Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
, England, part of the
unitary authority area of
Torbay. It lies south of the county town of
Exeter and east-north-east of
Plymouth, on the north of
Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of
Paignton
Paignton ( ) is a seaside town on the coast of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the borough of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paig ...
on the west of the bay and across from the fishing port of
Brixham
Brixham is a coastal town and civil parish, the smallest and southernmost of the three main population centres (the others being Paignton and Torquay) on the coast of Torbay in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. Commercial fis ...
.
The town's economy, like Brixham's, was initially based upon fishing and agriculture, but in the early 19th century it began to develop into a fashionable
seaside resort
A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the Germa ...
. Later, as the town's fame spread, it was popular with
Victorian society. Renowned for its mild climate, the town earned the nickname the
English Riviera.
The writer
Agatha Christie was born in the town and lived at
Ashfield in Torquay during her early years. There is an "Agatha Christie Mile", a tour with plaques dedicated to her life and work.
The poet
Elizabeth Barrett Browning lived in the town from 1837 to 1841 on the recommendation of her doctor in an attempt to cure her of a disease which is thought likely to have been tuberculosis. Her former home now forms part of the Regina Hotel in Vaughan Parade.
Toponymy
Torquay's name originates in its being the
quay of the ancient village of Torre. In turn, Torre takes its name from the
tor, the extensively quarried remains of which can be seen by the town's Lymington Road. The original name was thus Torrequay, then Torkay, Torkey and Tor Quay, before the words were joined in Torquay.
History
The area comprising modern Torquay has been inhabited since
Paleolithic times.
Hand axe
A hand axe (or handaxe or Acheulean hand axe) is a prehistoric stone tool with two faces that is the longest-used tool in human history, yet there is no academic consensus on what they were used for. It is made from stone, usually flint or ...
s found in
Kents Cavern have been dated as 40,000 years old, and a
maxilla fragment, known as
Kents Cavern 4, may be the oldest example of a
modern human in Europe, dating back to 37,000–40,000 years ago.
[John R. Pike, ''Torquay'' (Torquay: Torbay Borough Council Printing Services, 1994), 5–6]
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
soldiers are known to have visited Torquay during the period when Britain was a part of the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...
, leaving offerings at a curious rock formation in
Kents Cavern, known as "The Face".
The first major building in Torquay was
Torre Abbey, a
Premonstratensian monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...
founded in 1196.
Torquay remained a minor settlement until the
Napoleonic wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...
, when Torbay was used as a sheltered anchorage by the
Channel Fleet, and relatives of officers often visited Torquay. The mild climate (for the UK) attracted many visitors who considered the town a convalescence retreat where they could recover from illness away from the cold and cloudy winters of more northerly or easterly locations. The population of Torquay grew rapidly from 838 in 1801, to 24,767 in 1887.
The second phase in the expansion of Torquay began when
Torre railway station
Torre railway station is a suburban station on the Riviera Line in Torquay, Devon, England. It is measured from . The station is managed by Great Western Railway but is not staffed.
The station buildings are Grade II listed.
History
A broad ...
was opened on 18 December 1848. The improved transport connections resulted in rapid growth at the expense of nearby towns not on
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history," "one of the 19th-century engineering giants," and "on ...
's railways. The more central
Torquay railway station
Torquay railway station is on the Riviera Line and serves the seaside resort of Torquay, Devon, England. It is measured from .
The station is operated by Great Western Railway. It is just a few yards from the sea at Torre Abbey Sands.
History ...
was opened on 2 August 1859 with views of the sea from the platforms. After the growth of the preceding decades, Torquay was granted
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle Ag ...
status in 1892.
Torquay Tramways
Torquay Tramways operated electric street trams in Torquay, Devon, England, from 1907. They were initially powered by the unusual Dolter stud-contact electrification, but in 1911 was converted to more conventional overhead-line supply. The line ...
operated electric street trams from 1907. They were initially powered by the unusual
Dolter stud-contact electrification so as not to disfigure the town with overhead wires, but in 1911, was converted to more conventional overhead-line supply. The line was extended into Paignton in 1911 but the network was closed in 1934.
