tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68825784138871038502024-03-18T03:02:36.479+00:00Demolition ExeterA Century of Destruction in an English Cathedral CityUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger169125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-58534059384411869952018-04-10T15:02:00.000+01:002018-04-10T23:01:24.328+01:00End of a BlogMany thanks to everyone who has viewed and commented on this blog over the years in which it was active. I'd like to think that in some small way it was a corrective to the seemingly endless, romanticised drivel that's often written about 'Historic Exeter'. And, for me personally, it's exorcised much of the great irritation I felt towards what had been my home city for nearly 35 years.<br />
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Unfortunately there will probably be no further updates. I wish I'd got around to writing about Sidwell Street and Cowick Street, especially, but it seems unlikely now. I no longer live near Exeter and my interest in the city's history has diminished, for better or worse.<br />
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With best wishes to all visitors, both past and future!<br />
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wolfpaw<br />
10 Apr 2018<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-72531531884744387452016-11-01T12:57:00.000+00:002016-11-03T10:39:36.360+00:00The 2016 Fire in Cathedral Yard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A<span style="font-family: inherit;">s </span>everyone in Exeter now k<span style="font-family: inherit;">nows, <span style="font-family: inherit;">on 28 Octo<span style="font-family: inherit;">ber <span style="font-family: inherit;">2016 </span></span>several <span style="font-family: inherit;">bui<span style="font-family: inherit;">ldings in the Cathedral Yard <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">were</span> seriously dama<span style="font-family: inherit;">ged <span style="font-family: inherit;">in a fire<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, incl<span style="font-family: inherit;">uding</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>the Royal C<span style="font-family: inherit;">l<span style="font-family: inherit;">a<span style="font-family: inherit;">rence Hotel<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">.<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Mo<span style="font-family: inherit;">st of t</span></span>he affected structures are</span> h<span style="font-family: inherit;">istoric<span style="font-family: inherit;">ally <span style="font-family: inherit;">or archite<span style="font-family: inherit;">cturally i<span style="font-family: inherit;">mportant Grade II listed <span style="font-family: inherit;">properties, including <span style="font-family: inherit;">the<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>hotel,</span></span> No. 1<span style="font-family: inherit;">8 Cathedral Yard<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <i>below left</i>, the W<span style="font-family: inherit;">ell House inn at 16 & 1<span style="font-family: inherit;">7 Cathedral Yard and the former Exeter Bank building on the corner of C<span style="font-family: inherit;">athedral Yard and St Martin's Lane<span style="font-family: inherit;">. Unfortuna<span style="font-family: inherit;">tely <span style="font-family: inherit;">bo<span style="font-family: inherit;">th the<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Royal Clarence H<span style="font-family: inherit;">otel and No. <span style="font-family: inherit;">18 C<span style="font-family: inherit;">athedral Yard<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">were almost c<span style="font-family: inherit;">ompletely destroyed.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is also a testament to the work of the fire ser<span style="font-family: inherit;">vice that the <span style="font-family: inherit;">conflagration didn't spread s<span style="font-family: inherit;">ig<span style="font-family: inherit;">nific<span style="font-family: inherit;">antly</span></span></span> into <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2011/07/probably-best-preserved-group-of-late.html" target="_blank">the small group of 16th buildings that front onto the High Street</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, although even here there was damage.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I<span style="font-family: inherit;">f the fire had o<span style="font-family: inherit;">ccurred at an<span style="font-family: inherit;">y other period in time then it<span style="font-family: inherit;">'s highl<span style="font-family: inherit;">y li<span style="font-family: inherit;">kely that these, arguably even more significant <span style="font-family: inherit;">buildings,</span> wo<span style="font-family: inherit;">uld've been lost<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> too. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cliche i<span style="font-family: inherit;">t may be, bu<span style="font-family: inherit;">t it could easily have been much worse.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> And <span style="font-family: inherit;">t</span>here's obviously also <span style="font-family: inherit;">a salutary lesson <span style="font-family: inherit;">here</span> in <span style="font-family: inherit;">the dangers of <span style="font-family: inherit;">having</span> all your historical<span style="font-family: inherit;">/architec<span style="font-family: inherit;">tural</span> eggs in one small basket. Exeter <span style="font-family: inherit;">has so<span style="font-family: inherit;"> few of thes<span style="font-family: inherit;">e 'eggs' that it really can<span style="font-family: inherit;">'t af<span style="font-family: inherit;">ford to lose <span style="font-family: inherit;">the ones it's <span style="font-family: inherit;">got<span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another rather u<span style="font-family: inherit;">nfor<span style="font-family: inherit;">tunate cons<span style="font-family: inherit;">equence is <span style="font-family: inherit;">that it's led <span style="font-family: inherit;">to a<span style="font-family: inherit;"> resurgence in the usual bleat<span style="font-family: inherit;">ing about the damage caused <span style="font-family: inherit;">by the</span> 'Exe<span style="font-family: inherit;">ter Bli<span style="font-family: inherit;">tz', and i<span style="font-family: inherit;">t reminded me a<span style="font-family: inherit;">gain</span> how deeply ingrained this particular myth is in the general Exeter consciousness. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Even the bishop wa<span style="font-family: inherit;">s <span style="font-family: inherit;">a<span style="font-family: inherit;">t it, fo<span style="font-family: inherit;">r <span style="font-family: inherit;">goodness s<span style="font-family: inherit;">ake<span style="font-family: inherit;">, claiming that <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/10/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html" target="_blank">the 1942 </a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/10/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html" target="_blank">air-raid</a> destroyed </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"<span style="font-family: inherit;">l</span>ots of our medieval buildings in Exeter<span style="font-family: inherit;">" as if th<span style="font-family: inherit;">at</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">event was solely responsible for the destruction of Exeter as a visually<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>historic<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">city.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>At least Dr Todd Gray<span style="font-family: inherit;">, when<span style="font-family: inherit;"> interviewed by the BBC, mentioned the <span style="font-family: inherit;">destructive redevelopments of the 1960s and 1970s<span style="font-family: inherit;"> while adding that <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/10/destruction-of-exeter-in-20th-century.html" target="_blank">the Blitz only affected 25% of the city</a> [not 75% as many seem to believe<span style="font-family: inherit;">]<span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It <span style="font-family: inherit;">seems that the fire started in No.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 18 Cathedr<span style="font-family: inherit;">al Yard. The ground floor was being used as a<span style="font-family: inherit;">n a<span style="font-family: inherit;">rt gallery and the <span style="font-family: inherit;">upper floors were in the process of being con<span style="font-family: inherit;">verted into luxury apartments. According to media report<span style="font-family: inherit;">s<span style="font-family: inherit;">, the upper floors had been empty for an incredib<span style="font-family: inherit;">le</span> ten years as various schemes for their use fell through.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bu<span style="font-family: inherit;">ilt c.1910, No. 18 was Grade II listed and </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">built of r</span>ed brick with stucco dressings, pilasters and entablature<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>at each level<span style="font-family: inherit;">. It also had a distin<span style="font-family: inherit;">ctive M<span style="font-family: inherit;">ansard roof <span style="font-family: inherit;">more typical of France than south<span style="font-family: inherit;">west England<span style="font-family: inherit;">. In his book 'Exeter Architecture', Hugh Mell<span style="font-family: inherit;">e</span>r writes that "there is <span style="font-family: inherit;">a theory that it was built <span style="font-family: inherit;">by a <span style="font-family: inherit;">curio collector with a <span style="font-family: inherit;">fancy for the French renaiss<span style="font-family: inherit;">ance<span style="font-family: inherit;">...it was cert<span style="font-family: inherit;">ainly <span style="font-family: inherit;">a curious person who dre<span style="font-family: inherit;">amt up the <span style="font-family: inherit;">interior" <i><span style="font-family: inherit;">right</span></i>. Dark mahogany doors with inset mirrored panels and framed by Co<span style="font-family: inherit;">rinth<span style="font-family: inherit;">ian pilasters led from room to room<span style="font-family: inherit;">, an effect that Mel<span style="font-family: inherit;">ler descri<span style="font-family: inherit;">bes <span style="font-family: inherit;">as "w<span style="font-family: inherit;">eirdly surreal". A staircase, at leas<span style="font-family: inherit;">t</span> part<span style="font-family: inherit;"> of which was</span> 18th century</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>, ascended through the centre of the bu<span style="font-family: inherit;">ild<span style="font-family: inherit;">ing with a <span style="font-family: inherit;">g<span style="font-family: inherit;">aller<span style="font-family: inherit;">ied lan<span style="font-family: inherit;">ding</span></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">on the first <span style="font-family: inherit;">floor. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The mos<span style="font-family: inherit;">t remarka<span style="font-family: inherit;">b<span style="font-family: inherit;">le <span style="font-family: inherit;">room</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">however</span> had "gilded <span style="font-family: inherit;">wallp<span style="font-family: inherit;">aper in the Po<span style="font-family: inherit;">m<span style="font-family: inherit;">peian style", large mirrors, black fireplaces decorated with stone lions <span style="font-family: inherit;">and a very elabor<span style="font-family: inherit;">ate gilded cornice. Pevsner/Cherry desc<span style="font-family: inherit;">ribe this room as "very lavishly decorated in the Louis Quin<span style="font-family: inherit;">ze style"<span style="font-family: inherit;">. It's a pity more people couldn't h<span style="font-family: inherit;">ave seen the<span style="font-family: inherit;">se interiors before they were destroyed at the w<span style="font-family: inherit;">eekend. <span style="font-family: inherit;">No<span style="font-family: inherit;">. 18 has been left as a shell<span style="font-family: inherit;"> although <span style="font-family: inherit;">perhaps</span> the exterior a<span style="font-family: inherit;">t least can be sal<span style="font-family: inherit;">va<span style="font-family: inherit;">ged<span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nos. 16 & 17 C<span style="font-family: inherit;">athedral Yard<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <i>left </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">date fr<span style="font-family: inherit;">om<span style="font-family: inherit;"> the 1600s<span style="font-family: inherit;">,</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">although the faca<span style="font-family: inherit;">des were <span style="font-family: inherit;">refurbished in the 19th century. This makes them s<span style="font-family: inherit;">ome of the oldest surviving timber-framed domestic <span style="font-family: inherit;">houses <span style="font-family: inherit;">withi<span style="font-family: inherit;">n the city walls.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>Both stand on very long, narrow tenement plo<span style="font-family: inherit;">ts of <span style="font-family: inherit;">a <span style="font-family: inherit;">sort once found tho</span></span>roughout Exeter<span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The buildings</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> are kno<span style="font-family: inherit;">wn to most people today as the site of the Well House inn. The <span style="font-family: inherit;">name derives from a well discovered in 1933 of <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">allegedly Roman <span style="font-family: inherit;">date</span></span> which can be<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">seen in the <span style="font-family: inherit;">ce<span style="font-family: inherit;">ll<span style="font-family: inherit;">ars<span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span>The cell<span style="font-family: inherit;">ars also cont<span style="font-family: inherit;">ain a skeleton<span style="font-family: inherit;"> comprising t<span style="font-family: inherit;">he <span style="font-family: inherit;">bones of two separate individuals. <span style="font-family: inherit;">This feeds into the<span style="font-family: inherit;"> ridiculous story of the bones being the remains of a monk and some woman <span style="font-family: inherit;">with whom he was having an illicit <span style="font-family: inherit;">affair. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Although badly damage<span style="font-family: inherit;">d by the <span style="font-family: inherit;">fire<span style="font-family: inherit;">, <span style="font-family: inherit;">especiall<span style="font-family: inherit;">y at the rear, </span>e<span style="font-family: inherit;">nough<span style="font-family: inherit;"> appears to <span style="font-family: inherit;">survive <span style="font-family: inherit;">of both </span></span></span></span></span>Nos. 16 & 17 <span style="font-family: inherit;">to m<span style="font-family: inherit;">ake resto<span style="font-family: inherit;">ration a real possibility. <span style="font-family: inherit;">It's incredible that anything rem<span style="font-family: inherit;">ains of them at all<span style="font-family: inherit;"> given their wooden construction and the almost total des<span style="font-family: inherit;">tr<span style="font-family: inherit;">uction of the buildings on either s<span style="font-family: inherit;">ide. The fire <span style="font-family: inherit;">seems <span style="font-family: inherit;">to have passed from No. 18 to the Royal C<span style="font-family: inherit;">larence <span style="font-family: inherit;">Hotel via the<span style="font-family: inherit;"> g<span style="font-family: inherit;">abled roofs of Nos. 16 & 17 while leaving the f<span style="font-family: inherit;">ronts <span style="font-family: inherit;">and floors</span> relatively in<span style="font-family: inherit;">tact.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2BtZ-KEuzNRepscVm-YSDZIYhcDnCHFCu22nI0zUHlS6j7DEZstb4lf__c1sQOnZSwngT7qzM9ZB3T3H1Xn07o52T6sWGr8sPQ34I7DWU1st2S3iOjMR58XcdJVVCgbpGr5XnKbKrJQ5M/s1600/royal+clarence+exeter+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2BtZ-KEuzNRepscVm-YSDZIYhcDnCHFCu22nI0zUHlS6j7DEZstb4lf__c1sQOnZSwngT7qzM9ZB3T3H1Xn07o52T6sWGr8sPQ34I7DWU1st2S3iOjMR58XcdJVVCgbpGr5XnKbKrJQ5M/s640/royal+clarence+exeter+blog.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately the same can't be said of the Royal Clarence Hotel <i>above</i>, built in 1769 by William Mackworth Praed as the city's Assembly Rooms. According to local historian W. G. Hoskins, "this became the first hostelry in England to be called an hotel, the name being first used in an advertisement dated September 7, 1770". The proprietor at the time was the Frenchman, Pierre Berlon. As Hoskins writes, "for a long time his establishment was known simply as The Hotel, even <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/11/new-london-inn-new-london-inn-square.html" target="_blank">the New London</a> - its great rival - describing itself as an inn".</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9B3t_qDY_0B4un4B8MednWusEgYrkPCk6NRny4PXlBW1MLJOuRN4UymrtBdzMa_1MNDI6qAHbdppunKkhp1UsQYO9ZlqE3mcwhnF2QxT0jiJqgHJnC_Kua0OgbATnRECteB2WXi43KDo_/s1600/royal+clarence+from+cathedral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9B3t_qDY_0B4un4B8MednWusEgYrkPCk6NRny4PXlBW1MLJOuRN4UymrtBdzMa_1MNDI6qAHbdppunKkhp1UsQYO9ZlqE3mcwhnF2QxT0jiJqgHJnC_Kua0OgbATnRECteB2WXi43KDo_/s640/royal+clarence+from+cathedral.jpg" width="438" /></a></div>
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The Hotel was just one of numerous coaching inns and taverns which flourished in the city throughout the 17th and 18th centuries e.g. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/11/globe-inn-cathedral-yard.html" target="_blank">the Globe</a>, the London, the previously-mentioned New London, the Mermaid, the White Hart, the Valiant Soldier, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2012/03/bear-inn-on-south-street-abbots-of.html" target="_blank">the Bear</a> on South Street, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2012/02/black-lions-inn-no-78-south-street.html" target="_blank">the Black Lions</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2011/02/elephant-inn-no-37-north-street.html" target="_blank">the Elephant on North Street</a>, the Half Moon and, oldest of all, the New Inn on the High Street, to name just a few.</div>
