TORQUAY is a fashionable watering place and a municipal borough and market town, in the parish of Tormoham, with two stations (one at Torquay and another at Torre) on the Dartmouth and Torbay branch of the Great Western railway; it is in the Torquay division of the county, hundred of Haytor, petty sessional division of Paignton, union of Newton Abbot, county court district of Newton Abbot and Torquay, rural deanery of Ipplepen, archdeaconry of Totnes and diocese of Exeter, 6 ¾ miles south-east from Newton Abbot, 8 ½ south from Teignmouth, 9 ½ east from Totnes, 7 ½ north-east from Brixham, 12 north-by-east from Dartmouth, 23 south from Exeter, 36 east-by-north from Plymouth & 226 from London, and is delightfully situated on the picturesque acclivities of the shore of the northern recess of Torbay, with terraces and suburban villas extending so far westward that the old village of Tor and Torquay are now considered as one town. The parish of Tormoham occupies the greater part of a bold promontory, called “Hope's Nose,” about three miles in length and two in breadth, which protects eastward into the English Channel and separates Torbay and Babbacombe Bay.

Being open to the sea breezes of the south, and sheltered by lofty hills from the winds of the north, east and west.

Torquay is especially desirable as a winter residence for invalids and persons of delicate constitution. The lower part of the town, occupied chiefly by the shops and residences of tradesmen, is built round three sides of the harbour, with the quay and piers in front. The next tier comprises handsome terraces, approached by a winding road at each end, and by steps in other places: the upper tiers are reached in a similar way, and the detached hills on either hand are occupied by ranges of houses and delightful villa residences, towering one above another on the rocky platforms, amid the luxuriant foliage of trees and shrubs which bedeck their gardens, the carriage roads and intervening slopes. The views from the various terraces, including the whole of Torbay, are beautiful in the extreme. The houses are chiefly built of the transition limestone, or marble, of which the cliffs are composed, a material varying in colour, and containing large remains of shells and madrepores, and susceptible, under the hands of the lapidary, of as fine a polish as Italia.m.rble; the increasing influx of visitors to Torquay has caused the population to be materially increased and the number of dwellings ha.m.re than doubled.

The climate is extremely mild, so that the myrtle as well as other tender exotics may be cultivated in the open garden, and the former has in some cases here attained to a great age and size. The place is not subject either to great or sudden variations of temperature, is comparatively mild in winter, cool in summer, and remarkably free from thunderstorms.

The first houses at Torquay were built about the end of the last century, for the reception of families of officers end invalids belonging to the Channel fleet, which, during the French war, was often at anchor in Torbay; after this, the reputation of the place for the restoration of invalids rapidly spread.

Torquay has extensive and well sheltered harbours and was (until the disrating of that ancient harbour) within the limits of the port of Dartmouth. The large outer harbour, built by the late Lord Haldon, then Sir Lawrence Palk bart. at an outlay of £70,000, and opened in 1870, was purchased in 1887 by the Local Board, and has since been considerably improved and extended by their successors, the Corporation, at a further cost of upwards of £90,000, and the place is now becoming a favourite yachting station. The imports are chiefly coal, timber, slates and building materials. The exports are chiefly limestone from the adjacent quarries and marble.

The Princess pier and groyne, erected by the Corporation at a cost exceeding £50,000, adjoins the Torbay road and is 1680 feet in length. The foundation stone was laid by H.R.H. Princess Louise, May 6th, 189o, and the pier was opened on July 23rd, 1895, by the Mayor (Ald. Dr. Richardson). From the end of the pier a lovely panoramic view of the town and surrounding districts is obtained. Daily performances are given by the Royal Italian band. The Princess gardens, adjoining the Princess pier, 3 ¼ acres in extent, is also the property of the Corporation; in the centre is an elliptical bed with royal devices in floriculture, and a handsome fountain.

A royal charter was granted to the town on the 15th August, 1892, for the incorporation of the town as a municipal borough, superseding the Local Board, which had existed since 1850.

Under the provisions of the “Torquay Borough Extension Act, 1900,” Babbacombe, Chelston, Ilsham and St. Mary Church have been added to the borough.

The borough was divided into six wards, but since the extension it has nine wards, and the Corporation consists of nine aldermen and twenty-four councillors, one of whom serves the office of mayor.

A commission of the peace was granted in August, 1893.

The town is well supplied with water, brought from Hennock, 16 miles distant, extensive reservoirs and works having been made by the lata Local Board, at a cost exceeding £150,000. The sanitary arrangements are now very good, an efficient system of sewerage having been carried out at a cost of upwards of £70,000.

The Gas works, at some distance from the town, on the Paignton road, were constructed in 1860 by a proprietary company, with a capital of £45,000, to which many additions have since been made, and the authorized capital amounts to £136,250; the works supply the whole of Cockington and Torquay.