The
Royal National Lifeboat Institution's
Torquay Lifeboat Station was at the Ladies Bathing Cove from 1876 until 1923. A second lifeboat was kept at the harbour from 1917 until 1928. Torquay was regarded as a "Spa Town" after the Marine Spa was built on Beacon Hill near the harbour. Originally called the "Bath Saloons complex", it had an open air tide-filled swimming bath. The complex was opened in 1853 after Beacon Hill headland was dynamited to make space for it.
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...
was said to have made readings there.
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, military hospitals were sited in Torquay – many survivors from the
Battle of Gallipoli recuperated in the town – and it was used as a troop staging area. In September 1915,
King George V and
Queen Mary visited.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
Torquay was regarded as safer than the towns of
South East England, and played host to
evacuees from the London area. The town did, however, suffer minor bomb damage during the war, mainly from planes dumping excess loads after participating in the
Plymouth Blitz. The last air raid on Torquay took place on 29 May 1944, shortly before the
D-Day landings in June and, in the months leading up to D-Day, thousands of
US Army personnel arrived with the 3204th Quartermaster Service Company
billeted in
Chelston
Chelston, also Chelstone or Chakunkula, is a neighborhood in Zambia's capital city, Lusaka.
Location
Chelston is approximately , by road, northeast of downtown Lusaka, north of the highway (T4; Great East Road), between Lusaka and Chipata. To C ...
and
Cockington
Cockington is a village near Torquay in the English county of Devon. It has old cottages within its boundaries, and is about a half a mile away from Torquay. Bus service 62 (Torquay circular) calls at the village five times per day (Mon-Fri) a ...
. During
Operation Overlord more than 23,000 men of the American 4th Infantry Division departed Torquay for
Utah Beach. The loading ramps used by the American army are still visible in front of the Regina Hotel on Vaughan Parade.
The
water sport events of the
1948 Summer Olympic Games
The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...
were held in Torquay, and the
Olympic flame brought from London to Torre Abbey Gardens.
[Russell, p. 199] Although it did not host any Olympic events for the
2012 Summer Olympics, with the sailing taking place in
Weymouth, Torbay looked to host teams as a preparation camp and the flame passed through once more on its route around the UK.
After World War II several private high-rise blocks of flats were constructed above the Rock Walk cliffs and harbour, giving the area a
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...
feel.
In 1971, after a tragedy, the Marine Spa was demolished to make way for the ill-fated Coral Island leisure complex. This was characterised by its concrete arches on its uppermost floor and sunbathing decks like those of a cruise liner. The site featured a hexagonal outdoor plunge pool surrounded by sunbathing terraces leading down to Beacon Cove beach. Inside the building were several lounges, a restaurant and a nightclub within the arches of the ancient swimming bath. All levels were served by a hydraulic passenger lift. Coral Island opened in 1977, and closed in 1988. The complex was demolished in 1997, 20 years after its construction. The site remained derelict until 2002 when the Living Coasts coastal zoo was built there.
Torquay also boasted rehabilitation facilities for the blind at America Lodge, which was owned by the RNIB for a number of decades. Like many RNIB properties, this was sold off in the 1990s and the building was subdivided into private apartments.
In the late 1980s, Fleet Street was rebuilt as the Fleet Walk shopping centre which has street-level shops and an upper-level shopping deck. The long, curved building which follows the street is magnolia-coloured and in mock Victorian style. In the late 1990s and early 2000s new pubs and night clubs opened around the harbour, leading to an increase in binge drinking, however in recent years a better police presence and responsible drinks promotions have improved the situation.
Areas around Torquay have also been affected by either refurbishments or closure. For instance, the Rock Walk located on the town's seafront was refurbished through a £3 million funding project, resulting in its reopening on 3 October 2010, as part of the Royal Terrace Gardens festival. In 2013, the Torquay Pavilion was closed after a loss in funding and attempts to reopen it under new funding are ongoing.
