The town's name has also been spelled as Peynton and Paington and is derived from Paega's town, the name of the original Celtic settlement. Paignton continued as a small fishing village until the 19th century, which is when its modern name was adopted. A new harbour was constructed in 1837 and still stands today, albeit extended and with use of modern materials .Paignton is historically significant from a religious standpoint as much of the
original centre of Paignton is around Church Street, Winner Street and Palace Avenue. On extreme tides the sea once came up as far as the railway line in the centre of Paignton and the land that the shops, main street and sea front buildings are constructed on is reclaimed. Even to this day, high spring tides, with bad weather conditions can still flood the street and basements. Flood tanks under Paignton green have reduced this in recent years but problems still exist.

These old areas of Paignton show fine examples of Victorian architecture. Kirkham House is a late medieval stone house in the town which is open to the public at certain times of year. The Coverdale Tower is adjacent to Paignton Parish Church and is named after Bishop Miles Coverdale, who published an English translation of the Bible in 1536 and was the last Bishop to occupy the tower as a residence. The railway line to Paignton was built by the Torbay and Dartmouth Railway, and was opened to passengers on 2 August 1859. This gave Torquay and Paignton a reliable link to London for the first time, and the area became a popular destination for wealthy Londoners. The people of Paignton acquired the nickname of "pudden eaters" when thousands turned up hoping to obtain a piece of a huge pudding that had been baked to celebrate the arrival of the railway. A new Paignton Pudding was baked in 1968 to celebrate the town's charter, and another was baked in 2006 to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

The Railway line having been closed by British Rail, was taken over by steam enthusiasts in 1972. It is now operated by the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway.In the early days, Churston Ferrers Grammar School children used to take the train daily to school.

The following is a snapshot of important events in Paignton's history:

1166: The Kirkham family owned the ‘sub-manor’ of Blagdon for several Centuries. By the 16th Century their ownership of land had extended to Paignton as well.

1549: The Palace of the Bishops of Exeter, owned by the Church since the Norman Conquest, was surrendered to the Crown during the Reformation. The Bishop’s Tower still stands and is popularly known as Coverdale Tower in the mistaken belief that the bible was translated there by onetime Bishop of Exeter - Miles Coverdale.

Its parish increased in population from 1575 in 1801, to 2501 people in 1841 rising to 3000 a few years later. Paignton in 1842 comprised 5092 acres of land, and comprised the hamlets of Collaton-Kirkham, Goodrington, Blagdon, Preston, Polsham, Yalberton extending more than two miles South and one mile North along the shore of Torbay

1800: A naval hospital was built at Goodrington Park to care for casualties of the Napoleonic Wars.

1859: To commemorate the completion of the railway to Paignton, a giant pudding weighing over a ton was baked and a dinner held on Paignton Green. A crowd of 18,000 people gathered and fights broke out as people tried to obtain a piece of ‘The Paignton Pudding‘.

1874: ‘The Wigwam’ was built at Oldway for Isaac Merritt Singer (of sewing machine fame). By 1907 the mansion had been transformed by Isaac's son, Paris, who made major structural alterations and incorporated French and Italian designs into the building. Oldway Mansion was bought by Paignton UDC in 1946 and now houses offices of Torbay Council and is also a popular marriage venue.

1879: The world premier of Gilbert & Sullivan's ‘Pirates of Penzance’ was held at the Royal Bijou Theatre to an audience of just 70 people!

1914: The Paignton Picture House opened in Torbay Road. It was later known as Torbay Cinema and vaunted as the oldest cinema in Western Europe when it closed in 1999.

1923: Herbert Whitley – the founder of Paignton Zoo – opened his own Zoological Gardens at Primley. During the Second World War ‘evacuees’ arrived from Chessington Zoo!

1967: Entertainment previously presented at the ‘tent’ on Paignton Green was transferred to the newly-built Festival Theatre (converted into the Apollo Cinema in 1999).