St. Saviour’s, the parish church of Tormoham and the mother church of Torquay, is an ancient edifice of stone in the Perpendicular style, consisting of chancel, nave of four bays, aisles, south and west porches and an embattled western tower, containing a clock and 3 bells; the first has no legend but is a beautiful casting; the others are respectively dated 1754 and 1673: a screen with remains of a rood loft over the Ridgway Chapel existed in 1822, but is now gone: a fine reredos of carved oak, executed by Hems of Exeter, was erected in 1887, as a memorial to the late Sir William Mulcaster, his wife and sister: in the chancel is a memorial window inserted in 1875 to the Rev. George Collyer Harris M.A. prebendary of Exeter, 10 years curate of Tormoham, and first vicar of fit. Luke’s; and the monuments include a very fine canopied tomb, with effigy in armour, to Thomas Ridgeway esq. of Torre Abbey and Torwood Manor, father of Sir Thomas Ridgeway kt. Baron Ridgeway (1616), and first Earl of Londonderry of that family (1622); there are also others of Jacobean date to the Cary family: the church was re-pewed and thoroughly repaired in 1849, and in 1874 the chancel was enlarged and a new organ erected at a cost of £700: it now affords 400 sittings. The register dates from the year 1628. The living is a vicarage, with All Saints’ chapel, net yearly value £213, in the gift of the Bishop of Exeter, and held since 1900 by the Rev. John Thomas Jacob.

All Saints, a chapel of ease to the parish church, in Bampfylde road, Tor, erected in 1884—90 at a cost of £11,000 is a building of stone, consisting of chancel, nave and aisles, and is in the charge of the clergy of the parish church.

On the summit of a hill near, and about go feet in height, are remains of the ancient chapel of St. Michael, formerly belonging to Torre abbey; it is a small edifice of stone, about 36 feet long; and there was formerly a small chapel at Torwood, built by Reginald de Mohun in 1251.

St. John the Evangelist’s is an ecclesiastical parish, formed November 22nd, 1861, out of Tormoham parish: the church, in Montpelier place, formerly a proprietary chapel, was rebuilt in 1865—71 in the Gothic style, from the designs of the late G. E. Street esq. R.A. and is an edifice of stone, consisting of chancel with aisles, clerestoried nave, aisles, baptistery, vestries and a western tower, with turrets at the angles and a pyramidal spire, and contains one bell: the chancel, of two unequal bays, has a groined roof: the rebuilding of the tower was completed in 1884—5, under the direction of Mr. Arthur E. Street, architect, of London, at a cost of £2,271, and in 1890 the morning chapel was refitted by Major Bridson, from designs by Mr. J. D. Sedding, architect, part of the work being executed by Hems, of Exeter: there are 850 sittings. The register dates from the year 1860. The living is a vicarage, net yearly income £52, supplemented by the offertory, in the gift of Richard Mallock esq. and held since 1886 by the Rev. Basil Reginald Airy M.A. of Trinity College, Cambridge.

St. Luke’s is an ecclesiastical parish, formed October 8th, 1869, out of Tormoham and Upton: the church, in St. Luke’s road, erected in 1862, at a cost of £9,000, is a building of local stone in the Early Decorated style, from designs by the late Sir A. W. Blomfield A.R.A, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, north and west porches and a tower on the north-west, with spire: there are 950 sittings. The register dates from the year 1862. The living is a vicarage, with St. Michael’s chapel, net yearly value £400, including an endowment of £200 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of Exeter, and held since 1874 by the Rev. William Skinner Boyle M.A. of Magdalen College, Oxford, and prebendary of Exeter.

The church of St. Michael, in Market street, erected in 1877, at a cost of £7,000, from designs by J. Pritchard esq. as a chapel of ease to St. Luke’s, is an edifice of Paignton stone in the Early English style, and consists of Chancel, nave with clerestory, aisles and north porch, and has 550 sittings. It is served from St. Luke’s.

Holy Trinity church, in Torwood street, erected in 1895 at a cost of over £8,000, in place of the church in Meadfoot road, is a building of stone in the Early English style, from designs by Messrs. Watson and Watson, of Torquay, and consists of chancel, clerestoried nave, aisles, transepts, north and south porches and a massive western tower, with a spire 162 feet high, and containing 8 bells: there are sittings for 800 persons. The register dates from the year 1822. The living is a vicarage, yearly income derived from pew rents &c. and uncertain, in the gift of trustees, and held since 1896 by the Rev. Francis Bishop.

The Mission church, on Stentiford’s Hill, erected in 1878, at a cost of £400, as an auxiliary to Ellacombe church, is a building of iron and wood, and has 150 sittings.

St. James’s Mission church, Lower Upton, a chapel of ease to the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, and erected in 1891, is a plain building of limestone consisting of nave only and has sittings for 250 persons. The total cost was £780, of which £500, in addition to site, was given by the late W. Lavers esq. of Upton Leigh.

