"Torbay Torbay is a borough in Devon, England, administered by the unitary authority of Torbay Council. It consists of of land, spanning the towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham, located around an east-facing natural harbour (Tor Bay) on the English Channel. A popular tourist destination with a tight conurbation of resort towns, Torbay's sandy beaches, mild climate and recreational and leisure attractions have given rise to the nickname of the English Riviera. Human bones and tools found in Kents Cavern in Torquay show that the Torbay area has been inhabited since Paleolithic times. A maxilla fragment known as Kents Cavern"
"'surfing capital of Britain', hosting international surfing events on its shores. Torbay in South Devon is known is also known as the English Riviera. Consisting of the towns of Torquay, Paignton with its pier and Brixham, the bay has 20 beaches and coves along its coastline, ranging from small secluded coves to the larger promenade style seafronts of Torquay's Torre Abbey Sands and Paignton Sands. However, British seaside resorts have faced increasingly stiff competition from traditionally sunnier resorts overseas since the 1970s. In 1975, some 9,000 British families holidayed abroad, but by the mid-1980s that figure had risen to some"
"Torquay Dorset Warmwell West Bay Sandford Hampshire Hayling Island Norfolk Cherry Tree Scotland Grannie's Heilan' Hame Nairn Lochloy Tummel Valley Wemyss Bay Sundrum Castle Southerness Wales Trecco Bay Pendine Sands Parkdean Holidays Parkdean Holidays was a self-catering holiday park operator with 24 sites in the UK: fifteen in South West of England, six in Scotland, two in South Wales and one in East Anglia. Parkdean offered a range of accommodation, including caravan holiday homes, lodges, cottages and apartments. In 2015, Parkdean Holidays merged with Park Resorts to create Parkdean Resorts, the UK's largest holiday park operator, managing 73 holiday parks"
"Many more people could afford to travel abroad for their holidays, and car ownership became commonplace, leading to fewer visitors to British holiday resorts, mostly travelling by car, and often touring, spending a day or two in each place. Many visitors stay at inexpensive bed & breakfast accommodation (b&b's) instead of hotels. In 1948 the watersports events of the 1948 Summer Olympic Games were held in Torbay. The Olympic flame was brought from London and burned for the duration at Torre Abbey Gardens. In 1950 the EBU, a coalition of 23 broadcasting organisations from Europe and the Mediterranean was formed"
"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 & 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 in London. The County Borough of Torbay was created in 1968 by the amalgamation of the Municipal Borough of Torquay, Urban District of Paignton and Urban District of Brixham, also taking in parts of the civil parishes of Coffinswell and Kerswells from Newton Abbot Rural District"
"Torbay, New Zealand Torbay is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. Torbay was under the local governance of the North Shore City Council but was amalgamated into the Auckland ""Supercity"" in 2010 and is governed by Auckland Council. The name Torbay comes from the area of the same name in the south east of Devon, England. The population was 4,899 in the 2013 census. Attractions in the area include Long Bay Regional Park which attracts over a million visitors each year. There are also a number of smaller public beaches (Waiake, Torbay beach, Winstone's Cove, Ladder Bay), which are highly"
"thanks to tight conservation measures. The borough of Torbay is bordered by the South Hams to the south and west, and by Teignbridge to the north. Nearby towns include Totnes and Dartmouth in the South Hams, and Newton Abbot and Teignmouth in Teignbridge. The southern limit of Tor Bay is Berry Head, and the northern limit is Hope's Nose, although Torquay itself stretches further north into Babbacombe Bay, where the beaches at Oddicombe, Babbacombe and Maidencombe 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"
"elsewhere across the globe has left impressions on the geopark; the collision of Africa and Europe has been felt in the Geopark, leaving the bay criss-crossed with faults as a result of the huge pressures. English Riviera Geopark The English Riviera Geopark (ERG) in Torbay is one of eight Geoparks in the United Kingdom, and one of over eighty worldwide. It is the only urban Geopark, and was declared a Geopark on 16 September 2007. The Geopark covers 6,200 hectares of land and 4,100 hectares of sea bed. Geopark status was granted to Torbay on the grounds that the area"
"United Kingdom has changed significantly. Increasing wealth has meant that holidays abroad are now commonplace. 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 a major destination for foreign exchange students who come to the town to learn English in summer schools. Torquay is part and the Administrative HQ of Torbay, created in 1968 as a county borough with Torquay being the county town before returning to a two-tier system of local government under Devon County Council in 1974, from the amalgamation of"
