Torbay’s Town Centres: We are how we buy?
Do you shop in the Newton Road Lidls, or Plainmoor’s Waitrose? Morrisons by the Zoo, or Fleet Street’s Tesco? Or...
The original Torbay folk – where did they go?
On the Churston limestone plateau, in the late Bronze Age/early Iron Age field system on the cliff top at Babbacombe’s...
Ed’s Occult Corner at the Devon Arms
It's often said that Torquay has a long history of the weird and mysterious. The town was one of the...
Torquay’s Sidney Proud and Post War British Fascism
Including civilian deaths, the Second World War killed between 50 million and 80 million people. At the end of the...
The Cockington Horseshoe – a Torquay Talisman
“I've never been to a wedding, where among the gifts the bride will get, Someone will always give her a...
Beware the Headless Horseman of Torquay’s Avenue Road
"So after dark, you kids be good Stay at home, the way that you should 'Cause right outside, and waitin'...
Torquay Hotelier cancels American Independence
“Americans must learn that there is no such place as Devonshire in England. The name of the county is ‘Devon’....
Torquay Town Hall: that sacred stage
Even in a mostly secular Torbay there are still sacred locations - places that are steeped in history and culture....
What did you drink in Torbay’s pubs and clubs?
We're putting together a local history talk on the Bay's past nightlife. One part of the talk is on, "What...
Torquay’s Annie visits a Séance
Here at WASD we've mentioned that, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Torquay had a reputation as being...
Torbay against the Poll Tax
March 17 1990 saw the largest demonstration that Torbay had ever seen - 5,000 people from across the Bay gathered...
“Strange as hibiscus blooms in a Devon garden” Paul Robeson in Torquay
At WASD we like to remember those performers who have visited the Bay. This time it’s Paul Robeson (1898-1976). Paul...
Torquay’s C Denier Warren & Lolita
At WASD we like to remember locals that have made their mark in the world of entertainment. This time it’s...
Torquay’s Patricia Perry AKA Dame Edna’s Madge Allsop
Here at WASD we like to remember local folk who went on to greater things. This time it’s Torquay-born Patricia...
Donovan and Mac Macleod in Torbay
Donovan was Britain’s Bob Dylan. Emerging from the folk scene, he came to fame in early 1965 with a series...
The Radio 1 Roadshow in Torbay
For three decades the Radio 1 Roadshow was an annual summer event. Hosted and broadcast by BBC Radio 1 from...
The Romances of Torquay’s Iain/Emma Blair
Scottish actor and author Iain Blair was a 6′ 3″ Glaswegian who lived in Torquay. From this information and the...
Torre Marine’s Eden Phillpotts upsets the Censors
In 1899 Eden Phillpotts returned to Devon and moved into his Torquay house. The house is long gone, first to...
“The sickest and cleverest” The Adverts’ in Torquay
“Gary don't need his eyes to see, Gary and his eyes have parted company”. For years there were stories that...
George Bernard Shaw in Torquay
The Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) wrote more than 60 plays and is the only person to have been...