The Catholic church, dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, in Abbey road, erected in 1854, on a site given by the late R. S. S. Cary, of Torre Abbey, at a cost of about £10,000, is a building in the Decorated style, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, lady chapel, and a western turret containing one bell, and has a presbytery and day schools attached: the lady chapel and south aisle were added in 1858, mainly by the exertions of the late Rev. Canon Windeyer, formerly priest here, and to whose memory a window was erected in the south aisle by the congregation: the stained east window was given by R. S. S. Cary esq.: the columns of the arcades are of polished Devonshire marble, and the high altar and another in the lady chapel are in part of the same material: the font, also of marble, was given in memory of T. G. E. A. Lloyd, by his sisters: illustrations, in oxidized silver, of “the Stations of the Cross,” are placed round the church, which seats about 300 persons. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, for the relief of the poor, holds a meeting at the presbytery weekly.

The Meeting house of the Society of Friends, in Warren Toad, erected in 1846, has 150 sittings.

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian church, Torwood gardens, is a building of limestone, in the Gothic style, erected in 1862, at a cost of £3,500, and will seat 600 persons.

The Congregational church, Abbey road, a building in the Italian style, was erected in 1847, at a cost of £2,500,-and will seat 800 persons.

Belgrave Congregational church, an edifice in the Gothic-style, was erected in 1871, at a cost of £7,000, and has sittings for 1,000 persons.

The Baptist chapel, in Upton vale, erected in 1863, at a cost of about £7,000, is a building of stone in the Gothic style, and will seat 1,000 persons.

The Bible Christian chapel, on Tor hill, erected in 1863, at a cost of £1,500, is a building in the Gothic style with sittings for 600 persons.

There is a Meeting room for Brethren in Warren road and another in Temperance street, called “Rock Room,” with a third in Tor Hill road.

The Primitive Methodist chapel, Ellacombe, is a small building of stone in the Gothic style, erected in 1878—9, at a cost of £3,250, and will seat 450 persons. The attached schools were built in 1881 and enlarged in 1893.

The Wesleyan Chapel, in Union street, and erected in 1880, at a cost of £8,000, is a building in the Italian style, and will seat 1,200 persons. There are attached Sunday schools and a chapel-keeper’s house.

Wesley chapel, in Babbacombe road, erected in 1874, at a cost of £5,000, is a building in the Gothic style, seating 700 persons.

The Royal Public Hall, Market street, was erected in 1881 from designs by Messrs. J. W. Rowell and Son, of Newton Abbot, under the direction of Mr. Edwards, architect, and is now used by the Salvation Army.

The Town Hall is in Union street, and is a plain building, designed by E. Appleton esq. and including a clock tower.

St. George’s Hall, also in Union street, is now used for concerts, entertainments &c. and will hold 500 people.

The Public Baths and Saloons, on Beacon hill, built by the late Lord Haldon, then Sir Lawrence Palk bart. M.P. 1870, include in addition to the baths, two saloons, one of which is capable of seating 1,000 persons and the other 275; these are let for concerts, balls and entertainments, and there is also a skating rink.

The County Police Station, Market street, built in 1875, at a cost of £5,000, includes a court room and 8 cells, and there are also residences for a superintendent, inspector, sergeant and 6 constabes.

The Post Office is in Torwood street.

The Corporation Fire Brigade principal station is at the Market buildings, Market street, and there are four substations; the force consists of a superintendent and 31 men, with two manual engines, six fire escapes, a hose cart and the usual equipments.

The Market, in Market street, is a building of stone, erected in 1855 by the Torquay Market Company. The market days are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

The Torquay and District Fanciers’ Association, established in the early part of 1888 for the purpose of promoting the breeding of high-class poultry, pigeons and rabbits, meets monthly for the transaction of business at the Primitive Methodist school room, Ellacombe.

There are two weekly newspapers, the “Torquay Directory and South Devon Journal,” established in 1839, and the “Torquay Times and South Devon Advertiser.”

The No. 4 Company of the 1st Devonshire Volunteer Artillery, Western Division, Royal Artillery, have their drill hall in Tor square; the company consists of 80 men and possesses, two 64 pounder guns on the battery at Wall’s Hill.

There is a detachment of the Devonshire and Somersetshire Royal Engineers (Volunteers) (A and B Cos.) here; drill hall, Rock road; the strength of the companies is now (1901) 152 men, and a new detachment is in course of formation at Newton Abbot.

The F and Cyclist Cos. 5th (Hay Tor) Volunteer Battalion, Devonshire Regiment, have their drill hall in Rock road; the strength of the companies is 186 men.

Here is also a coastguard station, with cottages on Park hill, for 8 men and a chief officer.

The Torquay Theatre and Opera House, in Abbey road, occupying the site of the old Assembly rooms, was erected by a company formed in 1880, at a cost of £8,000, and is at present managed by a directorate; it will hold 1,500 persons, and is well fitted throughout, has four private boxes, and its numerous entrances enable it to be cleared in three minutes in case of accident or fire.

The premises of the Royal Torbay Yacht Club, situated on Beacon hill, comprise a number of well-appointed rooms.

The Constitutional Club, 75 Union street, erected in 1888 at a cost, including furniture, of nearly £6,000, comprises the usual rooms and conveniences requisite for a first-class club, and has a large hall capable of seating upwards of 400 people; visitors are admitted as temporary members on introduction.

