Twenty Things You Never Knew About Torre Abbey

1. Built in 1196 Torre Abbey is not only Torquay’s oldest building, but also the best surviving mediaeval monastery in Devon and Cornwall.
   
   
2. The Abbey extends to 600 square metres, and is divided into 122 rooms rambling over twenty different levels with 265 individual steps.  Thanks to a new lift, and imaginative use of interconnecting ramps, 90% of the building is now accessible to wheelchairs.
   
   
3. An Abbey first appeared at the end of the 12^th century when six Canons of the Premonstratensian order arrived from the 'parent house' of Welbeck Abbey, Nottinghamshire – to pray for the souls of King Richard Coeur de Lion and his father King Henry II.  Premonstratensian Canons and Canonesses follow the strict rule of St Augustine; and their name can be traced to Premontré  in France.  The order continues today, with Canons still wearing the distinctive white habits that led them to be known as the “White Canons”.
   
   
4. One of the first new displays that visitors will see when the Abbey re-opens is a slate grave slab uncovered during excavations by a team from the Museum of London's archaeology service, featuring a stunning tree-of-life carving in near perfect condition.  Dating from the 14^th century the slab was revealed under the cloister walk and would have covered the grave of one of the Abbey's Cannons.
   
   
5. The Tithe Barn was built around the 1200s to store taxes paid to the Abbey in the form of grain, hay and other farm produce from vast tracks of farmlands across Devon.  It is one of the finest early medieval barns in England.  The barn’s place in the history books was firmly established when it was used to hold prisoners captured by Sir Francis Drake from the ‘Rosario’, a flagship of the Spanish Armada.  The ‘Rosario’ was among the first of the Spanish Fleet to come to grief and was towed into Tor Bay.  The 397 prisoners from the ship were held in the barn for two weeks, making it the only surviving Armada prison in England.  The Spanish Barn is open to visitors and is now a popular venue for special events, exhibitions and of course - barn dances!
   
   
6. A Gatehouse was built in the 1380.  The Canons were known to have been armed, and considered themselves to be protectors of Tor Bay against attack from foreign invaders.
   
   
7. By the end of the 15^th century Torre had become the wealthiest Premonstratensian Abbey in England - owning land in Devon and Lincolnshire.  This enabled the Canons not only to build Torquay’s first proper harbour, but also to also establish a new town - “Newton Abbot”.
   
   
8. When King Henry VIII ordered the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, the abbey church was demolished and the remaining buildings were gradually converted into a private house – eventually bought in 1662 by the local Cary family who lived there for over 300 years (and who used the Tithe Barn as a stable, and later as a garage for Colonel Cary's Daimler car!).
   
   
9. The Dining Room originally formed part of the Abbot's private apartment.  After the Cary family moved into Torre Abbey, they converted the loft space above this room into a secret chapel.  In 1776, when saying mass was still illegal, the Carys were bold enough to build a prominent Chapel in what was once the Abbot’s guest hall.  The only Roman Catholic place of worship in Torquay until 1854, it has remained in use ever since.
   
   
10. The Earl St Vincent, a distant relative of Mrs Cary, was commander of the channel fleet and stayed at Torre Abbey in 1800 - orchestrating defences against Napoleon.  A procession of naval officers visited the abbey during this time, including Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson.
    
    
11. The widow of prominent Victorian statuary sculptor Frederick Thrupp, gifted much of his surviving work to Torquay between 1911 and 1916.  His work – the largest surviving collection from a Victorian sculptor's studio - is a significant feature of art collection.
    
    
12. Torre Abbey was purchased by the local authority in 1930 for £40,000 as an art gallery - a use that continues to this day.  It displays the town’s art collection with many items having been donated by wealthy, local residents over the years.  Three small paintings of a small fishing village dating from the 1780s are among the earliest known views of Torquay.  The Exile'\s Departure, meanwhile, depicts the scene in nearby St Mary’s Bay on August 7, 1815, when Napoleon was transferred to HMS Northumberland for transportation to exile on the island of St.Helena.
    
    
13. The Abbey was used as a base by the Royal Airforce during World War II, with the historic Tithe Barn being used as a gymnasium!
    
    
14. During the mediaeval period the Canons used part of the gardens as a cemetery and the remainder to grow herbs, vegetables and medicinal plants.  They also planted an orchard.  The Cary family added a flower garden to supply cut flowers for the house.  In the 20^th century a palm house and New Zealand border were added, taking advantage of the area's renowned micro-climate, and giving Torquay one of its most famous symbols.
    
    
15. Since its foundation in 1196 Torre Abbey has been a place of faith, artistic expression and welcome.  The mediaeval canons were renowned for their hospitality, as were the Cary family – so much so that the Abbey was once dubbed “the George Hotel” (George being the Cary’s favourite family name).  In the late 20^th century Torbay’s Mayors used the parlour to receive important guests.
    
    
16. Any building over 800 years old is bound to acquire some ghost stories.  The most famous at Torre Abbey s the tale of the Spanish Lady, one of the prisoners who was captured on board the 'Rosario'.  But another ghost is said to be that of Lady Cary, dressed in a ball gown, and being driven through the Abbey in a brightly lit horse-drawn carriage.
    
    
17. A contemporary style cloister has been constructed during the restoration project - providing a central circulation space for the buildings and the gardens.  Features of the building that have been hidden for centuries will also be accessible to the public for the first time, including a decorative wall painting of the early 13^th century, evidence of the enlargement of the south and west ranges, and the discovery of a series of late 17^th century window frames.
    
    
18. The Abbey was officially closed for its restoration by David Suchet, who has strong local connections, particularly through his portrayal of Hercule Poirot (Agatha Christie was born and grew up in Torquay).  He still has the key and will be invited back to unlock the door!
    
    
19. The restoration work – costing a total of £6.5-million, and started in 2004 - has also introduced some striking contemporary craft and design to the Abbey.  New elements include modern glass doors, ironwork and grave-markers in coloured concretes.  A void provides a vista through four floors of the Abbey to a skylight roof above, and will enable visitors to see the northern wall of the south range of the Abbey that has been hidden since around 1600.  A new atrium over the kitchen stairs, meanwhile, will help visitors to appreciate the function of the former kitchen courtyard, and see some important 'finds' in this part of the Abbey.
    
    
20. Torre Abbey re-opens to the public on 5 July 2008.