Although some of the buildings in view maybe older, the origins of The Strand begin around 1803 with the construction of a harbour. In the 1860's a new slipway was built and The Strand was enlarged to pretty much as you see it today.
Stand with your back to the harbour, opposite you is a pub owned by a well known chain, this was formally the National Westminster Bank, adjoining it to the right is a pizzeria that was previously a furniture upholsterers and next to that another pub, part of which predates most of this area and around the 1780's was one of 5 inns in this area called The London Inn. The footprint of these 3 buildings was the site of the first hotel in Torquay, in 1833 Princess Victoria (latter becoming Queen Victoria) stayed here and the hotel was renamed as the Royal Hotel. The second hotel to be built in Torquay was the Hearders Hotel, later being renamed the Queens Hotel, the site of which is to your right. Sadly in 1935 the original Queens Hotel was destroyed by fire and was rebuilt in the Stucco "jazz" style, which is still evident today. The Queens Hotel closed around 2008 and was converted into the luxury appartments you now see.
In front of the Queens and standing proudly in the middle of the road is the Mallock Memorial Clocktower, completed in 1920 to commemorate the life and work of Richard Mallock, who represented Torquay in Parliament between 1886 - 1895 and whos family owned the Cockington estates. During restoration in 2009 a bell was discovered in the tower which hadnt rang since the start of World War 2, and was restored to its former glory now chiming on the hour.
The fire that destoyed the Queens Hotel wasn't the only devastating fire on The Strand in the 1930's, in September 1939 a "civil fire" started in the back the furniture store of William and Cox, believed to have been started by a discarded cigarette end the fire rapidly spread completely destroying the furniture store and parts of the adjoining buildings, including Bobby's Department Store (now Debenhams) which was rebuilt, only the lower floors of the rest were rebuilt as is evident by the difference in building heights today.
The road along The Strand has changed quite a lot over the years from its original single carriageway to the 2 carriageways you see now. From around 1907 until the tracks were removed around 1935 trams operated along The Strand between Paignton and St. Marychurch, Torre and Beacon Quay. Major change occured in the 1980's when the buildings around Vaughn Parade, Lower Fleet Street, George Steet and Swan Street were demolished to make way for the Fleet Street Shooping Arcade and Winter Gardens (the Winter Gardens are now a pub and sports shop) also removed was the island at the junction of The Strand with Fleet Street and Vaughn Parade upon which stood a majestic Elm tree. During these works the central reservation was constructed and Palk Street closed to traffic.