The Museum of the Natural History Society, in the Babbacombe road, is a building of the Ionic order, erected in 1874, at a cost of £3,500, on a site given by the late R. S. S. Cary esq. In 1894 a lecture hall was added as a memorial to William Pengelly esq. F.R.S.

The Young Women’s Christian Association, Fleet street (Torquay branch), founded in 1867, is a structure of brick, opened in 1881, and has reading and writing rooms, library and other apartments; in connection with this institution are houses in St. Mary Church road, opened in 1888 and available for 24 boarders; there are also a literary institution and libraries.

Here are clothing clubs, a Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners’ Benevolent Society, a lodge of Royal Ark Mariners, a Lying-in Charity, several friendly societies, two lodges of Freemasons, a royal arch chapter, a Mark Master Masons’ lodge, two Odd Fellows’ lodges and a lodge of Foresters.

The Torbay Hospital and Provident Dispensary, in Union street, and established in 1844, is a building of stone, erected in 1850, and enlarged by the addition of another storey in 1893, at a cost of £7,000; it consists of a centre and two wings, containing 7 wards, capable of holding 57 patients; the average number of in-patients is about 35, and the number of provident members about 1,200.

Erith House is an institution providing a temporary residence, with board, medicine and medical attendance, for ladies of limited means; the house is open from Oct. 1 to July 1.

Other charitable institutions are Mildmay Home for Consumption, Bronshill road; St. Luke’s Convalescent Home for men, Upper Lincombe road; St. Joseph’s Convalescent Home for women, in Lower Bronshill road; the Western Hospital for Consumption, situated in the Lower Warberry road, erected in 1850 and available for 40 patients.

The poor have the interest of £62, left by Thomas Kingsley and other donors, and the dividends of £468 8s. 6d. Navy Five per Cent. Stock, now New Three per Cent. Reduced, purchased with £500 left by George Baker in 1800.

The Public Gardens, on the Babbacombe road, comprise about four acres of land, appropriated by the lord of the manor to the use of the public, and are tastefully planted and laid out with gravel walks, forming a pleasant and sheltered promenade. The gardens are maintained by the Corporation.

A regatta takes place yearly in August.

Torre Abbey, situated in the south-western part of the parish, was founded March 25, 1196, by William de Bruere, or Briwere, for canons of the Premonstratensian Order, and dedicated to SS. Saviour and Mary; it was colonized from Welbeck, and the founder endowed it with considerable revenues, afterwards augmented by his son: at the date of its surrender, Feb. 19, 1539, the yearly income was valued at £396 11s. (equal in the present day to about £8,000), and there were then 15 canons, besides Simon Rede, 14th and last abbot. The abbey, with the adjacent estate, was granted, in 1543, to John St. Leger esq. who conveyed it to Sir Hugh Pollard: it subsequently passed to the Seymours, Ridgways and Stawells, the last of whom sold it in 1662 to Sir George Cary knt. an ancester of the present lord of the manor, Col. Lucius Falkland Brancaleone Cary. The ground plan orginally comprised a cruciform church, 195 feet in length internally, including the western tower and cloisters on the south side, about 74 feet square, around which the monastic buildings were arranged: each wing of the transept had two eastern chapels, the nave had a north aisle, and there was also a central tower; on the east side of the cloister, but separated from the transept by a slype or passage, was the chapter house, and ranging with it the common house and probably the abbot’s lodge; over these ran the dorter (dormitory); the south side was occupied by the frater (refectory) and kitchen, above a vaulted undercroft, and the west by the guest house and prior’s lodge, also built over vaulted cellarage: of the three gate-houses mentioned by Leland (1549), one, an embattled structure of the 14th century, still remains on the south-west; it has a wide entrance and postern, and retains two of its octagonal angle turrets, and the vaulted roof displays the arms of the abbey and those of Bruere, Mohun and Speke: the only portions of the buildings now above ground are the south and part of the east wall of the presbytery, the walls of the south transept and its chapels; the western piers of the central tower, the west wall of the north transept, and adjoining it, the east end of the aisle; of the chapter house, only the fine west doorway and windows remain: the site is now much overgrown with shrubs and trees: the modern mansion called “Torre Abbey,” was erected, according to Westcote (1845), by John Ridgway esq. of Torwood, ancestor of the Earls of Londonderry, and consists of a central block with wings, occupying the site of the refectory and adjacent buildings on the south side of the cloister; the west wing connects itself with the gate-house above mentioned, and its northern arm, inclosing the west side of the cloister, contains a chapel, formed out of the ancient guest house, and has on the west front a staircase tower: about 1874 portions of the mansion were carefully restored to their original condition, under the direction of Mr. Edward Appleton F.R.I.B.A.: the grounds attached to the house adjoin the coast, and are picturesque and well wooded, and afford fine views of the bay and the lofty “tors,” or hills, in the neighbourhood: a little distance south-west is a fine tithe barn, 120 feet in length, divided into two portions by a transept and surrounded with buttresses.