"English Riviera Geopark The English Riviera Geopark (ERG) in Torbay is one of eight Geoparks in the United Kingdom, and one of over eighty worldwide. It is the only urban Geopark, and was declared a Geopark on 16 September 2007. The Geopark covers 6,200 hectares of land and 4,100 hectares of sea bed. Geopark status was granted to Torbay on the grounds that the area has a varied geology covering several geological periods, which are exposed to the surface in many areas, and also that Torbay Council and other bodies have worked to promote the area's distinctive geology to the"
"sport events of the 1948 Summer Olympic Games were held in Torquay, and the Olympic flame brought from London to Torre Abbey Gardens. Although it did not host any Olympic events for the 2012 Summer Olympics, with the sailing taking place in Weymouth, Torbay looked to host teams as a preparation camp and the flame passed through once more on its route around the UK. After World War II several private high-rise blocks of flats were constructed above the Rock Walk cliffs and harbour, giving the area a Monte Carlo feel. In 1971, after a tragedy, the Marine Spa was"
"to reach Portsmouth. She was rebuilt at Deptford, according to the 1706 Establishment, and was relaunched on 23 May 1719. After this, her 80 guns were mounted on three gundecks instead of her original two, though she continued to be classified as a third rate. ""Torbay"" was broken up in 1749. ""Torbay"" was notable for breaking the defensive boom in the Battle of Vigo Bay. HMS Torbay (1693) HMS ""Torbay"" was an 80-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Deptford Dockyard on 16 December 1693. In 1707, she served as flagship of Rear-Admiral of"
"villas with Italianate features and towers. There are many pine trees, Bay bushes and trees (""Laurus nobilis""), various palm tree species and ""Phormiums"". Cabbage trees or ""Torbay Palms"" are a notable feature of the area; the trees were introduced into the area from New Zealand in 1820 and since then have flourished. The vegetation gives Torquay a look of a more exotic climate than its high latitude cool oceanic location. The main beaches of Torquay are Oddicombe Beach, Meadfoot Beach, Maidencombe, Watcombe, Babbacombe Beach, Anstey's Cove, Redgate, Torre Abbey Sands, Corbyn Sands and Institute Beach and Hollacombe Beach. The first"
"in Torquay following a conference held by the BBC at the Imperial Hotel on the seafront. The EBU's most well-known production is probably the Eurovision Song Contest organised by its Eurovision Network. In the early twentyfirst century Torquay became better-known abroad, and received more foreign tourists, usually touring by car. It is also a major destination for foreign language students, who visit the town for the summer to learn English and see the sights of England. In October 2005, Torquay as part of Torbay chose its first directly-elected mayor, Nicholas Bye, under an electoral system which was later described as"
"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"", 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. Torbay includes: The 2011 census confirmed Torbay's reputation as a retirement area, with a higher proportion"
"neat new buildings, fitted up for summer visitors, visitors here can enjoy carriage rides, bathing, retirement and a most romantic situation.”"" Another early visitor exclaimed """"It is not England, but a bit of sunny Italy taken bodily from its rugged coast and placed here amid the green places and the pleasant pastoral lanes of beautiful Devon’."""" Torquay owes much to Napoleon Bonaparte, the Napoleonic wars meant that the rich elite could no longer visit continental Europe and looked for local destinations to visit instead. Torbay, the large bay of which Torquay is located on the northern side of, alongside the"
"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 Cornwall. In addition to its medieval and Georgian rooms, Torre Abbey is known for the formal gardens on Abbey Park and Meadows, for the third largest art collection in the county of Devon and for regular exhibitions by contemporary artists. In 1196 six Premonstratensian canons from the Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire founded Torre Abbey when William Brewer,"
"accessible and utilised both for swimming, and mooring small yachts. Torbay School is a coeducational contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a decile rating of 10 and a roll of 443. It was established in 1954. Torbay, New Zealand Torbay is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. Torbay was under the local governance of the North Shore City Council but was amalgamated into the Auckland ""Supercity"" in 2010 and is governed by Auckland Council. The name Torbay comes from the area of the same name in the south east of Devon, England. The population was 4,899 in the 2013 census."
