This was Torquay’s ‘Golden Age’ – the late 19th century when the Victorians decided the town was a special place and the early foundations of what was to eventually become the English Riviera were laid.

Torquay was mostly owned by three families: the Mallocks and the Cockington area, the Carys, owners of Babbacombe, St Marychurch and the old monastery at Torre Abbey, and the Palks, of central Torquay or Tormohun.

This era was also the start of what was to become Wollens solicitors!

The partnership of what was then Hooper and Wollen was formed way back in 1868. The law firm and its partners have been at the heart of Torquay’s rich history – which has included Royalty, the rich and famous, pioneering and game changing scientists and inventors and world-renowned authors, artists, politicians and even Napoleon, Charles Darwin and Agatha Christie.

It all began with Briscoe Hooper and Grant Wollen who had both practiced separately as solicitors for several years came together in 1868. Mr Hooper was Clerk to the Torquay Local Board and Mr Wollen held a similar position with the St Marychurch Board.

The merger of the two boards was the catalyst for the partnership of the two law men which was to lead to a legal firm spanning over a century-and-a-half and which is still going stronger than ever today.

Partners Briscoe and Grant would have mixed in the same circles as the landed gentry who were about to shape Torquay’s very future. Their first office was what is now Carlton House, 30 The Terrace where the firm practiced until 2020.

In those days, there were no cars or shops with the River Fleet flowing beneath. The Terrace was a dirt track and partners would arrive in horse-drawn carriages. Apparently, Mr Hooper had two Dalmatian dogs that ran between the wheels of the carriage which was a popular Victorian status symbol – just like a modern personalised number plate today.

Torquay, which then had a population of around 2,000, was becoming more and more popular with the rich and privileged of the time and from around the world. The Russian Romanoff noble family built themselves a private holiday home in the town called the Villa Syracus which is now the Headland Hotel at Daddyhole.

During their absences, the villa was often let privately. In 1864 the Prince of Wales visited the Grand Duchess Maria of Russia while she was staying there. Amongst her party was the Count Gregoire Stroganoff and Countess Alexandra Tolstoy – wife of noted novelist Leo Tolstoy.

Evidently, Torquay owes much to Napoleon Bonaparte! The Napoleonic wars meant that the rich elite could no longer visit continental Europe and looked for local destinations to visit instead. Torquay was ideal.

Tor Bay was also the perfect place to shelter for ships and it was frequently used by the Channel Fleet which protected England against invasion by Napoleon. The story goes that after Napoleon was captured following the Battle of Waterloo he was held on the warship HMS Bellerophon in Torbay for two days. Upon his first sight of the Bay the former Emperor has been quoted as saying “Quel Bon Pays” (“what a lovely country”) and he compared it favourably to Porto Ferrago on Elba. It was during these wars that Admiral Nelson visited the town in 1801, visiting Torre Abbey Mansions and later dining in Cockington.

The Imperial Hotel, in its heyday, accommodated many famous guests, including Emperor Napoleon III of France, the Queen of the Netherlands and King Edward VII. Benjamin Disraeli was a prominent visitor to the resort through his political career. Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell, the MP who reformed the British military after the Crimean War, was a prominent resident of Torquay and died in the town in 1886. Queen Victoria reviewed the entire Royal Navy in the waters of Torbay.

Rudyard Kipling, the famous novelist, was a resident of Torquay for a brief period in 1896 and lived at Rock House in Maidencombe. Oscar Wilde‘s A Woman of No Importance and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s The Hound of the Baskervilles are reported to have been created while staying in Torquay. And even Charles Darwin – yes, Charles Darwin – completed the last sections of The Origin of Species while staying at Hesketh Crescent.

The world’s number one crime writer Agatha Christie was also born in Torquay in 1890 and was christened at All Saints Church in Torre. She is reported to have based many of her novels in a thinly-veiled version of Torquay. The Christie family has become one of Wollens most famous clients stretching back all those years.

Torquay was heavily involved in importing coal and wool from Australia, which was then sent to the mills in the North of the country. The upper-class nature of the resort and the huge wealth of its residents during this period was reflected in the Worth’s Tourist Guide to Devonshire in 1886 which declared “in proportion to its population it is the wealthiest town in England”.

