Steve's World Blog Information and articles on cities, towns and villages around the world.

September 2, 2010

Paignton Devon a Brief History

Filed under: England,History,Holidays,hotels,United Kingdom — Tags: , , , , , , — needahand @ 8:18 am

A lovely seaside town located in the town of Devon in south-west England, Paignton has a population of around 48,000 and lies on Torbay between the equally popular resorts of Torquay and Brixham. For many centuries just a small fishing village Paignton traces its history back to the times of the ancient Celts, though it is first recorded as a settlement in the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was called Peynton, a name derived from the Celtic language meaning “town of Paega”. Paignton mostly grew as a town during the 19th century when a new harbour was constructed (1847) to improve the towns seabound communications, and the railway arrived, linking the town with London via Torquay. The town grew considerably after this taking in several surrounding villages such as Preston and Goodrington. Becoming popular as a seaside resort during the Victorian period due to its fine weather and healthy atmosphere, Paignton has its pier erected in 1879, in the height of the British seaside resort era in the 1960’s the Festival Theatre opened to provide entertainment for its many visitors. Paignton has plenty of guest houses and hotels, should you wish to stay overnight or for a holiday and such establishments as the Preston Sands Hotel should prove adequate for your needs, larger hotels are of course available as are holiday cottages in the surrounding villages, which may be your preferred accommodation. When staying in Paignton you should take a day out to visit the nearby Dartmoor National Park, a large area of great natural beauty with many charming little villages and some interesting archaeological sites. Paignton can be reached by road by way of the A380, can be reached by rail, and is also within easy driving distance of Exeter airport, it is about 20 miles from Exeter, only 8 miles from Newton Abbot and its racecourse, and just 2 miles from Torquay.

August 27, 2009

Totnes Dartford Brixham and Paignton Devon

Filed under: England,United Kingdom — Tags: , , , , , — needahand @ 1:20 pm

The coast of South Devon has some wonderful places to visit and among these are four towns close together in the area around Torbay and the River Dart. Totnes, Dartford, Brixham and Paignton all have long and interesting histories and all merit a visit if you are in the region. Totnes (so the legend goes!) was where Brutus of Troy landed on the island which he was to name Britain, nice story but unlikely to be true. Totnes is however an interesting place to visit and was at one time one of the wealthiest towns in England. At the mouth of the Dart estuary the fishing port of Dartmouth was significant way back in the 12th century, and was the port from which many of the Crusaders set sail in both 1147 and 1190, Dartmouth has seen many notable departures and landings since those early times, it now attracts tourists in their thousands who visit to soak up the atmosphere of this ancient port. Just north of Dartmouth is the fishing town of Brixham, still notable for its fishing, but these days also more reliant on tourism for its survival.  Among Brixham’s many attractions is a replica of Sir Francis Drake’s ship – The Golden Hind. A little further north still find you in Paignton, another historic coastal town which has become a renowned family holiday resort. Paignton was for many centuries a small fishing village, but grew in importance after a harbour was built in 1837, railway links with London fuelled this growth. Paignton beach and the nearby Preston Sands are big attractions for the area. Devon Map.

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