22-640: The Babbacombe Theatre is a theatre in Babbacombe in Torquay , South Devon , England. Refurbished in 2009, the venue has been part of the Bay's tourism industry since the 1930s, and is known for staging variety shows, particularly since 1986 when Colin Matthews took over the venue. The theatre boasts the longest running summer season in the country, lasting nine months. With a regular Christmas show as well as touring productions,
44-408: A massive effect on the future geopark, tilting sediments and forming the beautiful fold on the island of Ore Stone. 280 million years ago continental collision had brought the geopark into the centre of Pangea and into the middle of a huge desert, at a similar latitude to the modern-day Sahara . This desert is preserved as both windblown, fine sandstones which form Roundham Head, and breccia which
66-607: A primary school, All Saints Babbacombe Church of England Primary School. Babbacombe Downs is the most picturesque part of Babbacombe having fabulous views over Lyme bay. From Babbacombe Downs there is easy access using cliff paths to Oddicombe beach and Babbacombe beach. Rev. John Hewett was Vicar of Babbacombe and founded the church there. The actress and dancer Rosina Vokes (1854-1894) died in Babbacombe. English Riviera Geopark The English Riviera Geopark ( ERG ) in Torbay
88-552: Is Torbay's largest outcrop of igneous rock . Crystal Cove has a 25 metre wide zone of calcite . Kents Cavern and Brixham Cavern contained fossils of the now extinct woolly rhinoceros and cave lion . Dyers Quarry is rich in coral fossilised in its growing position, as well as Late Eifelian limestone. Hollicombe Head to Corbyn Head have features of alluvial fan conglomerate deposits and seasonal river sandstones , both Permian in origin. Hopes Nose features gold and palladium mineral deposits left by hydrothermal fluids, and
110-625: Is in the Neogothic style and has fine polychrome stonework in the font, pulpit and the chancel floor made from Devon marble. All Saints Church belongs to the Anglo-Catholic tradition within the Church of England , and its parish is one of those in the Diocese of Exeter . The first vicar was Fr. John Hewitt, whose ministry began when the church was founded and continued to his retirement in 1910. Babbacombe has
132-628: Is one of eight UNESCO Global Geoparks in the United Kingdom , and one of over one hundred and seventy worldwide. It is one of only two urban Geoparks in the UK, and joined the Global Geoparks Network on 16 September 2007. The Geopark covers 6,200 hectares of land and 4,100 hectares of sea bed . Geopark status was granted to Torbay on the grounds that the area has a varied geology covering several geological periods , which are exposed at
154-433: Is responsible for devising and directing all of the shows. The theatre encourages and develops up and coming talent, and hosted for five seasons the "Torbay’s Got Talent" live event from 2006 to 2011. Its 2011 show Heatwave featured two of the event's winners, Holly Cosgrove who won in 2009 and Stephanie Blackler, who won in 2010. In 2012, the show Stardust cast 5 members who first came to the attention of Colin Matthews through
176-524: The Babbacombe Theatre and its clifftop green, Babbacombe Downs, from which Oddicombe Beach is accessed via Babbacombe Cliff Railway . Frequent buses connect Babbacombe with Torquay town centre while service 22 operates between Dawlish Warren and South Devon College . The Church of All Saints was designed by the architect William Butterfield and built in 1868-74 under the aegis of Rev. John Hewett whose initiative it had been to build it. It
198-577: The Allied Nations, presented by the Royal Air Force 'Flying Training Command Band'. On the tail end of the victory celebrations in 1946 Leslie Vernon starred in Tissington and Craig's new production Moonshine. This production was to last for seven years. Many years of summer shows subsequently followed, and the venue, now renamed The Babbacombe Theatre developed a reputation for hosting rising stars on
220-602: The BBC's baritone John Steabben were the inaugural performers at the 27 May 1939, debut. The first Sunday concert was a live radio broadcast with Redvers Llewellyn, on Sunday 4 June. That same evening patrons could hear and see the famous Richard Tauber under the baton of Mr Goss and the Municipal Orchestra, tickets were on sale at 10/6d, 7/6d, 3/6d & 2/6d. The military commandeered the Hall during World War II to give lectures for
242-714: The Geopark were deposited in environments not unlike the Caribbean today; warm, life-rich shallow seas provided the geopark with the Torbay Limestones and sandstones. At the same time, volcanic eruptions blanketed these sediments with volcanic ash. The limestone was held together by hard sponges known as stromatoporoids - modern corals that we are accustomed to today were yet to evolve, but early corals did thrive alongside crinoids , gastropods , brachiopods , trilobites and goniatites (early relatives of ammonites ). At this time
