St Marychurch in

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 ...

, is one of the oldest settlements in South Devon. Its name derives from the church of St Mary, which was founded in Anglo-Saxon times. The ward population taken at the 2011 census was 11,262.

History and topography

The parish of St Marychurch, which dates back to the Saxon period, was called ''Sce Maria circean'' when the Domesday Book was written and then became ''Seintmariachurche'' in 1242. Notable former residents include 19th century zoologist and

creationist Creationism is the religious belief that nature, and aspects such as the universe, Earth, life, and humans, originated with supernatural acts of divine creation. Gunn 2004, p. 9, "The ''Concise Oxford Dictionary'' says that creationism is 'th ...

Philip Henry Gosse Philip Henry Gosse FRS (; 6 April 1810 – 23 August 1888), known to his friends as Henry, was an English naturalist and populariser of natural science, an early improver of the seawater aquarium, and a painstaking innovator in the study of ma ...

, who lived at Sandhurst on Torquay Road (now called St Marychurch Road). The former town stretches from

Plainmoor Plainmoor is an association football stadium located in the Plainmoor suburb of Torquay, Devon, England. Since 1921, the stadium has been the home of Torquay United Football Club, who currently compete in the National League, the fifth tier of E ...

to Maidencombe and is known for its scenery, shopping precinct and neighbouring churches. These churches include: * St Marychurch Parish Church with its high tower, and Saxon font dating from around 1110 AD. On Sunday May 30, 1943, the main part of this church was destroyed by a German bomb, killing 26 children and teachers. *

Our Lady Help of Christians & St Denis Our Lady Help of Christians and St Denis Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in St Marychurch, Torquay, Devon, England. It was built in 1869 and designed by Joseph Hansom in the Gothic Revival style. It is located between Priory Road and St ...

(Roman Catholic) with its high steeple. * Furrough Cross

United Reformed Church The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2022 it has approximately 40,000 members in 1,284 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers. Origins and history The United Reformed Church resulte ...

, originally a Free Church built by parishioners who objected to "Popish doctrines" (i.e. High Church ritual) at the parish church. The church was built 1852 under first minister Rev. Hugh Kelly, whose diocesan was the Bishop of Michigan, USA. It later severed all contact with the Anglican Church and later still became a Congregational church. Tourist attractions include

Babbacombe Cliff Railway __NOTOC__ Babbacombe Cliff Railway, also known as the Babbacombe Cliff Lift, is a funicular railway in the town of Torquay in the English county of Devon. It links Babbacombe Downs with Oddicombe Beach. The line runs every day, with a closure ...

, Babbacombe Downs with its fine views across

Lyme Bay Lyme Bay is an area of the English Channel off the south coast of England. The south western counties of Devon and Dorset front onto the bay. The exact definitions of the bay vary. The eastern boundary is usually taken to be Portland Bill on the ...

, Bygones Victorian Museum and the Model Village at Babbacombe. The main shopping street (

Fore Street "Fore Street" is a name often used for the main street of a town or village in Great Britain. Usage is prevalent in the south-west of England, with over seventy "Fore Streets" in Cornwall and about seventy-five in Devon, but it does also occur ...

) has two public houses, a hardware store, a post office, a fishmonger, butcher, baker, greengrocer, bookshop, pet shop, two supermarkets, and a long established greeting card and gift shop, as well as a number of cafés, estate agents and hairdressers.

St Marychurch Town Hall St Marychurch Town Hall is a municipal building in Fore Street, St Marychurch, Devon, England. The town hall, which is now used as a block of apartments, is a Grade II listed building. History The building was commissioned by the local board of ...

, which is in Fore Street, was completed in 1883.

Governance

St Marychurch is a former English

urban district Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (hist ...

, abolished in 1900 when it was incorporated into the neighbouring

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

References

External links

{{Commons category Former towns in Devon Areas of Torquay