Governance
Torquay is part and the Administrative HQ of
Torbay, created in 1968 as a
county borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent te ...
with Torquay being the county town before returning to a two-tier system of local government under
Devon County Council in 1974, from the amalgamation of the Boroughs of Torquay,
Paignton
Paignton ( ) is a seaside town on the coast of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the borough of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paig ...
and
Brixham
Brixham is a coastal town and civil parish, the smallest and southernmost of the three main population centres (the others being Paignton and Torquay) on the coast of Torbay in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. Commercial fis ...
. Historically part of the county of
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
, Torbay was made a
unitary authority on 1 April 1998, making it responsible for its own affairs. For local elections, the district is divided into 11 wards, 7 of them in Torquay. The main council offices are at
Torquay Town Hall, built c. 1911.
Torquay (along with part of Paignton) is in the
Torbay parliamentary constituency, created in 1974; previous to that, it was in
its own eponymous constituency. The constituency elects one Member of Parliament, since 2015
Kevin Foster of the
Conservatives.
Geography
Torquay is situated on the southwestern coast of England, forming one-third of Torbay, on the western side of the bay. It has a mild
microclimate
A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squ ...
, receiving among the longest hours of sunlight per day in the south-west of the United Kingdom, with winters that tend to be mild and wet. A record high temperature of 31.5C was recorded on 14 July 2013, at 5:30 p.m.,
The town is made up of a number of small settlements that amalgamated into the town of Torquay. The town's historic core consists of
Tormohun (also historically known as Tormoham), Wellswood, The Warberries, Upton and
Ellacombe and is based upon what was once the holdings of the Palk family. In 1900,
Chelston
Chelston, also Chelstone or Chakunkula, is a neighborhood in Zambia's capital city, Lusaka.
Location
Chelston is approximately , by road, northeast of downtown Lusaka, north of the highway (T4; Great East Road), between Lusaka and Chipata. To C ...
and Livermead, part of the
Cockington
Cockington is a village near Torquay in the English county of Devon. It has old cottages within its boundaries, and is about a half a mile away from Torquay. Bus service 62 (Torquay circular) calls at the village five times per day (Mon-Fri) a ...
estate owned by the Mallocks, were annexed by the town and this was followed by the absorption of the former borough of
St Marychurch
St Marychurch in Torquay, Devon, England, is one of the oldest settlements in South Devon. Its name derives from the church of St Mary, which was founded in Anglo-Saxon times. The ward population taken at the 2011 census was 11,262.
History and ...
. In this period St Marychurch covered Plainmoor, Watcombe,
Babbacombe
Babbacombe is a district of Torquay, Devon, England. It is notable for Babbacombe Model Village, the Babbacombe Theatre and its clifftop green, Babbacombe Downs, from which Oddicombe Beach is accessed via Babbacombe Cliff Railway. Frequent b ...
and
Kingskerswell.
Wellswood and the Lincombes were built up by wealthy Victorians who, influenced by their travels around the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
, built large villas with Italianate features and towers. There are many pine trees, Bay bushes and trees (''
Laurus nobilis
''Laurus nobilis'' is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glabrous (smooth) leaves. It is in the flowering plant family Lauraceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region and is used as bay leaf for seasoning in cookin ...
''), various palm tree species and ''
Phormiums''.
Cabbage trees or "Torbay Palms" are a notable feature of the area; the trees were introduced into the area from New Zealand in 1820, and since then have flourished.
The main beaches of Torquay are
Oddicombe Beach
Oddicombe Beach is a popular beach, noted for its interesting breccia cliffs, below the Babbacombe district of Torbay, Devon in England.
The beach includes many facilities which include a cafe, beach hut and deck chair hire, a beach shop, tr ...
,
Meadfoot Beach, Maidencombe, Watcombe,
Babbacombe
Babbacombe is a district of Torquay, Devon, England. It is notable for Babbacombe Model Village, the Babbacombe Theatre and its clifftop green, Babbacombe Downs, from which Oddicombe Beach is accessed via Babbacombe Cliff Railway. Frequent b ...
