Ufindus Sitemap

Torquay Franchising

Welcome to the UFindUs Franchising directory!

About Torquay - show infohide info

Torquay is a town in the South West of England. It is in the Torbay region of the UK, and has expanded to the extent it is now considered to be a single population centre with the towns of Brixham and Paignton. The combined populations of the Torbay area total approximately 130,000 inhabitants, according to the 2001 census. Settlement in Torquay was first founded in 1196, when Torre Abbey was founded. During the 18th century, with the Georgian craze for seaside holidays, Torquay boomed, particularly after the Napoleonic Wars when the rich decided they could no longer go abroad, and so settled on upmarket UK destinations instead. When the railways came to Torquay in the 1840s, Torquay boomed. A station was originally built at Torre, which was a fair distance from the main town of Torquay. It wasn't until 1892 that trains to the new main station in the town, further increasing its popularity as a tourist destination. During the First World War, Torquay saw many leave to volunteer in the forces. Later, a number of Red Cross hospitals were established in th town. A number of New Zealander's ended up in hospitals in Torquay also. In World War II, Torquay, as with most of Devon, was used to house a number of evacuees. Torquay also housed a number of air crew who were spending time training at nearby Babbacombe. The town did see some air raids and bombing, however much less than other towns had seen. Shelters were distributed by the council; these were later dismantled and sent to Londoners after D-Day, when London was under frequent attack from the V-Rockets. Today, Torquay is still a popular tourist destination, though mainly for the elderly, as most families decide to holiday abroad. However, Torquay hasn't done as badly as a vast number of resorts in the UK. A number of hotels exist in the town, and along the Torbay coast. Many of the beaches in the town have been awarded the coveted Blue Flag, denoting clean, safe beaches. Watersports are popular in the town, ensuring Torquay sees some younger visitors in the summer months. Torquay is still connected by rail, and sees rail services to Exeter, Exmouth, Plymouth, Penzance, London Paddington, London Waterloo and numerous other destinations. Nearby towns to Torquay include Newton Abbot, Paignton, Torre, Exeter, Exmouth, Dawlish, Teignmouth, Totnes, Ivybridge and Dartmouth.

Companies in Torquay by type

• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• X
• Y
• Z

Copyright © Ufindus 2008
This page was last modified on October 08 2008 10:56

Find businesses in Torquay using our directory