Torquay

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This article is about the English town. For other uses, see Torquay (disambiguation).

Torquay
Statistics
Population:	62,963 [1]
Ordnance Survey
OS grid reference:	SX9165
Administration
District:	Torbay
Region:	South West England
Constituent country:	England
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom
Other
Ceremonial county:	Devon
Historic county:	Devon
Services
Police force:	Devon and Cornwall
Fire and rescue:	{{{Fire}}}
Ambulance:	South Western
Post office and telephone
Post town:	TORQUAY
Postal district:	TQ1, TQ2
Dialling code:	01803
Politics
UK Parliament:	Torbay
European Parliament:	South West England

Torquay (IPA: [tɔːˈki]) is a town in Devon, England. It lies 26 kilometres (16 miles) south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. In the 19th century it became a fashionable seaside resort, renowned for its healthy climate it gained a nickname as the English Riviera.

Torquay's name originates in it being the quay of the ancient village of Torre, which in turn takes its name from the tor whose extensively quarried remains can be seen by the town's Tor Hill Road.^[2]

Contents 1 History of Torquay 2 Geography 3 Transport 4 Economy 4.1 Tourism 5 Culture 5.1 Arts 5.2 Media 5.3 Sport 6 Torquay in English culture 7 Demographics 8 Social issues in Torquay 8.1 Politics 8.2 Education 8.3 Crime 8.4 Healthcare 9 References 10 See also 11 External links

[edit] History of Torquay

Main article: History of Torquay

The area comprising modern Torquay has been inhabited since paleolithic times. Hand axes found in Kents Cavern date to 450,000 years ago, and a maxilla fragment known as Kents Cavern 4 may be oldest example of a modern human in Europe.^[3][4]

Roman Soldiers are known to have visited Torquay at some point during the period when Britain was a part of the Roman Empire, leaving offerings at a strange rock formation in Kent's Cavern, known as 'The Face'.

The first major building in what was to become Torquay was Torre Abbey, a Premonstratensian monastery founded in 1196.^[5][6] Torquay remained a minor settlement until the Napoleonic wars, when Torbay was frequently used as a sheltered anchorage by the Channel Fleet, and relatives of officers often visited Torquay. The mild climate of Torquay attracted many visitors who considered the town a convalescence retreat where they could recover from illness away from the cold winters of more Northerly or Easterly locations. The population of Torquay grew rapidly from 838 in 1801, to 11,474 in 1851.

The second phase in the expansion of Torquay began when Torre railway station was opened on 18th December 1848. The improved transport connections resulted in the rapid growth of Torquay at the expense of nearby towns not on Isambard Kingdom Brunel's railways. The more central Torquay railway station was open on 2nd August 1859. After the growth of the preceding decades, Torquay was granted borough status in 1872. Previously regarded as a convalescence retreat, Torquay began to encourage healthy visitors, and 1902 saw the first advertising campaign to market Torquay to summer tourists.

During World War I, military hospitals were sited in Torquay - many survivors from the Battle of Gallipoli recuperated in the town - and it was also used as a troop staging area. In September 1915 King George V and Queen Mary visited. After the war had ended, Great Western Railway launched an advertising campaign to attract tourists to Torquay, and this helped the town grow to a major South coast resort.

During World War II Torquay was regarded as safer than the towns of South East England, and played host to evacuees from the London area. Torquay did still suffer bomb damage during the war, mainly from planes dumping excess loads after participating in the Plymouth Blitz. In the months leading up to D-Day thousands of US Army personnel arrived in Torquay, and the 3204th Quartermaster Service Company were billeted in Chelston and Cockington. The last air raid on Torquay took place on 29th May 1944.

The water sport events of the 1948 Summer Olympics were held in Torquay, with the Olympic flame being brought from London to Torre Abbey Gardens.^[7] Torquay had aimed to be the official warm up venue for the 2012 Summer Olympics, but these will now take place in Weymouth.

Since World War II, the nature of tourism in the United Kingdom has changed significantly. Increasing wealth has meant that holidays abroad are now commonplace, and coastal towns are now more popular for short stays as part of a touring holiday. Recently Torquay has seen an increase in foreign visitors, and is now a major destination for foreign exchange students.

