Torre Abbey, Torquay, Devon - Museums Association

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Torre Abbey, Torquay, Devon

The wide-ranging displays in this recently redeveloped abbey have something for everyone, says Peter Mason
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Arriving at Torre Abbey by car you find yourself in a car park behind Torquay’s modern leisure centre. As you walk through a small line of trees, Torre Abbey is revealed, facing an open vista of green with the sea only 500 yards or so away.

One of the few abbeys to be built so near to the sea, it is a welcome sight to see that it has retained its green setting and views in the centre of a built-up area.

The abbey was built in the 12th century by canons from Nottinghamshire and by the 16th century it had become one of the wealthiest in the country.

Following the dissolution of the monasteries the church itself was demolished (the ruins now form part of the gardens) and the greater part of the buildings were converted into a house.

After a succession of owners, the house came into the possession of the Cary family in 1662. It stayed in the family until 1930 when financial difficulties forced Henry Cary to sell it to Torquay Council.

It has since been used as a municipal art gallery, the mayor’s parlour and, during the second world war, by the Royal Air Force. The story of the 800 years of the abbey’s history is told through a variety of interpretive techniques in a new gallery on the top floor.

A touchscreen brings up the stories of the abbot, steward and guest master and others who lived at Torre while it was an abbey; a lifelike talking statue of Thomas Ridgeway tells the story of how he bought the abbey and converted it to a home in 1598; a large interactive display allows visitors to hear summaries of various aspects of the history through a “time-machine”.

These and other interactive displays are enhanced by large panels with text and reproductions of paintings and by cases containing objects from the museum collection. Although the route around this gallery is not completely logical, its contents kept me absorbed and it offers something for every visitor.

Historic house and museum

Torre Abbey is an interesting blend of a historic house and museum and it has been made fully accessible by the recently completed restoration scheme.

Other galleries present the collection in a variety of different ways. Torquay’s important art collection is themed both by techniques and subject.

For example, an excellent display in a corridor gallery demonstrates How Artists Work, showing techniques used in watercolour, drawing, sculpture and printmaking illustrated by text and works from the collection.

Touchscreen reproductions of sketchbooks (a very good use of tablet computers) give visitors a vital glimpse at work in progress. Importantly, the narrative describing artists’ techniques is informative and unpatronising.

Themed galleries include England’s Green and Pleasant Land, Artists Abroad, The Grand Tour, Portraits, The Sea, Dartmoor and Seaside Fun.

My favourite work in this last gallery is the cartoon Hurrah for Holiday showing the local MP Ernest Brown, who had been responsible for introducing the Holidays with Pay Act in 1938 – a piece of legislation that had a major impact on the subsequent development of seaside towns such as Torquay.

However, these galleries are not just of local interest. They contain important works by artists such as Thomas Luny, William Holman Hunt and Dorothea Sharp.

They also contain works by artists with a connection to Torquay, such as the exquisite oil of St Ives that was painted in the early years of the 20th century by Boris Vladimirovic De Heroys.

The history of the Cary’s ownership of the abbey is an interesting one. Although Catholics were legally prevented from property ownership at the time they acquired it, a blind eye was turned and George Cary was knighted by Charles II in recognition of the family’s support for his father.

During the suppression of Catholicism, the family worshipped in a secret chapel in the attic.

Although Catholic services were banned until 1791, in 1776 the family built a chapel in the former guest hall of the abbey. The simplicity of the chapel is enhanced by an excellent soundscape activated by a movement sensor as the visitor enters.

Also surviving from the 18th-century alterations is the dining room, which is now displayed to illustrate a dinner hosted by George and Mrs Cary for the Earl and Lady Vincent and Horatio Nelson.

Here the soundscape is of a conversation between the Carys and their guests, whose faces are revealed in video images set in the silver place settings.

Pick and mix

Torre Abbey is a rambling building and it has no doubt been a challenge to display it effectively. The designers have been ingenious in their use of spaces.

For example, a room next to the main art galleries gives the public a rare chance to see how works of art are stored when they are not on display; and a small space adjacent to the toilets has been used to show objects found under floorboards and in the walls during building work and these are displayed behind cupboard doors and under flaps.

Another small area that might have been difficult to use contains the preparatory sketches for the Planets sequence of windows designed by British artist Edward Burne-Jones, illustrated with illuminated reproductions of some of the windows.

Torre Abbey is a “pick and mix” museum. All visitors will find something to enjoy, whether they are a holiday-maker coming in off the beach at Torquay on a wet day or someone who is particularly interested in religious and Catholic history, portraiture or sculpture.

To give Torre Abbey the time it deserves, especially if they visit the pleasant cafe, people will need more than the three hours parking I paid for. Perhaps the abbey would have more visitors staying for longer if the council offered them a rebate on the parking charges.

Peter Mason is a writer on culture

Project data

  • Cost £4.7m
  • Main funder Heritage Lottery Fund £2.8m
  • Exhibition design RFA Design
  • Conservation architect Architecton
  • Fit-out Idess
  • Restoration Kier
  • Project management Sweett Group


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