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#1732855928611264-679: The Torbay's Got Talent platform. This season soprano singer, Keedie , who was a judge on Torbay's Got Talent in 2010 is taking centre stage in Spellbound. In 2007, the venue's site became a part of the English Riviera Geopark . 2009 was the Babbacombe Theatre's 70th anniversary, and prior to the season opening in February, the venue's 600 seats were fully refurbished, including restoration of
286-520: The aircrew trainees of the RAF . It is documented that 27,000 aircrew were trained at the theatre. In June 1940, the venue became the No. 1 Air Crew Receiving Centre, with new airmen being kitted out at the nearby Babbacombe Garage. ENSA shows took the place of summer entertainment, during the war years. Little else is known of the venue's wartime history, except for an anniversary concert on 17 November 1942 with Music of
308-451: The area is also important for the study of Quaternary stratigraphy and sea level change . Long Quarry features evidence of the development, formation and growth of a stromatoporoid reef . Lummaton Quarry's shell deposits led to the naming of the Devonian period. Saltern Cove is a regionally important unconformity and Site of Special Scientific Interest . The earliest rocks within
330-730: The area was south of the equator. During the Carboniferous period the limestones and sandstones of the Devonian were forced up by the Variscan Orogeny which affected what are now Devon and Cornwall (forming the granites of Dartmoor ) and stretched as far as the Czech Republic in the East and North America in the west (although at his point the Atlantic did not exist). This mountain-building event had
352-655: The area. The theatre's season runs from mid-February to 1 January, with midweek shows throughout the year, and weekend shows during the holiday season. Acts appearing have included Frank Carson , Jethro , Colin Fry , The Bellydance Superstars , Jimmy Tarbuck , Kiki Dee , The Rubettes featuring Bill Hurd, Raymond Froggatt , Steven K Amos , Tim Vine , Des O'Connor , Acker Bilk , Kenny Ball , Elkie Brooks , Lenny Henry , Chuckle Brothers , Pam Ayres , Showaddywaddy , Jimmy Cricket and Brotherhood of Man . The theatre has been owned and operated by Colin Matthews since 1986, and he
374-403: The original metalwork, and the original parquet floor which was stripped back and polished. The proscenium arch was rebuilt after the original asbestos was removed. 2011 marked Colin Matthews' 25th anniversary at the Babbacombe Theatre, with Heatwave his 50th production. Babbacombe Babbacombe is a district of Torquay , Devon , England . It is notable for Babbacombe Model Village ,
396-486: The surface in many areas, and also that Torbay Council and other bodies have worked to promote the area's distinctive geology to the community via education. Many places in Torbay are Geopark attractions. Babbacombe Cliffs have upside down layering of slates and limestone formed during the Variscan Orogeny . Permian red breccia is also visible there. There are exposed marine cave systems between Berry Head and Sharkham Point . Between Black Head and Anstey's Cove
418-469: The threshold of their careers. Many of them appeared as part of Hedley Claxton's Gaytime productions, including in the mid-1950s Bruce Forsyth , who appeared over two seasons in 1955 and 1956. Other well-known names included David Nixon , Ted Rogers , Ray Allen , Norman Vaughan and Roy Hudd . Considered a valuable part of the Babbacombe and St Marychurch community, the venue works with other local attractions, retail and licensed establishments to promote
440-461: The underlying grey Devonian limestones. During the Triassic , Jurassic , Cretaceous and Tertiary periods sediments may have been deposited over the Geopark; but later erosion has removed them, leaving no trace; however activity elsewhere across the globe has left impressions on the geopark; the collision of Africa and Europe has been felt in the Geopark, leaving the bay crisscrossed with faults as
462-437: The venue is open throughout the year. The Babbacombe Theatre was built gradually on the grounds of a site where bands played in the summer. The Babbacombe Downs Concert Hall was built in 1938 to replace the weather-damage bandstand and awning, which had been constructed in 1920 and 1935. The hall could be built no higher than the old awning, so all the seats in the auditorium are on one level. Ernest Goss' Municipal Orchestra with
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#1732855928611484-487: Was deposited after large storms and flash floods that periodically occurred within the usually parched desert. These rocks stretch across the UK and are found as far afield as Yorkshire. Collectively they are known as the New Red Sandstone . Their red colour (and thus the colour of the soil overlaying them) is derived from groundwater under the desert caused iron in the sediments to alter to haematite , which also stained
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