Windmill Hill Cavern

Windmill Hill Cavern is a limestone cave system beneath Brixham in Devon. It was found in 1858 by builder John Lane Philp while he searched for a lost tool. The Geological Society soon leased the site and chose William Pengelly to lead the excavation. Geologist Hugh Falconer planned the early exploration work. The cave once opened to visitors as a show cave before closing again. The cavern is important because it proved humans lived alongside extinct animals. Pengelly’s team uncovered thirty-six Palaeolithic flint tools, including a knife. Fossils of woolly mammoth, aurochs and spotted hyena were found with the artefacts. Skeptical members like Joseph Prestwich later confirmed the co-existence from evidence at the Somme River Valley. These discoveries changed understanding of early human history in Britain. Visitors today see the cave’s rough chambers and narrow passages. The entrance is a small opening on Mount Pleasant Road. Inside, the walls show layers of ancient sediment. The site remains protected under the Ancient Monuments Act. Though no longer open daily, its archaeological value is still recognised.