Its position beside the River Plym estuary just short of the mouth led to its early settlement.
Catherine of Aragon - the first wife of Henry VIII - travelled from Loredo in Spain to a harbour in Plymouth, England to be married.
They included the remains of many strange creatures – hyenas, bison, woolly rhinoceros and cave lions.
Among the partial skeletons of 15 early humans was the famous ‘Cattedown Man’ – believed to be the city's earliest known inhabitant and dating back 140,000 years.
-[1] Today, the caves – listed as a national monument by Historic England – remain fenced off and kept out of sight.