In the reign of Henry II. the manor of Tor Moham belonged to William de Bruere, and his younger daughter, Alice, carried it in marriage to the Mohuns, who had a residence here in the 13th century, but afterwards sold the manor to the Ridgways: the Torwood manor estate, comprising Torquay proper, subsequently descended to the Earl of Donegal, whose uncle, Arthur, 4th earl, married Lady Lucy, daughter and co-heiress of Robert (Ridgway), 4th Earl of Londonderry, and was purchased about 1786 by Sir Robert Palk bart. ancestor of its present owner, Lord Haldon. Torwood Manor house, pulled down some years ago, occupied the present site of Torwood terrace, in the garden wall of which is built the ancient granite doorway of the old mansion; the stone window mullions were used in constructing a modern villa.

The parish of Tormoham is chiefly the property of two manor lords, viz. Lord Haldon’s representatives and Col. Lucius Falkland Brancaelon Cary, but 14 acres belong to the trustees of the late Lord Sinclair.

The area of the borough of Torquay as extended in November, 1900, is 3,879 acres; rateable value, £188,000.

The population of the parish in 1801 was 838; 1871, 21,657, in 1881 was 24,731, in 1891 was 25,534, and in 1901, 33,610.

The population of the municipal wards in 1891 was:-Ellacombe, 5,623; Strand, 3,718; Torre, 4,066; Torwood, 3,975; Upton, 4,037; Waldon, 4,115.

The population of the municipal wards in 1901 was: Ellacombe, 5,911; Strand, 3,129; Torre, 3,851; Torwood, 3,644; Upton, 4,339; Waldon, 3,576; St. Mary Church, 4,534; Babbacombe, 2,040; Chelston, 2,586.

Population of the ecclesiastical parishes, 1891:-Tormoham, 4,401; Upton, 5,106; St. Luke's, 3,065; Ellacombe, 6,337; St. John the Evangelist, 1,908; St. Mark's, 2,088; Ilsham, 1,563; St. Mary Church-with-Coffinswell, 4,917; Cockington, 2,669; Babbacombe, 1,784; Trimly, 249.

ST. MARY CHURCH is a large parish, near the bold and rugged rocky cliffs of the southern recess of Babbacombe Bay, divided from Torbay by the promontory of Tor Point, or Hope’s Nose, about 1 ½ miles north from Torquay, and 1 east from Torre station on the Dartmouth branch of the South Devon section of the Great Western railway, in the Torquay division of the county, hundred of Haytor, petty sessional division of Paignton, union and county court district of Newton Abbot, rural deanery of Ipplepen, archdeaconry of Totnes, and diocese of Exeter.

Under the “Torquay Borough Extension Act, 1900,” St. Mary Church-with the exception of Edginswell, and Shiphay Collaton, which were transferred to Cockington parish was incorporated with the Borough, and it now remains a parish for poor law purposes only.

The place is lighted with gas from works at Hele-Cross, the property of the Torquay Corporation, and these works now also supply Hele, Babbacombe and Barton. The parish church of St. Mary is said to have been the earliest in Devon, a tradition strongly confirmed by the fact that its Saxon name, “Saint Marie Cherche,” is found in Domesday Book; the present church, rebuilt with the exception of the tower in 1891, is a large edifice of stone in the Early Decorated style, from designs by Mr. S. W. Hugall, architect, consisting of chancel, nave of six bays, with clerestory, aisles, south porch and an embattled western tower, with pinnacles, containing a clock and 8 bells, cast and hung in 1880 at a cost of about £800; the clock, which chimes the quarters, was given by the family of the Rev. D. R. Fearon, late vicar, as a memorial to him: the church was consecrated 23rd July, 1861; the total cost of the rebuilding, including the stained windows and other costly decorations, amounted to about £15,000: the screen, given by the late Right Hon. A. J. B. Beresford-Hope P.C., M.P. is constructed of marbles quarried within the area of the parish; Baroness (then Miss) Burdett-Coutts also gave £100 towards the embellishment of the chancel: the tower was restored in 1873—4, at a cost of about £3,500, in memory of Henry Phillpotts D.D. Bishop of Exeter, 1830—69, who resided-at Bishopstowe in this parish, and dying September 18,186g, was buried in the churchyard: in 1892 a new organ chamber and vestries were built and the organ repaired and enlarged at a cost of £1,500: the font, of very Early Norman, or possibly Saxon date, has a circular basin on an octagonal base, the exterior surface of the former is ornamented with carvings of intersecting rings inclosing figures in relief: in 1896 the east end of the south aisle was fitted up by a faculty, with an altar for daily celebrations and evensong: there are 1,000 sittings, 30 of which, at present appropriated, become free on the death of their respective holders. The oldest existing register dates from 1580, and many of the families whose names are found therein continue in the parish; among these are the Waymouths, who trace their descent through five centuries. The living is a vicarage with the chapelry of Coffinswell annexed, joint net yearly value £224, with residence and 1 ¾ acres of glebe, in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of Exeter, and held since 1876 by the Rev. Arthur Bourchier Wrey M.A. of Trinity College, Cambridge.

