A YouTube explorer has shared the unbelievable moment he discovered a series of 700-year-old caves rumoured to have been founded by the Knights Templar and used for satanic rituals.

Brendan James, 29, was going through the woods by Caynton Hall, in Shifnal, Shropshire, when his friend Josh suggested that they climb down a “rabbit hole” he’d read about online.

After squeezing themselves through the tight space, the pair discovered an incredible network of man-made caves less than a metre below the ground, known locally as the Caynton Caves.

In the video, the passages of the hand-carved caves, which are rumoured to be “haunted”, can be seen littered with candles that the explorers suggest have been used for recent "black magic" rituals.

Local legend proclaims that the sandstone caves were carved by followers of the Knights Templar, a sect of devout Christians, during the 17th century, to be used as somewhere to secretly worship.

While exploring the caves, Brendan’s torch batteries begin to fail, leading him to question whether there is something eerie going on in the “claustrophobic” space.

He says: “This is weird as f***, I visually observed these batteries all charging and going full last night, and they’re all going off.

“Why the hell are my batteries all failing me now, I've only got one battery left.”

The adventurer, who regularly ventures to unexplored corners in the UK, which he then shares on his YouTube channel Brendan Explores, said the caves were the "most incredible" place he'd visited to date.

That is, after he got over the initial fear of heading "into the unknown."

"My first reaction was pure amazement that something so expansive could hidden down a small rabbit hole under a tree stump", Brendan said.

After venturing further into the cave the pair are spooked again by an old passport photo that has been propped up on a rock altar.

As he shows the picture of the man, Brendan tells the viewers: “There’s a man’s face. Who the hell is that? Paul Jones. Have you ever heard of a Paul Jones?”

One of the viewers later got in touch to say they know the man.

Brendan said: "I had a comment on my YouTube channel off someone who says they know who Paul is and have no idea why his photo was down there.

"Very unusual.

"He's still alive and well but believes a work colleague may have put his photo down there as part of a weird ritual."

As the pair further observe the carvings they point out a number of circular markings on what appears to be an altar in the wall, including an “Illuminati” symbol – a triangle containing an eye.

However, it's likely this carving is new as those who dare enter often leave their own marks on the wall.

Despite local legends, Historic England – which lists the caves as an area of "historical significance" – believes that the caves or "grotto" was built in the 18th or early 19th Century, dispelling the theory that the caves were created by the Knights Templar.

Brendan added: "The cave itself has a largely unknown past.

"Some stories reference the Knights Templar connection as a 13th-century sword was found in there a few years back, some people say it's a Victorian folly and some people say it was a satanic ritual location for the upper class in the 80s.

"There is loads of conjecture around the caves and plenty of theory's to its origin but no definitive conclusion on its date.

"Apparently Historic England believe it's a Victorian folly but no scientific dating has been done.

"It's one creepy place that's for sure, but the Knights Templar story intrigued me most especially with the sword being found."

A YouTube explorer has shared the unbelievable moment he discovered a series of 700-year-old caves rumoured to have been founded by the Knights Templar and used for satanic rituals.

Brendan James, 29, was going through the woods by Caynton Hall, in Shifnal, Shropshire, when his friend Josh suggested that they climb down a “rabbit hole” he’d read about online.

After squeezing themselves through the tight space, the pair discovered an incredible network of man-made caves less than a metre below ground, known locally as the Caynton Caves.

In the video, the passages of the hand-carved caves, which are rumoured to be “haunted”, can be seen littered with candles that the explorers suggest have been used for recent "black magic" rituals.

Local legend proclaims that the sandstone caves were carved by followers of the Knights Templar, a sect of devout Christians, during the 17th century, to be used as somewhere to secretly worship.

While exploring the caves, Brendan’s torch batteries begin to fail, leading him to question whether there is something eerie going on in the “claustrophobic” space.

He says: “This is weird as f***, I visually observed these batteries all charging and going full last night, and they’re all going off.

“Why the hell are my batteries all failing me now, I've only got one battery left.”

The adventurer, who regularly ventures to unexplored corners in the UK, which he then shares on his YouTube channel Brendan Explores, said the caves were the "most incredible" place he'd visited to date.

That is, after he got over the initial fear of heading "into the unknown".

"My first reaction was pure amazement that something so expansive could hidden down a small rabbit hole under a tree stump", Brendan told Jam Press.

After venturing further into the cave the pair are spooked again by an old passport photo that has been propped up on a rock altar.

As he shows the picture of the man, Brendan tells the viewers: “There’s a man’s face. Who the hell is that? Paul Jones. Have you ever heard of a Paul Jones?”

One of the viewers later got in touch to say they know the man.

Talking to Jam Press, Brendan said: "I had a comment on my YouTube channel off someone who says they know who Paul is and have no idea why his photo was down there.

"Very unusual.

"He's still alive and well but believes a work colleague may have put his photo down there as part of a weird ritual."

As the pair further observe the carvings they point out a number of circular markings on what appears to be an altar in the wall, including an “Illuminati” symbol – a triangle containing an eye.

However, it's likely this carving is new as those who dare enter often leave their own marks on the wall.

Despite local legends, Historic England – which lists the caves as an area of "historical significance" – believes that the caves or "grotto" was built in the 18th or early 19th Century, dispelling the theory that the caves were created by the Knights Templar.

Brendan added: "The cave itself has a largely unknown past.

"Some stories reference the Knights Templar connection as a 13th century sword was found in there a few years back, some people say it's a Victorian folly and some people say it was a satanic ritual location for the upper class in the 80s.

"There is loads of conjecture around the caves and plenty of theory's to its origin but no definitive conclusion on its date.

"Apparently Historic England believe it's a Victorian folly but no scientific dating has been done.

"It's one creepy place that's for sure, but the Knights Templar story intrigued me most especially with the sword being found."

EDITOR'S NOTE: DIGITAL COPY MUST HYPERLINK TO: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6oxePsoLa0FMCQXFgdc14w