Underground Assignments with David Webb

Films about cave and mine exploration that examine our relationship with a fascinating and exciting subterranean world

Hello. I’m David Webb, now in my 86th year, and at this late stage feeling it is perhaps not too late to share some of my interests and achievements, mainly derived from the chief of these: caving. This had to be by means of a website, and the daunting prospect of taking this to completion has been made possible thanks to the knowledge, enthusiasm and patience of my grandson Isaac.

My qualifications for putting this collection together go back to the mid 1980’s when, at the age of 50, I discovered caving. I have been producing films about my experiences underground since the 1990s in caving regions around the UK and in Europe, but particularly around Derbyshire. Caving is not a solo activity and along the way I have made many friends who have helped me win various awards and complimentary reviews and I have been able to carve out a place alongside other enthusiasts of this demanding but rewarding medium. It is relatively recently that video has been taken seriously enough to now take its place alongside the once exclusive club of underground photographers.

It is now 30 years since I became hooked on the world of moving pictures to capture the unique sounds and sights of this exclusive world beneath our feet, and thanks to the invaluable technological knowhow of my grandson Isaac I’m able to bring the many short films – made over the years that have been gathering dust on a shelf, unseen except by my long suffering family – into the public arena of the internet. Now you’ll be able to learn more about them, and purchase some of them via digital download for the first time!

There is also a newly launched YouTube channel where you’ll be able to watch complete films, clips of the more feature-length ones, and videos of other subjects that have interested me along the way.

Thanks for visiting!

Photo: Paul Deakin