Cefn Cave Crocodile

There is a tradition that a local man found a crocodile in Cefn Caves, which was a popular visitor attraction. This supposedly occurred near the end of the nineteenth century (approx 1870) and upon discovering the creature he managed to kill it.

The story probably has its origin in an event that occurred in the 1920’s. A crocodile or alligator in a travelling show that was visiting St Asaph died and two local boys were asked to dispose of the body. They took the body to the Cefn Caves and placed it in a side passage. They then charged locals to visit the caves and see the crocodile which they were passing off as preserved evidence of a Stone Age creature. Their Lost World of the Elwy Valley was soon closed when the corpse started to decompose.

The date of 1870 is may have come about as this is when Professor Boyd Dawkins reported making archaeological discoveries in the cave.