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Torbay is a borough and unitary authority in Devon, south west England. It is governed by Torbay Council and consists of of land, including the
resort town A resort town, often called a resort city or resort destination, is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding ...
s of Torquay, Paignton and
Brixham Brixham is a coastal town and civil parish, the smallest and southernmost of the three main population centres (the others being Paignton and Torquay) on the coast of Torbay in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. Commercial fish ...
, located on east-facing Tor Bay, part of Lyme Bay on the English Channel. A popular tourist destination, Torbay's sandy beaches, mild climate and recreational and leisure attractions have given rise to its nickname of the "English Riviera".


History

Human bones and tools found in Kents Cavern in Torquay show that people have inhabited the Torbay area since
Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone too ...
times. A maxilla fragment known as Kents Cavern 4 may be the oldest example of a modern human in Europe, dating back to 37,000–40,000 years ago. Roman soldiers are known to have visited Torquay during the period when Britannia formed a part of the Roman Empire; they left offerings at a curious rock formation in Kent's Cavern, known as "The Face". A Roman burial was discovered in 1993 in Paignton. Both Brixham and Paignton appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, and Paignton was given the status of a borough having a market and fair in 1294. The first major building in Torquay was
Torre Abbey Torre Abbey is a historic building and art gallery in Torquay, Devon, which lies in the South West of England. It was founded in 1196 as a monastery for Premonstratensian canons, and is now the best-preserved medieval monastery in Devon and Co ...
, a
Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...
monastery founded in 1196 and associated with the manor of Torre. William, Prince of Orange (afterwards King William III), landed in Brixham on 5 November 1688, during the
Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...
, and issued his famous declaration "The Liberties of England and The Protestant Religion I Will Maintain". Torquay's economy, like Brixham's, initially depended on fishing and agriculture, but in the early 19th century the area began to develop into a fashionable seaside resort, initially frequented by members of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars while the Royal Navy anchored in Tor Bay and later, as the town's fame spread, by
Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...
society. The historic part of Paignton lies inland: salt marsh formerly occupied the low-lying coastal fringe.
Kirkham House Kirkham House is a late medieval stone house in Paignton, Devon, England. It is believed to be a 14th or 15th century building. The house was designated a Grade II* listed building on 13 March 1951. History There is no documentary evidence of wh ...
is a late- medieval stone house and the Coverdale Tower adjacent to Paignton Parish Church is named after Miles Coverdale, who published an English translation of the Bible in 1536 and became Bishop of Exeter in 1551. Paignton remained a small fishing village until the early 19th century; a new harbour was built here in 1837. A new phase in the urban expansion of the area began when
Torre railway station Torre railway station is a suburban station on the Riviera Line in Torquay, Devon, England. It is measured from . The station is managed by Great Western Railway but is not staffed. The station buildings are Grade II listed. History A broad ...
opened in December 1848. The railway extended to Torquay Seafront station in 1858, to Paignton in 1859 and to Brixham in 1861. As a result of its expansion, Torquay was granted borough status in 1872, and 1902 saw its first marketing campaign to summer tourists. Torbay Golf and Country Club (now defunct) opened in 1933. The club and course closed in the mid-1950s. Tor Bay hosted the sailing events for the
1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...
in London. The County Borough of Torbay, established in 1968 by the amalgamation of the Municipal Borough of Torquay,
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 ...
of Paignton and Urban District of Brixham, also took in parts of the civil parishes of
Coffinswell Coffinswell is a small village in South Devon, England, just off the A380 road, A380, the busy Newton Abbot to Torquay road. It lies within Teignbridge District Council. Coffinswell has a church dedicated to Saint Bartholomew with a Norman archi ...
and Kerswells from Newton Abbot Rural District and Churston Ferrers and
Marldon Marldon is a village in the South Hams in Devon, United Kingdom, to the north-west of Paignton. It is the most northeasterly Civil Parish in the South Hams and includes the village of Compton with Compton Castle. Beacon Hill transmitting station ...
from Totnes Rural District. The County Borough became the Borough of Torbay under local government reorganisation in 1974. It became a unitary authority on 1 April 1998, responsible for its own affairs. In the 1970s Torbay had problems with
substance abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...
and people living in poor conditions in
houses of multiple occupation A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
.


