The English Riviera is rightly renowned as one of the UK’s foremost sun, sea and sand destinations. Less well known is its status as a mecca for those seeking geological, literary and cultural pursuits, but the English Riviera has it all, in spades!

UNESCO Global Geopark

One of only eight in the UK, the English Riviera has been awarded UNESCO Global Geopark status. A Geopark is an area of unique geological interest, designated by UNESCO. A place where you can touch a very special part of the Earth’s story and be amazed by the extraordinary landscapes, mountains, coastlines, places and people. UNESCO Global Geoparks share the story of our Planet. 

The English Riviera Global Geopark is Naturally Inspiring.  It shares stories of a landscape untouched by glaciation unseen elsewhere in the world; stories of tropical seas and scorching deserts, raised beaches and drowned forests, hippopotami and mammoth, straight-tusked elephant and sabre-toothed tiger, cave bear and earliest man.

And nowhere are these stories more evident than at Kents Cavern, one of Europe’s top Stone Age caves, Torquay Museum where exhibits transport you back over 400 million years and Berry Head Nature Reserve, an internationally-acclaimed heritage site, home to a fascinating variety of wildlife and history.

Writers on the Riviera

Take a literary tour around the English Riviera and uncover the places and stories of the greatest writers of all time, who, for the past 200 years, have flocked here.

They came and they left their mark: sent on doctor’s orders, to relax in our warm climate, to promenade with the well-heeled, debate with the greatest minds and to be inspired by the stunning coastline. Now you can follow in their illustrious footsteps and find the indelible traces they’ve left.

And we can’t mention Writers on the Riviera without highlighting  Agatha Christie, who was born in Torquay and remained on the English Riviera for much of her life, writing her first novel whilst working at the Dispensary in the temporary war hospital at Torquay Town Hall and who is celebrated in the annual International Agatha Christie Festival.

Museums and Galleries

Museum lovers are spoilt for choice when it comes to exploring the history, culture and heritage of the English Riviera.  Torre Abbey Museum, Torquay Museum and Brixham Heritage Museum are all excellent attractions and should definitely be included on any holiday itinerary. There are also some fantastic smaller visitor centres that are definitely worth visiting, including Brixham Battery, Berry Head Visitor Centre and the National Coastwatch Institution Visitor Centre on Daddyhole Plain.

For art lovers, Cockington Court Craft Centre at the heart of the naturally beautiful Cockington Country Park and Torre Abbey, Torquay’s most historic building dating back to 1196 are sites not to be missed.

And for lovers of all things both eccentric and nostalgic, make sure you include a few hours at Bygones in St Marychurch as part of your holiday plans.

Architectural Heritage

The modern character of the English Riviera has been shaped, in large part, by our history as seaside resorts. Tourists began visiting in large numbers in the 19th century, starting an explosion of development and a ‘golden age’ of prosperity that lasted until the Second World War.

The architectural heritage from this period includes large numbers of villas, civic buildings, shops, churches, entertainment spaces, public gardens, and tourist infrastructure. In Torquay, the town’s former wealth is evident everywhere in the grand style of its historic buildings and open spaces. The scale of development during this period means that late Georgian, Victorian, and early 20th century architecture is prominent and makes up the majority of the built environment.

One of the most distinctive characteristics of the resorts’ buildings, gardens and artefacts is the influence of Italianate design. It was consciously imported and reimagined in an effort to create a Mediterranean-style resort in a northern European setting – an ‘English Riviera’. Fine examples can be seen at Oldway Mansion, built by the American sewing machine manufacturer, Isaac Singer, Lupton House, a historic manor house, built by the Sheriff of Devon in Palladian Style with Italianate gardens and Greenway House, latterly Agatha Christie’s holiday home.

So whether you’re a history buff, a cultural connoisseur or an architectural addict, the English Riviera is the place for you!