[edit] Geography

Torquay is situated on the South West coast of England, forming one third of Torbay, and is primarily on the western side of the bay. It has a mild microclimate, and cabbage trees (often erroneously dubbed "Torbay Palms") are a notable feature of the area. They were introduced into the area in 1820 from New Zealand and since then have flourished. There are currently thousands throughout the town.

Torquay is also set along a coastline renowed for its beaches, having no fewer than nine popular beaches. The high standards of water quality and beach facilities mean that many carry coveted awards, including no fewer than three European Blue Flags - more than any other resort in the UK. The nine main beaches of Torquay, a string of nine beautiful beaches and coves stretched out along the palm lined coast, are as follows:

• Maidencombe Beach
• Watcombe Beach
• Oddicombe Beach
• Babbacombe Beach
• Anstey's Cove
• Meadfoot Beach
• Torre Abbey Sands
• Corbyn Sands

[edit] Transport

Torquay has two railway stations. Torquay railway station is situated near the sea, close to Torre Abbey Sands. Torre railway station is situated a little inland adjacent to the road leading to Newton Abbot. Not all trains stop at Torre.

Torquay is connected to the UK motorway network by the A380, which traces the outskirts of the town as Hellevoetsluis Way and Hamelin Way, leading to the A38 and then on to the M5 at Exeter. The A3022 branches from the A380, leading into Torquay as Riviera Way, to the seafront as Newton Road and then Avenue Road, and then on to Paignton as Torbay Road. The A379 runs past the harbour to the Babbacombe and St Marychurch areas of Torquay, and then north along the coast to Teignmouth. Two bus routes operated by Stagecoach Devon pass through Torquay - the 'Bayline' number 12 service between Newton Abbot and Brixham, and the X46 service between Exeter and Paignton - while other routes operate within the town.^[8]

[edit] Economy

Unemployment in Torquay is high at 6.8% - this compares with 3.9% for Devon, and 5.0% for England as a whole.^[9]

[edit] Tourism

Numerous tourist attractions vie for a share of the resort's visitors including Britain's most important Stone Age site, Kents Cavern which was home to early man for some 700,000 years and where tourists can visit this subterranean wonderland. The floor is composed of several strata, with remains indicating the prehistoric coexistence there of humans and now-extinct animals. The Rev. J. McEnery explored (1825–29) the cave and put forth the coexistence theory. The cave was extensively explored from 1865 to 1880 by William Pengelly, who found evidence to support McEnery's hypothesis. The Caves have attracted many famous people, among them Agatha Christie^[10], Beatrix Potter, King George V of the United Kingdom and Haile Selassie who was so impressed with his visit that he gave his guide, Leslie Powe a gold sovereign.

Living Coasts, another popular Torquay attraction, is built on Beacon Quay which has existed since 1680. In 1857 the Bath's Saloons complex was built on the promontory overlooking Beacon Cove. This included a ballroom, concert hall and sunlit conservatory and private bathing facilities with, underneath, a large public swimming bath open to the sea. The beautiful stone arches of this public bath can still be seen today and have been cleverly incorporated into the shop at Living Coasts.Development of the site, as a marine animal exhibit was first proposed in the early part of 1999. It was in response to a call from Torbay Borough Council for submissions from interested parties. The project, developed by Kay Elliott architects, included an exhibit to house marine birds, rather than fish, due to the need to avoid duplicating the exhibits at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth. The project was subsequently taken on by Paignton Zoo Environmental Park and named Living Coasts.

Another old favourite of tourists, is the Babbacombe Model Village. Opened in 1963 it has attracted children and adults of all ages for generations and is considered one of the best examples of a model village in England.

The Princess Theatre is a popular venue in the town.