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Alexander Jenkins, in his 1806 history of Exeter, claimed that "the Hotel" was "the only House worthy [of] notice" in the whole parish of St Martin's. He described it as "a large and commodious Inn, with elegant apartments and accommodation for people of the first Quality, with a large assembly-room, in which are held the Assize Balls, Concerts and Winter assemblies, of the most distinguished persons of the City and County" [a role that was later to be taken up by <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2011/02/devon-and-exeter-subscription-rooms.html" target="_blank">the Public Subscription Rooms</a> at the former East Gate]. The photo <i>above right</i> shows the Royal Clarence Hotel from the north tower of the Cathedral with associated structures visible behind the facade.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKBJvtqA7qg0q2-w4q52nx3WGonyf0j9aA6hygYc41XWTnjCTtGZ4vGrWJRupubqY1jofzPZZlag1x1oklFy38r78qahMlK54UzV0mBgKIe_HPV_mVNi1m_-DRfEG_Pd4Zw4KLcc3nfV1/s1600/Clarence+Hotel+Royal+Arms+ii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKBJvtqA7qg0q2-w4q52nx3WGonyf0j9aA6hygYc41XWTnjCTtGZ4vGrWJRupubqY1jofzPZZlag1x1oklFy38r78qahMlK54UzV0mBgKIe_HPV_mVNi1m_-DRfEG_Pd4Zw4KLcc3nfV1/s640/Clarence+Hotel+Royal+Arms+ii.jpg" width="640" /></a>Like <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">all the buildings affected by the fire, the Royal C<span style="font-family: inherit;">larence Hotel</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">stood<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> within the footprint of the <span style="font-family: inherit;">Roman legionary fort establi<span style="font-family: inherit;">shed in the middle of the first cent<span style="font-family: inherit;">ury AD <span style="font-family: inherit;">by the<span style="font-family: inherit;"> future emper<span style="font-family: inherit;">or of Rome<span style="font-family: inherit;">, <span style="font-family: inherit;">Vespasian</span></span></span></span></span>.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">However, t</span>he history of the site reall<span style="font-family: inherit;">y only takes shape during the Middle A<span style="font-family: inherit;">ges<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">when<span style="font-family: inherit;">, in the 1440s, it</span> was occ<span style="font-family: inherit;">upied by houses belonging to the can<span style="font-family: inherit;">ons <span style="font-family: inherit;">a<span style="font-family: inherit;">t the Cathedral, including <span style="font-family: inherit;">one William Pencrych.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>According <span style="font-family: inherit;">to Todd Gray, the <span style="font-family: inherit;">ground floor and first floor of the Hotel incorporated mediev<span style="font-family: inherit;">al <span style="font-family: inherit;">fabric<span style="font-family: inherit;">. In 1732 it was the site <span style="font-family: inherit;">of a large house belon<span style="font-family: inherit;">gin<span style="font-family: inherit;">g to <span style="font-family: inherit;">Nathaniel Matthews<span style="font-family: inherit;"> and presumably it was this building <span style="font-family: inherit;">that was demolished in order to <span style="font-family: inherit;">construct</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">what became the <span style="font-family: inherit;">Royal Clarence.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfhBe1ba4e-L8s-c5rIAIxKIb_8BwdxTrpUj0NkEZygud4nLc_YoVPZhxu8DCT1cAfkan_-Wa7oxfAf1Ft4OdUPLssBotMOlHBY6HWEoJEVpHp0a5qkh-2g5Inmbsq9ZFCOXkNk2xIpRS/s1600/clarence+exeter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfhBe1ba4e-L8s-c5rIAIxKIb_8BwdxTrpUj0NkEZygud4nLc_YoVPZhxu8DCT1cAfkan_-Wa7oxfAf1Ft4OdUPLssBotMOlHBY6HWEoJEVpHp0a5qkh-2g5Inmbsq9ZFCOXkNk2xIpRS/s640/clarence+exeter.jpg" width="444" /></a>The original 1769 stucco facade was altered during a remodelling in 1827, and it was then that both the bay windows were added and the unfortunate plain sash windows which, compared with the glazing bars of the original, did the facade few favours.<br />
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The most attractive details were the two coats of arms with which it was adorned: one on the parapet <i>above</i>, which has unfortunately fallen into the remains of the interior, and another on the Tuscan porch <i>bottom</i> which is one of the finest in the city and which will hopefully be salvaged along with the ornamental ironwork when the ruins are demolished later in the week.<br />
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As Hugh Meller fairly states, the Hotel was "more significant for its historical connections than for its architecture". It was certainly built too late to feature the elaborate late 17th century plaster ceilings which were such a distinctive feature of several other Exeter's coaching inns [e.g. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/10/nos-25-26-high-street-new-inn.html" target="_blank">the New Inn</a> and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/10/half-moon-inn-high-street.html" target="_blank">the Half Moon</a>]. But it had a guest list with which nowhere in Exeter could compare: Lord Nelson, Beatrix Potter, Liszt and Thomas Hardy were just a few of the well-known figures who stayed at the Clarence. The name derived from a visit in 1827 by Adelaide, the Duchess of Clarence, wife of the future William IV.<br />
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The last property to suffer serious damage was the building on the corner of Cathedral Yard and St Martin's Lane. Now part of the Royal Clarence and Grade II listed, it was constructed in 1769, again by William Praed, as Exeter's first bank <i>right</i>. It opened its doors on 09 July 1769. It was also once the site of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2011/07/dellers-cafe-bedford-street.html" target="_blank">Deller's Cafe</a> before that business moved to its extraordinary new premises in Bedford Street in 1916.<br />
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As a fan of 18th century neoclassical architecture, I think this is one of the most attractive buildings in the city and beautiful in almost every detail. Fortunately the emergency services prevented the fire from engulfing the entire structure. Aerial photographs appear to show the loss of the roof and the attic rooms, and presumably there will be significant water damage, but the bulk of the building appears to have survived intact. <br />
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There are at least seven other timber-framed structures from the 16th and 17th centuries surrounding those most badly damaged by the fire, sometimes abutting directly onto them: <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2011/07/no-39-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 39</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2011/07/no-40-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 40</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/12/nos-41-42-high-street.html" target="_blank">Nos. 41 & 42 High Street</a> [Laura Ashley], <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2011/07/nos-43-44-and-45-high-street.html" target="_blank">Nos. 43, 44 & 45</a> and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2011/07/nos-46-47-high-street.html" target="_blank">Nos. 46 & 47 High Street</a> [No. 46 is believed to have the oldest surviving carved domestic street frontage in Devon]. Remarkably, none of these have been seriously harmed by the fire. Only the actions of the fire service prevented them being burned to the ground. <br />
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Talk has already moved onto what will replace the Royal Clarence Hotel even before the ruins have been demolished. The owners have issued a statement on the subject: "Looking to the future of The Royal
Clarence, we have every intention to rebuild the hotel with enormous
sympathy to its importance and heritage" [a first for Exeter]. And I've seen several comments from people hoping that the replacement won't be "something modern" [don't tell Exeter City Council].<br />
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The bishop has also expressed his opinion: "All the historic stuff inside has gone, you can’t replace it, but at
least I hope and pray that they rebuild the frontage as it was because
it deserves to be there because that’s what will preserve at least the
veneer of the architectural continuity on the Cathedral Green".<br />
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But since at least 1900, Exeter has always built modern and built new, a doctrine which obviously came to the fore during the post-war reconstruction of the 1950s and the redevelopments in the subsequent decades <i>left</i>. The Royal Clarence is in a far worse condition now than many other significant buildings damaged in 1942, all of which were subsequently demolished and replaced with "something modern". <br />
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Exeter set its back to the past and turned its face to the future after the Second World War, an ideology which has informed almost every planning decision taken by Exeter City Council between 1945 and the present day. Just think about the post-war reconstruction, or <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2011/09/medieval-merchants-at-no-36-north.html" target="_blank">the demolition of medieval houses in the 1970s</a> to build the Guildhall Shopping Centre, or <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2011/08/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html" target="_blank">the demolition of Goldsmith Street</a>, or <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2013/03/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html" target="_blank">the creation of the inner bypass</a> and redevelopment of Cowick Street, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2011/09/debenhams-nos-1-to-11-sidwell-street.html" target="_blank">the old Debenhams building</a>, the latest hideous incarnation of Princesshay or the new plans for Sidwell Street, mindless in-fill like <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2011/12/nos-50-to-52-high-street-exchange-lane.html" target="_blank">Nos. 50 - 52 High Street</a>, or <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2011/12/nos-212-to-219-high-street.html" target="_blank">the atrocious Marks & Spencer building</a> of 1980.<br />
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Exeter's integrity as a visually historical city isn't dependent on the construction of a Royal Clarence facsimile facade. That boat sailed a long time ago, so whether a facsimile facade is built or not doesn't actually matter.<br />
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Theoretically, a modern architect should be commissioned to come up with something grossly inappropriate. If 'modern' was good enough for the new Princesshay <i>right</i>, to name a recent example, then why not for the Cathedral Green, or is the face of 'modern' Exeter so repugnant that it can't be seen to sully the genteel confines of the ecclesiastical precinct?<br />
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Surely, if the City Council insisted on a replica facade it would be a huge repudiation of its own philosophy: build new, build modern [although selling Exeter as an attractive historical city would be that little bit harder with a modern carbuncle on the face of one the few remaining historical fragments].<br />
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Exeter doesn't 'do' historical reconstructions. Why should it start now?<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-9649371036413657562013-05-21T01:01:00.002+01:002013-05-22T13:04:06.424+01:00Exeter Cathedral: Bishop Stapledon's Lost Reredos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChXDqaVmpmoWU89DGWLkjbG87mW-6NW82TYZEO6YZJjgmv7iedQsHRLVnbdM-KrZNp5pPvCkoUw1Fh9gBc9nxrv6kipvNeQTAs-WND4LQt7P_tTQp-QWRcMA3-NpJsUhgGFllazd3aA01/s1600/Stapledons+Lost+Reredos+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChXDqaVmpmoWU89DGWLkjbG87mW-6NW82TYZEO6YZJjgmv7iedQsHRLVnbdM-KrZNp5pPvCkoUw1Fh9gBc9nxrv6kipvNeQTAs-WND4LQt7P_tTQp-QWRcMA3-NpJsUhgGFllazd3aA01/s640/Stapledons+Lost+Reredos+blog.jpg" width="598" /></a></div>
The early 14th century reredos which stood behind the high altar at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html">Exeter Cathedral</a> must be counted as one of greatest lost masterpieces of medieval England. The photo <i>above</i> is a rather feeble attempt by me to reconstruct what it might've looked like c1400, after the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/great-east-window-exeter-cathedral.html">Great East Window</a> had been replaced by Robert Lyen and Robert Lesyngham at the end of the 14th century. The photo <i>below</i> <i>right</i> shows the Neville screen at Durham Cathedral which gets mentioned a little further on.<br />
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We know that the reredos was constructed in the early 1320s, the brainchild of Bishop Walter de Stapledon. In 1313 Stapledon invited Thomas of Witney to design a canopy for the bishop's throne to install in the cathedral's newly-completed choir. Presumably under Stapledon's direction, the resulting piece of woodwork became what is probably <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/exeter-cathedral-bishops-throne.html">the largest piece of medieval furniture still in existence</a>, towering nearly 60ft (18m) high and covered in intricate detail.<br />
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In 1316 Witney arrived from Winchester to take up the post of master mason at Exeter and drew up designs to complete the choir fittings. This included the creation of the sedilia (a stone structure with three seats near the high altar), the pulpitum (a massive stone screen between the choir and the nave) and the reredos behind the high altar. The throne canopy, sedilia and pulpitum still survive and according to Pevsner & Cherry "cannot be parallelled in any other English cathedral". There is no reason to doubt that the reredos was any less spectacular than the other fittings designed by Thomas of Witney for Bishop Stapledon. The photo <i>below left</i> shows part of the tomb of Hugh Despenser at Tewkesbury which might've drawn inspiration from the Exeter reredos.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTcR_55ixfn4geH-RwPBnXljhCgHmad17UTNg2WTh1o06ab3Iq-yCgx7MDMfluf6iRS1Vhv6AWspqjJ0oOtcLNeTPcr4APg8Ac9t2xIQd3W-QVlFwZOUog_pt73V8bM4CbYr1DgMTOOgG/s1600/despenser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTcR_55ixfn4geH-RwPBnXljhCgHmad17UTNg2WTh1o06ab3Iq-yCgx7MDMfluf6iRS1Vhv6AWspqjJ0oOtcLNeTPcr4APg8Ac9t2xIQd3W-QVlFwZOUog_pt73V8bM4CbYr1DgMTOOgG/s640/despenser.jpg" width="380" /></a>Work started c.1316 and the reredos was largely complete by 1325. Such was its scale that it even had its own set of accounts which, when combined with the archaeological evidence, at least give some idea of what the reredos might've looked like.<br />
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The reredos consisted of a large stone screen which stood directly behind the high altar. It extended across the full width of the choir. The sedilia and the tomb of Bishop Stapledon stood at the ends of the reredos and the sedilia at least was probably conceived as part of the overall composition.<br />
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The reredos was at least as high as the sill of the east window and the tops of the pinnacles probably went up even further. The bottom of the screen was made of solid stone inset into which were three doors. These doors were lockable and led into a vestry immediately behind the altar. The upper parts of the screen were almost certainly open and contained canopied niches for statues.<br />
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According to Jon Cannon, the reredos "originally contained up to forty-eight separate statues arranged between three delicate tabernacles [i.e. decorated niches], and 12,800 sheets of gold foil were used in its decoration". The niches would've contained miniature stone vaults. There was certainly a statue of the Virgin Mary and Child, St. Peter and St. Paul as well as a lily of metal foil. The statues probably represented apostles, prophets and angels all of would've been painted in bright colours. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHmxDXycP2nk1nj6p0TZ41-BTVRxNxWDmsbj_XbrwkbNSNLvV4TPGROiRZjicVA5utfOpGxXVodHwnCZ_mCapEGx3_8svU3wNH6o-pSxRQU1uQ6RxQiicA0LRwWJqYpeP4qv0mRdpTgsO/s1600/exeter+choir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHmxDXycP2nk1nj6p0TZ41-BTVRxNxWDmsbj_XbrwkbNSNLvV4TPGROiRZjicVA5utfOpGxXVodHwnCZ_mCapEGx3_8svU3wNH6o-pSxRQU1uQ6RxQiicA0LRwWJqYpeP4qv0mRdpTgsO/s640/exeter+choir.jpg" width="439" /></a>Veronica Sekules has stated that: "At this date, between 1316 and 1325, such a grand structure, free-standing behind the altar and closing it off completely from the area behind, is exceptional and possibly unique. Very few comparable English 14th-century examples are known".<br />
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One of these examples is the Neville screen which stands behind the high altar at Durham Cathedral, described by Henry and Hulbert as "the nearest comparable screen" to the reredos at Exeter and upon which I based the reconstruction. The Neville screen was built c.1380 and so is around fifty years later than the Exeter reredos.<br />
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Given the differences in the date it's possible that the reredos not only influenced the open work pinnacle design of the Neville screen but was also the inspiration for other 14th century structures, such as the tomb of Edward II at Gloucester and the tomb of Hugh Despenser at Tewkesbury.<br />
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Apart from the canopy over the bishop's throne, the other structure which might give some insight into the appearance of the reredos is the sedilia at Exeter <i>left</i>, designed by Thomas of Witney at the same time as the reredos. "It is very likely that from the design of the sedilia we can to some extent extrapolate the design of the reredos" (Veronica Sekules). The sedilia ranks as one of the finest examples of its kind in the country.<br />
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The photo <i>above right </i>shows
the rear of the sidilia as seen from the south choir aisle (it's
difficult to get a good photo from the front as it's set back in one of
the arcade arches and the area in front of the high altar is roped off).
