Kents Cavern facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Interior view of Kent's Cavern
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| Area of Search | South Devon |
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| Coordinates | 50°28′06″N 3°30′11″W / 50.4682°N 3.5030°W |
| Interest | Geological |
| Area | 1.7 hectares (17,000 m2; 183,000 sq ft) |
| Notification | 1952 |
Kents Cavern is a famous cave system located in Torquay, Devon, England. It's a very special place because of its incredible archaeological discoveries and unique geology (how the Earth is made). The caves are open for everyone to visit. Since 1952, Kents Cavern has been a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its geology. It also became a Scheduled Ancient Monument in 1957, which means it's a very important historical site protected by law.
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Ancient History of Kents Cavern
The amazing passages and caverns you see today were formed a very long time ago. This happened during the early Pleistocene period, also known as the Ice Age. Water slowly carved out these caves over thousands of years.
Scientists believe that early humans lived in these caves. In fact, Kents Cavern is one of at least eight important sites in the British Isles where ancient people lived. Other key Stone Age places in the UK include Happisburgh, Pakefield, Boxgrove, Swanscombe, Pontnewydd, Paviland, Creswell Crags, and Gough's Cave.
The Kents Cavern 4 Jawbone
In 1927, during an excavation by the Torquay Natural History Society, a small piece of an upper jawbone was found. This jawbone belonged to a very old human and was named Kents Cavern 4 (or KC4). You can see this amazing fossil at the Torquay Museum today.
In 1989, scientists used a method called radiocarbon dating to figure out how old the jawbone was. They estimated it to be about 36,400 to 34,700 years old. However, a newer study in 2011 looked at other fossils found nearby. This study suggested the jawbone might be even older, possibly 44,200 to 41,500 years old!
The 2011 study also examined the teeth on the jawbone. They believed it belonged to Homo sapiens (modern humans) and not Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthals). If this is true, it would make Kents Cavern 4 the oldest fossil of a modern human ever found in northwestern Europe. However, some scientists, like Mark White and Paul Pettitt, have suggested that more caution is needed when dating such an old and important find.
Kents Cavern in Modern Times
People have known about Kents Cavern for a long time. The caves are first mentioned in a document from 1659. The oldest signs of people exploring the caves are two names carved into stalagmites (rock formations that grow up from the cave floor). These carvings say "William Petre 1571" and "Robert Hedges 1688."
Kents Cavern as an Archaeological Site
The first recorded excavation (digging to find ancient things) in the caves was done by Thomas Northmore in 1824. His work caught the attention of William Buckland, a geology expert from the University of Oxford. Buckland sent a team, including John MacEnery, to explore the caves. MacEnery, a Roman Catholic chaplain, carefully dug in the caves between 1824 and 1829.
MacEnery made an important discovery: he found flint tools buried deep below the stalagmites on the cave floor. When he shared his findings, many people didn't believe him. At that time, many believed the world was only a few thousand years old, based on Bishop James Ussher's Biblical chronology. MacEnery's discoveries suggested humans had been around much longer, which was a new and challenging idea.
In 1845, the Torquay Natural History Society wanted to explore the caves to find fossils and artefacts for their new museum. William Pengelly and Edward Vivian were allowed to dig between 1846 and 1858. At first, many still thought early humans came to the caves long after the cave structures were formed.
However, things changed in 1859. Thanks to Pengelly's work at another cave called Brixham Cavern and discoveries in France, important groups like the Royal Society and the Society of Antiquaries agreed. They accepted that the excavations proved the "antiquity of humanity" – meaning humans had existed for a very, very long time.
In 1865, a special committee led by Pengelly was set up to fully explore Kents Cavern. This team worked for fifteen years! Pengelly's group found the "Robert Hedges 1688" carving. By studying how much the stalagmite had grown since then, they realized that the human-made tools found underneath could be hundreds of thousands of years old. Pengelly was very careful. He recorded the exact spot of every bone, flint tool, and other item he found. He continued working with the Torquay Natural History Society until he passed away in 1892.
Kents Cavern as a Tourist Attraction
In 1903, Kents Cavern was sold to Francis Powe, a carpenter. He first used the caves as a workshop. But his son, Leslie Powe, had a different idea. He turned the caves into a place for tourists to visit! He added concrete paths, electric lights, and built facilities for visitors. His son, John Powe, later improved these facilities even more.
Today, the caves are owned by Nick Powe, who is part of the same family. In 2003, the Powe family celebrated 100 years of owning the caves with special events. A year later, a new visitor centre was opened. It cost £500,000 and included a restaurant and a gift shop.
Kents Cavern is a very popular place, attracting about 80,000 tourists every year. It's an important tourist attraction in the area. In 2000, it won the "Showcave of the Year" award. In 2005, it was named Torquay's "Visitor Attraction of the Year."
Kents Cavern in Fiction
Kents Cavern has even inspired writers! In Agatha Christie's 1924 novel The Man in the Brown Suit, the "Hampsley Cavern" is based on Kents Cavern. Also, the 2011 science fiction romance book Time Watchers: The Greatest of These by Julie Reilly uses Kents Cavern as a main setting in three different time periods.
