History and Heritage

The English Riviera is well known as a top UK holiday resort due to its spectacular coastline, however there is also a rich history and heritage, and plenty of hidden gems around the Bay that provide a unique insight into the past. In fact, the English Riviera has been recognised by UNESCO as having international importance due to its geological, historical and culture heritage and has been so named as a Global Geopark.

The English Riviera Global Geopark Timeline

Around 400 million years ago, the rocks that Tor Bay is sat upon began to form in tropical seas south of the Equator. At this time, most of Britain was covered by a shallow tropical sea containing coral reefs and marine creatures, when these creatures sank to the floor, they contributed to the formation of grey and pink limestone rocks, which you can now see at Berry Head and Hopes Nose.

Around 310 million years ago, the limestone rocks were crushed and formed a mountain range. Now these no longer exist, but you can see examples of the folded over rocks if you take a boat trip around Berry Head.

Around 260 million years ago, the tropical sea over Britain had disappeared, and instead the island was a desert wasteland with over 95% of all life dying due to the intense heat. The creatures that survived were mostly reptilian. Some of the English Riviera rocks were scorched by the sun and turned red. Sand blew across and settled into dunes, eventually forming rocks called sandstone which was then worn away by the sea leaving the pale red sand we can see today at Preston and Oddicombe Beaches.

Around 245 million years ago, the fluctuating sea levels meant that Britain was submerged under the sea once again, whilst dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

Around 2 million years ago, Kents Cavern began to form with the major passageways being slowly hollowed out and filled with water.

Ice Age English Riviera

From 1.6 million years ago until around 12,000 years ago, the climate changed frequently, fluctuating between glacial and inter-glacial periods and this period is commonly known as the Ice Age.

During glacial periods, an ice sheet would have covered most of Britain, but the English Riviera being so far south would have avoided the worst of it and instead experienced tundra-like conditions that would have been difficult to survive in.

Much of the impact of the ice ages can be seen at Torquay’s prehistoric caves, Kents Cavern: an incredibly important cavern, recognised by UNESCO and which remains the only place in Europe with evidence of three of the four human species living in the same area at different stages of time.

Torquay Museum holds over 32,000 specimens relating to the Ice Age in South Devon
including, the jawbone found at Kents Cavern which provides the earliest evidence of anatomically modern humans in North West Europe.

The History of Trawling in Brixham

Over the centuries, humans settled and for those living in Brixham, fishing became a lifeline.

In the late 18^th century, motivated by dwindling catches, Brixham fishermen and boat builders began creating faster boats that could fish in deep water. The design they developed was then known as a ‘Brixham Trawler’ and was adopted for use around the world.

The success of the Brixham Trawler meant that by the end of the 19^th century there were more than 3000 sailing trawlers based at British ports, with a fleet of 400 at Brixham. Only a handful of the original sailing trawlers survive today. One such trawler is the Vigilance, which is was made in Brixham in 1926 and is still based in the harbour today.

The English Riviera’s Golden Age

So where does the English Riviera name come from? Arguably from this period. From the late 18^th Century until the Second World War, tourists began flocking to Tor Bay. The warm microclimate attracted many wealthy families who visited to escape the cold winters in the rest of Britain, and then settled and built large country homes here. They built homes and gardens in an Italianate design to provide a Mediterranean-style resort in Britain – ‘an English Riviera’.

Many of these large country homes remain today, most of them protected as Grade II listed buildings and with financial trusts to aid restoration to their former glory. Although some of the interiors are closed to the public, visitors are still able to enjoy the grounds and landscaped gardens.