stone Daniel had lived among was now a prized commodity, used for grand projects in London, such as Westminster and Tower Bridges, the Great Exhibition Memorial and the base of the tomb for the Duke of Wellington in St Paul’s Cathedral, and for docks in Copenhagen (Denmark) and the King George V dock in Calcutta (India).

Protection Lost: Early measures in 1845 protected the area around the Cheesewring, including “the small spot of ground enclosed by a low embankment and known as Gumb’s House”. Despite this protection, by 1850 the cave was described as “nearly destroyed” and when the quarry lease was renewed in 1864 any specific protection it had was lost.

The Reconstruction (Thank Goodness): Faced with the imminent destruction, in 1872 local quarry workers – possibly led by Daniel’s great-grandson, Richard Gumb, who was a stone mason living nearby – salvaged key stones and reconstructed the cave roughly 100 yards south-west of its original location, preserving a piece of Daniel’s history.

“Granite quarrying almost destroyed Daniel Gumb’s cave, we’re forever grateful to the quarry workers for saving some of it.”

Visit Daniel Gumb’s Cave

You can still visit the reconstructed cave today.  The only surviving features are part of the granite roof, complete with the Euclid carving and rainwater channels, and the stone inscribed “D. Gumb 1735,” marking his second marriage to Thomazin Roberts.

How to get there: Park in one of the two car parks at Minions, and use the What3Words location //instincts.cheerily.blows to find the cave. Watch out for sheep, cattle and ponies as you make you way across the moor!

Or why not try this Minions circular walk from iwalk Cornwall which takes you around the iconic landmarks at Minions, including The Hurlers stone circles, The Cheesewring and the engine houses of the South Phoenix Mine.

What to see:

• The reconstructed cave structure
• Remaining roof with mathematical carvings
• The “D. Gumb 1735” inscription
• Stunning moorland views that Daniel would have enjoyed