It is a structure of breathtaking beauty. The quality of the carving is superb and the forms achieved within the
triangular arches alone are works of art in their own right. It is
possibly a finer, more subtle, more delicate and inventive achievement
even than Witney's slightly earlier throne canopy. Stapledon must've
been delighted with it. If the vastly larger reredos was remotely
similar, which is in all probability it was, it indicates the huge
magnitude of the loss. And that was just the stone framework which was in turn
adorned with nearly forty-eight carved and painted statues.<br />
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The sedilia has been much restored, particularly by George Gilbert Scott in the 1870s when he inserted around 1400 pieces of stone, and after some war damage in 1942. But its medieval form has survived largely intact and it is stunning, each seat crowned with a star-vaulted, seven-sided canopy on top of which is a three-sided ogee-arched canopy crowned with crocketed pinnacles. <br />
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Stapledon's largesse didn't end with just providing significant funds for the reredos. He also funded a silver altar table which was in place in front of the reredos by 1327. When John Leland visited Exeter in the late 1530s he reported that <span class="st">"Bishop Stapledon<i></i> made also the riche fronte of stonework at the high altar in the<i> </i>Cathedral church of Exeter and also made the riche silver table in the middle of it".</span><br />
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During the Reformation this retable was allegedly hidden within the walls of the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/chancellors-house-cathedral-close.html">Chancellor's House</a> in the Cathedral Close. True or not, the retable doesn't exist today and presumably ended its days melted down and in the coffers of the Tudor court. The Reformation also saw the reredos stripped of all its idolatrous images. Only one small fragment of the statues might still survive, a figure of a king which was perhaps relocated inside the tomb of Bishop Stapledon. Stapledon was beheaded by a mob close to St. Paul's in London in 1326, his body was later returned to Exeter by Isabella of France.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnTOKJR2T48qMwVnI-dbWxutkSpa-yjwPTiH2yXUSFbdXVF_7yNf5WrvIndS7WfE2ODDHx_9yWPdpNWQaAgxveaUguQeBKe3qnvK1mPHH3HsIHw94zI-DtxHDMarfKJsw1xXma1WlMYXxN/s1600/arch+scar+reredos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnTOKJR2T48qMwVnI-dbWxutkSpa-yjwPTiH2yXUSFbdXVF_7yNf5WrvIndS7WfE2ODDHx_9yWPdpNWQaAgxveaUguQeBKe3qnvK1mPHH3HsIHw94zI-DtxHDMarfKJsw1xXma1WlMYXxN/s640/arch+scar+reredos.jpg" width="428" /></a>A second fragment <i>above right</i> could've been relocated to the north wall of St Andrew's Chapel. The masonry consists of three gable arches with ogee arches underneath. The design is very similar to the arches at the back of the sedilia. It's possible that these are just a few of the niche canopies from Stapledon's reredos but the fragment could equally have come from the reredos in the Lady Chapel or elsewhere in the cathedral.<br />
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Otherwise the great reredos is only present by its absence. The photo <i>left</i> shows one of the arches in the north arcade of the choir, or presbytery. High up on the arch are some scars in the masonry which remain to indicate the minimum height of Stapledon's reredos. Comparison with the chairs on the floor illustrate just how enormous it was.<br />
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The back of the stone framework appears to have survived the Reformation up to the height of the east window. It was plastered over in 1638 and painted with a <i>trompe l'oiel</i> perspective. In 1818 the painting and remains of the reredos were demolished. A report in the 'Exeter Flying Post' of that year announced that "on Monday the Cathedral was shut up for the commencing of the new works, of taking down the altar screen, supposed to have been erected in the early part of the seventeenth century, on the scite of the more antient altar of the age of Bishop Stapledon. The screen, now to be removed, is a plain surface, painted in a style of mixed Gothic and Grecian". The report clearly believed that the Stapledon reredos couldn't have been as high as the remaining masonry suggested but hindsight has shown otherwise. The painting and the remaining part of the screen was demolished and that was the end of Bishop Stapledon's reredos.<br />
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The reconstruction of the reredos <i>above</i> is highly conjectural and is probably wrong on pretty much everything! I only managed to fit on about half the total complement of statues. It's really just designed to try and convey something of the screen's former magnificence and show how it must've dominated the choir. If anything it was even larger than depicted in the reconstruction. The only thing that is perhaps fairly accurately demonstrated is how the reredos worked in conjunction with the east window to create a vast expanse of iconography at the eastern end of the cathedral. When the reredos was completed the entire east wall would've been filled with colour images, whether in stone or glass. The same view <i>below</i> shows what a devastating impact the Reformation had on English medieval art.<br />
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html">Sources </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-27979979840305810552013-05-18T17:34:00.001+01:002013-05-22T13:18:09.532+01:00Exeter Cathedral: The Bishop's Throne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Of international importance, the 14th century bishop's throne in <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html">Exeter Cathedral</a> is another of the city's most significant artifacts. Constructed on an unprecedented scale the throne is described by Nikolaus Pevsner as "the most exquisite piece of woodwork of its date in England and perhaps in Europe".<br />
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The throne or, strictly speaking, the architectural canopy which covers the throne or <i>cathedra</i>, was the idea of Walter de Stapledon. Born near Cookbury in North Devon c.1260, Stapledon was the Bishop of Exeter from 1308 to 1326.<br />
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Educated at Oxford, where he later founded Exeter College, Stapledon regularly attended the Royal court and undertook diplomatic missions for Edward I and Edward II. A man of enormous power and ambition, he twice held the post of Lord High Treasurer of England under Edward II.<br />
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Bishop Stapledon contributed immensely to the creation of Exeter Cathedral as we see it today and continued the rebuilding program which had started c.1275 under his predecessors.<br />
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His most lasting legacy however is probably the group of spectacular fittings he commissioned for the choir. These consisted of a bishop's throne, a sedilia, a reredos behind the high altar and the pulpitum (the screen dividing the choir from the nave upon which the organ now stands). According to Jon Cannon, "few groups of structures anywhere show a more brilliantly unreined creativity". The <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/exeter-cathedral-bishop-stapledons-lost.html">reredos</a> was largely destroyed during the Reformation and nothing of it remains but the throne canopy, sedilia and pulpitum commissioned by Stapledon remain in the cathedral today, "a group which cannot be parallelled in any other English cathedral" (Pevsner & Cherry). The first of these to be started was the throne canopy.<br />
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Work on the bishop's throne canopy began in 1313. In June of that year the acclaimed medieval architect <br />
Thomas of Witney visited Exeter for a month just to select the timber. He was almost certainly also responsible for its design. Witney was both a master mason and an exceptionally skilled carpenter who worked on the cathedrals at Winchester and Wells and at Malmesbury Abbey.<br />
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The oak for the canopy came from trees felled from the bishop's estates at Chudleigh and at Newton St Cyres, a small village a few miles north-west of Exeter. At Newton St Cyres the timber was artifically seasoned by being immersed in a mill pond for several years. Construction of the canopy lasted from 1316 to 1317. Although Witney designed the throne canopy it was the creation of the master carpenter Robert de Galmeton and an associate. It seems from the Fabric Rolls that Galmeton was paid £4 for creating this enormous piece of woodwork, less than the cost of the timber itself. Thomas of Witney was probably in Exeter to oversee the final construction of the canopy as he was made master mason of the cathedral in 1316, a post he held until his death c.1342. He also designed the timber vaults still in place over the transepts and the cathedral's <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/exeter-cathedral-evolution-of-the-west.html">west front</a>.<br />
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Once completed the throne canopy was almost certainly painted and gilded, and there is some evidence that even more detail was added with moulded putty. Standing nearly 60ft (18m) tall it is the largest and highest bishop's throne canopy ever constructed.<br />
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The base and enclosure of the canopy are Victorian but the rest is largely unchanged since it was created in the early 14th century. Built of oak and originally held together with nothing but wooden pegs, the canopy is framed by one of the arches of the south choir aisle. The canopy has a ceiling of wooden vaulting. The section immediately above the actual throne consists of four great gables built around a crenellated central tower. Within the gables are cusped nodding ogee arches decorated with angels. According to Pevsner and Cherry, these are some of the earliest nodding ogees in England. A series of crocketed pinnacles rise at each corner of the canopy on slender buttresses, joined further up by yet more buttress-type supports and pinnacles. Almost at the top, half buried within the forest of pinnacles, is a square frame of Gothic open tracery upon which originally stood a large medieval statue, probably of St. Peter (now replaced with a Victorian statue). The entire canopy is surmounted by a single openwork crocketed pinnacle.<br />
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The entire scheme is intensely architectural. Every concept known to the medieval stone mason was thrown <br />
into it: ogee arches, pointed arches, gables, vaulting, tracery, pinnacles and buttresses. It's like the central spire that the cathedral never had. And almost every available surface is intricately decorated with a carved vine leaves and bunches of grapes with human faces and animal faces peering out through the foliage.<br />
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It is an astounding confection of almost overwhelming ostentation.When painted and covered in metal foil it would've been even more so.<br />
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But what could've motivated Bishop Stapledon to commission such an object, twice the size again of any existing medieval throne canopy? Clearly Stapledon wanted to express his episcopal might and create a chair which would glorify the people who sat upon it. Jon Cannon has written that Stapledon's elaborate fittings, including the throne canopy, were designed to turn the cathedral "into a kind of living shrine, not to a saint or a miracle - for it had neither - but to the liturgy itself, and by extension the authority of its bishop". He continues: "Exeter on a major feast day would have been worth the trip for the rituals and their setting alone." I suppose the throne canopy is ultimately a statement of power, whether it be spiritual, political, episcopal or financial.<br />
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Alexander Jenkins claimed in 1806 that after the English Civil War the Parliamentarians ordered the throne canopy "to be taken down, as useless". Apparently "some worthy gentleman took care of the materials of the throne, and had them privately conveyed to a place of security, where they remained until the restoration, when they were replaced with (happily) very little damage".<br />
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I don't know how accurate this claim is. True or not, it's amazing that the throne canopy survived the upheavals of the mid 17th century at all.<br />
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The throne canopy was taken apart again in the 1870s during the restoration of the cathedral by George Gilbert Scott. It was apparently buried in "brown paint and varnish". The restorers liked the appearance of the plain old oak so much that "all idea of reviving the colouring of which traces were found was well rejected". It's perhaps a pity that the Victorians didn't reinstate the colours which they found upon cleaning the throne. Stripped of its colour and gilt it is only half the object intended to be seen by Bishop Stapledon and Thomas of Witney in the early 14th century. The very early photo <i>above left</i> dates to 1869 and shows the choir looking west prior to Gilbert Scott's restoration and the removal of the Georgian box stalls. John Loosemore's organ from the 1660s sits on Witney's pulpitum, largely concealed by panelling. The bishop's throne is to the left.<br />
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The throne canopy was dismantled by Herbert Reed after the outbreak of the Second World War, the pieces stored in a cellar at Torquay. Reed was one of Devon's finest 20th century craftsmen. If you go into many parish churches in Devon you'll often see his remarkable reconstructions of medieval rood screens, frequently based on surviving fragments of the originals.<br />
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It's alleged that Herbert Reed had a dream in which he saw the throne canopy destroyed and persuaded the Dean and Chapter to allow him to take the canopy apart for safekeeping. Either way, his actions saved the canopy from destruction. During the Exeter Blitz on 04 May 1942 a high explosive bomb hit the cathedral and completely destroyed the Chapel of St James and part of the south choir aisle <i>right</i>. Like the medieval glass in the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/great-east-window-exeter-cathedral.html">Great East Window</a>, if the throne canopy had still been in place it would've been smashed to pieces by the blast.<br />
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Despite the much-repeated claim, recent examination has shown that the throne canopy is no longer held together with just wooden pegs. After the war the canopy was reassembled and Herbert Reed added bolts in certain places to improve the structural integrity. It's almost exactly 700 years-old and the throne canopy is still one of the highlights of a visit to the cathedral. Bishop Stapledon had a less happy fate. He was murdered in London by an angry mob in October 1326 who associated him with the unpopular Edward II. His body was eventually returned to Exeter where it is interred in an elaborate tomb to the north of the choir. The photo <i>below</i> shows the throne canopy in the choir c1890.<br />
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html">Sources</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-16446324654878076972013-05-16T23:01:00.000+01:002013-05-22T22:37:11.325+01:00Exeter Cathedral: The Image Screen<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5JeuGmu8GeL0uz3LQQsh8eR_bAhAllZFnplgxZKAwBCUAO_4Ij9kS6Up2s5gd_A-vNq4bHmbYnnMvJZu6nvpCPP7pXbdj8JTe5t3QpWZ5LIT246xtjyAakOk2SOJTbGa6srhkUn2RGXrJ/s1600/image+screen+exeter+cathedral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5JeuGmu8GeL0uz3LQQsh8eR_bAhAllZFnplgxZKAwBCUAO_4Ij9kS6Up2s5gd_A-vNq4bHmbYnnMvJZu6nvpCPP7pXbdj8JTe5t3QpWZ5LIT246xtjyAakOk2SOJTbGa6srhkUn2RGXrJ/s640/image+screen+exeter+cathedral.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The image screen at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html">Exeter Cathedral</a> is one of the city's greatest treasures. Its vast array of medieval sculpture is of national importance and it contains England's biggest facade of 14th century statuary. Its history and iconography are exceptionally complex so the following account is really little more than a summary!<br />
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A general overview of the evolution of the west front and the creation of the image screen can be found <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/exeter-cathedral-evolution-of-the-west.html">here</a>. The screen covers around a third of the cathedral's west front, took over a century to complete and went through at least one major modification.<br />
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The screen was an afterthought, added to the west front after the main construction work of the present cathedral was completed in the early 1340s. The screen's architect was almost certainly William Joy who had succeeded Thomas of Witney as the cathedral's master mason.<br />
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The construction of the screen can be divided into three convenient phases. The first lasted from around 1342 until 1348. The second probably occurred mostly in the 1370s. The final phase is less easy to date but c1460 seems most likely. <br />
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<b>Phase I - c.1342 to 1348</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0We7VXGt5b0txQS818aum9pQ6TkEsB_769jq4XmUnpxsSHY53qAV7LRAFYOJSb-zJPMsagAtzFw6Emh5Ob2A3dSK3NYWYEHH7UfbwM6f1h39ALzHOu2nFTtRF6aJMho_ZML8WrkkKwEe9/s1600/demi+angels+exeter+west+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0We7VXGt5b0txQS818aum9pQ6TkEsB_769jq4XmUnpxsSHY53qAV7LRAFYOJSb-zJPMsagAtzFw6Emh5Ob2A3dSK3NYWYEHH7UfbwM6f1h39ALzHOu2nFTtRF6aJMho_ZML8WrkkKwEe9/s640/demi+angels+exeter+west+front.jpg" width="448" /></a>William Joy designed the image screen in the early 1340s as two tiers of statues set within
a series of ornate architectural canopies stretching across the entire
face of the cathedral's west front.<br />
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The screen was also to contain the
chantry chapel of John Grandisson, the bishop responsible for
commissioning the screen in the first place. Three porches were also included in the design: a large central porch over the ceremonial entrance into the cathedral and two smaller porches over the aisle doors to either side, all of which were to be fitted with exterior sculpture.<br />
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Details about the exact progression of the screen are unknown. The stone framework was probably constructed first, likened by Jon
Cannon to "a massive piece of stone furniture built against a
pre-existing wall", and once this was completed the niches were presumably
filled with statues as and when they were finished. The photo <i>above right</i> shows one of the better survivals among the demi-angels which form the lowest tier of the screen.<br />
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The mason responsible for the sculpture dating from c1342 to 1348 is anonymous. The statues were almost certainly the output of one
master mason whose Westcountry workshop specialised in figure work.
Stylistic similarities have been found between the mid 14th century image screen statues at Exeter and those on the slightly later Jesse Tree
reredos at Christchurch Priory in Dorset. Other examples of his work do
survive at Exeter, for example the Annunciation and Nativity scenes inside the south porch and the spandrels around the central porch. <br />
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All of the surviving medieval statues are carved from limestone extracted from the immense quarry caves at Beer in Devon.
