Wednesday, December 23, 2009

The Paignton Pier, Beaches And Historic Homes

By Frederick Hoymer

A lovely little resort town along the coast of Devon is the town of Paignton. Paignton belongs to the section of coastline that is known as the English Riviera though it was first a fishing village. The town did not change or have the population grow until the 1800s when a new harbor was built and the town could be accessed by railway. Many people enjoy the fine Victorian architecture that can be viewed in the historic section of town.

The top tourist spot is the Paignton pier which is described as a pleasure pier. Towards the seaward end there is a grand pavilion which holds dancing, several music halls, singing and recitals. This pavilion was the first place to perform the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta HMS Pinafore. This pier did not always contain arcades and such as it was once purchased and converted to a dock used by the Pier and Steamship Company. However the entire pier was renovated and restored in 1980.

This pier showcased the first performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's HMS Pinafore. There was a time when the pier was converted to industrial work as it was purchased by the Pier and Steamship Company. However the entire pier was restored in 1980.

A historic spot to visit is the Torbay Picture House which stopped functioning as a cinema in 1999 but has not been changed due to its listing as a grade II building. Agatha Christie liked to come to the pictures here and it is the oldest purpose built cinema in Europe.

There are some great geological sites to visit and Broadsands beach has some very interesting reed beds. Saltern Cove is also a spot of scientific interest for geology as it contains different layers of slate, sandstone, limestone and breccias that can be seen in different layers.

Oldway Mansion is another great large historic home to visit. This was originally a private residence for Isaac Merritt Singer, the creator of the Singer Sewing Machine, and was rebuilt in the style of Versailles by one of his sons. There are many interior stairways made of marble and several bronze balusters. The painting by Jacques-Louis David, The Crowning of Josephine by Napoleon is above the staircase.

If you like sailing and rowing then each summer there is a Regatta week in August which includes fireworks and a funfair on the green. There is also a children's week at the end of August.

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