Exeter
The
city of
Exeter is the
county town of
Devon, in
England. It is located at . In the
2001 census its population was recorded at 111,066. The city's motto,
Semper fidelis, is traditionally held to have been suggested by
Elizabeth I.
Until the construction of main road by-passes in the
20th century, Exeter was the lowest bridging point of the
River Exe, and therefore developed as an administrative and route centre. From
Saxon times until the
19th century, the
diocese of Exeter covered the whole of the counties of Devon and
Cornwall, and civil administration and services tended to follow the lines of the ecclesiastical. Exeter was also a port: the limit of tides of the River Exe lies below Exeter, and the small town of
Topsham on the estuary (nowadays within the city limits) developed as a port for the city, but goods were transported to the city's
quays in
lighters. Eventually a ship canal was constructed so that ocean-going vessels could reach the city's quays, and this remained in regular use until ships increased in size with the development of
steam power. It is still used for leisure boating.
The city provides strong industries and services to a sizable area. The
Met Office, the main
weather forecasting organisation for the
United Kingdom and one of the most significant in the world, relocated from
Bracknell in Berkshire to Exeter in early
2004. It is one of the three largest employers in the area (the others being the
University of Exeter and Devon
County Council), providing a welcome boost to the local
economy.
On
June 26,
2004, Exeter was granted
Fairtrade City status.
Exeter's independent shops are mostly in the roads such as Gandy Street off the High St, which was reconstructed after bombing in
1942.
Princesshay, which runs parallel to the High Street is undergoing redevelopment in 2005–2006.
The
Latin name for Exeter,
Isca Dumnoniorum ("Isca of the
Dumnones"), suggests that the city was originally a
Celtic
oppidum, or town, on the banks on the River
Exe prior to the foundation of the
Roman city in about AD
50. Such early towns, or proto-cities, had been a feature of pre-Roman Gaul as described by
Julius Caesar in his
Commentarii de Bello Gallico ("Commentaries on the Gallic Wars") and it is not improbable that they existed in neighbouring
Great Britain as well. Isca is clearly a
Celtic generic noun and the Romans felt the need to label the city Isca Dumnoniorum, or the Isca of the Dumnonii, in order to distinguish it from such settlements as
Isca Silurum (modern Caerleon-on-Usk in Monmouthshire).
Isca Dumnoniorum was the most south-westerly Roman fortified settlement in England. Significant parts of the Roman wall remain, though the present visible structure was largely built on the orders of
Alfred the Great to protect the far west of his kingdom following the Viking occupation of
876. Most of its route can be traced on foot. There is a substantial
Roman baths complex that was excavated in the 1970s.[
1], but because of its proximity to the cathedral, it has not been practicable to retain the excavation for public view. Exeter was also the southern starting point for the
Fosse Way Roman road.
In
876 Exeter was attacked and captured by the Danes. King Alfred drove them out the next year. In
894 the city stood off another siege by Danes.
In
1067 the city rebelled against
William the Conqueror who promptly marched West and laid siege. The city submitted only after 18 days. Part of the capitulation agreement was that all the nobles in the city would be confirmed in their positions as long as a castle was built.
Exeter was held against King Stephen by
Baldwin de Redvers in
1140 and submitted only after a three month siege when the supplies of fresh water ran out.
In
1537, the city was made a
county corporate. The Livery Dole
Almshouses and
Chapel at
Heavitree were founded in March
1591 and finished in
1594. They can still be seen today in the street which bears the name
Livery Dole.
Exeter was at first a
Parliamentary town in the
English Civil War in the largely Royalist South West, but it was captured by the
Royalists on
4 September 1643 and it remained in their control until near the end of the war, being one of the final Royalist cities to fall into Parliamentary hands.
Early in the English
industrial revolution, Exeter's industry developed on the basis of locally available agricultural products, since the city's location on a fast-flowing river gave it ready access to
water power. However when
steam power replaced water in the nineteenth century, Exeter was too far from sources of coal (or iron) to develop further. As a result the city declined in relative importance, and was spared the rapid
nineteenth century development that changed many historic European cities.
Exeter was bombed by the
German Luftwaffe during
World War II, in a
1942 raid that formed part of the
Baedeker Blitz. Forty
acres (160,000 m²) of the city, particularly adjacent to its central High Street and Sidwell Street, were levelled by
incendiary bombing. Many historic buildings were destroyed, and others, including
Exeter Cathedral, damaged. The city was rebuilt in the 1950s in an attempt to preserve its ancient heritage, though many feel that the post-war reconstruction was weak and failed to conserve partly-damaged structures that could have been saved, as well as making too many concessions to motor traffic. Currently, despite some local opposition, one rebuilt street, Princesshay, is being redeveloped again in a more modern style. Previously regarded as second only to
Bath as an architectural site in southern England, Exeter is now a city with some beautiful buildings rather than a beautiful city. As a result, although there is a significant
tourist trade, Exeter is not dominated by tourism.
Exeter forms a single
parliamentary constituency. It is relatively marginal, and since World War II its
Member of Parliament has usually been drawn from the governing party. At the
United Kingdom general election, 1997,
Ben Bradshaw was elected as MP for Exeter, and he retained the seat at the elections of
2001 and
2005.
