The Strand: a Torquay Odyssey
The Strand is Torquay’s tourism centre and the heart of the resort. Here we find the transport hub, churches, hotels,...
Churchill: The Hollywood Years in Torbay
“The whole idea of the film was excellent”; “The story was laced with excellent set jokes and well placed one...
Torquay Cemetery’s Tombstone Tourism
In 1852 sixteen acres of agricultural land was purchased on high ground on the outskirts of Torquay. This was close...
Torquay’s Old Town Hall can rise again
The story of Torquay’s Old Town Hall is the story of the resort’s rise to become the centre of an...
Torquay, past, present and future
In 1886 the south coast resort of Torquay announced that it was the “the wealthiest town in England”. It couldn’t...
Torquay: showcase of Empire
In 1844 a group of friends met at Glen Cottage in Torquay’s Park Street. At that gathering it was...
Fear the Workhouse
During the course of the nineteenth century Torquay grew to become the richest town in Britain. Many millionaires lived or...
Searching for a mermaid’s tears on a Torbay beach
"Old ladies in wheelchairs with blankets over their legs, I don’t think so… they’re retired mermaids”, Milton JonesMermaids have long...
Why Torquay doesn’t have a pier
Paignton has a pier; Teignmouth has a pier. But Torquay does not.We do, of course, have Haldon Pier, built in...
Sheep strangles dimwitted Torquay criminal
There’s an old story that tells of how a sheep hanged a local thief. First of all the location. Gallows...
An Open Day at Torquay’s St Michael’s Chapel
On Wednesday April 1st at 2.00 until 4.00 Torquay’s historic St Michael's Chapel will be open to the public This free...
Searching for your Torbay Hag Stone
Searching for Hag Stones on the Bay’s beaches is something of a local tradition.Hag Stones are stones with natural holes,...
Torquay: “A town for the newly wed; and the nearly dead”
Many towns have an origin myth - a story that tells of how their community began.Torquay’s origin myth is of...
Torquay Eccentrics the Alphington Ponies
We all know that Torquay hosts a good number of ‘characters’, rule-breakers and, let’s be honest, cranks. This goes back...
The View from Waldon Hill
In 1838 the Poet Laureate Alfred Tennyson was in Torquay, a place he called “the loveliest sea village in England”.During...
Ray Winstone’s ‘That Summer’: the ending of a Torquay way of life
Sometimes movies can truly encapsulate the times and experiences they present.As an example, while some coming-of-age films can be heavy-handed...
Torbay’s Victorians on Life, the Universe, and Everything
During the nineteenth century Torbay was in the forefront of discoveries and debates about the age of the earth and...
Torquay’s Forgotten Observatory
Many of us are familiar with the medieval St Michael's Chapel opposite Torre Station. Less well known is another ruin...
Belgrave Road: a tale of two Torquays
The story of Belgrave Road is the story of Torquay.Beginning at the Torbay Road junction, Belgrave Road runs northwest to...
Back to 1980s Torquay with author Steve Honeywill’s new novel “The Clubs”
Torquay author Steve Honeywill new novel “The Clubs” draws on experiences of a fictionalised Torbay. The Clubs brings the early...
