This elegant Grade II* Regency crescent built in 1846, sits above Meadfoot Beach in Torquay. Hesketh Crescent is seen as an example of location & architecture at its very best!
It is surely difficult to find anywhere in England that can match it for beauty, its beach location, stunning sea views and privacy from the hustle & bustle of central Torquay.
Scroll downThe Crescent is now home to a selection of stylish apartments, the prestigious Osborne Hotel, its restaurants and Hesketh’s Health Club.
The picturesque Meadfoot Beach stands just a stone’s throw away, being a haven for a water sports & sunbathing. Wellswood village is close by and so is Torquay's harbour side & town centre, all within a 20-30 min walk away.
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An impressive seaside escape with mesmerising sea views! This newly refurbished 3 bedroom penthouse maisonette with private outside terrace, offers an exclusive holiday setting for a 5* stay in Torquay!
Situated to the top floor of the end crescent house, this bright, beautifully spacious apartment is the ideal choice for groups & families who are looking for a peaceful and discerning sea view retreat from which to enjoy the peace and timeless amusements of the English Riviera. Sleeps 6
View property Scroll downThe perfect romantic fusion of Italianate Regency splendour and 180° sea views from its trio of floor length Victorian sash windows and the full length balcony!
Situated in House 4 along the impressive sweeping Hesketh Crescent, and overlooking grounds to the beautiful Meadfoot Beach and dramatic Devon coast line beyond; a wonderfully presented first floor, one bedroom holiday home provides the ideal romantic retreat in leafy Torquay! Sleeps 2
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Savour a stately seaside escape! Offering spacious proportions alongside home comforts, this regal holiday home offers an elegant sea view escape in all seasons!
Located on the first floor at the end of the crescent, it boasts a full length balcony and spectacular sea views to write home about! High ceilings and original period features will transport you on a wave of timeless indulgence. Sleeps 4
View property Scroll downA heavenly escape in the iconic Hesketh Crescent! Boasting double aspect views of Thatcher Rock, the beautiful sands of Paignton in the distance and Meadfoot Beach below, this splendid sea view home offers a sumptuous holiday escape in all seasons.
This ground floor end-of-terrace apartment offers the chance to soak up the ambience of a bygone era with sumptuous home comforts & regency splendour. Sleeps 4
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A secret seaside getaway! Situated within the grace & serenity of the famous sweeping crescent, this luxurious apartment is perfect for couples to escape to the Torbay coast in style.
This cosy one bedroom apartment retains a timeless quality, with lovely high ceilings & fine period detail in a chic palette of black & cream. Located to the rear in House 4 of the crescent on first floor, the romantic setting of Hesketh Crescent offers easy access to the Blue Flag sands of Meadfoot Beach and to the nearby delights of Torquay’s harbour side. Sleeps 2
View property Scroll downThe prominent Thatcher Rock, a volcanic shaped island speckled with sea-birds and bright green vegetation, sits to the south west and East Shag Rock straight off Meadfoot Beach itself, were both formed from 350 million year old Devonian limestone.
In the summer months East Shag is a popular target for swimmers to aim for believe it or not! Sea swimming is such an invigorating past time and the waters off Meadfoot Beach are very safe in good weather.
Scroll downThe leisure areas of Hesketh Health Club are available to all our guests for a daily or weekly joining fee. The impressive selection of facilities enables guests to exercise, relax or revive themselves without having to go very far.
The club has its own fully equipped gym with state of the art equipment, an indoor heated swimming pool & sauna. There is also an all-weather tennis court enjoying magnificent sea views ñ this is an additional £5 per hour to book.
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Just a hop, skip & a jump across the grounds of the crescent is all it takes to dip your toes or brave a vitalising swim off Meadfoot Beach.
Awarded the Blue Flag every year and in an area of outstanding beauty, it's famed not only for scuba diving & fishing but also an ideal spot for water sports, walkers & photographers alike. You might even see a seal or a dolphin!
Grab a beach towel or a seat at the beach café and relish the soothing sounds of the sea lapping against the shore ~ a 'swim & tonic' cocktail for the senses!
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In the early 1800’s, Torquay's initial development owes a great deal to the efforts of Sir Lawrence Palk, 2nd Baronet and owner of the manor of Tormohun. Town plans were drawn up & commissioned by Palk and his fondness for Italian architectural after travelling to Europe, were incorporated in his villa designs. William Kitson, chairman of the newly formed local authority, acted on behalf of Palk & notably Hesketh Crescent was built in 1848 by John Tapley Harvey & William Harvey with its sweeping Regency façade; it was described as the ‘finest crescent of houses in the West of England’.
An early visitor to Torquay once exclaimed "It is not England, but a bit of sunny Italy taken bodily from its rugged coast and placed here amid the green places and the pleasant pastoral lanes of beautiful Devon."
Scroll downIn 1800, Torquay was little more than a fishing hamlet but by the vision of William Kitson, so-called 'The maker of Torquay', it would by 1864 transformed into what the Western Morning News called “the most opulent, the handsomest, and the most fashionable watering place in the British Isles”.
Famously, No. 2 Meadfoot House in Hesketh Crescent was once leased to Charles Darwin for 6 weeks in the summer of 1861 several years after ‘Origin of Species’ was published in 1859.
In September 1890, Agatha Christie was born in Torquay and grew up to become the best-selling novelist of all time. She was apparently great friends with the Lucy family, who lived in Hesketh Crescent during her youth. In fact, Agatha received a proposal of marriage from Reginald Lucy but turned him down, before marrying Archie Christie.
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