Jim Parker: Visionaries that can take the Torbay Story to the next level

I didn't think it would take long before Rob Cox and the Tudor Hotels Collection started to make their mark in Torbay and South Devon.

Tudor announced their arrival in the West Country a few years ago when they bought Bodmin Jail in Cornwall and spent millions of pounds transforming the Grade II listed building, dating back to 1779, into a top tourism attraction and 63-bedroom hotel,no doubt coming complete with a whole array of spooky ghosts!

CEO Rob and Tudor love saving and renovating old buildings and the jail was right up their street. So, too, was the target for their first foray into the Bay and the Redcliffe Hotel in Paignton after years in the ownership of the well-known Twigger family.

The seafront hotel is also steeped in history.  It was originally designed by retired Colonel Robert Smith, an accomplished architect, engineer and artist.  He extensively re-designed an existing building he bought in  1853, adding three wings that housed a glass-domed plunge bath, picture gallery and 23 bedrooms and dressing rooms.

The property changed hands several times and was converted into a hotel in 1903, never losing its historic and unique appearance.

Tudor have just been given planning permission to take the Redcliffe up to another level of historic luxury with multi-million  pound refurbishment plans. Its number of rooms will be reduced,  a new restaurant and bar created,  towers and ornamental domes reinstated at the corners of the building, facades will be repaired and spa, bar and dining facilities upgraded. Goes without saying that the idyllic sea view is still something to die for.

While Tudor were planning all this, behind the scenes they were agreeing the purchase of the oldest and most historic site of all of them in the resort - Torquay's Kents Cavern. The caves go back more than 2.5 million years and were once occupied by prehistoric humans and Ice Age animals. Francis Powe bought the site in 1903 and it stayed in the family until Nick Powe sold it to Tudor last year. Now Tudor have transformational plans to take the top tourist attraction to another level as well. 

They are planning another huge investment running into millions of pounds, not necessarily tomorrow but over several years. Aligning with their ethos, they want is to make the most of the cave's ancient history making it the worldwide centre for 'Stone Age learning.' It would fit superbly with the Bay's UNESCO Geopark status which the English Riviera has never really made enough of or capitalised on. There is a natural link between our environment dating back millions of years and the people who then called it their home.

The proposals are very much at the 'concept' stage but Rob Cox says: "It's such an amazing place, an incredible experience for people and something that is so unique in terms of its history being so rich and authentic. We think it will be logical, not easy but logical, to take the next step and put in some modern experiences alongside the existing visitor attraction and bring it to more people through a mix of academia and heritage."

He added: "Our experience with Bodmin Jail and developing the visitor attraction there proved to be useful in terms of adding to the heritage. We want to bring in a younger audience and a more educational side - doing it in a way where people can connect with it and feel like they're having fun and learning at the same time.

"I went into the caverns and I was blown away. I didn't know anything like that existed in Torquay. We realised it was a gem and decided to buy it. For us, a centre of Stone Age learning is a very appealing idea and the site has plenty of scope for developing."

General manager James Hull says Kents Cavern stands besides other celebrated cave complexes in Europe such as Altamira in Spain and Lascaux in France. "Basically we've got an international story but lack facilities similar to other European prehistoric sites," he says. "But we are just as important. It is a complex story for our guides to deliver and for people to understand in 45 minutes."

I have no doubt that Rob Cox and Tudor will make the absolute most of the Redcliffe and Kents Cavern. The caves and the Geopark combination, in particular, have the potential to take the Torbay Story to another level and put the English Riviera firmly on the global map

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