Paignton

Paignton is a seaside town on the coast of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Together with Torquay and Brixham, it forms the borough of Torbay, which was created in 1968. The area is famous as a holiday spot and is often called the English Riviera.

Paignton has a long history, starting as a small Celtic settlement. It was first mentioned in records in 1086. Over time, it grew from a fishing village. A new harbour was built there in 1847, and a railway opened for passengers in 1859, connecting it to Torquay and London.

As more people moved to Paignton, it joined with the nearby villages of Goodrington and Preston. The town is about 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Plymouth and 20 miles (32 km) south of Exeter. Today, Paignton remains a popular place for visitors and residents alike.

History

In 1993, people found an old grave from Roman times on the Hookhills estate. It held a young woman between 15 and 25 years old, and scientists learned about her life from her bones. She ate a lot of grains and proteins, but not much sea food, even though she lived near the ocean. This grave is one of the best-preserved ones ever found in Devon and is shown in the Torquay Museum.

Paignton was written about in the Domesday Book from 1086. It used to be a small fishing and farming place. In the 1800s, a new harbor was built, and the railroad came to Paignton in 1859, connecting it to London. The town has many old buildings, like Kirkham House and the Coverdale Tower, which remind us of times long ago.

Governance

Paignton is part of the local government area called Torbay, which also includes the towns of Brixham and Torquay. The Torbay Council runs the area from its offices in Torquay Town Hall.

Paignton used to be its own local government area, but in 1968 it joined with nearby towns to form Torbay. Torbay used to run itself without help from the larger county government of Devon, but later started working with them again. In 1998, Torbay became its own local government area once more. Today, most of Paignton is part of the Torbay voting area for elections to the national government.

Economy

Paignton’s economy is mainly based on tourism, and it is a popular place for families to visit. The town’s seafront features Paignton Pier, a long structure that opened in 1879.

There are many fun activities and events throughout the year, such as the Paignton Festival in July, Regatta Week in August with a funfair and fireworks, and Children’s Week with various events. Visitors can enjoy places like Paignton Zoo and ride on the Dartmouth Steam Railway on steam trains to Kingswear. The town also has many pubs, nightclubs, and restaurants for visitors to explore.

Places of interest

The Paignton Picture House was a very old cinema in Europe, built in 1907. Famous writer Agatha Christie, who lived nearby, liked to sit in Seat 2 Row 2 there. Some movies were filmed in this cinema, including two films from the 1980s.

The Royal Bijou Theatre is gone now, but you can see a special blue plaque where it used to be. This theatre was where a famous play called The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan was first shown in 1879. Today, the Palace Theatre is the main theatre in town.

There was once a big department store called Rossiters that many people loved. It closed in 2009 but later reopened as a discount store.

Beaches

Paignton beach and the nearby Preston Sands are great spots for fun water activities like kite surfing and dinghy sailing. Both beaches are sandy and safe for swimmers and families. They also have green spaces nearby where kids can play. Paignton Green has an exciting pirate-themed Adventure Golf course and a special play area called the Paignton Geoplay Park, where children can learn about rocks and nature.

Nearby, Goodrington has a popular beach with a big park, a boating lake, and a fun outdoor waterpark called Splashdown Quaywest. Further along, there are quiet coves like Waterside and Saltern Coves, and Broadsands beach, which is home to special birds. Hollicombe beach has interesting rock formations, and Saltern Cove is important for its unique plants and sea life.

Transport

Railway

Paignton railway station is close to the town centre and just a short walk from the beach. Trains mainly run by Great Western Railway, with services about every half hour to Torquay, Newton Abbot, Exeter, and Exmouth along the Riviera Line. There are also some trains going further to places like Taunton, Bristol, Cardiff, and London Paddington. CrossCountry runs two trains each day to Manchester Piccadilly via Bristol.

Heritage

Queen's Park station, next to the main station, offers steam train rides on the Dartmouth Steam Railway from February to December, with daily service between April and October. Another station in Paignton is Goodrington Sands, which opened in 1928 and is also part of the Dartmouth Steam Railway.

Buses and coaches

The bus and coach station is right by the main railway station entrance. Buses are operated by Stagecoach South West, Torbay Minibuses, Country Bus, and the Dartmouth Steam Railway & Riverboat Company. Main bus routes go to Totnes, Plymouth, Torquay, Newton Abbot, Teignmouth, Dawlish Warren, Brixham, and Kingswear for the ferry to Dartmouth. National Express runs several long-distance coach services too.

Ferries

During the summer, ferry services run from Paignton Harbour to Torquay and Brixham, operated by Paignton Pleasure Cruises and We Ferry.