The Free Church at Furrough Cross is a plain building of stone, erected in 1853, at the cost of the late Sir Culling Eardley Eardley bart. of Torquay, and consists of chancel and nave; the Rev. Richard Marriott, minister. The Catholic church, in Priory road, dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians and St. Denis, is an edifice of stone in the Early Decorated style, consisting of chancel, nave, pentagonal apse, aisles, Lady chapel, crypt, baptistery and a tower with spire 175 feet high; it was built in 1860—70 at the sole cost of the late William John Potts Chatto esq. of the Daison, St. Mary Church, who is buried in the crypt below the Lady chapel: the front of the high altar is ornamented with a carving of “the Last Supper.” Connected with the church is a Convent of the Sisters of Penance of the third order of St. Dominic, a guest house for lady boarders, a school for young ladies, and an orphanage for 80 girls.

The Town Hall, erected in 1883, from the designs of G. S. Bridgman esq. of Torquay, is a building of limestone, with dressings of Ham Hill stone, with four rooms on the ground floor, and on the first floor a large room, 62 feet by 32 feet, which is let for concerts, balls, dinners and theatricals. The Constitutional Club is in Hampton View. The Sanitary Hospital, erected by the Torquay Corporation, for the reception of patients suffering from infectious diseases, occupies a site on the Newton road, and in Cockington parish: it was given by the late William Kitson esq. of Hengrave, who laid the foundation stone in 1882: the building is of red brick, from designs by Mrs. Ernest Turner, of London, and consists of two wards, arranged and furnished throughout according to the latest scientific principles; attached are two residences for the medical officers, curator and nurses.

The lofty cliffs, near Babbacombe beach, are of beautiful limestone, which is used for building and, when burnt into lime, for agricultural purposes. At Petitor, Barton, and other parts of the parish there are also large quantities of marble rock; these marbles have always been held in high esteem for their exceptional beauty, a fact to which the old mansions in the district amply testify; the quarries are now worked by Messrs. A. W. Blackler and Son, of the Royal Marble Works, which have now been established for more than 150 years for the manufacture of tables, chimney-pieces, urns, vases and other works of art.

The manor of Combe-Pafford belongs to Lord Haldon and that of St. Mary Church to Col. Lucius F. B. Cary J.P. of Babbacombe. The area of the civil parish, 2,656 acres of land and 17 of foreshore; rateable value, £26,435; the population in 1891 was 6,846.

SHIPHAY-COLLATON hamlet, 1 ¼ miles west from St. Mary Church, and EDGINSWELL, 2 miles west, were both, under the “Torquay Borough Extension Act” of November 9th, 1900, transferred to the parish of Cockington.

ILSHAM and BABBACOMBE are ecclesiastical parishes formed out of St. Mary Church, and now form part of the municipal borough of Torquay.

PLACES OF WORSHIP, with times of services

St. Mary Parish Church, Fore st. Rev. Arthur Bourchier Wrey M.A. vicar; Rev. Henry H. Harvey B.A. & Rev. R. St. John Mitchell, curates; 10.45 a.m.. & 2.45 & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. & Fri. 10.45 a.m..; Mon. Tue. Thur. & Sat. 10 a.m..; daily, 6 p.m.; holy communion daily at 8 a.m.

St. Augustine Mission Church, Barton, served by curates of parish church of St. Mary; 3.30 p.m.

Good Shepherd Mission Church, Hele, Chapel-of-Ease to St. Mary; 6.30 p.m.

Catholic Church of Our Lady the Help of Christians & St. Denis, St. Mary Church, Priory road, The Right Rev. Monsignor John Stanislaus Lapotre; Rev. Thomas Barney, priest; mass, 8 & 11 a.m..; benediction, 3.30, p.m.; benediction & sermon, 6.30 p.m.; daily mass, 7.30.

Free Episcopalian Church, Furrough Cross, Richard Marriott; 10.45 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. 7.15 p.m.

Baptist, Barton.

Baptist, Hele, Lummington road; 6.30 p.m.; Wed. 8 p.m.

Bible Christian, St. Mary Church, Park road; 3 & 6.30 p.m.; Tue. 7 p.m.

Brethren, St. Mary Church, Fore street, Mr. Richard Beachey; 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Tue. & Thur. 7 p.m.

Wesleyan Methodist, St. Mary Church, Torquay road (Union street circuit); 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.

Wesleyan Methodist, Barton (Union street circuit); 3 & 6.30 p.m.

Mission Room (Congregational), Edginswell, 6.30 p.m.

SCHOOLS

National, Priory road, established in 1828, in a building given by C. Protheroe esq. & enlarged in 1838, for 280 children; average attendance, 145 girls & 135 infants.

National (infants), Hele, erected in 1883, for 80 children; average attendance, 60.

National, St. Mary Church, Hartop road, erected in 1878, for 180 boys; average attendance, 160.

Catholic, St. Mary Church, attached to the Priory, for 150 children; average attendance, 150.

National (mixed), Shiphay Collaton, the private property of William Henry Kitson esq. J.P. built in 1897, for 120 children; average attendance, about 50.

Petty Sessions are held at the Court room, Market street, every Tuesday, at 11 a.m.

Borough Petty Sessions are held at the Court house, Market street, every Monday & Thursday at 11 a.m.