Beach, Anstey's Cove, Redgate, Torre Abbey Sands, Corbyn Sands and Institute Beach and Hollacombe Beach. The first two of these held
European Blue Flag status in 2012.
The Sticklepath fault line, which runs across Devon from
Bideford Bay to Torquay, is one of many
geological faults criss-crossing Torbay; the
Babbacombe Cliff Railway
__NOTOC__
Babbacombe Cliff Railway, also known as the Babbacombe Cliff Lift, is a funicular railway in the town of Torquay in the English county of Devon. It links Babbacombe Downs with Oddicombe Beach. The line runs every day, with a closure ...
takes advantage of one of these fault lines.
Transport
Torquay has two railway stations.
Torquay railway station
Torquay railway station is on the Riviera Line and serves the seaside resort of Torquay, Devon, England. It is measured from .
The station is operated by Great Western Railway. It is just a few yards from the sea at Torre Abbey Sands.
History ...
is situated near the sea, close to Torre Abbey Sands.
Torre railway station
Torre railway station is a suburban station on the Riviera Line in Torquay, Devon, England. It is measured from . The station is managed by Great Western Railway but is not staffed.
The station buildings are Grade II listed.
History
A broad ...
is situated a little inland adjacent to the road leading to
Newton Abbot. Not all trains stop at Torre. As of 2013, there were plans for station improvements at Torquay and Torre (and at Paignton) and to build a new station at Edginswell.
Torquay is connected to the UK motorway network by the A380, which traces the outskirts of the town as
Hellevoetsluis Way and
Hamelin Way, leading to the
A38 and the
M5 at
Exeter. The A3022 branches from the A380, leading into Torquay as
Riviera
''Riviera'' () is an Italian word which means "coastline", ultimately derived from Latin , through Ligurian . It came to be applied as a proper name to the coast of Liguria, in the form ''Riviera ligure'', then shortened in English. The two area ...
Way, to the seafront as
Newton Road and then Avenue Road, and then on to Paignton as Torbay Road. The A379 runs past the harbour to Babbacombe and St Marychurch, and then north along the coast to
Teignmouth. Work on constructing a new dual carriageway on the outskirts of Torquay near the Kingskerswell end was completed in 2015 with a new junction between the A380 South Devon Highway and Torbay Ring Road.
The main bus route operated by
Stagecoach Devon passes through Torquay – the "Hop 12" number 12 service between Newton Abbot and Brixham, – while 10 other routes operate within the town. From 1919
to 1996
Devon General
Devon General was the principal bus operator in south Devon from 1919. The name was first used by the Devon General Omnibus and Touring Company which was created in 1919. In 1922 it was purchased by the National Electric Construction Company whi ...
ran buses in Torquay.
From 23 May 1965, introduction of the
one-way traffic scheme required buses from Paignton to divert via Abbey Road.
Religion
''For a summary of the 2001 census results on religion'', see below, Demographics
Torquay has about 60 churches from a wide variety of Christian denominations. Central Church (
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
and
United Reformed Church) has a notable pierced screen wall facade. St Matthias's Church, Wellswood, was built as a chapel-of-ease to St Mark's, Torwood, in the 1850s and became a parish church in 1880. In the 1970s, the churches of St Mark and Holy Trinity were closed and in 1979, the vicar of St Matthias's became rector of the parish of St Matthias, St Mark and Holy Trinity.
St Saviour's Church and
St Michael's Chapel are medieval church buildings, now Anglican. St Saviour's originally had no aisles but a north aisle was added in the 14th century. The tower is at the west end and early medieval in date. Over restoration was carried out both on the exterior and interior in 1849. The monuments include one in early Tudor style to Thomas Cary (d. 1567) and another to Thomas Ridgeway (d. 1604) which includes an alabaster effigy. The Chapel of St Michael is only 36 by 15 ft and its floor is the uneven surface of the rock on which it stands. The roof has a barrel vault and the windows are small. The 19th-century Anglican churches of Torquay include All Saints, Bamfylde Road (1884–90, architect
John Loughborough Pearson),
St John's, Montpelier Terrace (1861–71, architect
George Edmund Street
George Edmund Street (20 June 1824 – 18 December 1881), also known as G. E. Street, was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex. Stylistically, Street was a leading practitioner of the Victorian Gothic Revival. Though mainly an eccle ...
