Exeter
The largest city and administrative centre for the West Country, Exeter is a charming city noted for its grand medieval cathedral, Regency architecture and a sunny climate.
Some 1,300 years ago Exeter was home to the Isca Damnoniorum tribe who lived happily beside the River Exe until the Romans wiped them out in the 1st Century AD. The Romans built up Exeter as their most westerly stronghold to administer Devon and Cornwall, surrounding it by a thick wall, parts of which can still be seen today. In 1068 William the Conqueror came knocking at these walls when the town held out against the Normans under Gytha, the mother of the slain Saxon King Harold. Exeter is associated with Elizabethan England ’s great sea captains, Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh who lived nearby. During WWII the town was heavily bombed, much of the old town was destroyed and what is left now is an awkward mixture of some splendid medieval and Regency buildings, set beside uninspiring post-war concrete blocks. The Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery outlines the history of the city, together with an excellent collection of Roman artefacts unearthed from local digs.
Exeter Cathedral is undoubtedly the city’s most magnificent building and one of the most impressive cathedrals in the region. This 12th Century Cathedral has stood virtually unchanged for over 600 years and is a fine example of gothic architecture. The Great West Front is noted for its collection of 66 figures and statues including Christ and the apostles and kings dating back to the 14th Century and is one of the largest and oldest of such collections. The Cathedral hosts numerous musical events throughout the year.
Another interesting feature unique to Exeter are its medieval underground passages, used to maintain the city’s water system with lead piping surviving from the 14th Century. The unusual history of these passageways, include stories about buried treasure, escape routes and a ghostly cyclist!
Exeter is certainly not without its charm, an affluent and well kept city with uncommonly good weather for England and the town’s large university population adds a youthful vibrancy to Exeter’s sunny disposition.
