Enjoying The Sun And Sand At Paignton
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.
A historic movie house it he Torbay Picture House which was a favorite of Agatha Christie. This is the oldest built purpose cinema found in Europe and because it is a listed Grade II building it cannot be changed extensively. The actual cinema closed down in 1999.
Since Paignton is right on the water there is plenty of water ports including sailing and kite surfing. Paignton beach and Preston Sands are fantastic beaches.
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.
Paignton contains a medieval stone house called Kirkham house. This house is thought to be form the 14th or 15th century and is known as the “Priest’s House” so could have been linked to the church. The house has been completely restored which many period replication in place though you can still see the original oak beams and carvings.
A quite famous and fantastic historic home to visit is Oldway Mansion. This house was built by the maker of the Singer Sewing Machine, Isaac Merritt Singer. His third son eventually completely rebuilt the mansion to resemble Versailles. There are many bronze balusters and marble interior stairways. There is even a replica of the hall of mirrors. There are also several famous paintings and reproductions.