Governance

The area is represented nationally at the House of Commons by two MPs. Torquay (along with part of Paignton) is in the Torbay parliamentary constituency which was created in 1974 and was won by Kevin Foster for the Conservatives in 2015 having been held by Adrian Sanders of the Liberal Democrats from 1997 to 2015. Brixham and part of Paignton fall within the Totnes constituency, which is also represented by a Conservative,
Anthony Mangnall Anthony James Holland Mangnall (born 12 August 1989) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Totnes since 2019. A member of the Conservative Party, he worked in shipbroking and as a special adviser prior to h ...
. Until Brexit in 2020, Torbay was in the South West England constituency of the European Parliament, together with the rest of South West England and
Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...
. Between 2005 and 2019, Torbay Council was headed by the
Mayor of Torbay The Mayor of Torbay was the directly elected executive mayor of the borough of Torbay in Devon, England. The post was abolished in 2019 after a referendum held in May 2016. The last holder of the post was Gordon Oliver. Referendums Electio ...
, the first directly elected mayor in the South West region. Conservative candidate
Nicholas Bye Nicholas David Bye, commonly known as Nick Bye, is a Conservative Party (UK), Conservative local politician in England. Bye was born in Paignton, Devon and graduated from Oxford University. He was Liberal Party (UK), Liberal candidate for Torb ...
who won in October 2005, under the supplementary vote electoral system which was later described as "a total failure" with Bye receiving votes from fewer than 7% of the electorate. However, running as an independent he was defeated in the May 2011 election by Gordon Oliver who stood as a Conservative. Oliver was re-elected in 2015. For local elections, the district is divided into 16 wards. The Council elects 36 councillors in elections held every four years. Since the
2019 United Kingdom local elections Local elections in parts of the United Kingdom were held on Thursday 2 May 2019, with 248 English local councils, six directly elected mayors in England, and all 11 local councils in Northern Ireland being contested. A total of 8,886 council ...
the council has been under no overall control. The composition as of 3 May 2019:


Geography

There are three main towns around the marine inlet of Tor Bay: Torquay in the north, Paignton in the centre, and
Brixham Brixham is a coastal town and civil parish, the smallest and southernmost of the three main population centres (the others being Paignton and Torquay) on the coast of Torbay in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. Commercial fish ...
in the south. These have become connected over the years, swallowing up villages and towns such as
St Marychurch St Marychurch in Torquay, Devon, England, 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 ...
,
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 ...
, Churston Ferrers and Galmpton, though the latter maintains a rural feel thanks to tight conservation measures. The borough of Torbay is bordered by the
South Hams South Hams is a local government district on the south coast of Devon, England. Services divide between those provided by its own Council headquartered in Totnes, and those provided by Devon County Council headquartered in the city of Exete ...
to the south and west, and by Teignbridge to the north. Nearby towns include Totnes and
Dartmouth Dartmouth may refer to: Places * Dartmouth, Devon, England ** Dartmouth Harbour * Dartmouth, Massachusetts, United States * Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada * Dartmouth, Victoria, Australia Institutions * Dartmouth College, Ivy League university i ...
in the South Hams, and Newton Abbot and Teignmouth in Teignbridge. The southern limit of Tor Bay is
Berry Head Berry Head is a coastal headland that forms the southern boundary of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Lying to the east of the town of Brixham, it is a national nature reserve and a local nature reserve. Berry Head To Sharkham Point is a Site of Sp ...
, and the northern limit is Hope's Nose, although Torquay itself stretches further north into Babbacombe Bay, where the beaches at
Oddicombe Oddicombe Beach is a popular beach, noted for its interesting breccia cliffs, below the Babbacombe district of Torbay, Devon in England. The beach includes many facilities which include a cafe, beach hut and deck chair hire, a beach shop, tra ...
,
Babbacombe Babbacombe is a district of Torquay, Devon, England. It is notable for Babbacombe Model Village, the Babbacombe Theatre and its clifftop green, Babbacombe Downs, from which Oddicombe Beach is accessed via Babbacombe Cliff Railway. Frequent bu ...
and
Maidencombe Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority, 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 neighbourin ...
can be found; these are noted for their interesting Breccia cliffs. Torbay's many geological features have led to the establishment of the English Riviera Geopark; as of July 2008, this is the sole urban geopark of the 53 geoparks worldwide. Because of the mild climate, Torbay palm trees are a common sight along the coast. However, these are in fact not palms but ''
Cordyline australis ''Cordyline australis'', commonly known as the cabbage tree, tī kōuka or cabbage-palm, is a widely branched monocot tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows up to tall with a stout trunk and sword-like leaves, which are clustered at the tips of ...
'', originating from New Zealand where it is known as "cabbage tree". These trees also flourish elsewhere in the UK. It is suggested that the popularity of cabbage trees in Torbay is attributable to their first being introduced to the UK in that region.


