Like many towns and cities in the 19th century, Torquay suffered from outbreaks of cholera. People did not really understand the disease and its causes so there was little to be done to help those who caught the disease. It was spread through dirty water so the lack of proper drains and clean water supplies meant cholera could be very dangerous, especially in areas where the poor lived. In Torquay, people were moved out of their houses to try to stop the disease.

At first, people tried to stop the news getting out, as it would put off wealthy visitors. This proved impossible but it turned out to be only a temporary setback for Torquay’s growing popularity.

The report that followed confirmed that the disease had been 'entirely confined to the miserable tenements overcrowded by the poor in the back streets'. In the house where the first of the cases occurred, 36 persons were sleeping, with several of the small rooms having as many as six or seven occupants.