), St Luke's (1863, architect Sir
Arthur Blomfield), St Mark's, St Mark's Road (1856–57, architect
Anthony Salvin), St Mary Magdalene, Union Street (1846, architect Anthony Salvin), and St Michael, Pimlico (1877, architect Pritchard). Two
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
churches, both built in the 19th century and are listed buildings, in Torquay are the
Church of the Assumption of Our Lady and
Our Lady Help of Christians and St Denis Church.
The former St Andrew's Presbyterian church (built in 1862) on Torwood Gardens Road closed in 1951, and after a time as a nightclub, was converted to private residences.
There is also a
Christadelphian meeting hall in the town.
There is also an Islamic centre and mosque. A United Hebrew Congregation synagogue was closed in 2000, and the congregation dissolved.
Economy
Torquay was the home of
Suttons Seeds until it relocated to the neighbouring town of Paignton in 1998, and
Beverage Brands
Beverage Brands is a British alcoholic beverage company based in Gloucestershire.
History
It was founded in Torquay, and was based at Rockwood House on Parkhill Road.
Its managing director and founder was Joe Woods (born c.1955). He grew up in ...
, the owners of the popular and controversial alcoholic brand
WKD, was based in the town until 2011.
Tourism
Torquay has numerous tourist attractions, including Kents Cavern, Britain's most important
Stone Age site, which was home to early man for some 40,000 years. The floor is composed of several strata, with remains indicating the prehistoric coexistence there of humans and extinct animals.
The Rev. J. McEnery explored the cave between 1825 and 1829, and put forth the coexistence theory. The cave was extensively explored from 1865 to 1880 by
William Pengelly
William Pengelly, FRS FGS (12 January 1812 – 16 March 1894) was a British geologist and amateur archaeologist who was one of the first to contribute proof that the Biblical chronology of the earth calculated by Archbishop James Ussher was in ...
, who found evidence to support McEnery's hypothesis. The caves have attracted many famous people, among them
Agatha Christie,
Beatrix Potter,
King George V and
Haile Selassie
Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...
who was so impressed with his visit that he gave his guide, Leslie Powe a gold sovereign.
On the seafront between the Rock Walk and the Marina is the Victorian Pavilion (pictured). The adjacent "Friends Fountain" complements the Victorian architecture. Just to the side of the fountain in Princess Gardens, directly next to Princess Theatre, is the English Riviera Wheel; a 100 foot high wheel that offers a unique birds eye view of the English Riviera, overlooking Torquay Harbour from a rare perspective.
Torquay Museum, the oldest in Devon, was founded in 1844, by The Torquay Natural History Society. The museum contains extensive geology, natural science, archaeology and ethnography collections of international importance, including the oldest fossil evidence of modern man in north-west Europe. The story of the English Riviera Geopark is told through exhibitions about geology, fossils and archaeology including artefacts from Kents Cavern and other local archaeology. The museum has galleries dedicated to diverse topics such as the life of Agatha Christie,
ancient Egypt, explorers and ecology. Another gallery displays replica historic farmhouse interiors.
In 1857, the
Bath's Saloons complex was built on the promontory overlooking Beacon Cove. This included a ballroom, concert hall and sunlit conservatory and private bathing facilities with, underneath, a large public swimming bath open to the sea.
Living Coasts
Living Coasts was a coastal zoo at the site of Torquay Marine Spa in Devon, England. It was owned by South West Environmental Parks as part of the Wild Planet Trust, formerly known as Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, which also operates Newqu ...
, a coastal zoo owned by
Paignton Zoo
Paignton Zoo is a zoo in Paignton, Devon, England. The zoo is part of South West Environmental Parks Ltd which is owned by the charity Wild Planet Trust, formerly known as the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust. The charity also runs Newquay ...