HOSPITALS, CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS &c

Convalescent Home, Ockendon, Warren road, Edward J. Domville, hon. sec.; Miss Sophie Partridge, matron.

Church Refuge House, Southtown cottage, Brunswick square, Miss M. Price, lady superintendent.

Door of Hope for Friendless Girls, St. Mary Church road, Miss Fanny George, matron.

Erith House Institution for Invalid Ladies, Lower Erith road, Miss Stewart, lady superintendent.

Home for Inebriate Women, Temple lodge, Castle road, Miss Caton, superintendent.

Mildmay Home for Consumption, Smyrna, Bronshill road, Sister Alice, matron.

St. Barnabas’ Home for Incurables, Brocket hall, Haldon road (under the care of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist).

St. Faith’s Home for Girls, St. Mary Church road, Miss Mary Phillpotts, matron.

St. Joseph’s Convalescent Home for Women, St. Joseph’s mount, Lower Bronshill road (under the care of the Sisters of Charity tof St. Vincent de Paul.)

St. Luke’s Convalescent Home for Men, Higher Lincombe road, Ven. Archdeacon Seymour, warden; Rev. Gerard H. Hall, chaplain.

St. Raphael’s Convalescent Home for Invalid Ladies, Higher Lincombe road (under the care of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist).

St. Vincent’s Orphanage, Teignmouth road (managed by the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.)

Torbay Hospital & Provident Dispensary, Union street.

Torquay Domestic Mission House & Invalid Kitchen, Market street.

Torquay Mendicity Society, 2 Warberry road west, H. Drefur, hon. sec.

Torquay Nurses’ Institution, Abbey road, H. Gordon-Cumming esq. hon. sec.

Western Hospital for Incipient Consumption, Lower Warberry road.

VOLUNTEERS

1st Devonshire Volunteer Artillery, Western Division, Royal Garrison Artillery (No. 4 Co.), Drill hall, Tor square; Captain Robert J. Clode; Rev. Preb. W. S. Boyle M.A. acting chaplain; Sergeant-Major Robert Williams, drill instructor.

Devonshiro & Somersetshire Royal Engineers (Volunteers), Drill hall, Rock road; Major R. C. Fenton (commanding Devon Detachment); A Co. Capt. E. P. Appleton; B Co. Capt. F. W. J. Crowe; Rev. B. Airy, acting chaplain; Sergt.-Instructor W. Crocker R.E. drill Instructor.

5th Volunteer Battalion (Hay Tor), Devonshire Regiment (F & Cyclist Cos.), Drill hall, Rock road; F Co. Lieut. G. S. Morton, commanding; Rev. J. Henning, acting chaplain; Sergeant-Instructor Cameron, drill instructor; (Cyclist Co.), Lieut. W. R. Atty, commanding.

PLACES OF WORSHIP, with times of Services

St. Saviour’s (Tormoham parish church), Tor Church road, Rev. John Thomas Jacob, vicar; Rev. Charles Walker B.A. & Rev. James Richards B.A. curates; 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. Fri. 11 a.m.

All Saints, Babbacombe, Rev. John Hewett M.A. vicar; Rev. Arthur Henry Maclean Hare M.A. & Rev. James Carter Rendell M.A., A.K.C.L, curates; 7, 8 & 11.30 (H. C.) & 10.30 a.m.. 3, 3.15 (children’s serv.) & 6.30 p.m.; daily, 8 (H. C.) & 10 a.m.. & 6 p.m.; holy days, 8 (H. C.) & 11.15 a.m.. & 6 p.m.

All Saints (chapel of ease to parish church), Bampfylde road, 10.30 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. 7 p.m.

Christ Church (Ellacombe), Church road, Ellacombe, Rev. John Percy Baker M.A. vicar; Rev. Clarence Edwin Ward M.A. curate; 8 & 11 a.m.. & 3 & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. 11 a.m..; Fri. 7.30 p.m.

St. John’s, Braddon’s hill, Rev. Basil Reginald Airy M.A. vicar; Rev. Sidney Willmer Goldsmith M.A. curate; 7, 8, 10.30 & 11.45 a.m.. & 3.30 & 6.30 p.m.; week days, daily, 7.45 & 8.30 a.m.. & 5 p.m.; Wed. & Fri. 12 noon.

St. Luke’s, St. Luke’s road, Rev. William Skinner Boyle M.A. vicar; Rev. Hugh Maldon Downton B.A. curate; 8 & 11 a.m.. & 4 & 6.30 p.m.; week days, daily, 8 & 10 a.m.. & 5 p.m.

St. Mark’s, Torwood, St. Mark’s road, Meadfoot, Rev. George Herbert Statham M.A. rector; 8 & 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. & Fri. 11 a.m..; Mon. Tue. Thur. & Sat. 10.30 a.m..; Thur. 8 a.m.

St. Mary’s Mission Chapel, Braddon’s street; 10.30 a.m.. (children’s service) & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. 8 p.m. (served from St. John’s.)

