Torr Home, Hartley - Plymouth
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Torr Home, Hartley - Plymouth by Mick Lobb as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
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Torr Home, Hartley - Plymouth
Image: © Mick Lobb Taken: 1 Feb 2010
Built as a grand country mansion, for the Bayly family in 1882, the house has functioned as a residential and nursing home operated since 1928, initially as The Devonport and Western Counties Association for Promoting the General Welfare of the Blind but now as Torr Home. During the second world war residents were evacuated to Taunton. The surrounding area was largely rural at that time but, with its proximity to Plymouth city centre and docks and its commanding views, the home made an ideal vantage point so one of the outbuildings served as a communications centre with observers operating from the roof. A further communications link is in that it is believed that a telephone link between the house and its lodge was the first telephone installation in the country, by Alexander Graham Bell. As such a prominent landmark, the house was used as a navigation aid by ships coming in to Plymouth.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
50.396124
Longitude
-4.136294