Tony Brocklebank
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Juan
9:32 AM (14 hours ago) 9:32 AM
to Matienzo Caves
An Appreciation of Tony Brocklebank's Contribution to the Matienzo Expeditions
Tony Brocklebank - 'Bottlebank' to his mates - passed away on 6th March 2026 at the age of 62 after a long illness.
Tony's first brush with Matienzo came in the summer of 1993, when explorations in Torca del Regatón were in full swing. He took to the valley immediately, finding his niche among the diggers and pushers with easy confidence. However, a decade passed before he returned - and the Matienzo bug had well and truly bitten. From the summer of 2003 onwards, when he explored a promising new site (1935), he became a regular fixture on expeditions, often caving alongside fellow members of the Derbyshire Cave Club. From the summer of 2008 he was joined by his partner Sue, who later became his wife - the couple even holding a 'wedding' ceremony and party in Matienzo itself in the summer of 2012. The place had woven itself into their lives.
What marked Tony out was his enthusiasm and tenacity. At Easter 2007 he was digging in Cueva Torno, trying to find a shorter exit route for a recently discovered human skull. At Easter 2008 he was at it again in Cueva del Zorro. By Autumn 2008 he had joined the cavers based at Bar Tomás, helping to explore new sites around Hornedo and Barrio la Mina. He was the kind of caver who brought energy and commitment wherever the work took him.
Easter 2010 saw 'Bottlebank Tours' - a series of trips digging out various entrances around Fuente Aguanaz and Torca la Vaca, one of which yielded the discovery of Torca de Peña Encaramada. By Spring 2011 he was involved in digs around Cueva Laberinto at San Antonio, and by Christmas that year he was searching for new sites above El Cubillón at Moncobe and digging site 3215 above the Duck Pond sink at Camposdelante.
His contributions in 2012 were perhaps among his most significant. He helped investigate sites in the Piluca area at Easter, before throwing himself into the excavation and exploration of site 0289 and Lenny's Cave in Secadura - a cave with a large phreatic tunnel - and searching the woodland above it. At Christmas he returned to Lenny's Cave, hunted for new entrances above Torca la Vaca, and found site 3784, which contained an almost complete horse skeleton. He also helped to document six new sites on the north side of the Llueva valley.
His final caving visit came at Easter 2013, when he returned to dig above Lenny's Cave at sites 0291 and 0292. He parted ways with the expeditions that season over disagreements about how things were being reorganised - a reminder that the human side of caving, like the underground itself, is not without its difficult passages.
But the record of what Tony gave to Matienzo stands clearly in logbooks, site descriptions, new discoveries, patient digging, and years of good company both on the hills, in Casa Germán and underground. Gone too soon.
Rest in peace, Bottlebank.
Tony Brocklebank - 'Bottlebank' to his mates - passed away on 6th March 2026 at the age of 62 after a long illness.
Tony's first brush with Matienzo came in the summer of 1993, when explorations in Torca del Regatón were in full swing. He took to the valley immediately, finding his niche among the diggers and pushers with easy confidence. However, a decade passed before he returned - and the Matienzo bug had well and truly bitten. From the summer of 2003 onwards, when he explored a promising new site (1935), he became a regular fixture on expeditions, often caving alongside fellow members of the Derbyshire Cave Club. From the summer of 2008 he was joined by his partner Sue, who later became his wife - the couple even holding a 'wedding' ceremony and party in Matienzo itself in the summer of 2012. The place had woven itself into their lives.
What marked Tony out was his enthusiasm and tenacity. At Easter 2007 he was digging in Cueva Torno, trying to find a shorter exit route for a recently discovered human skull. At Easter 2008 he was at it again in Cueva del Zorro. By Autumn 2008 he had joined the cavers based at Bar Tomás, helping to explore new sites around Hornedo and Barrio la Mina. He was the kind of caver who brought energy and commitment wherever the work took him.
Easter 2010 saw 'Bottlebank Tours' - a series of trips digging out various entrances around Fuente Aguanaz and Torca la Vaca, one of which yielded the discovery of Torca de Peña Encaramada. By Spring 2011 he was involved in digs around Cueva Laberinto at San Antonio, and by Christmas that year he was searching for new sites above El Cubillón at Moncobe and digging site 3215 above the Duck Pond sink at Camposdelante.
His contributions in 2012 were perhaps among his most significant. He helped investigate sites in the Piluca area at Easter, before throwing himself into the excavation and exploration of site 0289 and Lenny's Cave in Secadura - a cave with a large phreatic tunnel - and searching the woodland above it. At Christmas he returned to Lenny's Cave, hunted for new entrances above Torca la Vaca, and found site 3784, which contained an almost complete horse skeleton. He also helped to document six new sites on the north side of the Llueva valley.
His final caving visit came at Easter 2013, when he returned to dig above Lenny's Cave at sites 0291 and 0292. He parted ways with the expeditions that season over disagreements about how things were being reorganised - a reminder that the human side of caving, like the underground itself, is not without its difficult passages.
But the record of what Tony gave to Matienzo stands clearly in logbooks, site descriptions, new discoveries, patient digging, and years of good company both on the hills, in Casa Germán and underground. Gone too soon.
Rest in peace, Bottlebank.
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