Torbay
From Freepedia
- For other uses, see Torbay (disambiguation).
| Borough of Torbay | |
|---|---|
| Image:EnglandTorbay.png | |
| Geography | |
| Status: | Unitary, Borough |
| Region: | South West England |
| Ceremonial County: | Devon |
| Area: - Total | Ranked 288th 62.88 km² |
| Admin. HQ: | Torquay |
| ONS code: | 00HH |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2003 est.) - Density | Ranked 137th 131,256 2,087 / km² |
| Ethnicity: | 98.8% White |
| Politics | |
| Torbay Borough Council http://www.torbay.gov.uk/ | |
| Leadership: | Mayor & Cabinet |
| Elected Mayor: | Nicholas Bye (Con) |
| Executive: | Liberal Democrats |
| MPs: | Adrian Sanders (LD, Torbay), Anthony Steen {Con, Totnes) |
Torbay is an east facing bay at the western most end of Lyme Bay in the south west of England, situated roughly midway between the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. Historically part of the county of Devon, situated in the south, Torbay was made a unitary authority on April 1, 1998.
There are three main towns around the bay: Torquay in the North, Paignton in the centre, and Brixham in the south, which have mostly grown together over the last fifty years, swallowing up villages and towns such as St Marychurch, Cockington, Marldon and Galmpton.
Torbay as an administrative area was created in 1968 as a County Borough from the amalgamation of the Boroughs of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham. Although today this seems a logical choice, at the time nearby Teignmouth nearly joined in place of Paignton. In 1974 The town was swallowed back into Devon.
The northern limit of the bay is Hopes Nose and the south is Berry Head, although the town stretches further north and into Babbacombe Bay, where the popular beaches at Oddicombe and Babbacombe can be found. These are noted for their interesting Breccia cliffs.
Despite (or rather in spite of) the climate conditions "palm trees" are commonly planted along the coast of Torbay. The Torbay Palm is actually a Yucca Tree. This has led to the area being known as the English Riviera. In fact, it is one of the most well known tourist resorts in Britain. The area is also host to a large number of European students learning English every summer.
Famous former residents of Torbay include authors Agatha Christie (who set many of her novels in a thinly disguised version of the town), Charles Kingsley and Rudyard Kipling, the great industrialist and architect of the nearby Atmospheric Railway, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and (allegedly) Barry Manilow. Prog band Wishbone Ash also hail from the town.
Torbay lacks motorway links and is served by the A380 road from Exeter and a branch rail line from the Great Western Railway at Newton Abbot.
Torbay is bordered to the south and west by the South Hams and to the north by Teignbridge. Nearby towns include Totnes, Newton Abbot, Teignmouth and Exeter.
| Districts of England - South West England | Image:England flag large.png |
|
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|
Counties with multiple districts: Cornwall - Devon - Dorset - Gloucestershire - Somerset - Wiltshire |
