Torre Railway Station Including Bridge Across The Line

TORQUAY

SX9064 NEWTON ROAD 885-1/13/454 (South side) 10/01/75 Torre Railway Station including bridge across the line

GV II

Station. 1848 for Brunel's South Devon Railway, enlarged 1882. Timber-framed, clad with horizontal boarding imitating banded rustication; low-pitched slate roof, hipped at ends; stacks with brick shafts with corbelled cornices. Italianate style. PLAN: Waiting rooms and offices in a building with canopies over both forecourt and platform. Front to platform infilled but canopy intact. Covered bridge across platform. EXTERIOR: Single-storey. Forecourt elevation of original block symmetrical 1:3:1-bay front, the end bays broken forward: eaves carried over as canopy on large curved timber brackets with pendants. Outer bays have Gibbs windows with pilaster frames and keyblocks, glazed with plate-glass sashes. Simpler triple window with round-headed lights in centre, flanked by 2-leaf panelled doors each with pilaster frames, overlight above cornice on brackets. 3 bays to left and right are set back and in a matching style. The entrance to the extreme left. On the platform side there is a deep 12-bay matchboarded canopy with fretted fascia on cast-iron brackets, the spandrels with stylized foliage; columns concealed by concrete block infill. Entrance to steps to bridge with fluted columns and decorated spandrels. Bridge supported at higher end on groups of 4 columns with Egyptian decoration with iron lattice balustrades, lead hipped canopy and timber finials. INTERIOR: Not inspected. HISTORY: The station was opened on 18 December 1848. The first train decorated with evergreens and flags covered the 6 miles between Newton and Torre in 13 minutes (Ellis). (Ellis CA: An Historical Survey of Torquay, 2nd edition: 1930-: P.427-428).

Listing NGR: SX9035564847