Festival Theatre, Paignton

Paignton ( PAYN-tən) is a seaside town on the coast of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the borough of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paignton's population in the United Kingdom Census of 2011 was 49,021. It has origins as a Celtic settlement and was first mentioned in 1086. It grew as a small fishing village and a new harbour was built in 1847. A railway line was opened to passengers in 1859 creating links to Torquay and London. As its population increased, it merged with the villages of Goodrington and Preston. Paignton is around 25 miles (40 km) north east of Plymouth and 20 miles (32 km) south of Exeter, and has the fourth largest population in Devon.

Paignton Pier is a pleasure pier in the large English seaside resort of Paignton, Devon. It was financed by Arthur Hyde Dendy, a local Paignton barrister and designed by George Soudon Bridgman.

The Paignton Picture House is a currently disused cinema in Paignton, England, situated on Torbay Road. It was opened on 16 March 1914, and is believed to be the oldest surviving purpose-built cinema in Europe. In its early days it featured a 21-piece orchestra, with each member paid a guinea to perform. There are 375 seats: 271 in the stalls, 104 in the circle, plus three private boxes at the back seating an additional eight.

Paignton railway station serves the town and seaside resort of Paignton in Devon, England. It is 222 miles 12 chains (222.15 mi; 357.52 km) measured from London Paddington. The station is the current terminus of the Riviera Line from Exeter and is also an interchange station between National Rail services and the preserved Dartmouth Steam Railway.

The Redcliffe Hotel formerly known as Hotel Redcliffe and Redcliff Tower is a hotel situated beside the sea between Paignton Beach and Preston Sands in Paignton, Devon, England. It is a Grade II Listed Building and was first listed in 1951.

Christ Church is a Church of England, Evangelical parish church in Paignton, Devon, England. Designed by Walter G. Couldrey and Edward Gabriel, the church was built in 1887–88 and has been a Grade II listed building since 1993.

The Old Town Hall is a former municipal building in New Street in Paignton, a town in Devon, in England. It served as the offices of Paignton Urban District Council until 1946, but was later converted for residential use.

The Torbay Inn is a historic public house in the town of Paignton, Devon. It is the town's oldest public house, dating to the early 17th century. It has been a Grade II listed building since 1975.

The Bishop's Palace of Paignton, the remnants of which stand beside the parish church of St John the Baptist, comprise the remains of the residence of the bishops of Exeter in the town. The site is defined as a scheduled monument by Historic England, with the standing medieval walls and the C14th Century corner tower, sometimes called Coverdale's Tower, being Listed Grade II*. Within the walls are the fragmentary remnants of the palace chapel (Listed Grade II) along with a Grade II Listed vicarage of the 20th Century.

Goodrington Sands is a sandy beach on the English Riviera, located at Goodrington, a coastal village on the outskirts of Paignton. The beaches are gently shelving with a promenade at one end and rocks leading around to Oyster Cove at the other. The beach is split into two, South Sands & North Sands, by a minor headland, Middle Stone, that has a bar and restaurants overlooking the bay. North Sands (the promenade end) is very tidal and the sea comes up to the sea wall. South Sands has a much bigger expanse of soft sand and the sea seldom reaches over ½ up the beach and then only on Spring tides and in storms. This mainly sandy beach with clean, calm waters has earned the prestigious Blue Flag Award and lifeguard patrols in the summer months make for safe swimming conditions. It is therefore a major attraction in the area, capable of supporting a very large number of visitors. Nearby are a Steam Railway Station, The Quaywest Water Park, The Seashore Centre, and Goodrington and Youngs Park, which is an area of established park land. During the summer season the local steam train can be seen running along the back of south sands beach.

Goodrington Sands railway station is on the Dartmouth Steam Railway, a heritage railway in Devon, England. It is close to Goodrington Sands beach and the Splashdown Quaywest water park in Paignton.

The English Riviera Geopark (ERG) in Torbay is one of eight Geoparks in the United Kingdom, and one of over one hundred and forty worldwide. It is one of only two urban Geoparks in the UK, and was declared a Geopark 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 to 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.