Torquay Information is a site about Torquay, Devon

Welcome to Torquay Information

Torquay, Devon is often referred to as the English Riviera. Torquay is a popular holiday destination in South Devon. On this site you will information about Torquay and the surrounding area. Our site is aimed at both the visitor to the area as well as local residents.
Our site services include online hotel booking, local weather forecasts, sports and activity online booking and a searchable local business directory, plus much more...

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Torquay lies 16 miles (26 kilometres) south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, 38 miles (61 km) north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the 2001 UK Census made it the third largest settlement in Devon. If the Torbay area, of which Torquay forms a third, were to be recognised as a city as incumbent Torbay Mayor Nicholas Bye has proposed, it would rank as the 45th largest city in the United Kingdom with a population only slightly less than that of Brighton, which was granted city status in 2000. During the peak summer season the resort's population swells to around 200,000.

The town's economy was initially based upon fishing and agriculture as in the case of Brixham across Torbay, 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 and later by the crème de la crème of Victorian society as the town's fame spread. Renowned for its healthful climate, the town earned the nickname of the English Riviera and favourable comparisons to Montpellier.

6 Torquay Titbits

1.Torquay was named "Queen of the Riviera" by the Victorians and carries the Riviera title to this day.
2.Torquay, like Rome, was built on seven hills. Italianate villas set amongst the pines would look equally at home on the Adriatic.
3.Agatha Christie enjoyed bathing at Beacon Cove, one of the English Rivera's original "ladies' beaches".
4.During the late 1800s, many literary figures based themselves in Torquay, with Charles Kingsley, author of The Water Babies, spending some time in what is now the Livermead House Hotel.
5.An eccentric hotel proprietor was the inspiration for John Cleese to create Basil Fawlty and Fawlty Towers when he and the Python team stayed at a Torquay hotel. The establishment has recently been refurbished into a 3 star boutique hotel.
6.Torquay was the setting for the 2003 film Blackball starring Vince Vaughan and Paul Kaye.