, was later built on the site of the complex. The stone arches of the public bath were incorporated into the shop at Living Coasts. Development of the site as a marine animal exhibit was first proposed in early 1999 in response to a call from Torbay Council for submissions from interested parties. The project, developed by Kay Elliott architects, included an exhibit to house marine birds, rather than fish, due to the need to avoid duplicating the exhibits at the
National Marine Aquarium National Marine Aquarium may refer to:
* National Marine Aquarium of Namibia
* National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth
The National Marine Aquarium, located in Britain's Ocean City Plymouth is the largest Aquarium in the UK. It is home to over 4,0 ...
in
Plymouth. The project was subsequently taken on by Paignton Zoo Environmental Park and named Living Coasts. It was announced in June 2020, that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they were to close permanently.
Other attractions are the
Babbacombe Model Village
Babbacombe Model Village is a miniature village and railway located in Babbacombe in Torquay, Devon.
The model village was opened in 1963 by Tom & Ruth Dobbins, who had previously opened another model village at Southport in 1957.
Miniature ...
, which opened in 1963; the
Babbacombe Theatre
The Babbacombe Theatre is a theatre in Babbacombe in Torquay, South Devon, England. Refurbished in 2009, the venue has been part of the Bay’s tourism industry since the 1930s, and is known for staging variety shows, particularly since 1986 wh ...
which opened in 1939; the
Princess Theatre. A large tethered balloon offering aerial views of the town operated for several years until it was destroyed by strong winds in January 2012.
From 1875, number of potteries operated in Torquay, making
Torquay pottery for both the tourist trade and high-end retail.
Culture
Arts
In the early years of British cinema, Torquay was home to two production companies, Cairns Torquay Films and Torquay And Paignton Photoplay Productions, who in 1920, produced a total of three films between them. Recently,
Devon Films, based in Torquay, has established itself as the Bay's latest film production company. The company financed and produced
''Stepdad'' in 2007, starring
Ricky Tomlinson and
Chris Bisson among others; it was entered into the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...
. A new film
''Snappers'' set in Torquay itself and shot on location, starred
Caroline Quentin,
Bruce Jones and other prominent British television actors, and was due to be released in March 2009.
The Princess Theatre, which is by the side of the harbour, is owned by Torbay Council and operated by ATG (Ambassador Theatre Group). It was previously owned by Live Nation Theatres, but they sold their theatres to ATG for 100 million pounds in 2009. With about 1,500 seats, it is Torquay's largest theatre and plays host to touring independent production companies. The Princess Theatre also holds weddings and other functions such as parties and large seminars. TOADS Theatre Company operates the Little Theatre in
Meadfoot in the converted St Mark's Church, hosting both the company's own productions and those of visiting societies.
Babbacombe Theatre
The Babbacombe Theatre is a theatre in Babbacombe in Torquay, South Devon, England. Refurbished in 2009, the venue has been part of the Bay’s tourism industry since the 1930s, and is known for staging variety shows, particularly since 1986 wh ...
is located on Babbacombe Downs and describes itself as having the longest-running summer season in the country, which lasts nine months.
Torbay Council, along with other local bodies, administrates Creative Torbay, a website for local cultural organisations, creatives and artists to promote their work.
Media
Torquay has two commercial local radio stations:
Heart West, which broadcasts from studios in Exeter, and
Greatest Hits Radio South West (formerly known as Palm 105.5 and The Breeze), which has its studios in Lymington Road in Torquay.
The town's local newspaper is called the ''
Herald Express'' and has been published since 1925, after a merger of two papers.
Past newspapers include the ''Torquay and Tor General Advertisor and Director'', founded in 1839, which in 1853 became ''The Torquay Directory and South Devon Journal'' until 1949, finally becoming ''The South Devon Journal'', which closed in 1973.
Sport
Torquay has a long history of holding sailing events and regattas due to the favourable easterly facing nature of the bay and its popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries; this tradition reached its height in 1948 when the
water sport events of the
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ...
were held in Torquay, with the
Olympic flame being transferred from London to Torre Abbey Gardens to reside throughout the event.
Torquay is represented in
Association Football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
in the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
by
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nickname ...
