History of Torquay - Napoleonic Wars and Early Development

Napoleonic Wars and Early Development

An early visitor to Torquay in 1794 is recorded as saying “Instead of the poor uncomfortable village we had expected, how great was our surprise at seeing a pretty range of neat new buildings, fitted up for summer visitors, visitors here can enjoy carriage rides, bathing, retirement and a most romantic situation.” Another early visitor exclaimed "It is not England, but a bit of sunny Italy taken bodily from its rugged coast and placed here amid the green places and the pleasant pastoral lanes of beautiful Devon’."

Torquay owes much to Napoleon Bonaparte, the Napoleonic wars meant that the rich elite could no longer visit continental Europe and looked for local destinations to visit instead. Torbay, the large bay of which Torquay is located on the northern side of, alongside the other towns of Paignton and Brixham, was ideal as a large sheltered anchorage for ships and was frequently used by the Channel Fleet which protected England against invasion by Napoleon and due to this wives and relatives of officers often visited Torquay to be near their loved ones in the fleet. During this period the Royal Navy ship HMS Venerable was wrecked while sheltering in the bay on 24 November 1804.

Torquay's initial development owes a great deal to the efforts of Sir Lawrence Palk, 2nd Baronet, owner of the manor of Tormohun. It was on his initiative that the first real development in the town commenced taking the form of the erection of a new harbour to replace the dilapidated old harbour, for which an Act of Parliament was required. The work commenced in 1803, was completed in 1807, and was designed by John Rennie who later designed London Bridge. Proposals were also put forth for the construction of a canal to Newton Abbot at the same time as the harbour development, but nothing came of this. The entire cost of the work was estimated at roughly £27,000, a costly sum in the mid nineteenth century.

During this period the first town plans for the area were drawn up for Palk and after a Grand Tour of Europe, Palk brought back from Italy architectural ideas which he incorporated into his villa designs. These designs were brought into fruition by ‘The Maker of Torquay’, William Kitson, who became chairman of the newly formed local authority, acting on behalf of the absentee landlord Palk. As a result of these plans, an exclusive residential area was created in the Warberries and Lincombes which retains its character today with several of these original properties still standing among the tree-clad hills, notably Hesketh Crescent. Completed in 1848 with its sweeping Regency façade it was described as the ‘finest crescent of houses in the West of England’.

After Napoleon was captured following the Battle of Waterloo he was held on the warship HMS Bellerophon, nicknamed Billy Ruffian in Torbay for two days. Upon his first sight of the Bay the former Emperor has been quoted as exclaiming "Quel Bon Pays" ("what a lovely country") and he compared it favourably to Porto Ferrago on Elba. Napoleon also helped the prosperity of Torquay in another way: local smugglers did very good business 'importing' French brandy during the Napoleonic Wars and since then smuggling of one kind or another has not completely stopped. It was during these wars that Admiral Nelson visited the town on 18 January 1801, visiting Torre Abbey Mansions and later dining in Cockington.