History

As Torquay developed during the nineteenth century, the town's traditional burial grounds of St Saviour's in Torre and at Upton...

Pub tokens give us a glimpse into working class life in Torbay in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.First...

This Sunday sees the first broadcast by the BBC of their new 3 part mini-series of 'The War of the...

There's an idea in archaeology and history called a palimpsest. It comes from a parchment manuscript page. These were originally...

The Anglo Saxon Chronicle records that in the year 850AD:“Here Ealdorman Ceorl with Devonshire fought against the heathen men at...

Above the natural arch of London Bridge is the limestone plateau of Daddyhole Plain. Unlike London Bridge, which was named...

Torquay grew rapidly during the nineteenth century: in 1801 there were 838 persons; by 1851, 11,474; and by 1901 it...

In 1858 a terrorist attack in Paris caused a reaction in Torquay. On January 14th, 1858 the French Emperor Napoleon...

By Margaret Forbes-Hamilton & Kevin Dixon Just off Torquay’s Lucius Street stands the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Andrew. The...

Here at WASD we love a bit of local weirdness so here’s a clip from the 2001 London Weekend Television...

While it was the visiting wives and relatives of naval officers that initiated Torquay as a tourist town, it was...

This is the story of Saul, one of those Torquay characters that we seem to have so many of. You’ve...

In 1954 the author Nancy Mitford wrote an essay, ‘The English Aristocracy’ for the magazine Encounter. She provided a list...

A railway station serving Torquay was opened on 18 December 1848, but this station was far from the harbour at...

On September 18, 1961, Torquay was the proud host of the Second European Postal and Telecommunications (CEPT) Conference. Fair enough,...

Here in Torquay we like to think of ourselves as being welcoming to tourists. However, this wasn’t always so. For...

Here at WASD we like to remember Torquay folk who have made their mark on the world. This time it’s...

“Deep night, dark night, the silence of the night, spirits walk, and ghosts break up their graves”, William Shakespeare Night-time...

  On October 8th 1834 the darkness was banished from Torquay. Forty gas lamps were installed in our main thoroughfares...

“I resent Mrs Langtry, she has no right to be intelligent, daring and independent, as well as lovely”, Torquay resident...