Chelston is an area of

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and one of the town's most historic and best preserved Victorian suburbs, with many of the area's typical red sandstone buildings designated within the Chelston Conservation Area. Its statistical area is part of the Cockington with Chelston

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

, which includes the neighbouring areas of

Cockington Cockington is a village near Torquay in the English county of Devon. It has old cottages within its boundaries, and is about a half a mile away from Torquay. Bus service 62 (Torquay circular) calls at the village five times per day (Mon-Fri) an ...

and Livermead. The population of the entire ward is 7,951 as of 2018.WARD OVERVIEW COCKINGTON WITH CHELSTON 2018
/ref> The modern day area of Chelston is located almost entirely west of the

Riviera Line The Riviera Line is the railway between the city of Exeter, towns Dawlish and Teignmouth, and the ''English Riviera'' resorts of Torbay in Devon, England. Its tracks are shared with the Exeter to Plymouth Line along the South Devon sea wall. ...

railway tracks, with its northern boundaries taking in the lower half of Queensway and Sherwell Valley, bordered to the west with Cockington Village, and to the south by Corbyn Head and the sea.

History

Three

neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

stone axes were found near Chelston Tower in the 1890s and flint scrapers south of Nut Bush Lane. Chilestone was first mentioned about 1238, but was part of Cockington, until sold by the Mallocks in 1932. In 1449 it was referred to as Chilston. In 1659 there were 23 cottages in Chilston. Parts of Chelston Manor date from about 1600. It was the

Dower House A dower house is usually a moderately large house available for use by the widow of the previous owner of an English, Scottish or Welsh estate. The widow, often known as the "dowager", usually moves into the dower house from the larger family h ...

of Cockington Court. By 1861 there was a small village around Old Mill Road and Seaway Lane, which grew around 1867 and again after 1882. From 15 to 17 May 1882, the Devon County Agricultural Association Show was held on the grounds of Chelston Manor, around present day Walnut Road. By 1891 the population was 1,717 in detached and semi-detached villas, plus a few terraces near

Torquay railway station Torquay railway station is on the Riviera Line and serves the seaside resort of Torquay, Devon, England. It is measured from . The station is operated by Great Western Railway. It is just a few yards from the sea at Torre Abbey Sands. History ...

. Seaway Lane still retains the typical Devon earth banks and hedgerow trees. In 1895 St Matthew's Church was begun and the area nearby largely built up by 1904. A tornado struck the area on the morning of 17th October,

1898 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, B ...

, causing varying degrees of damage to houses in Sherwell Valley and minor injuries to residents.

Buses A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

have served the suburb since 1903 and were extended in the 1950s, as the

council housing Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council estates, council housing, or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011 when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in so ...

development spread. The Church of the Holy Angels was built in 1938 to serve a new council housing estate. Only 32 houses remain in social ownership, most having been sold since the

Housing Act 1980 The Housing Act 1980 was an Act of Parliament passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom that gave five million council house tenants in England and Wales the Right to Buy their house from their local authority. The Act came into force on 3 Oc ...

Notable buildings and places

*Chelston Cross - built in 1867 as the home of

William Froude William Froude (; 28 November 1810 in Devon – 4 May 1879 in Simonstown, South Africa) was an English engineer, hydrodynamicist and naval architect. He was the first to formulate reliable laws for the resistance that water offers to ships (suc ...

the building was later known as Manor House Hotel before being converted into multiple residences in 2004. *Chelston Manor - a 17th-century

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

and reputed to be one of the oldest buildings in Torquay. For centuries the building was used to perform the duties of a

dower house A dower house is usually a moderately large house available for use by the widow of the previous owner of an English, Scottish or Welsh estate. The widow, often known as the "dowager", usually moves into the dower house from the larger family h ...

Cockington Court Cockington Court, near Torquay in Devon, England, is Grade II* listed on the English Heritage Register. The manor dates back to Saxon times, and is mentioned in the Doomsday Book. The current house was built in the 16th century, when it was ow ...

and today the building is a hotel and

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

. *Corbyn Beach and Corbyn Head *

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

*Sherwell Park - originally operated by Devon Rosery & Fruit Farm Ltd for growing rose bushes for export to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, the land was acquired by Torbay Borough Council in 1928 and opened as a public park in 1930. The Sherwell Water

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...

, which springs at Sherwell Valley Primary School, runs through the park after it was rerouted from its former parallel course under the present-day Mallock Road/Innerbrook Road. *

Churches

*Chelston Methodist Church, opened in 1908 *Church of the Holy Angels, opened in 1938 *St Matthews Church, built in 1885 *St Peter's Church Centre, built in 1962

Transport

, located in the south-eastern corner of Chelston, is the principal

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

for the town of

with regional connections on the

and national trains via the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

network. The local bus service, Stagecoach Devon, operates circular route number 35 connecting the area with downtown Torquay and other suburbs.

Sport

Chelston Football Club, formed in the 1920s, competed in the

Devon and Exeter Football League The Devon and Exeter Football League is a football competition based in England. It was established around 1900. The top division of this league, the Premier, sits at level 12 of the English football league system and is a feeder to the Devon Foo ...

from 1951 to 2004 but, due to poor finances, the club merged with Kingskerswell FC in 2006. Competing under the new name of Kingskerswell & Chelston FC in the

South Devon Football League The South Devon Football League, known under a sponsorship arrangement as the TCSSDFL, is a football competition based in England. Its top division, the ''Premier Division'', sits at level 12 of the English football league system. This league ...

, they eventually moved away from their home at Armada Park to play in

Kingskerswell Kingskerswell (formerly Kings Carswell, or Kings Kerswell) is a village and civil parish within Teignbridge local government district in the south of Devon, England. The village grew up where an ancient track took the narrowest point across a m ...

Gallery

File:Methodist church, Chelston - geograph.org.uk - 357326.jpg, Methodist church built of local red sandstone in 1908 File:The Clarkson steam bus operated by Torquay-Chelston Steam Car Company standing outside Sharon House, Chelston, in 1913.jpg, Clarkson steam bus operated by Torquay-Chelston Steam Car Company at Sharon House in 1913 File:Low Bridge in Chelston - geograph.org.uk - 414518.jpg, The low bridge limits double deck bus access to Chelston File:Old Mill Road, Chelston - geograph.org.uk - 357530.jpg, Old Mill Road File:Raleigh Avenue Chelston - geograph.org.uk - 414045.jpg, Raleigh Avenue showing post war developments.

References

{{Reflist Areas of Torquay