Built on seven hills, the "Queen of the English Riviera", as Torquay is also called, owes its development to the Napoleonic Wars. In anticipation of a French landing, troops were stationed here and houses built for their families.
Torquay's situation, sheltered by red cliffs and wooded hills, favors the growth of subtropical plants, and the
town's parks and gardens are a feast to the eye, with palms and other magnificently-colored Mediterranean vegetation. Around the busy harbor, into which numerous yachts as well as ferries from Alderney and Guernsey sail in summer, there are many Victorian buildings, most of which were built on the initiative of the Palk family between 1820 and 1860. Higher Terrace, Vaugham Parade and Hesketh Crescent were founded by Jacob Harvey and his sons in the mid-19th century.
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