RICS Chartered Surveyors Plymouth Devon

Approximate Population: 250,700

Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about 190 miles (310 km) south west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound. Since 1967 the unitary authority of Plymouth has included the suburbs of Plympton and Plymstock, which are on the east side of the River Plym.

Plymouth’s history goes back to the Bronze Age, when its first settlement grew at Mount Batten. This settlement continued to grow as a trading post for the Roman Empire, until the more prosperous village of Sutton, the current Plymouth, surpassed it. In 1620 the Pilgrim Fathers left Plymouth for the New World and established Plymouth Colony — the second English settlement in what is now the United States of America. During the English Civil War the town was held by the Parliamentarians and was besieged between 1642 and 1646.

The city was heavily bombed by the Germans during World War II in a series of 59 raids known as the Plymouth Blitz.  Although the dockyards were the principal targets, much of the city centre and over 3,700 houses were completely destroyed and more than 1,000 civilians lost their lives.  The redevelopment of the city was planned by Sir Patrick Abercrombie in 1943 and by 1964 over 20,000 new homes had been built.  Most of the shops had been destroyed and those that remained were cleared to enable a zoned reconstruction according to his plan.  

Charles Church was hit by incendiary bombs and partially destroyed in 1941 during the Blitz, but has not been demolished, as it is now an official permanent monument to the bombing of Plymouth during World War II.  Devonport Dockyard was kept busy refitting aircraft carriers such as the Ark Royal.   By the time this work ended in the late 1970s the nuclear submarine base was operational.   The army had substantially left the city by 1971, with barracks pulled down in the 1960s, however the city has become home to the 42 Commando of the Royal Marines.

RICS Chartered Surveyors Plymouth Devon

RICS Chartered Surveyors Torquay Devon

Approximate Population: 63,998

Torquay is a town in the unitary authority of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies 16 miles (26 kilometres) south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, 38 miles (61 km) north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay.

Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the 2001 UK Census made it the third largest settlement in Devon. If the Torbay area, of which Torquay forms a third, were to be recognised as a city, as incumbent Torbay Mayor Nicholas Bye has proposed, it would rank as the 45th largest city in the United Kingdom with a population only slightly less than that of Brighton, which was granted city status in 2000. During the peak summer season the resort’s population swells to around 200,000.

The town’s economy was initially based upon fishing and agriculture as in the case of Brixham across Torbay, but in the early 19th century the town began to develop into a fashionable seaside resort, initially frequented by members of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars while the Royal Navy anchored in the bay and later by the crème de la crème of Victorian society as the town’s fame spread. Renowned for its healthful climate, the town earned the nickname of the English Riviera and favourable comparisons to Montpellier.

Torquay was the home of the writer Agatha Christie, who lived most of her life in Torqay. The town contains an “Agatha Christie Mile”, a museum dedicated to her life and work.

Torquay’s name originates in it being the quay of the ancient village of Torre. In turn, Torre takes its name from the tor, the extensively quarried remains of which can be seen by the town’s Tor Hill Road.

RICS Chartered Surveyors Torquay Devon

RICS Chartered Surveyors Torbay Devon

Approximate Population: 134,200

Torbay is an east-facing bay and natural harbour, at the western most end of Lyme Bay in the south-west of England, situated roughly midway between the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. Historically part of the county of Devon, Torbay was made a unitary authority on April 1, 1998. Tourist authorities call it the English Riviera on account of its beaches and mild climate; it is a popular area with holiday makers.

There are three main towns around the bay: Torquay in the north, Paignton in the centre, and Brixham in the south, which have become connected over the years, swallowing up villages and towns such as St Marychurch, Cockington, Marldon, Churston Ferrers and Galmpton.

The County Borough of Torbay was created in 1968 by the amalgamation of the Municipal Borough of Torquay, Urban District of Paignton and Urban District of Brixham, also taking in parts of the civil parishes of Coffinswell and Kerswells from Newton Abbot Rural District and Churston Ferrers and Marldon from Totnes Rural District. The County Borough became the Borough of Torbay under local government reorganisation in 1974. In October 2005 Torbay became the first area of the South West to have an elected Mayor with Nick Bye being the successful candidate.

Famous former residents of Torbay include authors Agatha Christie (who set many of her novels in a thinly disguised version of the borough), Charles Kingsley, Edmund Gosse and Rudyard Kipling,Peter Cook comic (half of the famous pair Dudley and Cook) the great industrialist and architect of the nearby Atmospheric railway, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Prog-rock band Wishbone Ash, and supermodel Lily Cole also come from the borough. Russell Grant horoscope writer and presenter.The BBC1 actress Rebekah Gibbs who played Nina Farr in Casualty and current Pink TV (France) presenter Mark Binmore also originate from the area.

RICS Chartered Surveyors Torbay Devon

RICS Chartered Surveyors Exeter Devon

Approximate Population: 122,400

Exeter is a city, district and county town of Devon, England.   Exeter is located approximately 37 miles (60 km) northeast of Plymouth, and 70 miles (110 km) southwest of Bristol, on the River Exe.   The city has a population of 111,076 according to the 2001 Census.

The city of Exeter was established on the eastern bank of the River Exe on a ridge of land backed by a steep hill. It is at this point that the Exe, having just been joined by the River Creedy, opens onto a wide flood plain and estuary which results in quite common flooding. Historically this was the lowest bridging point of the River Exe which was tidal and navigable up to the city until the construction of weirs later in its history. This combined with the easily defensible higher ground of the ridge made the current location of the city a natural choice for settlement and trade. In George Oliver’s The History of the City of Exeter, it is noted that the most likely reasons for the original settling of what would become modern Exeter was the “fertility of the surrounding countryside” and the area’s “beautiful and commanding elevation [and] its rapid and navigable river”. Its woodland would also have been ideal for natural resources and hunting.

Exeter was the most south-westerly Roman fortified settlement in Britain and has existed since time immemorial.   Exeter Cathedral, founded in 1050 is Anglican.

Tourism forms a vital part of the city’s economy, and in 2004 Exeter was granted Fairtrade City status.   Exeter has been identified as one of the top ten most profitable locations for a business to be based.  The city has good transport links, with Exeter St David’s railway station, Exeter Central railway station, the M5 motorway and Exeter International Airport connecting the city both nationally and internationally.  Its proximity to Cornwall, a big tourist draw in the UK, also adds to its attraction.

RICS Chartered Surveyors Exeter Devon