This drawing of Babbacombe on 20th August 1846 shows the arrival of Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert. They are on a boat called 'The Victoria and Albert' which is flying the Royal Standard. The Queen wrote in her journal: ' We came to Babbacombe, a small bay, where we remained an hour. It was a beautiful spot; red cliffs and rocks with wooded hills like Italy.' She obviously liked the area!

Royal visits made a big difference to the popularity of seaside resorts. Royal approval encouraged wealthy visitors. Notice that the royal vessel is powered by a steam engine which turned paddles on each side. Can you see the funnels on all three of the larger boats showing they were steam-powered? Victoria had already visited Torquay in 1833 when she was still just a princess. She stayed overnight at the Royal Hotel.

In 1852, Prince Albert visited again, landing at Babbacombe. He was driven round the main sites in Torquay in a carriage belonging to Henry Manning. Large numbers of people turned out to cheer him.