"is occupied by Living Coasts, a coastal zoo. Torquay Marine Spa The Torquay Marine Spa was a spa and entertainment complex situated on a promontory overlooking Beacon Cove in the town of Torquay, Devon, England. The buildings included a ballroom, concert hall, sunlit conservatory and private bathing facilities. There was also a large public swimming bath open to the sea below these. The Marine Spa baths were opened in 1857 after four years of construction. The complex was demolished, beginning on the 27th of December 1971. The site was subsequently redeveloped as the Coral Island complex, a leisure resort which"
"Haven and British Holidays resorts between 2001 and 2004. A number were sold to independent ventures and management buy-outs (for example, British Holidays' Lido Beach in Prestatyn, Clwyd). However a number of growing leisure chains acquired larger quantities of sites, including:- Park Resorts, a management buy-out backed by CBPE, acquired 12 freehold resorts from the Haven chain in 2001 (such as Cayton Bay in Scarborough, Yorkshire). Parkdean Holidays acquired three Haven and two British Holidays resorts in 2004 (such as Cherry Tree in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, and Wemyss Bay in Renfrewshire, Scotland). Park Holidays UK, at the time known as"
"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 on the west of the bay and across from the fishing port of Brixham. The town's economy, like Brixham's, was initially based upon fishing and agriculture, but in the early 19th century it began to develop into a fashionable seaside resort, initially frequented by members of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars while the Royal"
"and played marginally longer at in 2015. Citations Sources Turnberry (golf course) Turnberry is a golf resort located on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in South Ayrshire, southwestern Scotland. It comprises three links golf courses, a golf academy, a five-star James Miller-designed hotel from 1906, along with lodge and cottage accommodations. The prominent rock island Ailsa Craig is visible to the southwest. Turnberry was designed as a popular golf course and resort from its inception, and was made accessible because of the Maidens and Dunure Light Railway. It was closed during both World Wars for military use, and"
"Torbay Council Torbay Council is the local authority of Torbay in Devon, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government services including Council Tax billing, libraries, social services, processing planning applications, waste collection and disposal, and it is a local education authority. The council appoints members to Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority and the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel. Torbay is divided into 15 wards, electing 36 councillors. The whole council is elected every four years with the last"
"Sea Farm Holiday Centre and Greenacre West caravan park. Thornwick & Sea Farm holiday centre's complex was re developed for the 2016 season, along with it becoming a Haven park. The Haven park is now known as 'Thornwick Bay'. Following Bourne's acquisition of Rank Leisure, the company began integrating its Haven and British Holidays chains during a seven-year development phase. The individual brands ""Haven Holidays"" and ""British Holidays"" continued to trade individually until November 2004, when a final three Haven parks and two British Holidays resorts were disposed of, those being: Wemyss Bay, Pendine Sands, Cherry Tree, Warmwell and Torquay."