St. Mary Magdalene (Upton), Union street, Rev. Edward Pease Gregg, rector; Rev. Reginald Ford B.A. & Rev. Philip Wynne Hemans M.A. curates; 8 & 11 a.m.. & 3 & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. & Fri. 11 a.m..; other days, 4.30 p.m.

St. Matthew's Chapel of Ease, Park road, Chelston; Rev. James Henning M.A. & Rev. Cecil Watts-Read; 8 & 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; every second Sun. 12.15 p.m.; daily. 8 a.m.. & 6 p.m.

St. Matthias’, Ilsham, Rev. Thos. Nash Hicks M.A. rector.

St. Michael’s Chapel of Ease to St. Luke’s, Pimlico (served from St. Luke’s); 8 & 10.45 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Tue. & Fri. 8 p.m.; other week days, 5 p.m.

Holy Trinity Church, Torwood street, Rev. Francis Bishop M.A. vicar; 11 a.m.. & 3.30 & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. 11.30 a.m..; Thur. 8 p.m.

St. Barnabas’ Mission, Stentiford’s hill (served from Christ Church); 6.30 p.m.

St. James’ Mission, Lower Upton (served from St. Mary Magdalene); 6.30 p.m.

St. Paul’s Mission, Victoria park, Rev. James Joseph Large, curate in charge; 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.

Catholic Church of the Assumption, Very Rev. George Canon Poole M.R. & Rev. Thomas Sheehan, priests; Sundays & holidays of obligation, mass, 8.30 & 11 a.m..; rosary, catechism & benediction, 3.30, & vespers, compline, sermon. & benediction, 6.30 p.m.; mass daily, 8.30 a.m.

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church of England, Torwood gardens; 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Rev. J. Nisbet Wallace, minister.

Friends’ Meeting House, Warren road; 11 a.m..; Wed. 11 a.m.

Baptist, Upton vale, Rev. William Emery; 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Thur. 7.30 p.m.

Baptist (Strict), Laburnum street, Tor; 11 a.m.. & 3 & 6.30 p.m.

Bible Christian, Torre hill, Rev. John Ninnis; 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Thur. 8 p.m.

Brethren’s Room, Rock room, Temperance st.; 6.30 p.m.

Brethren’s Room, Warren road; 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. & Fri. 8 p.m.

Congregational, Abbey road, Rev. Charles Knibbs F.R.H.S.; 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. 7.30 p.m.

Congregational (Belgrave), Tor Hill road, Rev. John Charteris Johnston; 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Thur. 7.30 p.m.

Primitive Methodist, Market street; 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. 8 p.m.

Primitive Methodist, Babbacombe; 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Tue. 7.30 p.m.

Unitarian Free Christian, Unity hall, Union street, Rev. Arth. Ernest Connor B.D.; Sun. 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.

Wesleyan Methodist (Union Street Circuit), Union street, Rev. Jn. S. Hicks; 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. 7.30 p.m.

Wesleyan Methodist (Wesley Circuit), Babbacombe road, Rev. John S. Hicks; 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. 7.30 p.m.

Chelston Mission Hall, Old Mill road, Chelston; Mr. W. Wright; 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Mon. 8 p.m.; Thur. 7.45 p.m.

People’s Mission Hall, Innerbrook road, Chelston, Mr. Levi Powell; 11 a.m.. & 3 & 6.30 p.m.; Thur. 8 p.m.

Avenue Mission Hall, Belgrave road; services, Sunday, 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. 7.45 p.m.

Gospel Mission, Tor Hill road, ministers various; 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; Thur. 8 p.m.

SCHOOLS

Torquay School of Science & Art, Braddon’s Hill road west, George Bedford, director & art master; Charles W. Priestley, science master; Ernest F. Smerdon, William J. Godbeer, P. Tann & Miss Edith Buswell, assistant teachers; Frederick J. W. Crowe, hon. sec.

National, East street, Tor, erected in 1830, enlarged in 1841, and again enlarged in 1895, for 750 children; average attendance, 166 boys, 160 girls & 120 infants.

National, Pimlico, erected in 1826, for 500 children; average attendance, 100 boys, 176 girls & 82 infants.

National, Torwood, Meadfoot lane (mixed & infants), erected in 1842, for 200 children; average attendance, 130 boys & girls & 50 infants.

National, St. John’s (mixed & infants), Braddon’s street, for 200 children; average attendance, 40 boys, 56 girls & 50 infants.

National (infants), St. Luke’s Rock rd. erected in 1876, for 188 children; average attendance, 67 infants.

National, Ilsham Parochial, Ilsham road, erected in 1871, for 120 children; average attendance, 45 boys & 42 girls.

National, Ellacombe, erected in 1872, & enlarged 1895, for 1,200 children; average attendance, 300 boys, 290 girls & 300 infantas.

National, Upton, Union street, erected in 1872, & enlarged in 1894, for 488 children; average attendance, 163 boys, 158 girls & 72 infants.

National, Victoria park (branch of Ellacombe), erected in 1863, for 120 children; average attendance, 91.

Catholic, Abbey road, erected in 1857, for 90 children; average attendance about 59.