At some point during the Permian Triassic low temperature hydrothermal fluids apparently produced a significant deposit of low-grade iron ore in the limestone plateaus at Brixham and Sharkham Point.

Discovered in 1842 the ore was commercially mined for smelting and for the use in the manufacture of anti-corrosion paint by the Tor Bay Paint Co established in 1895. 

Another suite of fluids led to the formation of thin gold and palladium-bearing veins in the Devonian limestones of Hope’s Nose, Torquay, the former characteristically forming small, delicate feather-like crystals. Very rare selenium minerals are also present, together making these deposits unique in Britain and possibly within Europe.

Photo Credit: Torquay Museum