Collaton St Mary

About Collaton

The Village

Collaton St Mary is an ecclesiastical parish which was formed in 1864, from the civil parish of Paignton.  It lies on the road from Paignton to Totnes, just short of two miles west of Paignton town centre and 4 miles east from Totnes; it is about 5 miles south-west from Torquay.

At the junction of Totnes Road and Blagdon Road is a drinking fountain, erected as a memorial to Percy Whitehead of Barton Pines (who died 13 February, 1897).

The wording on the fountain reads:

THIS FOUNTAIN IS ERECTED BY HIS FAMILY
TO THE DEAR MEMORY
OF PERCY WHITEHEAD
OF BARTON PINES COLLATON.
DIED FEBRUARY 13 1897

The Main Road

In 1809 the road from Paignton to the west followed the line of the present Totnes Road to Collaton Kirkham (Collaton St Mary) then via Blagdon Road to Berry Pomeroy to rejoin the present Totnes Road at True Street. At this time the whole length of the road from Paignton to Totnes was known as True Street.

The present Totnes Road between Collaton St Mary and Longcombe existed as a lane and continued south of the present road to join at the top of Bridgetown Hill.

The date at which the present Totnes Road, by widenings and diversions, became a turnpike road is not known, but the road on its present site is shown on maps about 1830. The turnpike gates on this length were at Collaton (junction with Blagdon Road) and True Street where the Toll house still exists.

At the end of 1943 arrangements were made for the widening of certain main routes to a width of 22 feet by the military^*, including Totnes Road at Beechdown Hill, a widening that the council had pressed for years before the war without success - one of the principal arguments against a widening being the loss of some trees. No such consideration deterred the military and after widening, the councils contention was proved, the view of Blagdon Valley then revealed, outweighed any beauty the trees may have had.

Two County Road improvements were undertaken in 1950 widening and verge construction in Totnes Road between Battersway Road and Tweenaway Cross and at the end of 1951 the length of Borough Road to Parkers Arms was being widened, providing a continuous footpath from Paignton to Collaton.