Exeter's
city council is a
district authority, and shares responsibility for
local government with the Devon
County Council. In recent years, the city council has been dominated by
Labour Party and
Liberal Democrat members. Since
2003, no party has had a majority on the council.
The front of Exeter Cathedral |
Ruined gatehouse at Rougemont Castle |
Ruined gatehouse at Rougemont Castle. Note the red sandstone, characteristic of many older Exeter buildings. Among the notable buildings in Exeter are:
* The
cathedral, founded in
1050 when the bishop's seat was moved from the nearby town of
Crediton (birthplace of
Saint Boniface) because Exeter's Roman walls offered better protection against "pirates", presumably
Vikings. A statue[
2] of
Richard Hooker, the
sixteenth century Anglican theologian, who was born in Exeter, has a prominent place in the Cathedral Close.
* The
ruins of
Rougemont Castle, built soon after the
Norman Conquest; later parts of the castle are still in use as an
Assize court, though a new courts complex is under construction and the castle will probably become accessible to tourists as a result.
* The Guildhall, the oldest municipal building in England still in use.
* The Guild of Tuckers and Weavers, a fine old building that is still used for smart functions.
* The Custom House in the attractive Quay area, which is the oldest brick building surviving in the city.
* St Nicholas Priory in Mint Lane.
* A number of medieval churches including St Mary Steps which has an elaborate clock.
* 'The House That Moved', a 14th century Tudor building, earned its name in 1961 when it was moved from its original location on the corner of Edmund Street in order for a new road to be built in its place. Weighing more than twenty-one tonnes, it was strapped together and slowly moved a few inches at a time to its present day home.
Many of these are built in the local dark red sandstone, which gives its name to the castle and the park that now surrounds it (Rougemont means red hill). A plaque near the gatehouse recalls that in
1685 Alice Molland the last person executed for witchcraft in England, was imprisoned in Exeter.
Northernhay Gardens located just outside the castle, is the oldest public open space in the whole of England, being originally laid out in
1612 as a pleasure walk for Exeter residents. Much of Northernhay gardens now represent Victorian design, with a beautiful display of trees, mature shrubs and bushes and plenty of flower beds. There are also many statues here, most importantly the War Memorial by John Angel and the Deerstalker by E.B. Stephens. The Volunteer Memorial from
1895, also in the gardens commemorates the formation of the 1st Rifle Volunteers in
1852. Other statues include
John Dinham,
Thomas Dyke Acland and
Stafford Northcote (a local landowner who was a Victorian
Chancellor of the Exchequer).
Literature
|
The Riddles in the High St |
The
Exeter Book, an original manuscript and one of the most important documents in Anglo-Saxon literature, is kept in the vaults of Exeter Cathedral. The Exeter Book dates back to the
10th century and is one of four manuscripts that between them contain virtually all the surviving poetry in
Old English. It includes most of the more highly regarded shorter poems, some religious pieces, and a series of riddles, a handful of which are famously lewd. Some of the riddles are inscribed on a highly polished steel obelisk in the high street, placed on
March 30,
2005.
The
Inquisitio Eliensis, the "Exon Domesday" (so called from the preservation of the volume at Exeter), is a volume of
Domesday Book that contains the full details which the original returns supplied.
Theatre
The
Northcott Theatre is located on the campus of the university and is one of relatively few provincial English theatres to maintain its own
repertory company. Its annual open air
Shakespeare performance in the grounds of Rougemont Castle is well regarded nationally. There are also two amateur theatre buildings with associated companies.
The
Barnfield Theatre was converted in 1972 from The Barnfield Hall which was built towards the end of the 19th century by Exeter Literary Society. The theatre is a charity and is used as a venue for amateur and professional theatrical companies.
Music
*The Cavern Club in Queen Street is the place to go for live punk and indie music
*Recent addition Amber Rooms on Sidwell Street has become renowned for its dance and alternative world beats nights
*Exeter does not have a resident professional orchestra. The
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra tours to the city regularly.The largest orchestra based in Exeter is the EMG Symphony Orchestra [
3] which presents regular concerts at the University of Exeter and in Exeter Cathedral.
*The cathedral choir is nationally known, and the cathedral is frequently the venue for concerts by visiting orchestras.
*There is an annual Festival, of all the arts but with a particular concentration of musical events
*The annual "Vibraphonic" festival held in the spring provides a fortnight of soul, blues and jazz inspired music. A radio station, Vibraphonic FM, runs for a month around the festival.
*
Children of the Drone is an improvisational music collective, based in Exeter since 2001
Museums and galleries
*The city museum is the
Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Queen Street.
*The Phoenix Arts Centre occupies the former university site in Gandy Street.
*Spacex is a long established modern art gallery
Newspapers
*
Express and Echo, daily (current)
*
Eyes on Exeter, monthly magazine going out to homes in Exeter
*
Flying Post, weekly (discontinued
1917, but revived in
1975 as an alternative (polemical) community magazine)
* The
Western Morning News, a
Plymouth-printed daily regional paper, is also popular
Twin towns
Exeter is
twinned with:{| valign="top" |
* —
Rennes in
Brittany,
France* —
Bad Homburg in
Germany
* — Yaroslavl in Russia
* — Terracina in Italy | 
