Preston (Paignton) and Oldway Mansion
As Paignton (and Torbay in general) began to expand, then it was only a matter of time before other small adjacent villages were added to the urban area’s population. For Paignton, it included the villages of Goodrington to the south, and Preston to the north.
Preston sits between Old Paignton and the boundary with Torquay at Hollicombe, and over the years has expanded up the hill inland, but from a visitor’s perspective the main points of interest are the beach, known as Preston Sands, and Oldway Mansion.
At low tide Preston Sands are a continuation of Paignton Beach, but is generally regarded as the shoreline between the Redcliffe Hotel and Hollicombe Head. It’s a safe beach ideal for sunbathing and swimming, as well as rock-pooling at Hollicombe Head.
The promenade is lined with Beach Huts, many of which are owned by locals, but there are also council owned huts as well which can be hired out. There is also a Green where ball games can be played if you have the energy, but as there are fewer commercial attractions than the main Paignton Seafront, it tends to be a bit quieter.
The Redcliffe Hotel is a prominent landmark and was a favourite holiday location for the steeplechase jockey and author Dick Francis. Of all the things that he achieved he’ll probably best be remembered for the one thing that he didn’t: In the 1956 Grand National he was riding the Queen Mother’s horse, Devon Loch, and was one of the favourites to win. He was leading comfortably on the home stretch when for some inexplicable reason the horse fell with just yards to go. After that, he packed up racing and concentrated on writing; his first book was an autobiography called The Sport of Queens, which included his account of the race. His second book, called Dead Cert was turned into a film.
For over 60 years from 1951 onwards, Dick Francis and his family came to the Redcliffe Hotel for their annual holiday, even after he moved to Florida and then the Cayman Islands, where he died in 2010. The hotel has a suite named after him.
There’s also a suite named after Isadora Duncan, the famous American dancer, who had an affair with Paris Singer who lived at the nearby Oldway Mansion.
The mansion was built for Isaac Merritt Singer, the American founder of the Singer Sewing Machine Company who came here to live out his retirement, which he did until he died in 1875. His grave can be seen in Torquay cemetery.
It seems like Isaac had time for pursuits other than business because Paris, who was born in the city of the same name, was his twenty third child, and why he was able to inherit his father’s home at Oldway I can’t say – but he did – and turned it into his very own Palace of Versailles.
On entering the building there is a Grand Staircase, where in the Gallery above, a huge painting dominates the main wall. It’s a replica of the original that Paris Singer bought in 1898. The original by Jacques-Louis David is entitled Le Sacre de Napoleon (Coronation of Napoleon) and was here until 1946. It was sold to the French government who passed it on to the Palace of Versailles. It now hangs in the Salle du Sacre which is where it was always intended to be. The painting depicts Napoleon crowning Empress Josephine in Notre Dame in 1804.
On the first floor Gallery you can see a mini ‘Hall of Mirrors’ with its parquet floor and marble walls and balustrades, and even the mansion’s gardens have a Parisian look about them. Ok, Versailles it’s not, but it’s without doubt Paignton’s most remarkable building.
Paris Singer lived here until his affair with Isadora Duncan came to an end in 1917, and from then on, the mansion had several different uses until the Paignton Urban District Council bought it from the Singer family in 1946.
The council used it for offices including the registry office, but in 2012 it was decided to sell it off. After 4 years of protracted negotiations with Akkeron Hotels the deal was abandoned, and the council was left with a massive headache on what to do with it. In the meantime, the building fell further and further into decay with no private investor willing to take on the huge investment needed to bring it back to its former glory. The present situation (June 2025) is that the council still own it, and with the help of several grants, are embarking on a restoration programme which will inevitably take quite some time. Meanwhile the public are still able to wander around the grounds which are well maintained and looked after by both the local council and an army of dedicated volunteers.
You may have noticed that all the pictures in this post so far have been taken in fine weather: Below are some pictures of Preston seafront when it’s not.
ORIGINAL POST – JUNE 2018
LATEST UPDATE – JUNE 2025
Originally posted 2018-06-09 06:13:06.
I LOVE this post. The old man ‘Singer’ sure was something…..
He certainly was. Preston is the area of Torbay that I live in – so now you know.
What a nice trip around this fascinating place!
As you can image, I really appreciated the connection you made with Isadora Duncan and her son
Thanks for reading it Luisa. I hope it added to your enormous depth of literary knowledge 🙂
I found it simply wonderful, dear Malc 🌹
🙂
Just stumbled across this site as I’m trying to find out what was originally on the land at Cecil Avenue? In my mind I see an old school or building about 40 years ago but no one else can remember it !
Hi Sue, I don’t think I’m going to be much help here I’m afraid. I’ve lived in Mariners Way for the last 24 years and I only remember Cecil Avenue as it looks now. Have you tried Nextdoor Shorton?
No I haven’t so thanks
When I saw this blog’s title I thought it was going to be about Lancashire! I have never heard of this Preston. It looks well worth a visit, although it’s a shame that at present it isn’t usually possible to see inside Oldway Mansion – how did you manage it?! I love the shot of the rough seas too 🙂
The pictures of inside Oldway I took a while ago when it was possible to take a look around. As for the rough seas, it just goes to prove that the sun doesn’t always shine in my pictures, regardless of what DAO thinks 🙂
Malcolm a pleasant trip around a bit of Preston . Thank you. Your pictures are good which enhances your writing.
I live at the top of the hill and I am amused to find what the locals call a windmill. There are indeed many streets with
the same name. It is however very distinctive and a Martello tower – I believe there are still a few around these parts.
Napolionic I believe to watch for invaders ships.
Once again cheers for the article more please!
Ginny, thanks for your kind words. I also live at the top of Preston and think I probably know the ‘windmill’ that you’re talking about, but I had no idea that it was a Martello Tower. Thanks for the info
Thankyou for showing the Oldway gardens. The beautiful interiors inside
Thank you for passing by. I hope it’s been of interest
Thank you. It is a very interesting article. Having moved to the area fairly recently I am glad to learn a bit more about it.
I’m glad you’ve found it interesting. Writing these things makes it more worthwhile. Thanks for taking a look
That does look like a remarkable building. I know that painting from Versailles, but I had never heard of Paris Singer.
I’m not sure where he got the original painting from