A truly unique experience waits at Kent's Cavern. Guided tours take visitors and curiosity seekers through the ancient caves, where some of the oldest remnants of human dwellings have been found. That's right, these caves were once home to early man from the Lower Palaeolithic era, and artefacts found in the caves have been dated at 450, 000 years old. Human remains that stretch back more than 30, 000 years have also been found here.

The majority of ancient tools found in Kent's Cavern have been associated with Neanderthal man, dating between 120, 000 and 10, 000 years ago, right around the time of the last ice age, though there are pieces in the cavern from every stage of the evolution of man.

The chaplain living at Torre Abbey manor was the first to discover the cave, back in 1825. The rare finds challenged his religious beliefs and he eventually convinced himself that man could not have been in the caves for more that 6, 000 years. But it was the remarkable efforts of William Pengelly over a period of 15 years that made Kent's Cavern the attraction it is today. Not only did his team unearth the oldest artefacts, but also by recording every object found, its location and level in the cave earth they set the standard for which all archaeological research follows.