Post by Dave on Jul 19, 2018 15:29:37 GMT
Torre Abbey 19th July 2018
Are you someone like me who have driven past Torre Abbey hundreds of times, but have never thought of actually visiting the Abbey. Today I decided to put that right and once again left the car in the garage and bought another Stagecoach dayrider ticket. I must confess I really love the number 122 open topped buses we now have in the Bay and could ride on them all day long.
The Abbey is now more an art gallery and there are some wonderful paintings in there, once you pay to enter there are three floors to explore at your leisure. It is rather fun finding your away around the Abbey and you can learn all you want to about the history of the Abbey.
The gardens are nice to walk around and here you will find old ruins of the Abbey and a large tropical greenhouse. I really enjoyed my visit to the Abbey and just had to take even more shots of our wonderful seafront.
People always want to moan about Torbay, yes there are some problems, but just look around and see the real beauty of the place we call home, because we really are the lucky ones.
History Of Torre Abbey
In 1196 six Premonstratensian canons from the Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire founded Torre Abbey when William Brewer, lord of the manor of Torre, gave them land. By 1536 the Abbey's annual income made it the wealthiest of all the Premonstratensian houses in England.The canons surrendered to King Henry's VIII commissioner in 1539 at the Dissolution of the Monasteries and immediately thereafter in 1539 a 21-year lease of the site and demesne of Torre Abbey was acquired by Sir Hugh I Pollard (fl.1535,1545), lord of the manor of King's Nympton, Sheriff of Devon in 1535/6 and Recorder of Barnstaple in 1545. In 1543 Pollard acquired the freehold from John St. Leger (d.1596) of Annery, who had himself acquired it in 1543 with other lands from the king in exchange for other lands and payment of a cash balance.
Dissolution resulted in a widescale demolition of the church and east range, and all items of value, including the lead from the roofs, were taken. The south and west ranges were mostly unscathed and, in 1598, were converted into a house for Thomas Ridgeway. After a succession of various owners, the house became the possession of the Cary family in 1662. It stayed in the family until 1930 when, during worldwide economic crisis, financial difficulties forced Commander Henry Cary to sell it to Torquay Borough Council.
It has since been used as a municipal art gallery; the mayor's parlour and, during World War II, it was used by the Royal Air Force. Torre Abbey is owned and managed by Torbay Council. After a £6.5 million refurbishment made possible by grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and the Friends of Torre Abbey, Torre Abbey reopened in July 2008.
The main abbey comprises two Grade I listed buildings. Though the church is little more than a ruin, the west and south sides of the cloisters are still standing. The gatehouse dates from around 1380, and the barrel vault above the chapel, formerly the guest hall, dates from the 15th century. The tithe barn, built along with the abbey in the early thirteenth century, is known as The Spanish Barn after it was used for fourteen days to hold 397 prisoners of war from the Spanish Armada in 1588.
Around 1740 the buildings underwent extensive alterations, giving them a Georgian remodelling that is mostly intact today. The Cary family invested in further reconstructions throughout the 19th century, including the construction of a small brewery.
