August is Torquay’s Other History Month.......

Throughout August the PRSD website will be running daily articles on those odd bits of Torquay’s history and culture that are often neglected or dismissed.

Torquay historian Kevin Dixon said

“The whole idea for an alternative history of Torquay came from some locals feeling excluded by the emphasis on the rich and famous, such as Agatha Christie. In fact, we almost called the site ‘Beyond Agatha Christie’ as we felt that there was so much more about our town. Over the years Torquay folk demanded the right to vote, fought cruelty against animals, lived with poverty, created art, music and poetry, experimented with alternative lifestyles, and made our town what it is today. The articles have been so popular that we are now working on a self-guided walk of Torquay town centre.”

Lee Morgan of the PRSD site said:

"The whole series of Torquay's Other History by Kevin Dixon features stories that are often overlooked and which can give a deeper understanding of the area we live in, and even a sense of pride.

"Our summer Torquay History Month is a time that we can focus on all of those stories, create a bit of a buzz and reflect on our history – whether it's the films and TV shows that have been shot in The Bay, the scandals around poor houses, or the famous characters that lived in or visited the area.

"Each article offers an insight into where we live and the community we belong to as well as shining a light onto the history and ideas of the nation. It's great to know what Beatrix Potter and George Eliot thought of Torquay, as well as knowing that it's featured in storylines for the soaps."

Torquay’s Other History can be found throughout August at: http://www.peoplesrepublicofsouthdevon.co.uk/

If you have any stories or tales which you would like to add to archive - please also visit the Torbay Connected webiste and its mash-up map where you can read the most amazing tales and stories about Torbay - and by adding your story you can help us build a better Bay as the data and map us accessed by planners, designers and arcitects all with the express purpose of ingraining the stories into the fabric of new developments - as we have started to do at Cockington and Royal Terrace Gardens.

http://torbayconnected.co.uk/map/

For more information visit http://www.peoplesrepublicofsouthdevon.co.uk/