I left Paignton, my home town, for university in 1965 and, more permanently, in 1968, after my father died and our house was sold. I made few return visits to Torbay until 2008, when I was gathering information for a book on the famous marine natural historian Philip Henry Gosse, and his son Edmund, who lived in St Marychurch, Torquay: I needed to make visits to his old home, to Torquay Museum, and to places along the coast where he had collected.
Since then, nostalgia for my childhood haunts took hold and I try and make an annual visit, although COVID-19 put paid to that for a while. It means that I have sampled a number of hotels in Torquay: The Imperial (that was not particularly impressive); The Livermead Cliff (that has a wonderful location as its best feature); and the Premier Inn (that I knew from childhood as the Belgrave Hotel, and which I now prefer, as it offers a very good standard package, being part of a large group). Unfortunately, none compare with some of the hotels that I have stayed in elsewhere.
During the years I spent researching the book, I stayed at the Livermead House Hotel and enjoyed its retro style – what I have called 1950s seaside chic – complete with Mr Rew, and his deputy, appearing in full “white-tie and tails” evening dress. Breakfast was accompanied by a selection of Everly Brothers hits and dinner by a pianist who played various showtime hits, etc. During the times when I was there, most of my fellow residents were from coach parties and they were given a guard of honour by staff as they left the hotel to board their coach for the journey home. I also remember visiting the Livermead House Hotel at the time boisterous Young Farmers were holding their annual conference in Torquay, with some young farmers staying with us. All these memories were triggered as I was completing a jigsaw puzzle by Susan Holbeche, where the Livermead House Hotel is seen on the left [1].
It wasn’t the 1950s ambience that drew me to the hotel, it was its association with Charles Kingsley and Henry Gosse, and I have written about their friendship [2], and the connection of the former with the original Livermead House (a picture of which is given on the hotel website [3]). Although the hotel bears a blue plaque to celebrate Kingsley’s stay, few people probably know of how he came to be there and the significance of his friendship with Henry Gosse. It’s a story worth telling.
[1] https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=28acb15f861b
[2] http://www.rwotton.blogspot.com/2016/05/charles-kingsley-creation-and-evolution.html
[3] https://www.livermead.com/torbay-hotel/about-us
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