[edit] Culture

[edit] Arts

Torbay Council operates Torbay Arts Base, a forum for the discussion of the arts.^[11] Local artists and residents interested in the arts can join the group by registering on the Torbay Arts Database, which also provides access to arts publications The Lighthouse and Torbay Arts Directory.^[12][13]

The Torquay Natural History Society was founded in 1844, and in 1845 opened Torquay Musuem, the oldest museum in Devon.^[14][15] In addition to artifacts from Kents Cavern, other local archaeology, information about Agatha Christie, and a replica old farmhouse interior, the museum has galleries dedicated to such diverse topics as ancient Egypt and world jewellery.^[16]

The harbourside Princess Theatre, owned by Torbay Council and operated by Live Nation, is Torquay's largest theatre with approximately 1500 seats, and plays host to touring independent production companies.^[17] TOADS Theatre Company operates the Little Theatre in Meadfoot in the converted St Mark's Church, hosting both the company's own productions and those of visiting societies.^[18][19] Babbacombe Theatre is located on Babbacombe Downs and describes itself as the South West's only unsubsidised professional theatre.^[20]

[edit] Media

Gemini FM Torbay, part of GCap Media's network of local radio stations, is based in Torquay's Victoria Parade.^[21] The station operates the Gemini Radio Charitable Trust, a registered charity that awards grants to community organisations in the station's broadcast area - a total of more than £450,000 since 1995.^[22]

[edit] Sport

Torquay is represented in the English Coca-Cola Football League Two by Torquay United F.C.. The team plays their home matches at Plainmoor and has spent its entire history in the bottom two leagues of English football. The 2004/05 season resulted in the team being relegated from League One to League Two, a reverse of their fortunes of the previous season. While 2005/06 saw them escape relegation from The Football League only on the last day of the season and after two changes of manager in as many months.

Torquay is represented in the sport of rugby by Torquay Athletic Rugby Club, who compete in the South West Division Two rugby league.

Torquay also hosted the World Snooker European Open 2003 at the Palace Hotel, which was won by Ronnie O'Sullivan, in the same year the town also hosted the World Snooker Championship Qualifiers, also held at the Palace Hotel.

[edit] Torquay in English culture

Notable people born in Torquay
1821	Richard Burton, explorer and linguist[23]
1867	Percy Fawcett, archaeologist and explorer[24]
1890	Agatha Christie, best-selling crime novellist[10]
1937	Peter Cook, writer and comedian[25]
1947	Martin Turner, Wishbone Ash founder[26]
1949	Roger Deakins, cinematographer[27]
1972	Miranda Hart, actress and comedienne[28]
1980	Layla Jade, erotic actress[29]

A number of sketches for the Monty Python's Flying Circus television show (1969-73) were filmed on location in and around both Torquay and neighbouring Paignton. It was while staying in Torquay at the Gleneagles Hotel with the Python team in 1971, that John Cleese found inspiration for Fawlty Towers (1975-79), a popular sitcom.^[30] Incidents during the Pythons' stay are said to include the owner, Donald Sinclair, having thrown Eric Idle's suitcase out of the window thinking it was a bomb. Cleese later described the eccentric owner as, "the most wonderfully rude man I have ever met", although Mr Sinclair's widow has since said her husband was totally misrepresented in the comedy.^[31] Although it is claimed^{[citation needed]} that location filming for Fawlty Towers was actually done in Cambridge, Berkshire and Bedfordshire, in the episode "Gourmet Night", there is film footage of Basil in a shopping area where shopfronts show Torquay addresses and phone numbers. As of 2006, Torbay Council are considering plans to erect a statue of characters from the show by the harbour.^[32]

Isaac Merritt Singer and his family held a strong presence in the area, especially during the late 19th century, building Oldway Mansion in nearby Paignton (partially in the style of the Palace of Versailles).

Torquay is also the home of the co-presenter of popular Sky Sports One program "Soccer AM" Helen Chamberlain.

Oscar Wilde is said to have written A Woman of No Importance while visiting the area.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is reported to have written "The Hound of the Baskervilles" while staying in Torquay.

Los Angeles radio personality Richard Blade is originally from Torquay.

Glamour Model Lauren Pope, was born in Torquay and lived in the town until the age of 18.^{[citation needed]}

Popular Lad's mag pin up Natasha Mealey who has appeared in publications such as FHM and Zoo, was born in Torquay.

Catwalk model Lily Cole was born in Torquay.

Torquay is popular for self-catering accommodation and English Riviera Holidays.

Torquay is the setting for the 2003 movie Blackball staring Paul Kaye and Vince Vaughn. The movie is about Cliff Starkey who is the Bad Boy of Lawn Bowls.^[33]

[edit] Demographics

The 2001 census confirmed Torquay's reputation as a retirement town, with 26% of the population of 62,963 over sixty years old, compared to a figure of 21% for England as a whole. Those under twenty years old accounted for 23% of the population, compared to a figure of 25% for the whole of England.^[1]

The following statistics are for the whole of Torbay, including Paignton and Brixham.

