Where are we?

Barton Baptist Church is situated on the corner of Happaway Road, adjoining Barton Hill Road, roughly in the centre of the map below. The number 31 and 34 buses both go up Barton Hill Road.

The church address is Happaway Road, Torquay, TQ2 8EU.

About Torquay

Situated on the south-west coast of England in the sheltered curve of Lyme Bay, Torquay, with its palm trees, mild climate and beautiful coastline, has a Mediterranean feel and is promoted as the English Riviera. It is one of the three towns (with Brixham and Paignton) which make up Torbay and has a population of about 64,000.

Although only a tiny fishing village in the 1800s, Torquay became popular during Victorian times as a fashionable seaside resort and quickly grew in size. Since 1998 it has been a unitary authority with its own elected mayor.

Torbay is famous for its beautiful scenery and its many excellent beaches, three of which have been awarded blue flags. It is also known for Kent's Cavern, Paignton Zoo and its connections with Agatha Christie and 'Fawlty Towers'.

During the summer, the population of Torbay swells to approximately 200,000. Many of these visitors are foreign students as we are one of the country's main centres for language schools. Tourism is still the main industry for Torquay, despite many people travelling abroad, but with 26 percent of the population over 60 years, the service industries – particularly geriatric care – are the other main employers.

With many older people surviving on the basic state pension, high unemployment and a preponderance of minimum wage jobs, a lot of families struggle on low incomes. We do have excellent grammar, church and private schools in the area, but many young people have to leave Torbay for further education and employment.

Barton is in the northern part of Torquay, approximately two miles from the town centre, near open countryside and the coast. It is a residential area with a mix of housing. In recent years there has been a lot of new housing in the adjacent Willows development, Torquay's main growth area and the site of Barton Baptist Church's plant.