Torquay: A Social History | 02.11.2023

Torquay: A Social History.  
An illustrated talk by Dr. Kevin Dixon on Thursday, 2nd November, 2023 at 7pm in The Devon Rural Archive.

Torquay was a popular destination for the rich and privileged of Europe during the Victorian period and it quickly became the centre of an Empire’s elite at leisure. But how and why did a collection of rural hamlets come together to become the richest town in England? Torquay’s story is about the lives of locals and visitors, of smugglers and pirates, of suffragettes, occultists, radicals and rioters. In this talk Dr. Dixon will reveal the 10 000-year journey of how the ordinary folk, their communities and the way they saw their world made Torquay the place it was, and the town it is today.

Dr. Kevin Dixon went to Audley Park – now Torquay Academy – and South Devon College when it was at Torre. After studying at Birmingham City University, he returned home because there’s nowhere else quite like Torquay. He then became involved in community and adult education, completed a PhD at Exeter University, and started writing about the weird and unknown side of town. He now Chairs Healthwatch Torbay and is involved in health and social care in the Bay.

Image: The Strand, Torquay from the DRA Image Bank. 

Tickets are £7.00 each, and must be purchased in advance.  To purchase a ticket please use the button below.

A Season Ticket to attend all 11 lectures in our 2023 programme is also available in our online shop.  
Please note that payments are non-refundable. 

Should you need to you can also purchase tickets over the telephone on 01548 830832. By purchasing a ticket you will be subscribing to the DRA Friends mailing list and will receive regular updates about our work and events, but you can unsubscribe at any time.

The Shilstone Café will be open between 4pm and 7pm for drinks and cake.