Torquay, on Devon’s coast, is one of the UK’s most iconic seaside towns. And it has a long history of tourism – as these fascinating photos show.
Often described as the ‘Queen of the English Riviera’, Torquay’s tourism industry began in the 19th century.
The town’s mild climate and picture-perfect beaches first attracted wealthy tourists looking to glean health benefits from a holiday by the sea.
Over time, Torquay evolved to entice a wider range of customers, becoming popular with holidaying factory workers. But in the 1960s, the town began to face stiff competition from cheap overseas resorts.
Despite these challenges, Torquay is still a popular English destination.
Scroll down to see a snapshot of the seaside resort during – and after – its tourism boom, from a packed promenade in 1922 to Bruce Forsyth hosting a beach beauty contest in 1957…
In the top picture, taken in 1968, tourists are pictured relaxing on Torquay’s Oddicombe Beach. In the lower picture, it’s possible to see the impact landslides have had on the landscape. The beach sits within a Unesco Global Geopark Key Site and the English Riviera Tourism Board says the ‘cliff top has regressed by about 30-40m over time’
TOP: Torquay’s seafront in 1963, with the Mallock Memorial Clock Tower on the right. BOTTOM: The tower is a Grade II listed monument and remains a key landmark on the seafront today. The Tower was completed in 1902 to commemorate Richard Mallock, a prominent local politician
Torquay’s Princess Gardens were created in the 1890s and are pictured in the top image in the 1920s. The bottom photo was taken in the Gardens in 2023. The Gardens Trust says: ‘Their layout and signature planting of Torbay palms and colourful flower beds remains substantially unchanged, despite some later additions’
Dating to 1922, this photograph captures Torquay’s Victoria Parade seafront, packed with tourists, hotels and restaurants, plus there’s a grocer called Burridge and Sons. Many of the shops and cafes seen here are long-gone, although the site of the grocer is now a café called Burridge’s. The parade was named after Queen Victoria, who visited in 1833 when she was a princess
In this image, dating from 1922, holidaymakers are seen relaxing at Torre Abbey Sands beach. The region’s tourism board says that during this period ‘the English Riviera attracted many wealthy families who first came here for their health and to escape cold winters in the rest of Britain’
This picture shows participants in the ‘Queen of the English Riviera’ competition in 1933. The beauty pageant was held as part of Torquay Carnival
Miss Exmouth, Enid Franks, won the pageant in 1933, beating out competition from Miss Totnes, Miss Torquay and Miss Teignmouth. Pictured above is Enid’s coronation. A British Pathé film of the event said ‘thousands of holidaymakers’ watched the coronation ‘amid setting, scenery and sunshine unsurpassed anywhere’
Guests in formal dress gather for drinks at the town’s Grand Hotel. Although the hotel first opened in 1881, it was requisitioned by the RAF during WWII. It reopened for tourists in 1946, with this photo taken in 1947. The hotel is still open today and describes itself as ‘Torquay’s historic jewel’
London hosted the Olympic Games in 1948 and the sailing event (pictured above) took place in Torquay. An official report said: ‘Torquay was, perhaps, an inevitable choice as the venue. It is exposed only to easterly winds, which are rare in summer’
Torquay’s Union Street is pictured here in 1950. The Castle Hotel seen on the right of this image now operates as a pub
Diners are pictured at the Cafe de Paris in Torquay in 1954. The sign in the window advertises ‘real Devonshire cream teas’, which differ from Cornish cream teas as, in Devon, clotted cream is added before the jam whereas in Cornwall it’s jam before cream
‘Nice to see you, to see you… nice!’ That’s right – this picture shows Bruce Forsyth, later to became the host of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, working at a beach beauty contest on Torquay’s Torre Abbey Sands beach in 1957
Holidaymakers are seen on one of Torquay’s beaches in 1960. The decade saw the launch of budget flights to Spanish resort towns, such as Benidorm, which threatened the popularity of UK seaside towns. The team at TLH leisure resort say: ‘Suddenly there was fierce competition from hotter destinations and Torquay had to work harder to attract the same level of visitors’
Holidaymakers are pictured on the beach in 1984. In the 1980s, the town went through a regeneration period and several of its historic buildings were demolished
This photo shows holidaymakers enjoying Torre Abbey Sands beach, in the centre of Torquay, in 1984. The English Riviera Tourist Board says: ‘This delectable beach is part of the English Riviera and it lives up to its name with its stunning sands, views and sunshine’