Back in the 1970s and 80s if you went to Princess Theatre you could see two stars that have almost been forgotten - Dick Emery (1915-1983) and Lena Zavaroni (1963 -1999). Today Dick - if he i…

Here are just a few of the lesser-known women who lived or worked in Torquay. They helped make our town and made their mark on the world. Helen Taylor Helen Taylor (1831–1907) was the stepdaught…

Do you ever give a tip in Torquay? If you do, why do you do it and who do you give a tip to? Why don’t we tip in Wetherspoons, but often tip taxi drivers and hair stylists? Do you know how much to g…

  The Western Times of November 6, 1914, covered a story, ‘Col. Burn’s Late Son: Torquay’s Expression of Sincere Sympathy.’ It reported that a speaker at a memorial service for the fallen sold…

Following the recent Spotted discussion on Torquay’s Lost Pubs, here’s a list taken from White’s Directory of those Inns, Taverns and Beerhouses operating in 1850. They were: Apsley House, Park…

  A few weeks ago a handmade cardboard Ouija board was found abandoned in some Torquay woodland and an image posted on Spotted Torquay. It looks like the board was being used by local young pe…

 “There been over twenty attacks around Exmoor in the last two months and no one has managed to get a decent shot of the Beast”. There are a number of reasons for Torbay folk never to journey …

Imagine, if you may, that you are one of Hollywood’s ‘Frat Pack’ of young comedy actors. You’ve been out with Jennifer Aniston, and you’ve been in a whole range of hugely successful movies, includ…

Torquay has its Green Ginger; Paignton has the Talk of the Town and the Isaac Merritt, Brixham has the Vigilance. A bit further afield, Newton Abbot has the Richard Hopkins while Teignmouth has the …

Gracie Fields was a comedienne and singer in the British Music Halls. In 1937 she was the highest paid film star in the world and was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio... and,…

During the inter-war period Torquay’s MP and the editor of the town’s newspaper had a similar and very surprising view of the world. They were both prominent self-confessed fascists, and one of them…

"I am very sorry for what I have done here, but this is the place. I had to be here to carry out the deed. The money for food is on the table. To the chef, the food was magnificent. Fit for the gods…

Continuing WASD’s interest in all things weird about South Devon, here’s a tale of sex, communism & Satanism in Dartington. The author Dennis Wheatley’s (1897-1977) huge output of thrillers…

  Our latest WASD homage to movies filmed in glorious South Devon is to the Totnes-set 1955 comedy ‘Where There's a Will’. The movie was directed by Vernon Sewell and starred Kathleen H…