Marital status	Number of people
Single (never married)	26,880
Married or re-married	53,327
Separated or divorced	14,273
Widowed	11,905

Religion	Number of people
Christian	98,820
Buddhist	196
Hindu	66
Jewish	159
Muslim	341
Sikh	50
Other	476
No religion	19,345
Religion not stated	10,253

[edit] Social issues in Torquay

[edit] Politics

Torquay, as one of the three main towns that Torbay consists of, is run by Torbay Council which has its town hall at the top of the Torquay high street. Currently the Liberal Democrats are the party in power, with the Conservative Party in a relatively close second place and Labour Party a very distant third.^[34]

From the 1920s until 1997 Torbay constituency was a safe Tory seat until Adrian Sanders overturned spy novel writer Rupert Allason's majority by just 12 votes, widened to 6,708 in 2001. During the 2005 general election, Conservative leader Michael Howard visited the town. However, Sanders retained the seat with 40.8% of the votes (19,317, down from 23,012 in 2001). A swing of 9.7% away from the Liberal Democrats was split between the Conservatives (with a 4.9% swing), Labour - who gained a substantial increase in their vote as support for Lib Dems in 97 and 01 moved back and UKIP, whose bigwig Graham Booth improved on his deposit-losing 2001 performance with a 4.7% increase in his vote.

In 2005, a referendum was held to appoint Torbay's first Elected Mayor. In the ensuing election in October 2005, the winning candidate was a former Liberal Parliamentary Candidate, Nicholas Bye, who won the election as a Conservative.

[edit] Education

There are five main secondary schools in the town. One is Torquay Community College, previously known as Audley Park. This school has had its troubles in the past and has in the past two years come out of governmental special measures. Its 2004 exam results are available Here

The other mainstream secondary school in Torquay is Westlands Secondary School and Technology College. This is a combined secondary college and 6th form that takes students of all variations and has recently moved to a brand new modern building. Its 2004 exam results are available Here

Torquay's other three state secondary schools are more selective. They are St Cuthbert Mayne School, a secondary school exclusively open to followers of the Roman Catholic and Church of England faiths, and Torquay Boys' Grammar School and Torquay Grammar School for Girls' which are available only to those that pass the 11+ intelligence test and the schools' own standardised test. The 2004 results for St Cuthbert Mayne school are available here, the Boys' Grammar School results here and finally the Girls' Grammar School here. There are also a number of private schools in the area including Studley Knowle School and the Abbey School.

For further education, students can either go to one of the sixth forms at the previous mentioned Westlands, St Cuthbert's Mayne or Grammar schools, or they can go to South Devon College which is based in Long Road in Paignton on a new campus that fully opened in January 2006.

Should students pass through school or college and wish to continue in their education at university, they will have to leave Torquay. Should they wish to continue living in Torquay they have the option of applying to either Exeter or Plymouth universities, each roughly an hour train journey from Torquay train station.

[edit] Crime

Offences	Total	Rate per 1,000 population	Average rate per 1,000 population in England & Wales
Violence Against The Person	1,408	11.2	10.9
Sexual Offences	104	0.8	0.7
Robbery Offences	72	0.6	1.5
Burglary Dwelling Offences	1,014	8.0	6.5
Theft Of Motor Vehicle	293	2.3	5.0
Theft From Vehicle	1,352	10.7	10.9

Information taken from 2001/2002 crime figures in Torbay, available Here

[edit] Healthcare

Torquay's healthcare needs are seen to by NHS-run Torbay hospital which is situated on the main road out of Torquay and the private, non-emergency Mount Stuart on St Vincents Road.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Babbacombe Cliff Railway
• Kents Cavern

[edit] External links

Tourism

• Torbay Council
• Torbay Council tourist information
• Torquay (DMOZ.org)

History

• History of Torquay
• Torquay Museum
• John Lee, the man they couldn't hang
• The Geology of Torquay and Torbay
• Torbytes "Bytes Of Torbay's Past"

Arts

• Torquay Pottery