"road which goes inland to Totnes and the A38. The A3022 road serves all three towns and varies from dual carriageway and single carriageway. The bus franchise is largely operated by Stagecoach South West. The other bus company operating throughout Torbay is Local Link. Torbay has three stations on the National Rail network, operated by First Great Western: Torre railway station is inland on the road from Torquay to Newton Abbot, Torquay railway station is close to Torre Abbey Sands and Paignton railway station serves that town and links with the heritage Dartmouth Steam Railway to Kingswear, connecting via the"
"lighthouse, Iron Age fort and national nature reserve. Warships have been seen in Torbay from the days of the Vikings, up until 1944 when part of the D-Day fleet sailed from here. In 1588, Brixham watched Sir Francis Drake attacking the Spanish Armada after he had (so the legend goes) finished his game of bowls on Plymouth Hoe. Today in Brixham harbour, there is a full-sized replica of the ship, the ""Golden Hind"", in which Drake circumnavigated the globe; visitors can go on board. For centuries, ships going down the English Channel have come into Torbay to seek refuge from"
"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: Torbay's main industry is tourism. It has a large number of European students learning English. 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"
"Turnberry (golf course) Turnberry is a golf resort located on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in South Ayrshire, southwestern Scotland. It comprises three links golf courses, a golf academy, a five-star James Miller-designed hotel from 1906, along with lodge and cottage accommodations. The prominent rock island Ailsa Craig is visible to the southwest. Turnberry was designed as a popular golf course and resort from its inception, and was made accessible because of the Maidens and Dunure Light Railway. It was closed during both World Wars for military use, and there was concern it would not open following World"
"Torbay parliamentary constituency, created in 1974; previous to that, it was in its own eponymous constituency. The constituency elects one Member of Parliament, since 2015 Kevin Foster of the Conservatives. Torquay, the rest of South West England, and Gibraltar are in the South West England constituency of the European Parliament. Torquay is situated on the southwestern coast of England, forming one third of Torbay, on the western side of the bay. It has a mild microclimate, receiving among the longest hours of sunlight per day in the south west of the United Kingdom, with winters that tend to be mild"
"Torbay (UK Parliament constituency) Torbay is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Kevin Foster, a Conservative. 1974-1983: The County Borough of Torbay. 1983-2010: The Borough of Torbay wards of Cockington with Chelston, Coverdale, Ellacombe, Preston, St Marychurch, St Michael's with Goodrington, Shiphay, Tormohun, and Torwood. 2010–present: The Borough of Torbay wards of Clifton with Maidenway, Cockington with Chelston, Ellacombe, Goodrington with Roselands, Preston, Roundham with Hyde, St Marychurch, Shiphay with the Willows, Tormohun, Watcombe, and Wellswood. The constituency covers the majority of the Torbay unitary authority in Devon, including the seaside"
"Torquay Marine Spa The Torquay Marine Spa was a spa and entertainment complex situated on a promontory overlooking Beacon Cove in the town of Torquay, Devon, England. The buildings included a ballroom, concert hall, sunlit conservatory and private bathing facilities. There was also a large public swimming bath open to the sea below these. The Marine Spa baths were opened in 1857 after four years of construction. The complex was demolished, beginning on the 27th of December 1971. The site was subsequently redeveloped as the Coral Island complex, a leisure resort which was also demolished, in 1997. Currently, the site"
"solid blocks of oak. Eventually Palk, together with his neighbour Cary of Torre Abbey, devised a plan to develop the two adjoining estates of Tor Mohun and Torre Abbey into a seaside resort town for visitors, now Torquay. On a previous visit in 1792 to the then small village of ""Torquay"", Swete remarked in his ""Travel Journal"": ""About six in the evening I Torquay which under the auspices of Sir Robert Palk (if the plans which I have seen be carried into execution) will be one day raised into importance"". In 1662 Torre Abbey was purchased by Sir George Cary"
"Completed in 1848 with its sweeping Regency façade it was described as the """"finest crescent of houses in the West of England"""". After Napoleon was captured following the Battle of Waterloo he was held on the warship HMS ""Bellerophon"", nicknamed ""Billy Ruffian"" in Torbay for two days. Upon his first sight of the Bay the former Emperor has been quoted as exclaiming ""Quel Bon Pays"" (""what a lovely country"") and he compared it favourably to Porto Ferrago on Elba. Napoleon also helped the prosperity of Torquay in another way: local smugglers did very good business 'importing' French brandy during the"