A superb material for carving, the limestone is unfortunately also
susceptible to erosion which partially accounts for the poor condition
of most of the remaining 14th and 15th century figures. </div>
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The lowest tier of Joy's screen features twenty-five demi-angels i.e. half an angel depicted from the waist upwards. Many of the angels are depicted playing musical instruments as they emerge from crenellated pedestals like medieval chimney sweeps.<br />
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Sadly, given their position on the lowest level of the screen, the angels have suffered particularly badly and in most instances are little more than shapeless blobs of limestone. Many are missing heads and arms but in a number of cases the wings, set further back and with each feather exquisitely carved, have survived to show something of the original quality. They would all originally have been clothed in folded drapery.<br />
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Of the twenty-five angels presumably installed in the 1340s twenty-three still remain on the screen. One was replaced c1755 and another by John Kendall in the early 19th century. A third angel <i>above left</i>, beautifully carved by Simon Verity, replaced a weathered lump of stone in the 1980s. It gives a good indication of the once ethereal beauty of the medieval originals.<br />
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The second tier of William Joy's original design contained niches for twenty-five full-length figures. Ten of the statues installed in the 1340s still survive today. All but two of them are depicted as a seated king or crowned elder. The two exceptions are chainmail-clad knights, one of which is shown <i>above</i> with a little dog tumbling at his feet. Joy also probably planned for two demi-figures of kings above the north and south porches (only the south porch's demi-figures survive today. The other two might never have been carved).<br />
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The phot<i>o right</i> shows one of the superb figures carved at
this time. Like some of the other second tier figures, the seated king
has his legs crossed as a sign of dignity and authority, a motif which
appears in contemporary statues on the west fronts of the cathedrals
at Lichfield and Lincoln. According to Pevsner and Cherry, the "style of
the Exeter figures is characteristic of c.1330-1350: stiffly tortuous
attitudes, convoluted tubular folds of drapery, and rather long, solemn
faces." It must be these figures which were disparagingly described in 'The Architect' in 1870 as being "afflicted with an energy quite too enormous to describe".<br />
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The photo <i>below</i> shows three more of the statues from the 1340s, including the second of the two knights. The head of the right-most king might be a replacement as the crown and features look remarkably well-preserved. Fine detail can still be seen on the knight's right leg.<br />
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The pedestals upon which the kings rest each spring from a central pillar rising behind the angels on the first tier. As it rises the pillar branches into three capitals, richly carved with foliage, the flat tops of which form the pedestals for the kings.<br />
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One aspect of the 1340s statues which has largely been lost through erosion is their intricate surface detail. The photo <i>left</i> shows a tremendous piece of carving from the 1340s, one of the two demi-figures above the south porch. It has fortunately survived in better condition than many of the more exposed figures. It's possible to see the lofty solemnity of the king's expression, the detailing on the crown and the corkscrew curls of the beard and flowing hair. A delicate band of vine leaves is finely etched across the front of the king's mantle. The two knights show a similar level of detailing e.g. rosettes attached the armour, finely carved patterns on the sleeves, individual links of chainmail, etc.<br />
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These carved kings bring us to the great catastrophe of
the 14th century: the Black Death. In 1348 work on the image screen was
abruptly halted and it seems that William Joy was one of the plague's
victims. Of the twenty-five planned second tier figures perhaps only
eleven or twelve had been completed when the Black Death came to Exeter.<br />
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<b>Phase II - c.1348 to c.1380</b></div>
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It's not known exactly when work restarted but following Bishop Grandisson's death in 1369 he was interred in his chantry chapel, which must've been structurally complete. The chapel was dedicated to St. Radegund, an unusual choice as only a small handful of chantry chapels and parish churches were dedicated to her.<br />
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Unfortunately the tomb of one of Exeter's most significant bishops was destroyed during the 16th century. In 1599 John Hooker recorded that Grandisson's tomb "was of late pulled up, the ashes scattered abroad, and the bones bestowed no man knoweth where." The chapel itself was also vandalised, the iconoclasts savaging the carved stone altar piece which today is little more than a mauled lump of limestone.<br />
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One survival in the chapel however is a spectacular, rectangular boss of a life-sized Christ. Although greatly retooled it is probably the work of the master mason responsible for the above-mentioned kings and angels. Unfortunately the chapel isn't generally open the public. The photo <i>above right</i> shows the exterior of the chapel. Apart from the mid 14th century statue to the left most of the stone work has been heavily restored.<br />
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Grandisson never lived to see his image screen completed. It's possible that as many as fifteen niches on the second tier of the image screen remained without statues at the time of the Black Death and the screen probably remained like this until the 1370s. And then suddenly there's what seems to be a flurry of activity. Between 1375 and 1376 there are records of payments being made to John Pratt, "ymaginator", for work at the front of the cathedral. Pratt's work almost certainly involved creating statues for the empty niches on the second tier.<br />
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Seven of the statues from the 1370s survive on the second tier. Three of them are shown <i>above</i>. The statues follow the earlier figures in as far as they show seated kings but stylistically they are much different. The lively informality of the figures from the 1340s has been replaced with rather staid poses, much simpler drapery and less characterful expressions.<br />
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Five of the 1370s figures are at the north end of the screen and are probably associated with the construction of the north porch.<br />
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The north porch was (re)constructed c1377 to the design of the cathedral's latest master mason, Robert Lesyngham. Lesyngham was also responsible for reconstructing the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/great-east-window-exeter-cathedral.html">great east window</a> in the 1380s and alternating/rebuilding the cloisters.<br />
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The north porch has a little fan-vaulted ceiling, a cutting edge architectural innovation at the time. The porch is probably the earliest surviving example of Perpendicular Gothic architecture in Devon. On the exterior is an ogee arch above which, set into Perpendicular blind tracery, are four little niches <i>left</i>. The three surviving statues in the niches probably date to the 1370s and represent the four Cardinal Virtues conquering Vice. Justice, Fortitude and Prudence are still in situ, crushing little figures of Vice under their feet, but Temperance conquering Vice has disappeared completely.<br />
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Unfortunately it seems likely that the image screen as it was intended to appear in the 14th century hasn't survived intact as there is archaeological evidence for a gable over the central doorway. Avril Henry has suggested that this gable contained more statues showing God enthroned. At least one of these statues appears to have been recycled when additions were made to the image screen in the 15th century and the central gable was demolished.<br />
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The image <i>right</i> shows one of the statues which might've once stood in the gable above the cathedral's central door. It was carved in the 1340s at the same time as many of the kings on the second tier. Stylistically it is very similar, although this one is shown standing and not sitting. It has been tentatively identified as Melchisedech holding a covered chalice.<br />
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The image <i>below</i> is designed to give some indication of what the two-tier image
screen might've looked like c.1380, before additions were made in the mid 15th century and when all the statues had been painted in bright colours (the hypothetical central gable isn't included in the reconstruction). Many of the kings once held metal sceptres. The polychromy is based on a reconstruction by Eddie
Sinclair showing the screen's painted appearance at the end of the medieval period. During
the conservation work in the 1980s microscopic particles of medieval paint were discovered
attached to the stonework and from these it was possible to recreate
the vibrancy of the screen's original appearance. <br />
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<b>Phase III - c.1460</b><br />
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It's a possibility that the initial scheme set out by William Joy and Bishop Grandisson in the 1340s was never fully completed and some of the niches of the two-tier image screen remained empty into the 15th century. Either way, the screen appeared to remain relatively static for approximately eighty years from the 1380s onwards until a third tier was added. The exact date of the addition is unknown but it's believed to have been c1460-c1470. The reason for the addition of the third tier is also unknown but it probably resulted in a desire to change the entire screen's iconography. The new tier contained a further thirty-five niches for thirty-five more statues.<br />
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Thirty-two 15th century figures remain on the third tier of the image screen today. There are also two from the mid 14th century, including the hypothetical Melchisedech, and one from 1817. What was possibly a second version of St. James the Less by E. B. Stephens was added to what was then an empty niche in the 1860s.<br />
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The central group on the third tier originally consisted of the twelve apostles, in the
middle of which and directly over the great west door was either the
Virgin Mary/Christ or Christ/God. The figure representing the
Virgin Mary/Christ was destroyed during the Reformation. It was
mistakenly replaced in 1817 with a statue of Richard II! Either side of this central group are two of the Four Evangelists, St. Matthew and St. John on the north buttress and St. Luke and St. Mark on the south buttress. On the north and south flanks of the third tier are the prophets. Fifteen statues of the prophets survive from the mid 15th century. The image below shows a photo of the third tier statues on the image screen with labels showing how the figures are divided up. Click on it for a larger version!<br />
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Five of the twelve apostles are certainly identifiable. The photo <i>above left</i> shows a detail from the statue of St. Bartholomew holding his flayed skin (which rather gruesomely retains the inverted outline of his face). The three statues <i>below</i> depict from left to right: St. John holding a poisoned chalice and serpent; St. James the Great dressed as a pilgrim, holding a staff and with a scallop-shell on his hat; and possibly the medieval version of St James the Less holding a fuller's bow used in the manufacture of cloth.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3Z3AHU8px0h-vSDiffvM4BvU1nK-r3CDtY7KqDdV92sNXRX-XG5_4eVYeHz9MmObA6l1FzxfjB6Ugf3dVpjZTNTfpQw85VLIXrcM04-OZUIxZOQV2CkLUF7dc9lHklPJdtOSKaeSV4be/s1600/three+saints+west+front+exeter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3Z3AHU8px0h-vSDiffvM4BvU1nK-r3CDtY7KqDdV92sNXRX-XG5_4eVYeHz9MmObA6l1FzxfjB6Ugf3dVpjZTNTfpQw85VLIXrcM04-OZUIxZOQV2CkLUF7dc9lHklPJdtOSKaeSV4be/s640/three+saints+west+front+exeter.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
The four figures <i>below</i> appear directly above the great west door. They depict from left to right: St. Peter; the rather poor statue of Richard II from 1817 which took the place of either the Virgin Mary or Christ; God or Christ (if it's supposed to Christ then it has a rather untraditional appearance); St. Paul holding a scabbard and wearing a pouch attached to his waist with a book in it. Beneath the two central figures are shields held by angels.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNaCEzcy9iJG5BXhvSXTGZz1wRNfXYILKQ-rLfNEtob9Biw0XULx3i3FL6g28KmbLfagIbZCO3hfBqcq0fdBMc4VLP4Hf1ox7nra9GxKpjCoOnmsoCDonzF_4ia-APO_c3R9ACY3V0k02/s1600/central+door+figures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNaCEzcy9iJG5BXhvSXTGZz1wRNfXYILKQ-rLfNEtob9Biw0XULx3i3FL6g28KmbLfagIbZCO3hfBqcq0fdBMc4VLP4Hf1ox7nra9GxKpjCoOnmsoCDonzF_4ia-APO_c3R9ACY3V0k02/s640/central+door+figures.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Only some of the apostles have been identified with much certainty. Unfortunately the prophets are largely unidentifiable. They would've once had scrolls with their names on but these are long gone. As sculpture, the prophets are aesthetically similar to the apostles with sharply defined, angular robes. Many of the prophets are also wearing hats.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4feiI37Fo4xytHRyifoQOJaCTkb4VxiFT08O1TW1XUX1NbfGMPP7HjHa_QgOGjItc7onbyixEyQhlwzUgTrXCzgewVplGc_P-LTUwiYJ9az7hzqnWn5Oly9byOHzzhj_ZGI6ZASaBmxl/s1600/More+apostles+Exeter+Cathedral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4feiI37Fo4xytHRyifoQOJaCTkb4VxiFT08O1TW1XUX1NbfGMPP7HjHa_QgOGjItc7onbyixEyQhlwzUgTrXCzgewVplGc_P-LTUwiYJ9az7hzqnWn5Oly9byOHzzhj_ZGI6ZASaBmxl/s640/More+apostles+Exeter+Cathedral.jpg" width="440" /></a>The photo <i>right</i> shows two more of the apostle figures. The statue on the right is possibly St. Matthew holding a moneybox. The figure on the left is unidentified.<br />
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Dismissed as "dead and lumpy" by an architect in 1870, the 15th century statues don't have the enormous vigour of the mid 14th century kings below but their glowering countenances do possess an intense 'Old Testament' gravitas <br />
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What were probably empty niches on the second tier were also filled at this time. Chief among these are four figures representing the Four Doctors of the Church: Augustine, Ambrose, Gregory and Jerome. Two on each side of the screen, they stand in niches below the four evangelists whose gospels they explained. <br />
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All of the 15th century additions would also have been painted. The image <i>below</i>, again based on Eddie Sinclair's reconstruction, shows how the completed image screen might've looked c1500. It would've been a spectacular sight as the sun set in the west. Very little of the medieval paint survives. The red colour visible in some of the photos above is the remnant of red paint applied widely across the screen in the 17th century.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIsjHdCH0CWjAbwtskibyvhugGtEGa5K_b7bFlNu5slRpFeoQm_BvbiiRNGPVSxuzYW2mp975_0Bz3FcrcqssaEsRwQlGLUw8g-bqanurBw01X3Vwj84BCF9MjHVIg2oC48jQgrw0jxUm/s1600/Cathedral_of_Exeter_lime+wash+screen+colour+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIsjHdCH0CWjAbwtskibyvhugGtEGa5K_b7bFlNu5slRpFeoQm_BvbiiRNGPVSxuzYW2mp975_0Bz3FcrcqssaEsRwQlGLUw8g-bqanurBw01X3Vwj84BCF9MjHVIg2oC48jQgrw0jxUm/s640/Cathedral_of_Exeter_lime+wash+screen+colour+blog.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Major Restoration - 1805 to 1985</b></div>
