In this exciting project Torquay Museum has created a free outdoor trail of large format historic images of the area, sited close to where they were originally taken, creating ‘windows in time’. Some of the images date back 175 years, to around the time the museum was established, and allow passers-by a glimpse into Torbay’s past. Working with Torbay Council, many of these images have been mounted onto buildings around Torquay and Paignton, creating an easy to navigate trail.
Starting at Torquay train station you can travel along the seafront to Beacon Cove, then around the harbour and through the centre of Torquay to St Mary Magdalene Church, finding windows into the past along the way. A trail sheet is available to download for more help finding the 25 historic images – two of which are in Paignton. Discover lost buildings, dramatic events and people from the past. See Torbay’s history as never before, where it happened!
For an extra challenge why not search each picture for an object that shouldn’t be there? Each picture has an item from the Museum’s collection cleverly hidden in it. Can you find them all? Find just 10 of the 25 possible objects and you can claim a prize from the Museum for your efforts. Just pop in after we reopen on the 17th May with a list of what you have found.
The Windows in Time exhibition is one part of the celebrations for Torquay Museum’s 175th anniversary – also coming up are a special exhibition and a celebratory pageant. See our website and social media for details.
Windows in Time was only possible due to the help of Torbay Council in securing permission to put up many of the images. Many other local organisations have also helped by offering spaces for the images, which make use of boarded up windows and doorways. The project was funded with a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.