The team plays their home matches at
Plainmoor
Plainmoor is an association football stadium located in the Plainmoor suburb of Torquay, Devon, England. Since 1921, the stadium has been the home of Torquay United Football Club, who currently compete in the National League, the fifth tier o ...
and have never progressed beyond the third tier of the
English leagues. Torquay United were promoted from the Conference Premier after winning the play-off final at
Wembley in June 2009. However, after a poor
Football League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football L ...
campaign in the 13/14 season, Torquay United came last and were relegated back to the Conference Premier (now the National League). Torquay were relegated previously in 2007 from the
Football League after 80 years of membership and spent two years playing in the Conference Premier; this downfall came just three years after promotion from the
league's basement division and ultimately led to a change in ownership of the club to a consortium of local businessmen and fans.
Social issues
Politics
From 1974, when it was created until 1997
Torbay constituency was a safe
Conservative seat, but
Liberal Democrat Adrian Sanders overturned spy writer
Rupert Allason
Rupert William Simon Allason (born 8 November 1951) is a British former Conservative Party politician and professional author. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Torbay in Devon, from 1987 to 1997. He writes books and articles on the ...
's majority by just 12 votes in 1997, widened to 6,708 in 2001.
During the
2005 general election, Conservative leader
Michael Howard visited the town. However, Sanders retained the seat with 40.8% of the votes (19,317, down from 23,012 in 2001). A swing of 9.7% away from the Liberal Democrats was split between the Conservatives (with a 4.9% swing), Labour – who gained a substantial increase in their vote as support for Lib Dems in 1997 and 2001 moved back and the
United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), whose candidate
Graham Booth
Graham Harry Booth (29 March 1940 – 14 December 2011) was a British UK Independence Party (UKIP) politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South West England from 2002 to 2008.
Booth was born in Paignton, Devon an ...
improved on his deposit-losing 2001 performance with a 4.7% increase in his vote.
In 2005, a
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a Representative democr ...
was held to appoint Torbay's first
elected Mayor. In the ensuing election in October 2005, the winning candidate was a former Liberal Parliamentary Candidate,
Nicholas Bye
Nicholas David Bye, commonly known as Nick Bye, is a Conservative local politician in England. Bye was born in Paignton, Devon and graduated from Oxford University. He was Liberal candidate for Torbay in the 1987 election.
Bye served on Tor ...
, who won the election as a Conservative.
In 2011 Gordon Oliver was elected as Torbay's new mayor beating the existing Mayor Nicholas Bye. Mr Oliver finished with 12,716 votes and Mr Bye 9,631 after the two made it to the second and final round of counting.
Education
Torquay has a number of primary schools, including St Margaret's Primary School in St Marychurch which has around 329 pupils and is situated on a large site of over 1800 square metres which was formerly a farm.
There are five main secondary schools in the town.
Torquay Academy
Torquay Academy is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Torquay, Devon, England. Before 1 September 2012, it was known as Torquay Community College and historically, known as Audley Park School.
About
The academy is part ...
, previously known as Torquay Community School and Audley Park, has had its troubles in the past but since 2001 has come out of
Ofsted special measures. The school has recently had a £26million pound rebuild and in December 2010, when reassessed by
Ofsted it was told that it had become "A good and improving school". It changed to academy status in September 2001, sponsored by Torquay Boys' Grammar School.
The Spires College
The Spires College is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in the Devon town of Torquay, England. It is a bilateral school, with places for children who reach the required standard in the 11+ test and for those who do not take the t ...
(formerly Westlands School) is a combined secondary college and sixth form that takes students of all variations and in 2002 moved to a new building.
St Cuthbert Mayne School
St Cuthbert Mayne School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Torquay in the English county of Devon. The school is named after Saint Cuthbert Mayne, a Roman Catholic priest and martyr of the Reformation and Counter-Re ...
is a joint
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
and
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...
secondary school and sixth form.
Torquay's other two state secondary schools are selective. They are
Torquay Boys' Grammar School
Torquay Boys' Grammar School is a selective boys grammar school in Torquay, Devon, England. , it had 1,113 students. The school was founded in 1904.