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The statuary has decayed dramatically over the last two hundred years. A combination of a build-up of soot from coal fires and aggressive cleaning in the 20th century has resulted in a significant loss of detail. I think it was Edith Prideaux who, at the beginning of the 20th century, described going to the west front the morning after the city's annual bonfire had been lit next to the cathedral and seeing pieces of stone work which had flaked off through the intense heat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaNNgr639uKiAEAaHdouc9MetAPh2RCyha7afuyOXUSp3rKPF9B628eJ8WUCWHEJZ5qBrvmttx29kglbeYjoOyjennErCGcWfFsZ75CSAtmRFwB4S1qfGkDtPSBFd_-BrK3JyHA4idUmzP/s1600/William+the+Conqueror.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaNNgr639uKiAEAaHdouc9MetAPh2RCyha7afuyOXUSp3rKPF9B628eJ8WUCWHEJZ5qBrvmttx29kglbeYjoOyjennErCGcWfFsZ75CSAtmRFwB4S1qfGkDtPSBFd_-BrK3JyHA4idUmzP/s640/William+the+Conqueror.jpg" width="424" /></a>The screen underwent significant restoration in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The crenellations and angels at the tops of the north and south sides of the screen were completely replaced between 1805 and 1829 by John Kendall (these have since been replaced again). Kendall also placed the statues of King Athelstan and Edward the Confessor on the buttresses above the screen, gave three of the Four Doctors new heads and refaced the bottom 3ft of the screen.<br />
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Twelve of the elaborate canopies above the central figures were replaced in 1838 along with the open parapet at the top of the central section.<br />
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In 1865 a statue of William the Conqueror by E. B. Stephens <i>left</i> replaced a mid 14th century statue on the second tier which had allegedly been destroyed when someone tried climbing the screen in the early 19th century. He also added what could've been a second statue of James the Less to the third tier. A large number of the remaining medieval canopies were replaced in a major restoration between 1899 and 1913, much to the fury of the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsy9i0RjB2axCCdfioVLHNkmcJt0O0QqZF2HxYErS6pjNf3QBv27NVvrProhJEF9tdBq932MfSqtv48J_V4qGOJsSGUCjWLBtl5V2vhBx1CC0_RKK2_y4FF6-MmTyc4NUNBuoT6mvuwhp3/s1600/St+Peter+Exeter+Cathedral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsy9i0RjB2axCCdfioVLHNkmcJt0O0QqZF2HxYErS6pjNf3QBv27NVvrProhJEF9tdBq932MfSqtv48J_V4qGOJsSGUCjWLBtl5V2vhBx1CC0_RKK2_y4FF6-MmTyc4NUNBuoT6mvuwhp3/s640/St+Peter+Exeter+Cathedral.jpg" width="452" /></a></div>
Between 1978 and 1985 more stone work was replaced, including the canopies of the third tier on the southern part of the screen and the vertical shafts. This is when Simon Verity's angel was added. He was also commissioned to sculpt a new figure of St Peter, the cathedral's patron saint, which occupies a position high up on top of the west front's gable <i>right</i>.<br />
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Relatively little of the medieval exterior stone work now survives on the image screen, the main exceptions being the decorated porches and the statues, which have fortunately remained relatively untouched. It is surprising that only one statue, depicting the Virgin Mary/Christ, is known to have been destroyed during the Reformation, although it's possible that a statue on the second tier was also destroyed at this time. (Only the lower part of this statue still survives. Holding an orb, it could've shown either St. Radegund or a king.) The image <i>below</i> is an animated stereoscopic view of the image screen dating to c1865.<br />
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<b>Iconography</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ElaeBZW-N1fWhxSC-f7ws4_Fq3H7EcxQMc_6YimgU4sl5ST9TEF3S0Xqo8zcUsidURUDl_dDTt0l2vdb-eeBFT_5iRNRRfyqd7t9cFKCM2FrzY_k3qy4I1KZLfw28Wm3Rw8eUqa8MDMI/s1600/image+screen.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ElaeBZW-N1fWhxSC-f7ws4_Fq3H7EcxQMc_6YimgU4sl5ST9TEF3S0Xqo8zcUsidURUDl_dDTt0l2vdb-eeBFT_5iRNRRfyqd7t9cFKCM2FrzY_k3qy4I1KZLfw28Wm3Rw8eUqa8MDMI/s400/image+screen.gif" width="383" /></a></div>
Unfortunately no-one knows for certain what the medieval statues on the screen actually mean. Trying to decipher the meaning hasn't been helped by the possible alteration to the original iconography which took place with the addition of the third tier in the 15th century. <br />
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It's possible that on the 14th century version of the image screen the kings on the second tier were the twenty-four elders mentioned as gathering around the throne of God in the Book of Revelation: <i>"And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and
upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white
raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold"</i>. These elders were perhaps intended to be representatives of the Church. There are twenty-five niches on the second tier, one of which might've been for a statue of St. Radegund, leaving space for the twenty-four elders. But this interpretation is muddied by the presence of what were perhaps four demi-kings and two knights, although the knights might've served some allegorical function.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkeeGmcHK1ai6dvF4d4vukx5JEEb15iGKCL5xW4x8mzCOQ0rhE-tr0Hg_jdf8XHdO9QwRBDSHWVcS7RrPIn8Nx9kasU3H3rpfHBLaN8QrP-ht43FFdb3NeaP03lr2crbsUWLSKCUjY8SMi/s1600/three+tiers+image+screen+exeter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkeeGmcHK1ai6dvF4d4vukx5JEEb15iGKCL5xW4x8mzCOQ0rhE-tr0Hg_jdf8XHdO9QwRBDSHWVcS7RrPIn8Nx9kasU3H3rpfHBLaN8QrP-ht43FFdb3NeaP03lr2crbsUWLSKCUjY8SMi/s1600/three+tiers+image+screen+exeter.jpg" /></a></div>
Other suggestions have included the Kings of the Old Testament, a peaen to
medieval kingship or, perhaps less likely, the Kings of England. A Tree of Jesse showing the ancestors of Christ is yet another suggestion. According to Avril Henry, in this interpretation the statues on the second tier would be read from left to right, starting with Jesse and "reaching a kind of fruition in the 'Annunciation' and combined 'Nativity/Magi' within the south porch". But the lack of the characteristic stem framework showing the branches of the Tree or any distinguishing features on the statues themselves make this interpretation problematic.<br />
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Another possibility is that the screen was designed by
Bishop Grandisson in the 1340s as an architectural and iconographical
counterweight to <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/exeter-cathedral-bishop-stapledons-lost.html">the enormous reredos</a> installed behind the cathedral's
high altar by Bishop Stapledon and largely completed by 1325. The reredos contained
fifty-four painted statues in niches within a stone screen and would've
been similar in appearance to the image screen on the west front. The
reredos was largely destroyed during the Reformation. Perhaps Grandisson
intended his image screen to show a progression from the worldly
authority of medieval
kingship, which was itself believed to be derived from God, to the
heavenly authority depicted on the reredos.<br />
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Without the key figures which probably occupied the gable above the central doorway the intended meaning of the 14th century kings will perhaps remain unknown. The photo <i>above right</i> shows the full three tiers of the image screen with mid 14th century angels and kings on the bottom two tiers and mid 15th century apostles at the top. The photo <i>below left</i> shows two of the prophets from c.1460.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbRsscn9LyfkLW1pC_TJR7WDzsEjxeRAwdlXX_iL9YY54UPfqUcMY_-Xr9DWYY41d1XEXgW9_dkoXJGAoLiRLjh4ENg_2ce2cBtAFHfWaFdJBekXGT1-23IULnIyDz6RWSj-lACbdGhQE/s1600/two+prophets+exeter+image+screen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbRsscn9LyfkLW1pC_TJR7WDzsEjxeRAwdlXX_iL9YY54UPfqUcMY_-Xr9DWYY41d1XEXgW9_dkoXJGAoLiRLjh4ENg_2ce2cBtAFHfWaFdJBekXGT1-23IULnIyDz6RWSj-lACbdGhQE/s640/two+prophets+exeter+image+screen.jpg" width="440" /></a>It's not even known for certain that the iconography was complete at the end of the 14th century. It's possible that this only happened when the third tier was added in the 15th century. Or perhaps this addition scrapped Grandisson's 14th century meaning and recycled the iconography of the kings/elders for some entirely different purpose, the possible twenty-four elders reinterpreted as the ancestors of the Virgin Mary. <br />
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And it doesn't help that no-one is sure if the 15th century statue on the third tier destroyed during the Reformation depicted the Virgin Mary or Christ. If the latter then the screen might've depicted Christ in Majesty, surrounded by apostles and prophets. As Avril Henry states, "it's not impossible that the [15th century] central group formed a 'Trinity', the missing figure being Christ, while the surviving one (which is bearded) is the Father, the Dove of the Spirit having appeared somewhere in the group". If the missing statue was the Virgin Mary then the screen could've shown the Coronation of the Virgin, which seems to be a widely-accepted theory. <br />
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It's a puzzle, but the statues at least survive even if their precise meaning is obscure. They are inspected regularly as part of a conservation programme and are treated with a lime-based coating to prevent further significant deterioration. It's easy to take the image screen for granted when you live in the city for many years, but it really is a spectacular addition to the cathedral. The image <i>below</i> shows the statues on the image screen highlighted in four colours: red = c.1342-c1348; purple = c.1370-c.1380; green = c.1460-c.1480; yellow = post-medieval replacements.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9ME-LObHti6rREOv6bHp86gylkEDtqJiYiuibd7jJbYESlZzVQrgE4WSRD3-cGZtjKYPHFQLIkzpA7a0mzHhznnNGucE8flD3ekoxdkfmOHEg7FpqBp9SosznairA07wLUYHqjVEe-PO/s1600/image+screen+exeter+cathedral+colour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9ME-LObHti6rREOv6bHp86gylkEDtqJiYiuibd7jJbYESlZzVQrgE4WSRD3-cGZtjKYPHFQLIkzpA7a0mzHhznnNGucE8flD3ekoxdkfmOHEg7FpqBp9SosznairA07wLUYHqjVEe-PO/s640/image+screen+exeter+cathedral+colour.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html">Sources</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-54330221700438493622013-05-10T00:32:00.001+01:002013-05-18T17:47:46.688+01:00Exeter Cathedral: The Evolution of the the West Front<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sT7xv_JmQWN5XPtdnGCVGFXiOrvmGeXx5ALoe_y7MXeg0ZhyZ2xrUH-qhtKEnNv5xH7QrsITK_0n3UJZDqZ2EAPjn1-P3AIVZFe3n2vqtFZf7cdGVLdI1mfqT97NcNls8gO3KOeyg0tt/s1600/west+front+Exeter+cathedral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sT7xv_JmQWN5XPtdnGCVGFXiOrvmGeXx5ALoe_y7MXeg0ZhyZ2xrUH-qhtKEnNv5xH7QrsITK_0n3UJZDqZ2EAPjn1-P3AIVZFe3n2vqtFZf7cdGVLdI1mfqT97NcNls8gO3KOeyg0tt/s640/west+front+Exeter+cathedral.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
The image <i>above</i> dates to c1860 and is the earliest known photograph of the west front of Exeter Cathedral. 150 years later and it's still probably the single most photographed subject in the south west of England. (The building to the far right is <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2012/06/chancel-of-st-mary-major.html">the medieval chancel</a> of the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html">Church of St Mary Major</a> demolished and rebuilt in 1864-65). Despite extensive restoration and replacement of the stonework, the overall appearance of the west front has changed relatively little since the medieval period. But the west front has proved to be the most controversial
part of the cathedral. Its history is fairly complex and not all is what
it seems!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFZnqBxImWYfpIQtGTNVd5YrI8MnhlnOWjN3r1mF7adhLPEbDp76JImqmR5KJGr8GrNQOhlk1LxGiCzipoUxjy1M2P2QWyHR0KbK8_Brq0SHq4BCyw_bSlt8YTKy0vrLahGgtMtBnwoeR/s1600/west+front+exeter+cathedral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFZnqBxImWYfpIQtGTNVd5YrI8MnhlnOWjN3r1mF7adhLPEbDp76JImqmR5KJGr8GrNQOhlk1LxGiCzipoUxjy1M2P2QWyHR0KbK8_Brq0SHq4BCyw_bSlt8YTKy0vrLahGgtMtBnwoeR/s640/west+front+exeter+cathedral.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
As <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html">previously mentioned</a>, the reconstruction of the Norman cathedral at Exeter was started c1275 at the eastern end of the building. Between 1328-42 the main body of the cathedral was completed with the west front marking the last major construction work. The decision was made to modify the Norman west front rather than rebuild it in its entirety and so much of the 12th century masonry was left standing, largely obscured now beneath the 14th century additions. It's known that the central doorway was being built in 1330 and that the west gable was completed in 1342.<br />
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The west front was initially designed by Thomas of Witney, a remarkable medieval craftsman responsible not only for the cathedral's completion but also the design of a sequence of magnificent early 14th century fittings in the choir for Bishop Stapledon. These included <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/exeter-cathedral-bishops-throne.html">the 60ft-high bishop's throne</a>, the pulpitum, the sedilia and the reredos behind the High Altar. The reredos was destroyed during the Reformation but the rest remain, described by Pevsner & Cherry as "a group which cannot be paralleled in any other English cathedral".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTl5GdIpS2pqhifDWN-6_90Cjpgyv8skqq3g8pCASQ9XNN8KIJgUVsT74r1kYj57f7CirFpUfEkxlQWm8U0Wk3cWUSFcMhKLrot0sZqP2-kx-rPi9FSU809xZX7VuPGEzTQP15rSpsQMe5/s1600/west+front+detail+exeter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTl5GdIpS2pqhifDWN-6_90Cjpgyv8skqq3g8pCASQ9XNN8KIJgUVsT74r1kYj57f7CirFpUfEkxlQWm8U0Wk3cWUSFcMhKLrot0sZqP2-kx-rPi9FSU809xZX7VuPGEzTQP15rSpsQMe5/s640/west+front+detail+exeter.jpg" width="484" /></a>The west front is now dominated by two features <i>right</i>: the west window and the colossal <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/exeter-cathedral-image-screen.html">image screen</a> containing
large statues of kings, prophets and angels, described on the cathedral's website as "one of the great architectural features of Medieval England".<br />
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The two lower tiers of
sculptures are mostly from the mid 14th century. The upper tier i.e. everything above the main doorway largely dates to c1460-80, over a hundred
years after the two lower tiers had been completed.<br />
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Of particular
interest is the fact that the image screen was an afterthought. Vertical joints between the image screen and the west wall of the cathedral show that the image screen was never part of the
west front's original architectural design. Thomas of Witney died c1342 and the image screen is believed to have been the conception of his successor, William Joy.<br />
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So what was Thomas of Witney's original design for the west front? No-one knows for certain but to get a little closer to his conception it's necessary to try and remove the image screen completely to show what is known to lie behind it. The image <i>below</i> gives a rough impression of the west front with the image screen digitally removed. It's based on a reconstruction by Exeter archaeologists Stuart Blaylock and John Allan and attempts to give some idea of how Witney intended to finish the cathedral.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDp34k9bPM228MQb0ROYmSBVEvtX3U3QkgrvGdFFcK6Z1U5K6RNCAFbPH5pVAopR_S3ku8yHwpD4mXtvkwGGEPSK5fKnqmWrySio5q-l5d6UzC1BQiMpRvRry3KRnP7_uyT4TQvwanngM/s1600/Cathedral_of_Exeter_Phase+I+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDp34k9bPM228MQb0ROYmSBVEvtX3U3QkgrvGdFFcK6Z1U5K6RNCAFbPH5pVAopR_S3ku8yHwpD4mXtvkwGGEPSK5fKnqmWrySio5q-l5d6UzC1BQiMpRvRry3KRnP7_uyT4TQvwanngM/s640/Cathedral_of_Exeter_Phase+I+blog.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Witney's original design for the west front easily divides
