Wednesday 11 November 2009

Union Street, Torquay

Union Street in Torquay is the main shopping centre. In the last 18 months however it has lost a few, quiet a few, of those shops. There is a light at the end of the tunnel though. Woolworths used to be the biggest shop until it closed in January. Now a Fashion story has taken over the building and the truck you can see is busy pumping out the flooded bilges and scaffolding covers the front so this isn't going to be a fly by night job like some. Even HMV have moved into the old Dixon story which had been empty for a couple of years and briefly came to life as a short lived clothes shop. Across the road from the old Woolworth store is an empty shop and someone has attempted to prove international political activism isn't dead here in humble Torquay.

Meanwhile down the down in Fleet Street a new pub is about to open and an old pub is about to change hands. The new pub have moved into the Winter Gardens. It a a Weatherspoon's pub and will be named after Torquay's most famous resident. No not Basil Fawlty, the one and only Agatha Christie and will open later this month. It is across the road from a pub called Bed. Bed came to fame when the owner got a parking ticket, he was parked for 45 minutes on a double yellow line. Next day a sign appeared informing the world, or at least that part of the world that passed his pub that traffic wardens were barred from his pub. The pub is now closed. Bit more on pubs, Yates's which is down a side street off Fleet Street and might just be a foot or two above sea level has changed hands and the new owners asked the readers of the Herald Express to suggest a new name. They even offered a hundred quids worth of beer for the best suggestion. Now Fleet Street does flood from time to time so if you are in Torquay nip in the 'Prone to Flooding' sometime. If any of my prize beer is left I will buy you a pint.

Soon to be the Agatha Christie.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Story?

retired driver Peter said...

It is surely a good story if there is something to make one of our shopping streets look better and if it involves GOOD BEER an even better one. My recent experience of Yatees's was that there was no GOOD beer available buthopefully there would be some added to the bar when you win your prize. Next time in Torquay I will certainly check out the 'agatha'

cogidubnus said...

What do you have to buy from that shop to get a free Tibet?

David said...

A billion Chinese takeaways should do it.