Monday 5 March 2012

Torquay Opera House (not yet finished)

I too learnt something new about old buildings here in Torquay. As you go up Torwood St from the Harbour there is a very impressive building just past Park Lane night club. It was started just before WW1 and was intended to be an Opera House. Then the war started and work stopped. After the war there wasn't the money about to finish the job and with only the shell complete it was used for other purposes. Time to start work on it again 100 years after it was started, about par for building works here in Torquay.

Incidentally I was going to ask everyone to sign an e-petition I have submitted to Torbay Council asking them not to cut the reimbursements paid to bus companies under the bus pass scheme as this wood almost certainty lead to a reduction in bus services in the Bay. I submitted the petition 15 days ago and it still hasn't appeared on the council web site despite the council saying it would only(sic) take 10 working days to appear. Maybe the council have had 5 days holiday without telling anyone; not that we would have noticed.

I'll let you know if it ever appears.

3 comments:

Dave the bus nut said...

Hello Dave,

This building once housed 'Torquay Motors' at one time, a 'Lanchester' car dealership.

The cars were very technically advanced for their days and I believe that they had pre-selector gearboxes. Gear change was achieved by dipping the clutch pedal when you wanted to change into the selected gear.

If my memory serves me correctly, they went on to have a BMC sub-dealership in the 1960s.

I have a feeling it was Riley.

At the time, i worled for the BMC distributor Phil Read Ltd in St. marychurch Road. This si now a block of flats.

How times change!

Ken, cambs said...

Hello Dave,
It had a model shop in there at one time,we bought a Devon general D/D & a Burtons of Brixham saloon in the shop.

Ken ,cambs

Cliff Harvey said...

Dave, I think Phil Reads in St Marychurch Road, is now a supermarket not a block of flats, I would like to chat to you if you worked at Phil Reads in Plainmoor as I have a car that came from there.