into five parts. At the top of the cathedral is the apex of the roof with a traceried window and a niche for a statue of St Peter. Behind this window lies <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/above-cathedral-vault-i.html">the top of the vault</a> which runs the entire length of the cathedral. Immediately below, separated by a crenellated parapet, is the magnificent west window framed with shallow pilaster buttresses . Either side of the west window are perhaps the cathedral's most peculiar external feature: two stone screens with raking crenellations which continue the sloping angle of the roof line. Each screen conceals a stair turret at their outer end and are decorated with blind arcades with Gothic canopies. Below each screen is a small traceried window. These windows give light into the north and south aisles, one for each aisle, but are almost completely obscured by the later image screen.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQjH_YlhglZ8Jdk9l_1pkfNW_KFwsHVWKU12kmWqvrs8tsJJb4ZrHwtZO9WeK3DBJVFe3GyIJ5lLK_fQ3rRA-NdBHXUIYvBfM-fSQbyh7AF8rjUb6cuRUnlnvlYtw6lIksj6jfYLKx8CY/s1600/Cathedral_of_Exeter_phase+i+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQjH_YlhglZ8Jdk9l_1pkfNW_KFwsHVWKU12kmWqvrs8tsJJb4ZrHwtZO9WeK3DBJVFe3GyIJ5lLK_fQ3rRA-NdBHXUIYvBfM-fSQbyh7AF8rjUb6cuRUnlnvlYtw6lIksj6jfYLKx8CY/s640/Cathedral_of_Exeter_phase+i+detail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
The lowest level, detail <i>above</i>, appeared to consist of five
arches: three large arches under the west window and two smaller ones
to the north and the south. The smaller ones are doorways into the
cathedral. It seems that these have always been in use since the west
front was constructed in the 1330s and are still used today for entering
and leaving the building. The central arch is the Great West Door and this too has been in use since its construction. Either side of the west door were two blind arches of the same size. The blind arch to the right in the reconstruction is still visible today in the chantry chapel of Bishop Grandisson who died in 1369.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcQt18KjySMSAKzmCZ3V-ZTUi1-lPZWIl2WEo_yCW_B5cvuKcJ_IQw0psDk_ujTn8MNyfaUWGw9lFXh3zKBaa9ft0ERi-zY_eAjKw50Z5LB-tK-3Iwd-XKQZ4pt5of0f4q8O1apC_kjmq/s1600/Thomas+of+Witney+doorway.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcQt18KjySMSAKzmCZ3V-ZTUi1-lPZWIl2WEo_yCW_B5cvuKcJ_IQw0psDk_ujTn8MNyfaUWGw9lFXh3zKBaa9ft0ERi-zY_eAjKw50Z5LB-tK-3Iwd-XKQZ4pt5of0f4q8O1apC_kjmq/s1600/Thomas+of+Witney+doorway.JPG" /></a>The chantry chapel was constructed between the outer face of the west wall of the cathedral and the front of the image screen. The chapel's little windows are visible in the photos of the image screen already shown. One of Thomas of Witney's large blind arches is now preserved as the eastern wall of the chapel <i>left</i>. (The smaller arch in the photo dates to the chapel's construction and is unrelated to Witney's original design for the west front.)<br />
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Witney's other blind arch hasn't been seen since it was covered over by the image screen in the 1340s but it is presumed to exist. It seems that these blind arches were never intended to be anything other than decorative features. <br />
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The arrangement of these arches before the later construction of the image screen is about all that is known with any certainty of Thomas of Witney's original scheme for the lowest part of the west front. The upper parts, like the great west window, the two aisles windows and the gable end, have remained as he intended.<br />
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It's not known exactly when it was decided to add the image screen or how far work had progressed on Witney's original architectural scheme before it was begun, although it probably had been completed. Most of the west wall covered by the image screen is now inaccessible and it's not known what else might lay beneath it. It's also possible that Witney was involved in the early design of the image screen prior to his death.<br />
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The reconstruction, with just two blind arches and the three doorways, looks very austere in comparison with the later image screen. Perhaps Thomas of Witney would've added other decorative features, maybe niches for statues, but it's more likely that he intended to leave the lower level plain. This had the effect of dramatising the upper portions of the west front, especially the scale of the great west window and the blind arches and canopies on the two projecting screens.<br />
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One curious feature of the west front is a remnant of some decoration on the south west buttress next to the image screen. This decoration consists of several crenellations carved with a quatrefoil motif set against the wall. One of these can be seen in the photo <i>right</i>. Beneath is part of a stone string course and both the crenellations and string course continue around the corner of the buttress. This could be a fragment of the cloisters, an on-going building project for much of the 14th century and it's thought that the same motif ran across the west wall of the cloisters. It could also be related to Thomas of Witney's west front. In the reconstruction<i> </i>of the west front I extended the stone string course<i> </i>across the entire facade of the cathedral. Attempts at doing the same with the crenellations/quatrefoils looked a mess so I abandoned the idea!<br />
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Thomas of Witney's original scheme didn't last long. Either shortly before his death around 1342 or just afterwards Bishop Grandisson decided to abandon the simplicity of the earlier design of the lower level of the west front in favour of an elaborate image screen filled with statues.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiib4wBReoti-tqMYaNmsP8QERF15Prb6isLGzY1T7plmb6yShQ5csJp7mAqOHRlIOMmBvAw8NfIKKPdRqYpgZaxPiMRDNV_pbhG69K7F2cy4IyvRodXAMxoHNr1EEUJCMS14iy6wl9f9Pd/s1600/grandisson+chapel+st+radegund+exeter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiib4wBReoti-tqMYaNmsP8QERF15Prb6isLGzY1T7plmb6yShQ5csJp7mAqOHRlIOMmBvAw8NfIKKPdRqYpgZaxPiMRDNV_pbhG69K7F2cy4IyvRodXAMxoHNr1EEUJCMS14iy6wl9f9Pd/s640/grandisson+chapel+st+radegund+exeter.jpg" width="441" /></a> It's been suggested that he might've been inspired by the painted portal of Lausanne Cathedral which was completed c1220 as some of Grandisson's relatives were from the area and held the Bishopric of Lausanne. It's just as likely that Grandisson had visited Wells Cathedral and seen the west front covered with statuary.<br />
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Another source of inspiration might well have been Bishop Stapledon's now-lost reredos at Exeter which was decorated with up to fifty-four separate statues and covered in 12,400 sheets of gold foil.<br />
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The first phase of the image screen involved only two tiers of statues and was almost certainly the design of Willian Joy, Witney's successor as master mason. Construction of the screen began c1342 and lasted until 1348 when, according to Jon Cannon, "the project stopped in its tracks, half-finished, and William Joy was never heard of again; the Black Death had swept him away". When Grandisson died in 1369 his chantry chapel <i>above right</i>, wedged between Witney's old west front and Joy's new image screen, must've been complete. The chapel was dedicated to St Radegund. There's evidence that statues were still being carved and placed within the two tiers of the image screen in the 1370s.<br />
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The reconstruction <i>below</i> shows how the cathedral's west front might've looked c1400, after the first phase of the image screen had been completed. However it should be remembered that the statues were originally brightly painted (something I haven't yet got around to trying to reconstruct!). The 14th century screen consisted of two tiers of statues, with intrument-playing angels on the lowest tier and seated knights and kings on the second tier. The knights and kings sat in canopied alcoves. The surviving images now constitute the largest collection of 14th century statuary in England. The image is also based on a similar reconstruction by Stuart Blaylock and John Allan. It's interesting to see that the lowest parts of the windows have been left visible. There was also perhaps a gable over the central doorway.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxjyBBUJo2nFrbjIV0ZY4CTEcuVsxX8yRhMlTA8mNsN9ws8SZJ00wA7rpeyO1IYmaQ_g9S-nRkZKQ7TZHNLkNoDjjRbmKKLL9nh_QytrPjbl7Evfvl4OjN5DeFQFQMC8NHlW1HAIFwhiCD/s1600/Cathedral_of_Exeter_Phase+2+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="573" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxjyBBUJo2nFrbjIV0ZY4CTEcuVsxX8yRhMlTA8mNsN9ws8SZJ00wA7rpeyO1IYmaQ_g9S-nRkZKQ7TZHNLkNoDjjRbmKKLL9nh_QytrPjbl7Evfvl4OjN5DeFQFQMC8NHlW1HAIFwhiCD/s640/Cathedral_of_Exeter_Phase+2+blog.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The west front remained like this for around one hundred years. At some point in the 15th century, probably around 1460, the decision was made to add a third tier to the image screen. This resulted in the truncation of the canopies over the heads of the 14th century kings and knights. Thirty five new statues were installed in the new tier including the twelve apostles, four evangelists, fourteen prophets, Christ, the Virgin Mary and God <i>below</i>. The images appear to have been mixed around a bit as there are now two 14th century statues on the top tier and a few 15th century figures in the middle tier. It's not known for certain when this was done.<br />
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One unfortunate result of the addition of the top tier was the obscuring of the great west window and, in the words of Stuart Blaylock, the addition of the screen "lends a stunted appearance" to Witney's original design. It certainly emphasises the width of a cathedral which was never particularly high in the first place but the collection of statues is one of Exeter Cathedral's greatest treasures.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4Tb5W1TONQCHdWaExfNuJ_k3wjz-UbQO5Jx_xMUWGoS5qywAAH6lMMN5AU8X1D7AnzlpAQ-L02znnKRrQqmRdkvfyJ3UnbFV9z4HUQZl7hDtI-kLJiGIVgOk_q5l8y1F3QPhj4yX1qQw/s1600/Cathedral_of_Exeter_animated.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4Tb5W1TONQCHdWaExfNuJ_k3wjz-UbQO5Jx_xMUWGoS5qywAAH6lMMN5AU8X1D7AnzlpAQ-L02znnKRrQqmRdkvfyJ3UnbFV9z4HUQZl7hDtI-kLJiGIVgOk_q5l8y1F3QPhj4yX1qQw/s400/Cathedral_of_Exeter_animated.gif" width="400" /></a>The image <i>right</i> is just a slow-moving animation showing the successive changes made to the west front between c1342 and 1480. <br />
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Something else should be said about the two projecting screens either side of the west window. In the 19th century especially they came in for quite a bit of criticism. Thomas Moule let rip in 1838: "We know of no precedent for these sloping walls any where except in the west front of the superb marble Cathedral of Milan. The effect there is not good, and here it is still worse; it greatly diminishes the apparent height, destroys all proportion, and gives a character of heaviness and awkwardness to the whole of this facade". He goes on to wonder whether both the two side screens and the image screen were ever part of the original design. An architect in 1870 described the west front as "second to none in sheer ugliness of form and proportion...produced chiefly by continuing the gable proper over the aisles, so as to hide the flying buttresses and give a vulgar emphasis to the roof line". For him the west front was little more than "the simplest barn-end", "one huge gable of a breadth nearly equal to its total height".<br />
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We now know that the image screen was an afterthought, "a massive piece of stone furniture built against a pre-existing wall", as Jon Cannon says. But what about the side screens with their blind arcades?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRE5V-T2oh8ixvRLtIFYW9yyliAIxVUGOX4AogNTyZTlLxWU7cz15zcqXrcOsq0_Vz1PCb45NYaNdVAsYYz2bCFANevfARVeE_i3NYTgUEN9s4PP-D_sJUDBXUsnajjelZYqxRLWp5Exr/s1600/raking+crenellations+exeter+west+front+screen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRE5V-T2oh8ixvRLtIFYW9yyliAIxVUGOX4AogNTyZTlLxWU7cz15zcqXrcOsq0_Vz1PCb45NYaNdVAsYYz2bCFANevfARVeE_i3NYTgUEN9s4PP-D_sJUDBXUsnajjelZYqxRLWp5Exr/s1600/raking+crenellations+exeter+west+front+screen.jpg" /></a>The photo <i>left</i> shows the northern screen from the back as seen from the cathedral's north tower. Immediately behind it is one of the nave's flying buttresses.<br />
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The screens have no structural purpose as far as the west front is concerned. They do house a staircase though, and the stair turret is visible at the end of the screen in the photo, surmounted by a pinnacle.<br />
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For a long time it was believed that these screens might've been a later addition made by William Joy. According to Stuart Blaylock, in the 1980s "the hypothesis that the screen walls above the aisles belonged to a separate, later, phase of work" was "developed and tested". The stone around the screens was examined and "this theory was found not to be sustainable". Any differences in the stone was accounted for by the necessity of having a suitable material for carving the blind arcades on the screens. The screens appear to have been carved from Beer limestone, a softer, more malleable material than the Salcombe stone used in most of the west front. The south screen, along with the tracery in the west window and the gable window, was heavily restored between 1888 and 1904 and only the much-eroded north screen retains its medieval surface.<br />
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The side screens completely hide the flying buttresses between the west front and the transept towers when seen from the west, and this was presumably the intention of the medieval architect. The image <i>below</i> shows the west front with the two side screens removed revealing both the flying buttresses and the two transept towers. Whether it's an improvement or not is probably a matter of opinion!<br />
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There have been numerous alterations made to the west front since the 14th century. These include some vandalism to the statues in the 16th century (although thankfully most of them were spared), the replacement of various missing hands and heads on the statues, the replacement of the crenellations along the top of the image screen, reconstruction of the pinnacles, some refacing in new stone and a general erosion caused by the passing of over six centuries. But despite all of that the west front has retained its medieval integrity to a greater extent than many other English cathedrals.<br />
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html">Sources</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-86486061296476738822013-05-04T23:37:00.003+01:002013-05-05T12:14:27.828+01:00The Destruction of Stephen Street<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6XU8k3DVduh3DXyY77jnmog6LzDbArHS6ATA0KX8Fe34xUNE9k7DPS5RjlljiLxcudxi__ptoeddn8TmDeKxhKfoWUsh29n9T18-6HQjz2kSjEOs6uR5jq7KGEA9Q8g_rrfuFX6zNPQB/s1600/St+Stephen+Street+1923+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6XU8k3DVduh3DXyY77jnmog6LzDbArHS6ATA0KX8Fe34xUNE9k7DPS5RjlljiLxcudxi__ptoeddn8TmDeKxhKfoWUsh29n9T18-6HQjz2kSjEOs6uR5jq7KGEA9Q8g_rrfuFX6zNPQB/s640/St+Stephen+Street+1923+blog.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
The image <i>above</i> © Devon County Council shows an evocative jumble of 17th century properties on the east side Stephen Street in 1923. The photo must've been taken from a first-floor window in <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/st-catherines-almshouses-catherine.html">St Catherine's Almshouses</a>. The 15th century almshouses stood in Catherine Street almost opposite the narrow entrance into Stephen Street.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRL3as8ZjOTE4BMo-JoZtgqqZER4YgucIvCPX87Ek2sfAgZ44-AoWpuVf8yJfFIXJP2kg2HrcfKdepQJo-ZsxE8WTUgDc-xQxn2-qnHOZfGCOhtTg2PlzU-yg-QZ6XDLGCRD2babo3cDBZ/s1600/St+Stephens+Bow+from+Catherine+St+1911+WCSL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRL3as8ZjOTE4BMo-JoZtgqqZER4YgucIvCPX87Ek2sfAgZ44-AoWpuVf8yJfFIXJP2kg2HrcfKdepQJo-ZsxE8WTUgDc-xQxn2-qnHOZfGCOhtTg2PlzU-yg-QZ6XDLGCRD2babo3cDBZ/s1600/St+Stephens+Bow+from+Catherine+St+1911+WCSL.jpg" /></a> The photograph <i>right</i> © Devon County Council from 1911 shows the
view down Stephen Street towards the High Street as seen from Catherine
Street. St Stephen's Bow is visible at the far end of the street. The
tall slate-hang wall on the right was associated the premises of the New
Inn which formerly stood at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/nos-25-26-high-street-new-inn.html">Nos. 25 & 26 High Street</a>.
