About Us

During the Napoleonic Wars when people could not travel in Europe Torquay became a substitute Grand Tour for affluent young people. 

While the origins of the town were as a health resort, the opportunity to become the richest town in England came from the interruption of the 'Grand Tour' that cultural experience for affluent young folk who could afford to wander the continent. At school and university these men had studied Greek and Roman history, language and literature and went abroad to visit major European cultural centres.

These tourists spent a great deal of money abroad. 

The collection of art became a theme, and many came home with paintings and antiques. They also brought with them ideas about architecture and culture.Britain's elite adopted and reshaped the Bay. If they couldn't visit the towns of Italy and France, they would recreate southern Europe on the English coast. 

During the mid 19th Century The town became a place for the wealthy to buy or lease holiday homes, & so began a long protracted period of building homes to provide for these clients. 

What architectural style could then be more appropriate for the rapidly growing town than that which replicated the buildings and gardens of the Mediterranean. 

This was the Italianate, most popular between 1840 and 1885.

Built in 1861 Wylam typifies the kind of Grand Italianate residence being built at the time.The Lease of a parcel of land at the top of one of Torquays best vantage spots was offered for a term of 99 years from September 1861 from 

Sir Lawrence Palk subject to an annual grd rent of £30

(From an article in the Morning Post 8th May 1885)

The lease was assigned to John Chudleigh Parker (Local builder) with a proviso  for him to erect a ‘Dwelling house’ within the space of two years from assignment.

In 1863 having built the house to Palks Italianate specification, Parker, reassigned the lease to 

The Right Honourable Lord William Henry Hugh Cholmondeley 

who became its first resident.

Cholmondeley (Marquis of Cholmondeley) descended from Hugh, Baron of 'Malpas' whose family had an unbroken male decent of over 500 years back to the doomsday survey, named the house ‘Malpas Lodge

In 1875 Mr Hall Plumer & family take on the lease for Malpas Lodge.

Hall was a Director of The Theatre (now the site of the Central Cinema) on Abbey

rd. & he served alongside Frederick Miller (Agatha Christies farther) on the

Gentlemen’s Victoria club.