Kingswear Historians’ first talk of 2026 took audiences far beyond the group’s usual historical timeframe, delving hundreds of millions of years into the past.

The society, which typically focuses on history from the 12th to early 20th century, instead explored events dating back around 400 million years. The talk was given by Quinn Arden-Trew, a researcher at Kents Cavern in Torquay, one of the oldest known cave systems in the world.

Mr Arden-Trew spoke about the area’s geology, the earliest evidence of animal life, and the later arrival of ancient humans. His research specialism is the study of extinct animals, and the audience was shown images of fossils uncovered during work at the caves.

Among the animals discussed were sabre-toothed cats and ancestral cave bears, some of which are believed to have weighed up to 400 kilograms. Audience member Sarah Longman said: “It’s hard to imagine that sabre tooth tigers and enormous bears roamed across the South West.”

The cave bears were largely vegetarian and are thought to have used the caves as places to hibernate. Thousands of years later, early humans also sought shelter there, leaving behind some of the oldest stone tools found in Britain.

The talk also covered the exploration of the cave system from the late 17th century onwards. Mr Arden-Trew paid tribute to early explorers for both their sense of adventure and their role in developing archaeological recording methods still used today.

Three scientists were highlighted for their work at the site: Thomas Northmore, Father John MacEnery and William Pengelly. Their discoveries helped establish Kents Cavern as one of Europe’s most important prehistoric sites, leading to its designation as a Site of Special Scientific (SSI) Interest in 1952.

Plans are now progressing for a new excavation at the caves, the first in a decade. Mr Arden-Trew said he was “very excited” about the project and the potential for new discoveries.

Kingswear Historians’ next talk will take place on February 9 at 7.30pm at Kingswear Village Hall and will focus on the ship Madre de Dios, presented by local historian Clare Pawley.