The left side of the street is dominated by a large brick-built
structure from c1890 but the right side retains a number of interesting
properties including the 17th century timber-framed building on the
corner which faced into Catherine Street.<br />
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Stephen Street was little more than a narrow lane connecting the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-destruction-of-high-street-before.html">High Street</a> to Catherine Street, much like St Martin's Lane does today. Stephen Street continued across Catherine Street in a straight line where it became <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/one-thousand-years-in-egypt-lane.html">Egypt Lane</a>, later Chapel Street. Like a number of other streets in Exeter, Stephen Street was named after a nearby church. (Other examples include <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/mary-arches-street.html">Mary Arches Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/paul-street-complete-disaster.html">Paul Street</a>, St Martin's Lane, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/george-street.html">George Street</a>, John Street and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/st-pancras-church-pancras-lane.html">Pancras Lane</a>.)<br />
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html">St Stephen's Church</a> stood in the High Street on the north west corner of Stephen Street. It seems likely that Stephen Street was coeval with Egypt Lane and was probably laid out as part of Alfred the Great's refounding of Exeter at the end of the 9th century. In the 13th or 14th century the church was enlarged eastwards. The presence of Stephen Street resulted in St Stephen's Bow, an archway spanning the narrow street above which was a side chapel dedicated to St John the Evangelist. This permitted both the expansion of the church and the continued use of Stephen Street. The photograph <i>left</i> shows the view under St Stephen's Bow into Stephen Street as seen from the High Street c1908.<br />
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By 1900 the most notable building on Stephen Street, apart from St Stephen's Bow, was the Devonshire Arms public house. The Devonshire Arms had been converted out of a large twin-gabled timber-framed house from the 17th century or earlier. It had been used as an inn since at least 1828 and stood next to St Stephen's Bow on the east side of the street. The property was built on four floors and probably had a cellar. The second floor appeared to have a 10-light window which stretched across much of the facade. The first floor had a similar window of 6 or 8 lights. In each gable was a little 3-light window which looked out into Stephen Street. The chimneys were built against the two sides walls of the property.<br />
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The fascinating photograph <i>above</i> © Devon County Council was taken in 1923. The sloping slate roof of St Stephen's Church is in the foreground on the left. In the background is the slate-hung side wall of the former New Inn. The twin gables of the Devonshire Arms are in the centre of the photo. Part of the 10-light window on the second floor is also visible. It's a great pity that no detailed record survives of the building.<br />
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Unfortunately the historically interesting buildings on the east side of Stephen Street, with the exception of St Stephen's Bow, were demolished c1925. By 1929 they had been replaced with a single large structure of little architectural merit, highlighted in red on the pre-war aerial view <i>right</i>. With its plain, linear facade, rectangular windows and lack of decoration, it could be described as one of Exeter's first Modernist buildings (although not, alas, its last). It's just one example out of many which illustrate how the city's character was already rapidly changing even before the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html">Exeter Blitz of 1942</a>. Between 1900 and 1942 nearby <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html">Catherine Street</a> had been largely rebuilt resulting in the loss of a number of ancient timber-framed houses.<br />
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The area was largely destroyed by bombs in 1942, including the whole of Stephen Street. St Stephen's Bow was restored after the war and the west side of Stephen Street was left vacant as a public square. The east side was rebuilt and is now the site of St Stephen's House <i>below</i>.<br />
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html">Sources</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-81930627718747496972013-04-30T13:58:00.000+01:002013-05-01T01:43:04.665+01:00The Great Conduit, High Street<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibJPBqb1OGxvZzedymLkiaSwl8imnnCwiA8LWjlYUZeSaY54-E4MTpKOOw1X30L8CtlL6XKrhQfeMu6TVY7FQrgcrOwQMKHzTNaJMh5c0sgAuqhiazpn9y00qvQq8pHOPyec2sTXbieh3/s1600/Conduit_Ver.4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibJPBqb1OGxvZzedymLkiaSwl8imnnCwiA8LWjlYUZeSaY54-E4MTpKOOw1X30L8CtlL6XKrhQfeMu6TVY7FQrgcrOwQMKHzTNaJMh5c0sgAuqhiazpn9y00qvQq8pHOPyec2sTXbieh3/s640/Conduit_Ver.4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
The image <i>above</i> shows what the the Great Conduit might've looked like today had it avoided demolition in the 1770s. The conduit in the image is based on a model <i>below right</i> currently on display in the city's underground passages. The model itself (which only shows 50% of the conduit) is based on a drawing of the conduit by Richard Parker. Fortunately one good contemporary depiction of the conduit survives so many of the details, such as the proportions, the tracery, the niches and crenellations are fairly accurate. I've placed the conduit in the image as closely as possible to its original location using 18th century maps, and its scale is based on <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html">Caleb Hedgeland's early 19th century model</a> of Exeter. It might've been larger than shown although its height is limited to some extent by the width of the street. The image shows the view towards the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-destruction-of-high-street-before.html">High Street</a>. The entrance into <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/brief-history-of-south-street.html">South Street</a> is just beyond the conduit to the right. The entrance into <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/brief-history-of-north-street.html">North Street</a> is on the left.<br />
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The whole idea of the Great Conduit was to have a place in the centre of the city where people could come and collect fresh water. Some of the citizens would've had access to private wells in the courtyards of their houses but the majority did not. Supplying Exeter with fresh water was a huge logistical issue for the City Chamber which went on for centuries.<br />
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From the 12th century onwards, as the city's population increased so did the need for more sources of clean water. The main source for the new supply was a series of natural springs near the head of the Longbrook valley, some 600 metres beyond <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/exeters-city-wall-2.html">the city walls</a> at Lions Holt in the suburb of St Sidwell's.<br />
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The springs were located on land owned by the Dean and Chapter and they were the first to bring the water into the city via lead pipes buried beneath the ground. The first network of pipes led from Lions Holt to the Cathedral Close (St Peter's Conduit, the building holding the tapped water, was constructed in the Cathedral Close where the pipe terminated). In 1226 the Dean and Chapter granted a third of the supply to the monks at St Nicholas Priory. Another third was later granted for the use of the city. The monks and the city both paid the Dean and Chapter eight shillings a-year for the privilege.<br />
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By the middle of the 14th century an improved method of delivering the water was initiated involving the creation of the underground passages <i>left</i>. Deep trenches were dug down the centre of the streets. The sides of the trenches were reinforced with stone blocks and then the passageway was covered either with slabs of stone or vaulting. The pipes lay on the floor of the passages and access points were created at regular intervals allowing the soft lead pipework to be maintained with great ease.<br />
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The system continued to be updated throughout the 14th and 15th centuries, at enormous cost, and eventually consisted of approximately a mile of passageways. Despite wartime bombing and major redevelopment around 80% of the network of passages still survives today, unique in England, and one of the most complete medieval underground water systems in Europe. Parts of it can be visited as a fascinating guided tour!<br />
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The Great Conduit was the result of major works undertaken by the City Chamber on the water system in the 15th century. Between 1420 and 1429 a new system of passages was laid under the High Street solely for the use of the city. The lead pipes terminated at the Great Conduit which appears to have been constructed between 1441 and 1461. (A smaller conduit was built opposite <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/st-lawrences-church-high-street.html">St Lawrence's Church</a> in 1580s.) In the mid 16th century John Hooker recorded that the conduit "standeth in the middle of the citie, at the meeting of principall streets of the same, and whereof some time it tooke its name, being called the Conduit at Quatrefoix, or Carfor; but now the Great Conduit". The Great Conduit was actually set back slightly into what is now the top of Fore Street. A number of 18th and 19th century sources give an exact date of 1461 for its construction, the result of efforts by a former mayor, William Duke.<br />
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The detail <i>right</i> from Hedgeland's model of Exeter shows the Great Conduit highlighted in purple. High Street/Fore Street can be seen running from left to right. South Street/North Street run diagonally from top to bottom.<br />
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The Quatrefoix, from the French for 'four ways', was almost at the geographical centre of the city, the crossroads where South Street and North Street met Fore Street and the High Street. It was also called the Carfax or Carfoix and was sometimes used as the site of public executions. Two Royalist supporters, John Penruddock and Hugh Grove, were beheaded at the Carfoix in 1655 for planning an insurrection against the Parliamentarian government. The death warrant was signed by Cromwell himself. Ironically, the Great Conduit was one of the places in the city where
Charles II was proclaimed King in 1660 following the Restoration of the
Monarchy. The conduit was made to run with wine in celebration. The conduit ran with a hogshead of wine in 1670 when Charles II visited Exeter and lodged overnight at The Deanery. It was also one of places where Anne was proclaimed Queen in 1702.<br />
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The Great Conduit was demolished c1770 as both it and the crowds gathered around collecting water were regarded as an obstacle to traffic. It was moved, in some shape or form, to the side of the High Street, close to where MacDonalds is today, before being demolished completely in 1799. The public water conduit was then relocated outside the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/medieval-college-of-vicars-choral-at.html">Hall of the Vicars Choral</a> in South Street.<br />
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Fortunately for us in 1806 Alexander Jenkins left a rather fanciful illustration of the Great Conduit <i>left</i> and quite a detailed description which it is worth quoting in full: "The great Conduit at Carfoix, venerable for its antiquity, which had been standing near three hundred years, and had often poured wine to the rejoicing Citizens, now [in 1770] fell a victim to modern improvers. Its situation, in the centre of the High Street, not only intercepted the view, but frequently caused a stoppage of carriages, to the great inconvenience of the neighouring inhabitants, and danger of passengers; for this reason, sentence being passed upon it, it was taken down, and a new building erected, to which the cistern was removed."<br />
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Jenkins goes on: "This was originally a very beautiful edifice. It was decorated with pinnacles at the four corners, on which were (anciently) vanes; but they have long since fallen victims to time and weather; there were also niches in the east and west fronts, in which were mutilated statues. On the top of the architrave, at the corners, were two lions and two unicorns. It was likewise adorned with cherubims and armorial bearings, which were so much injured by time that only those of the Courtenay family could be distinguished."<br />
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The image <i>left</i> shows a detail from a map of Exeter based on Hooker's 1587 plan of the city. The Great Conduit is in the centre.<br />
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The Great Conduit was probably built of limestone in a Perpendicular Gothic style. The stone walls enclosed a vast lead cistern filled with water piped in through the underground passages. The conduit was square in plan (unlike the model shown above), each side measuring about the same length (the exact dimensions are unknown). The east and west walls had a single blind pointed arch divided into eight panels filled with tracery. Above each arch was a niche containing a statue. The side walls had two slightly slimmer blind arches divided into six panels, also filled with tracery. Each corner was supported by a diagonal buttress.<br />
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It seems likely that it was designed and built by masons employed at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html">the cathedral</a>. The elaborate, even ostentatious nature of the design indicates in what high regard Exeter's fresh water supply was held. But it also functioned as a public monument on the level of pure display, as a statement about the status of the city and the wealth which allowed it to such lavish treatment upon the conduit. Unfortunately nothing now survives at the site to indicate that the Great Conduit, one of Exeter's finest medieval monuments, ever existed.<br />
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html">Sources</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-62958264999226493872013-04-28T23:38:00.001+01:002013-04-29T00:17:52.366+01:00Little Stile: A Mutineer & A Medieval Gatehouse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On 01 January 1286 Edward I signed a Royal licence allowing the cathedral's Dean and Chapter to construct a security wall around the cathedral precinct punctuated at regular intervals by seven gatehouses. The creation of the precinct wall and gatehouses was a direct response to <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html">the murder of the precentor Walter Lechlade</a> in November 1283. During the subsequent trial, overseen at Exeter Castle by the king himself, the city's mayor was implicated in the murder and executed. Little Stile was the name and site of one of these late 13th century gatehouses.<br />
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Little Stile was located at the top of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/brief-history-of-south-street.html">South Street</a>. Before 1942 it was really nothing more than a narrow entrance from South Street into Cathedral Yard, similar to St Martin's Lane today. Part of the Globe inn was on the north side and Nos. 1 to 5 Little Stile and the Church of St Mary Major were on the south side.<br />
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The image <i>above left</i> shows the narrowness of Little Stile c1900 looking from the Cathedral Yard towards South Street. The side of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/globe-inn-cathedral-yard.html">the Globe inn</a> is visible to the right. Nos. 1 and 2 Little Stile are on the left. A house in South Street can be seen in the distance. Surely it was streetscapes such as this that contributed towards Exeter's former reptuation as being one of the most picturesque cities in Southern England. None of the buildings shown were particularly attractive in their own right. It was more the quaint interplay between the angles of the walls and roof lines, the different textures derived from brick and plaster and the haphazard arrangement of windows and chimneys which gave parts of the city their antique charm. Such scenes can only ever be produced after centuries of gradual evolution and few images convey more vividly the Old World atmosphere of old Exeter. <br />
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The image <i>right</i> shows the location of Little Stile overlaid onto a modern aerial photograph. The plots highlighted in red, including the Globe inn, were destroyed during the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html">Exeter Blitz</a>. Nos. 1 & 2 Little Stile and St Mary Major, all highlighted in yellow, survived only to be demolished during the post-war reconstruction. Nos. 3, 4 & 5 Little Stile, known as the 'Three Gables', are still standing and are highlighted in purple. The eastern facade of the Globe inn is clearly visible as it curved round into Little Stile.<br />
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One reason that the entrance into Little Stile was so narrow might've been because the gate constructed in 1286 was designed for pedestrians only. The original document from 1286 which detailed the construction of the gates still survives. It describes the Little Stile gate as "one foot gate, five feet wide, opposite the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/st-georges-church-south-street.html">Church of St George</a> where the gate was wide". This suggests that by the end of the 13th century there was already a wider gate at Little Stile, possibly the main entrance gate into the churchyard which the pedestrian gate replaced in 1286. The 1286 document also mentions that the Little Stile gate was of wattle and daub or latticework ("craticula"). It can't have been very substantial and must've required frequent replacement. <br />
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The detail from <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html">Hedgeland's model of Exeter in 1769</a> <i>left</i> shows the location of Little Stile highlighted in red. The three buildings on the far right comprised the Globe inn (technically in Cathedral Yard). The houses on the left side of the passageway, Nos. 1 to 6 Little Stile, extended as far as the tower of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html">St Mary Major</a> until it was demolished and rebuilt in the 1860s. The towers and west front of the cathedral are at the bottom of the photo.<br />
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The Little Stile gate has some anecdotal connection with the Protestant martyr, Thomas Benet. In 1531 Benet had already secretly nailed notices to the door of the cathedral claiming that the Pope was the Antichrist. According to John Foxe, soon after the notices had been attached to the cathedral Benet "caused his boy...to set the said bills upon the gates of the churchyard. As the boy was setting one of the said bills upon a gate, called the Little Stile, it chanced that one W. S., going to the cathedral church to hear a mass...found the boy at the gate, and asking him whose boy he was, did charge him to be the heretic that had set up the bills upon the gates: wherefore, pulling down the bill, he brought the same, together with the boy, before the mayor of the city; and thereupon Benet, being known and taken, was violently committed to ward." Benet was burnt at the stake in 1531 at Livery Dole just outside the city walls.<br />