Settlements

Torbay includes: * Torquay including suburbs * Paignton including suburbs *
Brixham Brixham is a coastal town and civil parish, the smallest and southernmost of the three main population centres (the others being Paignton and Torquay) on the coast of Torbay in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. Commercial fish ...
including suburbs * Broadsands * Churston Ferrers * Galmpton *
Goodrington Goodrington is a coastal village in Devon, England. It is situated in Tor Bay and lies between Torquay and Brixham, less than south of Paignton. Its beach is known as Goodrington Sands. History Goodrington is mentioned in the Domesday Book o ...


Demography

The 2011 census confirmed Torbay's reputation as a retirement area, with a higher proportion of all age groups over the age of 50 than nationally. However compared to 2001, age groups 75-79 and 80-85 both showed a decline of around 4%, compared to increases of 1.5% and 14% for the whole country. Some other statistics from the 2011 census:


Economy

Torbay's main activities are public service; serving its large retired community such as in hospitality, construction and repairs; tourism; the transport sector including boats; distribution; retail; fishing; the digital, media and arts sector. It has a few established schools and accredited teachers/hosts for the short-term study of English as a foreign language. The fishing port of Brixham is home to one of England and Wales' most successful fishing fleets and regularly lands more value than any UK port outside Scotland. It is also a base for Her Majesty's Coastguard and the
Torbay Lifeboat Station Torbay Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Brixham, Devon in England. Brixham Lifeboat Station was opened in 1866 but since 1924 has been known as 'Torbay'. Since 2005 it h ...
. Torbay has been twinned with
Hameln Hamelin ( ; german: Hameln ) is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont and has a population of roughly 57,000. Hamelin is best known for the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Hi ...
in Lower Saxony, Germany since 1973; and with Hellevoetsluis in the Netherlands since 1989.


Deprivation and urban renewal

The Melville Street, Warren Road, Rock Road and Coburg Place area of Torbay, also known as Melville Hill, has experienced
deprivation Deprivation or deprive may refer to: * Poverty, pronounced deprivation in well-being ** Objective deprivation or poverty threshold, the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country ** Relative deprivation, the lack of resources ...
and violence since the 1970s. This is an historic area with 44
Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
buildings. In 2013, a Healthwatch report for the council found that the area had high levels of houses in multiple occupation, "a fairly transient community" and heavy drug use. The report stated that Melville Hill had "a historic reputation as a dumping ground for transient, out of work single people with chaotic lifestyles", but that most residents felt it was a friendly area. In 2014, the council said that the area had "significant challenge ... from car parking, poor quality public realm, bin storage, rat running, ASB, HMOs, lack of community space/play area, links to the town centre". In 2015, the local health authority noted that residents had a lower life expectancy than in other areas of Torbay, that the proportion of people in the area who had mental ill health or learning disabilities were high, that the
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
rate was higher than elsewhere in the South West, and that many residents were either unemployed or earnt low wages. The local authority first set up a "Making Melville Marvellous" project to support
urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...
in 2013, but this did not lead to results. In 2020 the local authority identified £100,000 of funding from adult social care to start the project again. The aims include supporting people who misuse substances, improving the quality of housing and developing community.


