Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Torquay
TORQUAY, a watering-place of England, is finely situated on the northern recess of Tor Bay, Devonshire, and on the Dartmouth and Torbay branch of the Great Western Railway, 12 miles north of Dartmouth, 23 south of Exeter, and 220 west-south west of London. Owing to the beauty of its site and the equability of its climate, it is the favourite watering-place of Devon, and, being screened by lofty hills on the north, east, and west, and open to the sea breezes of the south, it has a high reputation as a winter residence. The temperature seldom rises as high as 70 in summer or falls below freezing point in winter The lower ground is occupied by shops, hotels, and the plainer class of houses, while mansions and villas occupy the picturesque acclivities of the well-wooded limestone cliffs, commanding a great variety of fine views.
Environs of Torquay.
There are still some remains of the original Torre abbey, founded for Præmonstratensians by William, Lord Brewer, in 1196. They stand to the north of the modern mansion, but, with the exception of a beautiful pointed-arch portal, are of comparatively small importance. On the south of the gateway is an old 13th-century building, known as the Spanish barn. On Chapel Hill are the remains of a chapel of the 12th century, dedicated to St Michael, supposed to have formerly belonged to the abbey. St Saviour's parish church of Tor-Mohun, or Tormoharn, an ancient stone structure, was restored in 1874. The old church at St Mary Church, to the north of Torquay, has been rebuilt in the Early Decorated style; and in 1871 a new tower was also erected as a memorial to Dr Phillpotts, bishop of Exeter, who with his wife is buried in the churchyard. St John's church, by Street, is a very fine example of modern Gothic. Among the principal secular buildings are the town-hall with square tower (1852), the post-office (1865), the museum of the natural history society (1874), the theatre and opera-house (1880), the county police court, the market, and the schools of art and science (extended in 1887). There are a number of benevolent institutions, including the Torbay infirmary and dispensary (1843), the homeopathic dispensary (1848), the Western hospital for consumption (1852), Crypt House institution for invalid ladies (1854), and the Mildmay home for incurable consumptives (1886). In 1886 the local board purchased from the lord of the manor, at a cost of 85,000, the harbours, piers, baths, assembly rooms, &c., including 60 acres of pleasure grounds and open spaces. The town is supplied with water from the Dart moor hills, 16 miles distant, at a cost of 120,000. There is a convenient harbour, extended in 1870 at a cost of £70,000, and having a depth of over 20 feet at low water. The principal imports are coals, timber, and slates, and the principal exports are stones of the Transition limestone or Devonshire marble, which is much valued for building purposes. In the town are a number of marble-polishing works. Terra-cotta ware of very fine quality is also manufactured from a deposit of clay at Watcombe and at Hele. The population of the urban sanitary district (Tormoham with Torquay, area 1465 acres) in 1871 was 21,657, and in 1881 it was 24,767.
There was a village at Torre even before the foundation of the abbey, and in the neighbourhood of Torre are remains of Roman occupation. The manor was granted by William the Conqueror to Richard de Bruvere or de Brewere, and was subsequently known as Tor Brewer. After the defeat of the Spanish Armada, Don Pedro's galley was brought into Torbay; and William, prince of Orange, landed at Torbay 5th November 1688. The bay was a rendezvous for the British fleet during the war with France, and the first good houses at Torquay were built for the officers. Until half a century ago it was an insignificant fishing village.
See Blewitt's Panorama of Torquay, 1832, and White's History of Torquay, 1878.