Torquay Travel /
Tourism.
U.K.
Torquay is a seaside town in
Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of
Torbay. It lies 18 miles (29 km) south of the county town of
Exeter and 28 miles (45 km) east-north-east of
Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of
Paignton on the west of the bay and across from the fishing port of
Brixham. In the 2011 UK Census, Torquay's population was 65,245, about half of that of the whole of Torbay.
The town's economy, like Brixham's, was initially based upon fishing and agriculture, but in the early
19th century the town 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 the bay.
Later, as the town's fame spread, it was popular with the crème de la crème of
Victorian society. Renowned for its healthful climate, the town earned the nickname of the
English Riviera and favourable comparisons to
Montpellier.
Torquay was the home of the writer
Agatha Christie, who was born in the town and lived there during her early years. The town contains an "Agatha Christie Mile", a tour with plaques dedicated to her life and work.
Torquay has numerous tourist attractions, including
Kents Cavern,
Britain's most important
Stone Age site, which was home to early man for some 40,
000 years. 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 the cave between 1825 and 1829 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,
Beatrix Potter,
King George V and
Haile Selassie who was so impressed with his visit that he gave his guide,
Leslie Powe a gold sovereign.
On the seafront between the
Rock Walk and the
Marina is the Victorian
Pavilion pictured above. The adjacent "
Friends Fountain" complements the
Victorian architecture.
All images are either in the
Public Domain or on
Google images labeled for reuse.
All music is credited to with kind permission to
Kevin MacLeod and his website incompetech -
Royalty free music -
http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/
Text by wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torquay
Subscribe to my channel here.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLS5aaWirfkp5PquUjrZgpQ
Thanks.
- published: 17 Apr 2015
- views: 699