1892 was a key date in the history of the town. Through trains were introduced and Torquay was granted borough status by a Royal Charter, with the motto Salus et Felicitas which meant Health and Happiness). The healthy as well as the sick were encouraged to visit, and the Victorian watering place was soon transformed into a holiday resort.

In 1833, Princess Victoria visited the town and Victoria Parade was named in honour of the place where the future queen first stepped ashore.

The town came through two world wars. During the First World War hospitals and convalescent homes were set up. In World War II, the town, with its array of hotels, was ideal to provide training facilities for the RAF. From 1944, many American troops were also stationed here.

The Hooper and Wollen partnership and its people would have witnessed all this at various stages of their lives and the company. Nigel Wollen, of the Wollen family and a partner between 1971 and retirement in 2007, has helped piece together the history of the company. The first-ever partnership between Grant Wollen and Briscoe Hooper pre-dated the introduction of the telephone It was eventually introduced in the 1870’s and the firm’s first telephone number was Torquay 2. Apparently, Grant Wollen was very put out that a rival firm had been allocated Torquay 1.

Briscoe Hooper went on to become Mayor of Torquay and died in 1914. His son, Harry Dundee Hooper, joined the firm in 1880, and Grant Wollen’s son, Cecil Wollen, succeeded his father in 1899, followed by Tom Codner in 1921. Dundee Hooper’s son Stewart was killed on active service in the North Sea on August 15, 1916, while serving on one of the very first submarines, H.M. submarine “E.4”. He was just 22. It was a tragic 12 months for Dundee, as he lost his wife the following year aged just 47, and his second daughter aged 18. There is a commemorative tablet in their memory in St Matthias Church in, Wellswood. John Wollen (Cecil’s younger son) joined his father and Dundee Hooper in 1926.

Cecil and John Wollen were the sole partners during WW2 and the firm was busy with handling compensation claims for clients whose properties had been requisitioned. Cecil Wollen died in 1948, and two new partners joined the firm, Cyril Wreford (who was married to Johns sister-in-law) and Ben James, followed by John’s eldest son Richard in 1955 and Ben James’s son Jeremy in 1961.

The post war years saw a period of rapid growth. Ben and Jeremy James developed a litigation practice, and this was given impetus when Ian Scofield became a partner in 1964.The firm had not previously handled criminal work, and the tiny waiting room was soon shared by an interesting mix of clients.

John Wollen remained in practice until his death in 1988, and his son Richard died in 1989. The Wollen line was continued when Nigel (John’s youngest son) returned to Torquay after a few years working for a large City firm. He succeeded his father and grandfather on several fronts, including as solicitor to Agatha Christie, and in later years he was to handle the gift of Greenway House to the National Trust. He was closely involved with several developments in Torbay, including both Torquay and Brixham Marinas.

Like his father and grand-father, he became very involved with local charities, and was a founding trustee of Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust. He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Devon in 1995. The Wollens had always had a love of sailing, and Cecil, John and Nigel all served as Commodore of the Royal Torbay Yacht Club.

John was very involved in organizing the Olympic Games in Torbay in 1948. In pre-war years the staff of Hooper and Wollen were given time off during the annual Torbay Royal Regatta but were expected to spend this on Haldon Pier admiring the partners efforts afloat! Nigel continues the family involvement and is the Honorary Admiral of the Royal Torbay.

Now 73, Nigel was articled with the company for five years from 1965. He went to London to work and returned as a partner in 1971 and retired in 2007. Carlton House (number 30) was the first property bought by his great grandfather Grant and Briscoe Hooper.

Wollens has grown into becoming one of the largest independent laws firms in the West Country employing over 150 staff and with offices in Torquay, Exeter and Barnstaple. It is award-winning and has enjoyed glittering finals nights at places like the Hilton Hotel in London and Exeter Cathedral.

The company, its management, partners and staff have never forgotten their roots, the part they play in the community and always putting people and the clients first. Nigel Wollen says: “The firm has seen many changes through the careers of four generations of Wollens, but it is very appropriate that the name should continue.”

Just to show some things never change:

Only in Torbay!