Education


Transport

Torbay is beyond the motorway network and is primarily served by the A38 and A380 roads from Exeter to Tweenaways Cross, Paignton, which is dualled each way (save for a single carriageway flyover at Penn Inn roundabout), as far as Churscombe Cross. Torbay's other main road links are the
A379 The A379 is a road in the English county of Devon. It links points on the edges of that county's two principal cities, Exeter and Plymouth, by an indirect and largely coastal route. The A38 provides a faster and more direct inland route bet ...
, which follows a coastal route from Teignmouth, passes through Torquay and Paignton, then goes on to
Dartmouth Dartmouth may refer to: Places * Dartmouth, Devon, England ** Dartmouth Harbour * Dartmouth, Massachusetts, United States * Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada * Dartmouth, Victoria, Australia Institutions * Dartmouth College, Ivy League university i ...
; and the
A385 road List of A roads in zone 3 in Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island an ...
which goes inland to Totnes. The
A3022 road List of A roads in zone 3 in Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island an ...
serves all three towns and varies from dual carriageway and single carriageway. The bus franchise is largely operated by
Stagecoach South West Stagecoach South West is a bus operator providing services in Devon and East Cornwall along with coach services to Bristol. It is a subsidiary of Stagecoach. History Devon General The Devon General Omnibus and Touring Company commenced operat ...
. The other bus company operating throughout Torbay is Local Link. Torbay has three stations on the National Rail network, operated by
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 ...
:
Torre railway station Torre railway station is a suburban station on the Riviera Line in Torquay, Devon, England. It is measured from . The station is managed by Great Western Railway but is not staffed. The station buildings are Grade II listed. History A broad ...
is inland on the road from Torquay to Newton Abbot,
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 ...
is close to Torre Abbey Sands and
Paignton railway station Paignton railway station serves the town and seaside resort of Paignton in Devon, England. It is measured from . The station is the current terminus of the Riviera Line from Exeter and is also an interchange station between National Rail service ...
serves that town and links with the heritage Dartmouth Steam Railway to Kingswear, connecting via the Dart ferry to Dartmouth. A new station at Edginswell was planned to open in December 2018 as part of the proposed Devon Metro but lack of funding prevented construction. Approval of planning permission expired November 2019, but a new application for funding was made in June 2020 for a new design incorporating lifts instead of ramps. If government funding is approved a new planning application would be made. The station was awarded £7.8m from the New Stations Fund in November 2020.


Notable people

Famous former residents of Torbay include authors
Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
(who set many of her novels in a thinly disguised version of the borough),
Charles Kingsley Charles Kingsley (12 June 1819 – 23 January 1875) was a broad church priest of the Church of England, a university professor, social reformer, historian, novelist and poet. He is particularly associated with Christian socialism, the working ...
, Edmund Gosse and Rudyard Kipling; Peter Cook, comic (half of a famous comedy team with Dudley Moore); the industrialist and architect of the nearby Atmospheric railway, Isambard Kingdom Brunel;
prog-rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
band Wishbone Ash; supermodel
Lily Cole Lily Luahana Cole (born 27 December 1987)"Autobiography"
, lilycole.com.
is a B ...
; and comedian Jim Davidson. Former tennis player
Sue Barker Sue or SUE may refer to: Music * Sue Records, an American record label * ''Sue'' (album), an album by Frazier Chorus * "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)", a song by David Bowie Places * Sue Islet (Queensland), one of the Torres Straits island ...
originates from the area.


Explanatory notes


References


External links


Torbay Council

The Official Tourist Board
* {{Authority control Non-metropolitan districts of Devon Olympic sailing venues Populated coastal places in Devon Unitary authority districts of England Venues of the 1948 Summer Olympics Boroughs in England