Torquay

The area comprising modern Torquay has been inhabited since Paleolithic times. Hand axes found in Kents Cavern have been dated as 40,000 years old and a maxilla fragment, known as Kents Cavern 4, may be the oldest example of a modern human in Europe, dating back 37,000–40,000 years. Roman soldiers are known to have visited Torquay during the period when Britain was a part of the Roman Empire, leaving offerings at a curious rock formation in Kents Cavern, known as The Face. The first major building in Torquay was Torre Abbey, a Premonstratensian monastery founded in 1196. The second phase in the expansion of Torquay began when Torre railway station was opened on 18 December 1848. The…

Torquay has numerous tourist attractions, including Kents Cavern, Britain's most important Stone Age site, which was home to early humans for some 40,000 years. The floor is composed of several strata, with remains indicating the prehistoric coexistence there of humans and extinct animals. The Rev. J. McEnery explored the cave between 1825 and 1829 and put forth the coexistence theory. The cave was extensively explored from 1865 to 1880 by William Pengelly, who found evidence to support McEnery's hypothesis. The caves have attracted many famous people, among them Agatha Christie, Beatrix Potter, King George V and Haile Selassie, who was so impressed with his visit that he gave his guide,…