In 1900 there were over 60 places of worship in Torquay. All were Christian and they included the ancient Church of England parish churches, recent Victorian Anglican churches, Roman Catholic churches, and the many chapels of the Methodists, Quakers, Bible Christians, and other smaller groups.
Alongside the rest of the nation, religious affiliation has changed greatly in Torbay since then. Today there are still around 35 Christian communities in Torquay alone, but not all worship in traditional churches or chapels. And it is the loss or repurposing of places of worship that we may first notice when we compare today’s resort with that of our Victorian and Edwardian forebears.
In Torquay the primary faith tradition remains Christianity in its many forms. Avenue Road’s Islamic Centre is the only local mosque, while arguably the single other non-Christian faith-related building is Parkhill Road’s Theosophical Society Lodge which opened in 1914.There was the Torquay United Hebrew Congregation’s synagogue in the Old Town Hall, though this closed in 2000.
The hegemony of Christianity in our part of the Bay probably began in around 600 AD when St Petrox was established at Torre; the Roman Empire was officially Christian, but outside of the cities such as Exeter the Romano-British seem to have held on to their pagan beliefs. We do have other hints at early evangelising. Preston is Old English for ‘priest’s settlement’ so this may have been the site of an early mission station.
For centuries the faith was disseminated by the three ancient parish churches of Cockington, St Marychurch, and Tormoham, and between 1196 and 1538 by Torre Abbey. Then, during the nineteenth century, the local landscape changed due to the Victorian belief that Britain’s prosperity, liberty and empire were rooted in the Protestant faith.
Across the nation, around 2,500 churches were built. In Torquay came the construction of: St John the Apostle in 1823; St Mary Magdalene in 1849; St Matthias, Ilsham, in 1857; St Luke’s in 1861; All Saints, Babbacombe, in 1865; All Saints, Torre, in 1867; Christ Church, Ellacombe, in 1868; and Holy Trinity in 1896.
In 1829 restrictions on the nonconforming and Catholic churches were relaxed. In the interstices between the Anglican churches, and alongside a resurgent Catholicism, came the many chapels and houses of other Protestant traditions; often smaller and situated away from the main thoroughfares.
The Church of St Andrew opened in 1863 in Torwood Gardens for the large numbers arriving from Scotland. It closed in 1951, becoming the famous Monastery nightclub and then apartments
These new churches catered for both an increased local population and new communities. For example, the Church of St Andrew opened in 1863 in Torwood Gardens for the large numbers arriving from Scotland in search of good health. St Andrew’s closed in 1951, becoming the famous Monastery nightclub and then apartments.
Yet, church attendance had already begun to decline by the mid-nineteenth century. An emphasis on sobriety and thrift may have appealed to the middle classes, but social conservatism meant little to working people. As Torquay grew so did class divisions, and the churches often struggled to maintain the support of the urban working class; by 1900 they were beginning to lose the allegiance of the respectable classes too.
By the early decades of the twentieth century, health, education, and welfare services, once the preserve of the Church, were gradually being taken on by the state. Then confidence in the Establishment and its agencies was further undermined by the carnage of the Great War.
Holy Trinity Church was declared redundant in 1980. It became the ‘Breakaway Sports Centre’, a children’s play centre and is now a spectacular private home.
The outcome of declining congregations and internal disputes was the closure of a number of churches and chapels. The Church of England has proved to be relatively resilient, reorganising to adapt to new circumstances. Nevertheless, locally there have been a couple of Anglican closures. Holy Trinity Church was declared redundant in 1980. It became the ‘Breakaway Sports Centre’, a children’s play centre and is now a spectacular private home. More recently, Christ Church Ellacombe closed in 2017 and was transferred to the local primary school.
Unlike Catholicism, which has a central authority, outside of the Church of England the Protestant tradition allows individual interpretations of theology and practice. This can lead to small rival congregations vociferously disagreeing with one another.
Often a faith community will begin with enthusiasm, grow quickly, and then fall away, perhaps merging with another church, any property and resources being sold or redirected. 
The Salem Chapel which opened in Fleet Street in 1839. For many years it was used as the Torquay School of Art, the Vivian Institute, and hosted a series of bars such as the Piazza and the Blu Cargo
An example is the Salem Chapel which opened in Fleet Street in 1839. Led by Chelston’s Robert Stark, the evangelical ‘Starkites’ acquired a reputation for disrupting the services of other churches. When Robert died in 1854, his chapel closed but it’s still there. For many years it was used as the Torquay School of Art, the Vivian Institute, and hosted a series of bars such as the Piazza and the Blu Cargo.
Cary Street Independent Chapel opened in 1833. In 1877 it was sold for commercial use.
Another incidence of independent church fractiousness is Cary Street Independent Chapel which opened in 1833. After a disagreement, most of the congregation left and in 1877 the Cary Street chapel was sold for commercial use.
Congregations may also move around. The Primitive Methodists first held their meetings in a prayer room in Union Street and in 1863 bought the old Baptist Chapel in Temperance Street. Market Street Primitive Methodist Chapel opened in 1878 but closed in 1973 with the proceeds from the sale used to help build the new Central Church.
Often the cause of closure was simply due to declining use. Plainmoor’s Mission Church of St Paul opened in 1890 in what was Boston Fields. The much-loved ‘Tin Church’, so called as it was built of wood and iron, was lost to the bulldozers back in 1966.
Another casualty was the Abbey Road Congregational Church which opened in 1847 with seating for 800. During the war it was the garrison church of American servicemen, with many taking their last sacrament there before going to the beaches of Normandy, some never to return. The church closed in 1981 and was replaced by apartments.
Also now apartments is Zion Chapel on Tor Hill, built by the Bible Christians in 1864. It closed in 1954 to become a commercial garage.
One church was entirely rebuilt to begin again. In 1866 Joshua Wilson erected a timber church with a zinc covered roof in Belgrave Road. When the congregation outgrew the building, a plot of land was acquired from Morgan’s Nursery; a name that survives in Morgan Avenue. In 1870, there was built the Belgrave Congregational Church. However, the church suffered wartime bomb damage and was demolished in 1974. The site is now occupied by Central Church.
Despite many success stories of stable or even increasing local congregations, the overall picture remains of a declining number of those available to take on the responsibilities of maintaining our faith heritage. Hence, over the past decade alone more than 3,500 churches of various denominations have been lost across the nation.
According to the Census, in 2011 there were around 83,000 self-declared Christians in the Bay; 62 per cent of the population. By 2021 this had fallen to 68,000 (49 per cent).
This still, of course, means that almost half of local folk identify with Christianity. However, only 5 per cent of all adults now attend a Christian service weekly, compared with 8 per cent in 2018. We are therefore seeing diminishing and steadily ageing congregations; 38 per cent of regular Anglican church goers are now aged 70 or over.
Across the nation, difficult decisions are now regularly being taken between the challenge of ongoing maintenance of heritage assets, some dating back hundreds of years, and the wider Christian mission of offering support and inspiration for congregations and the wider community.
Torquay’s townscape was once bejewelled with churches and chapels, and we should be proud of that precious inheritance. Whether we are of a faith or not, what happens to these monuments should be a question that concerns us all.
‘Torquay: A Social History’ by local author Kevin Dixon is available for £10 from Artizan Gallery, Fleet Street, Torquay. or:
https://www.art-hub.co.uk/product-page/torquay-a-social-history-by-kevin-dixon
