Friends of Oldway

30/04/2026

Today inside Oldway Mansion. The doors and windows are being removed or protected for renovation.

21/04/2026

I had a flying visit back to Paignton this weekend. Happy to see the progress of scaffolding and roofing works, sorry to see the limited access and parking, but of course it is necessary. My Siblings and I were happy to make a donation of a large number of plants for the new Sensory Garden (Between Little Oldway and the Lime walk and croquet lawn) in Memory of our Mum, Win Hughes. it is officially opening today I believe, so please support the hard work of the Oldway Garden Volunteers and visit if you can. "Mums" Garden is to the left as you enter. There will be seating in the future from the fallen trees, it will be a lovely place to sit. - Kathy Hughes

15/02/2026

15/02/2026

Agenda for the Monastery Meeting today.
Hope to see you there.
Cllr Cat Johns

10/02/2026

09/01/2026

Please get involved and have ypur say

Our Heritage Matters!

Help to define the next chapter for Torquay Pavilion.

Torbay Council are calling on you to help shape the next chapter of the iconic Torquay Pavilion as a major new Options Appraisal gets underway.

Led by a small team of local consultants and backed by funding from us, Arts Council England, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, this work marks a significant step toward securing a sustainable, long term future for one of the Bay’s most treasured heritage landmarks.
Feedback from residents, businesses, and stakeholders will help the council understand the needs and aspirations of different demographic and market groups. These insights will shape a shortlist of potential uses, with the most viable options tested before a preferred proposal is developed.

Share your views in the consultation and help shape a Pavilion that’s viable, vibrant and ready for the next century - https://orlo.uk/Ev5MC

31/12/2025

𝗧𝗼𝗿𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 – 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱

Dear Supporters,

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Today is the 12th anniversary of our campaign, with 2025 being one of the most pivotal years. Here is a summary of the year and what we’re expecting to happen next:

The year began with the removal of a building compound outside and a long-awaiting protective hoarding which went up around the site, putting an end to months of vandalism and intrusions. Meanwhile, the fountain in Cary Green was finally fixed after 9 years.

May was a major month. We were thrilled to secure national coverage for the campaign by nominating Torquay Pavilion for the Victorian Society’s Top 10 at risk buildings. The outpouring of support nationally and internationally to save the building was incredible, with the campaign surpassing 10000 followers. The same month, MW Benney Ltd began the ‘opening up’ works on the building to establish to extent of the structural damage. We also received a long-awaited update on the statue of Britannia, symbol of our campaign, that she is being safely stored away.

We are delighted that the opening-up by MW Benney Ltd over the last 8 months has succeeded in making the Pavilion watertight for the first time in well over a decade. Temporary rainwater goods were fitted to divert water away from the roof and terrace that had previously leaked into the building causing steel corrosion and plaster damage. Windows have been temporarily removed and safely stored and labelled. The further deterioration of Torquay Pavilion has ceased.

What next? 2026 will, from the outside, be a quiet year. The Council has begun a ‘full options appraisal’ funded jointly by them, Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund to find a viable future use, or uses, for the building. The aim is to sort this in time for a full restoration to begin by the end of next year, which will then take 2-3 years. On this basis, the restored Torquay Pavilion may reopen by Christmas 2029, 16 years after our campaign began.

We made a commitment well over a decade ago to continue for as long as it took to save this special place. We’re on the home straight now and we owe it all to the public support that has been steadfast throughout.

Photo: James Davies, Historic England.

27/11/2025

𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗿𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻

Dear Supporters,

We hope you have all been well. Today, representatives of the campaign to Save Torquay Pavilion were granted access to the building. 13 years since lasting going inside, it is a huge relief to be back.

Behind the scenes, a great deal has been happening. Damaged plasterwork has been removed and labelled, and many parts of the building have been opened up to inspect the steel frame beneath. Almost all stained glass windows have been taken out and carefully stored and labelled. Statues of Mercury have been taken down and placed in storage.

Over the coming days, we will share some of the pictures taken inside as we want you to have all the latest updates and information. In the first picture below, we are in one of the parts worst-affected by steel corrosion, the Princess Gardens side. When workers attempted to open the doors some months ago, they would not budge - the original 1912 steel had failed and the masonry and doors had become load-bearing. Temporary supports are now in place to bear the load. In other parts, however, it's a far better picture. The Cary Green side, for example, is in much better condition and everything can be repaired and restored.

We have been impressed by the level of dedication and care that workers have shown and how carefully organised everything is inside. Great care has been taken to categorise and protect historic features and not to cut corners as happened in the past. It is anticipated that the current phase of works will conclude in December.

More to follow.

29/08/2025

Yesterday myself and the amazing Tearoom volunteers (and a few good friends) got together for one last time. Thankyou to Devonmade for staying open later for us. I am off to pastures new in Scotland next week, so we enjoyed 1 last coffee together. When we had the idea of reopening Oldway Tearooms the support we had from the public (well most of them) was amazing, as was the help and guidance from the relevant Council officers and the Lib Dem/Ind Council Administration. Then we found our volunteers, how lucky we were, what a team, we couldnt have opened or achieved what we did without them. Today we remembered some of the events we held with a lot of love and laughter. On my way there I walked through Oldway to say goodbye to the mansion, coincidentally I bumped into a contractor who came to say hello and without prompting pointed at the scaffolding and said I hope you are proud that the Friends managed to keep Oldway in the public eye and helped towards this happening. I was so grateful for that comment. Then as I was taking photos 1 of our regular 4 legged customers Betty came running over, that made my day. (Photo of Moira and Betty below). Also a big thankyou to our lovely customers, what a loyal bunch of people you were. So it's goodbye from Friends of Oldway Tearooms and me. Kathy Hughes but the Friends of Oldway will hopefully resurrect one day when the project has progressed a little further@.

18/08/2025

Quite an in depth technical update on the work at the Pavilion. But for all the doubters that nothing is happened, have a look inside. PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT OLDWAY, THIS IS THE PAVILION.