It is situated in Shiphay, south of Torbay Hospital, not far from the A3022 and Torre railwa ...
and
Torquay Grammar School for Girls which are available only to those that pass the
Eleven plus exam and the schools' own standardised test. There are also a number of private schools in the area including the Abbey School.
For further education, students can either go to one of the sixth forms at the previously mentioned The Spires, St Cuthbert's Mayne or Grammar schools, or they can go to
South Devon College
South Devon College is a further education college with 9 different campuses within Torbay and the surrounding area. The college is part of The University of Plymouth Colleges network.
In December 2017, South Devon College achieved an overal ...
which is based in Long Road in Paignton on a new campus that fully opened in January 2006.
Crime
Information taken from 2010 crime figures in Torbay (up to and including 31 December 2010)
Healthcare
Torquay has two hospitals, the
NHS-run
Torbay Hospital which is situated on Newton Road, Shiphay and the private, non-emergency Mount Stuart Hospital run by
Ramsay Health Care UK
Ramsay Health Care UK is a healthcare company based in the United Kingdom. It was founded by Australian businessman Paul Ramsay, who established its parent company: Ramsay Health Care, in Sydney, Australia, in 1964 and has grown to become a global ...
on St Vincent's Road, Torre.
In English culture
A number of sketches for the ''
Monty Python's Flying Circus'' television show (1969–74) were filmed on location in and around both Torquay and neighbouring Paignton. It was while staying in Torquay at the
Gleneagles Hotel with the Python team in 1971, that
John Cleese found inspiration (and the setting, although not the actual film location) for the popular sitcom ''
Fawlty Towers'' (1975, 1979). Incidents during the Pythons' stay are said to include the owner,
Donald Sinclair, having thrown
Eric Idle's suitcase out of a window in case it contained a bomb. Cleese later described the eccentric owner as, "the most wonderfully rude man I have ever met", although Mr. Sinclair's widow has since said her husband was totally misrepresented in the comedy.
In the 1970s, several episodes of the comedy series ''
The Goodies'' were filmed in and around Torquay. In 1979, the town was again the site of filming, when the
Ray Winstone,
BAFTA nominated drama ''
That Summer!
''That Summer!'' is a 1979 British drama film directed by Harley Cokeliss and starring Ray Winstone, Tony London, Emily Moore and Julie Shipley. It was Ray Winstone's theatrical film debut, playing the character Steve Brodie.
Plot
It is the st ...
'' was both set in and filmed around the town. In 2003, the movie ''
Blackball'' starring
Paul Kaye was set and partly shot there.
In October 2010, it was reported that
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...
-based artist
Banksy had painted a mural on the wall of the Grosvenor Hotel in Belgrave Road. The mural shows a child drawing a robot, and uses the vent of an
extractor fan as the head of the robot. The painting was vandalised in May 2011. This mural has now been painted over due to the Grosvenor Hotel being refurbished by the new owners (Richardsons) in 2014.
The Victorian mansion in Torquay where
Agatha Christie was born and grew up,
Ashfield in Barton Road, was demolished in 1961, to build an estate and extension for
South Devon College
South Devon College is a further education college with 9 different campuses within Torbay and the surrounding area. The college is part of The University of Plymouth Colleges network.
In December 2017, South Devon College achieved an overal ...
. A
blue plaque was unveiled in 2007, marking the spot.
Notable people
*
Agatha Christie - English mystery and detective writer
*
Percy Fawcett - English explorer
*
Roger Deakins - English cinematographer
See also
*
Babbacombe Cliff Railway
__NOTOC__
Babbacombe Cliff Railway, also known as the Babbacombe Cliff Lift, is a funicular railway in the town of Torquay in the English county of Devon. It links Babbacombe Downs with Oddicombe Beach. The line runs every day, with a closure ...
References
Sources
*
External links
– The Geology of Torbay from a local geologist.
{{Authority control
Towns in Devon
Populated coastal places in Devon
Seaside resorts in England
Unparished areas in Devon
Torbay