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The gate crops up now and again in various medieval documents. For example, in 1418 the Dean and Chapter paid 4d for repairing the gate's lock. Unfortunately not much seems to be known about the physical form of the gate itself. All Jenkins had to say in 1806 was that "Little Style-gate" was "not void of ornaments", presumably meaning that it had some kind of decoration or tracery on it. Perhaps it had a coat of arms above the entranceway. A plan of the Cathedral Close by John Hooker dated c1590 shows Little Stile as a single storey gatehouse with an arched doorway in the middle of it, a much less impressive structure than <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/broad-gate-at-broadgate_16.html">Broad Gate</a> or St Martin's Gate. It was undoubtedly a small gatehouse and was probably renewed several times in the five centuries between the end of the 13th century and the beginning of the 19th century.<br />
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The image <i>above </i>shows the view towards Little Stile from Cathedral Yard c1930. No. 1 Little Stile is the building with six sash windows visible to the right of the tree. The Globe inn had been in existence since at least 1675 and most of the structure dated to the 17th century or earlier.<br />
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In 1820 there was a serious fire at a baker's house "adjoining to Little Stile". The fire began in the cellar and spread to a number of other properties. According to the 'Exeter Flying Post', the baker's house was "entirely consumed and three or four others in great part destroyed". According to the Lega-Weekes in 1915, No. 1 Little Stile "is said to have been the birthplace of Richard Parker, the famous mutineer of the Nore, who was hanged on HMS Sandwich 30 June 1797. His father, of the same name, was a well-to-do baker". Being within the cathedral precinct the property belonged to the Dean & Chapter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORv3jlSFwJotkavL5nSrH2m2yhY6oBT8J2WHB3Q9CcMFZnVs9DB2wlDgmdcG_qj1O6arZLMsYPIQB8Zt5lGQb-tOZxZkroy8FHjVaPzkAmw5dfklpLcKDCfCPDQApT7a_wP8SN85a6m60/s1600/py5441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORv3jlSFwJotkavL5nSrH2m2yhY6oBT8J2WHB3Q9CcMFZnVs9DB2wlDgmdcG_qj1O6arZLMsYPIQB8Zt5lGQb-tOZxZkroy8FHjVaPzkAmw5dfklpLcKDCfCPDQApT7a_wP8SN85a6m60/s640/py5441.jpg" width="404" /></a>Richard Parker was born at Exeter in 1767 and baptised at the Church of St Mary Major about 20 seconds walk from No. 1 Little Stile. He was educated at St John's Hospital School on the High Street and rose through the ranks of the Royal Navy to become a lieutenant before being discharged for insubordination in 1794. He returned to the city and married the Scottish Anne McHardy at St Sidwell's Church on 10 June 1795. After a spell in a debtors prison in Edinburgh in 1797 he re-enlisted and was assigned to the HMS Sandwich stationed at the Nore, a sandbank at the mouth of the Thames Estuary. The mutiny broke out in May 1797 following hot on the heels of a mutiny among sailors at Spithead.<br />
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Probably as a result of his previous rank in the navy, Parker was made 'President of the Delegates of the Fleet' by the mutineers. The HMS Sandwich had about 1600 men on board when it had only been built to accommodate 750. Such conditions provided a fertile ground for dissatisfaction. The mutineers, led by Parker, listed their grievances in a series of articles handed over to Admiral Buckner on 20 May. The mutineers' main claim was one of better conditions: more time off to visit family and friends; a bigger share of the financial rewards from taking enemy ships; payment prior to the voyage; no officer previously dismissed to be allowed control of a ship without consent of the crew, etc. William Pitt sent a bill through Parliament that would allow the Admiralty to label all mutineers as 'pirates', a charge punishable by death, and the mutiny fell apart when the government refused to give in to the mutineers' demands. On 14 June Richard Parker was arrested and charged with various acts of mutiny. He was hanged from the yardarm of the HMS Sandwich along with 29 others, jumping to his death before he could be executed by the hangman. The fact that Parker had called the 28 mutinous ships "the Floating Republic" only increased the resolve of a British government still reeling from the French and American Revolutions.<br />
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The image <i>right</i> shows Parker's 'flagship' the HMS Sandwich at the battle of Cape St Vincent in 1780. Within a short time after Parker's execution popular ballads with Parker and the Nore Mutiny as their theme were circulating around London. In 1845 the tale of Anne Parker's extraordinary attempt to retrieve her husband's body was the topic of a short story by the American poet Walt Whitman called 'Richard Parker's Widow'. Parker was eventually buried at St Mary Matfelon in Whitechapel. The Victorian church was destroyed by bombs in 1940. It's a pity that there's nothing in Exeter to commemorate the birth of Richard Parker whose name, according to Whitman, "shook with terror the foundations of the throne itself". <br />
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Anyway, the Little Stile gatehouse was demolished in 1820 probably as a result of the fire which destroyed the baker's house at No. 1. A notice was placed at the site which read: "No passage at night except by leave of the Dean and Chapter". The photo <i>below </i>is another of Hedgeland's model showing the same areas highlighted in red. The only difference is that Nos. 3 to 5 Little Stile are highlighted in purple. It's easy to see from this angle how the buildings on the south side of Little Stile essentially formed one half of a small street running from South Street to the right as far as St Mary Major to the left. The <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-destruction-of-high-street-before.html">High Street</a> can be seen at the bottom of the photo along with the great Broad Gate, the ceremonial entrance into the cathedral precinct from the late 13th century onwards. The turreted tower of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/st-petrocks-church-high-street.html">St Petrock's</a> can also be seen, its north wall obscured by properties on the High Street.<br />
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The venerable parish church of St Mary Major was demolished in 1864-65. The plan was to reconstruct the church slightly further west to improve the view of the west front of the cathedral. To do this it was necessary to demolish No. 6 Little Stile which became the site of the new church's tower. Built around an open court, No. 6 was an ancient building visible to the left of the 'Three Gables' on Hedgeland's model <i>above</i>. <br />
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The photo <i>left</i> shows Nos. 3, 4 & 5 Little Stile (the 'Three Gables') after the reconstruction of St Mary Major and the demolition of No. 6 Little Stile. The church itself was demolished in 1971, but the three houses are now all Grade II listed. <br />
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They were described at the beginning of the 19th century as "a tenement built on part of the antient workhouse". In 1540 the site housed craftsmen working at the cathedral although the current buildings were almost certainly constructed between 1650 and 1700. <br />
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Many of the oriel windows aren't original e.g. those of No. 4 in the middle are reproductions in a 17th century style, but the three properties form an attractive ensemble. They are typical of many houses built in Exeter over the course of the second half of the 17th century. Several still exist in the High Street but with altered facades e.g. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/parliament-street-no-195-high-street.html">No. 195 High Street</a>.<br />
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Nos. 3, 4 & 5 Little Stile narrowly escaped destruction during the Exeter Blitz. The Globe inn, part of which formed the north side of Little Stile, was almost completely destroyed. The buildings on South Street at the narrow entrance into Little Stile were also destroyed. Remarkably, Nos. 1 & 2 Little Stile both survived the Exeter Blitz unscathed.<br />
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The photo <i>right</i> was taken in about 1948 after the remains of bomb-damaged buildings, including the Globe inn, had been removed. The cathedral and the Victorian tower of St Mary Major are in the background. The 'Three Gables' are highlighted in purple. Nos. 1 & 2 Little Stile are highlighted in red.<br />
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As we've seen, No. 1 Little Stile, shown closest to the camera in the post-war photo, was rebuilt following a fire in 1820 but was the site of Richard Parker's birthplace in 1767. No. 2 Little Stile was a very narrow property, just one bay wide. Its corner stones and Georgian sash windows are visible to the far left in the photo at the <i>top</i> of this post. For some bizarre reason Nos. 1 & 2 Little Stile were both demolished by the city council in the 1950s as part of the post-war reconstruction. The pre-war aerial photo <i>below</i> shows the dense concentration of housing which surrounded Little Stile prior to 1942.<br />
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I can only think that the city's post-war townplanner, Thomas Sharp, was partially responsible for both this and other senseless demolitions undertaken by the city council in the post-war years. When Sharp released his 1946 proposals for the reconstruction and modernisation of the city, 'Exeter Phoenix', he included a detailed, tenement by tenement map of the city centre depicting areas affected by bombs in 1942.<br />
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However the map also included a grading for the remaining buildings. Some of these were rated as 'outworn', such as everything in Coombe Street and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/frog-street-west-quarter.html">Frog Street</a>, and others were rated as having 'architectural value', like the surviving terraces in <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/brief-history-of-southernhay_16.html">Southernhay</a> or the medieval canon houses in the Cathedral Close. However Sharp adopted a neutral stance towards many other areas i.e. those buildings which weren't outworn nor, in Sharp's opinion, of architectural value. Into this latter category fell the whole of Gandy Street, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html">Goldsmith Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/brief-history-of-north-street.html">North Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/brief-history-of-waterbeer-street.html">Waterbeer Street</a>, Holloway Street, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html">Magdalen Street</a>, the many standing buildings in Sidwell Street, the remaining fragments of South Street, including the 16th century White Hart Hotel and the Jacobean townhouse at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/no-67-south-street.html">No. 67 South Street</a>, both of which Sharp regarded as expendable, as well as the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (which Sharp loathed), a number of buildings on the High Street and the early Victorian terraces in Northerhay.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK6_s5xd3ipXpKBIQwhGG_1Hv4k6RJTkeB6yYvEUZuBzmtkPcN0AbHQCubmfUaTKONTF4FPme2GW-1-nD9kINPLy7QJ5s464XzXlUP2kVx64FYJd0P9HiGSbIANka7PHOksEPMrUFK4GCD/s1600/Little+Stile+Post_War+Ugly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK6_s5xd3ipXpKBIQwhGG_1Hv4k6RJTkeB6yYvEUZuBzmtkPcN0AbHQCubmfUaTKONTF4FPme2GW-1-nD9kINPLy7QJ5s464XzXlUP2kVx64FYJd0P9HiGSbIANka7PHOksEPMrUFK4GCD/s640/Little+Stile+Post_War+Ugly.jpg" width="476" /></a></div>
It seems that either the city council was unable to make its own mind up on what to keep and so relied on Sharp as the arbiter of its taste or the council used Sharp's map as a way of legitimising the removal of perfectly sound structures.<br />
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Whichever, the city council seemed to defer to Sharp's judgement as late as the 1970s. I doubt it is just coincidence that the eastern side of North Street, almost the whole of Goldsmith Street, much of Waterbeer Street, Nos. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/nos-206-207-high-street.html">206 & 207 High Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/nos-212-to-219-high-street.html">Nos. 212 to 219 High Street</a> and the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/wanton-demolition.html">corner of the High Street and Queen Street</a> were all demolished in the 1970s and were all areas highlighted by Sharp as having no architectural value. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/nos-50-to-52-high-street-exchange-lane.html">Nos. 50 to 52 High Street</a> and No. 21 Cathedral Yard were demolished in the early 1960s and they too were rated as being of no value by Sharp. Two others that fell into this category were Nos. 1 & 2 Little Stile and so they were demolished.<br />
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Perhaps even worse was the fate of Little Stile itself. Instead of retaining the narrow entranceway into the cathedral precinct, in use since at least 1286, the council decided to follow Sharp's suggestion and obliterate it. A new, much wider entrance was created in 1960 passing over the site of the blitzed Globe inn. Little Stile was built over <i>above right</i> and ceased to exist. The opening in the wall where the passageway once led into South Street just opens into a service area for nearby shops. Following the demolition of St Mary Major in 1971 the Three Gables are now left isolated as the sole survivors of Little Stile <i>below</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkYEz8SmGd9PgJrhJOtSYMM_VndE4iCPAQPlcbqVq72fE-hmK8rfsx0U8UgujLF3peqoaNjMgSwntqpuOBFnzh0yJa8K1HrSnZ96_O1EDs5YvgLb-9DthMArI8q9SvUVt_dOntfJUdf9ZX/s1600/PA241411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkYEz8SmGd9PgJrhJOtSYMM_VndE4iCPAQPlcbqVq72fE-hmK8rfsx0U8UgujLF3peqoaNjMgSwntqpuOBFnzh0yJa8K1HrSnZ96_O1EDs5YvgLb-9DthMArI8q9SvUVt_dOntfJUdf9ZX/s640/PA241411.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The demolition of No. 1 & 2 Little Stile seems inexplicable today. There was no reason why they couldn't have been retained and the narrow route into South Street reinstated. Such areas were part of the city's character, and even with rebuilt structures on its north side Little Stile could still have been an interesting small corner of Exeter, perhaps even with a plaque on the wall of No. 1 to remember the mutineer, Richard Parker<b>.</b> <br />
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<b>Drag the slider on the image <i>below</i> to see the Globe inn and Little Stile before 1942 and the same view today. Alternatively, click on 'Show Only Then' or 'Show Only Now'. </b>The site of Little Stile is to the far left in both images. The post-war pedestrian entrance into the cathedral precinct is to the far right in the modern photograph.<b> </b>The less said about the structure which was partially built over the site of the Globe inn the better.<br />
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<img alt="before" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ME5MYAn8wuwBDtELLB92u0LNG-2pwNxgXS1XpwaX47SZEysVeEtJmTv6oGFiuHdGLN-H9-wzjilLr4km5bFkE15DZ2X_NeABkRS-ecgRQMkz6lJS6mBnukcpFKQyVLEZA9AnrEEXD0e3/s1600/Little+Stile+Before.jpg" width="630" /></div>
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<img alt="after" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFSnydai2QQHijJWeIyea0n0hQfao6NeJtyaWe9LBvOGalp6lrBjXreCGMqyBxA1M5_jkuGKx-1mzJTNt2KOJIP2hrswHNz1S7VLGmpgi9AVh29bz0NLrA9iSG1IfKOMC53VD2OCj2yxQ/s1600/Little+Stile+After.jpg" width="630" /></div>
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html">Sources</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-80355646835734411352013-04-26T01:13:00.002+01:002013-04-30T23:15:51.436+01:00The Destruction of the High Street After 1942<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1MQKMsgQzAD2vrO2haIYkzHRLYIP26hyBJ2ul1Ec9PGD65aNEWAcGG7lbCCyIExfifxgWCnw-Wj8lCJZRe-A-clMsbVYVmW3k5izX0wtFDTvSWKmfn8Sb69y_NwyMsNPxbifXxpEkDgq/s1600/Post+war+High+Street+c1970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1MQKMsgQzAD2vrO2haIYkzHRLYIP26hyBJ2ul1Ec9PGD65aNEWAcGG7lbCCyIExfifxgWCnw-Wj8lCJZRe-A-clMsbVYVmW3k5izX0wtFDTvSWKmfn8Sb69y_NwyMsNPxbifXxpEkDgq/s640/Post+war+High+Street+c1970.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The destruction of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-destruction-of-high-street-in-1942.html" target="_blank">50% of the High Street during the Exeter Blitz</a> was obviously a disaster for the city's historical landscape, but around 220 metres of unbroken pre-war frontages did survive on both sides of the street for about half of its length. The remaining buildings ran from the corner of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/brief-history-of-south-street.html" target="_blank">South Street</a> almost as far as <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html" target="_blank">St Stephen's Church</a> and included some of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/probably-best-preserved-group-of-late.html">the High Street's oldest domestic houses</a> (most of which still fortunately survive). The postcard <i>above</i> is of the view up the High Street c1968. Most the buildings shown, apart from The Guildhall, were demolished in the 1970s.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWUz_OhcZYQj6fEVOw3ru_dtP2jIja4Hv1lsUV0HC8VZFQ2ZDlZVv53m0PQws2FglXJcDcVzyBcgwRvhQyxg-3f-nesSa6tXhdFL4XEfF0erCQetue0KV0YzjVMVsGsZRUz1YFkBfwpdb/s1600/High+Street_Exeter+demolition+post-war.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWUz_OhcZYQj6fEVOw3ru_dtP2jIja4Hv1lsUV0HC8VZFQ2ZDlZVv53m0PQws2FglXJcDcVzyBcgwRvhQyxg-3f-nesSa6tXhdFL4XEfF0erCQetue0KV0YzjVMVsGsZRUz1YFkBfwpdb/s640/High+Street_Exeter+demolition+post-war.jpg" width="454" /></a></div>
The image <i>right</i> is based on a 1905 map of the city combined with a modern aerial view of the same area. It shows the 50% of the High Street which remained largely unaffected by bombing in 1942. The plots highlighted in red, mostly to the right, were destroyed in 1942 along with a single building on the south-west corner.<br />
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The properties highlighted in purple are pre-war buildings which still exist today. The most easterly of these are St Stephen's Church and No. 229 High Street.<br />
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The plots highlighted in yellow show the location of buildings on the High Street which survived the Exeter Blitz but which were destroyed between 1950 and 1980, most of them by Exeter City Council for redevelopment. The map illustrates the sobering fact nearly half of the High Street that existed after 1942 was subsequently demolished in the post-war years. A solitary building at the High Street's most western point was destroyed in 1942. This was <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/no-74-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 74 High Street</a> which stood on the corner of the High Street and South Street. No. 73, which survived the Blitz, was demolished in the 1950s as part of the scheme to widen South Street. A fine timber-framed facade from c1600, one of the few still left within the city walls, which stood at the rear of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/lost-history-of-no-72-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 72 High Street</a> was inexplicably demolished at the same time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kY7N-E9EBJRx_l2LB89jY9oIl-2VNoYhmFGNh88dmt_ui_LhFVBEIuERyHX4j-8_lr6hmLzYJvl_-cY-QUGYxghBWpGADLPfe5Er4SatiAchq6dz17mIy0NLpxum5dorbFl3-1SiWc9R/s1600/37+HighStreet+Exeter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kY7N-E9EBJRx_l2LB89jY9oIl-2VNoYhmFGNh88dmt_ui_LhFVBEIuERyHX4j-8_lr6hmLzYJvl_-cY-QUGYxghBWpGADLPfe5Er4SatiAchq6dz17mIy0NLpxum5dorbFl3-1SiWc9R/s1600/37+HighStreet+Exeter.jpg" /></a></div>
The 1950s also saw the demolition of the remains of No. 36 High Street, as well as Nos. 37 & 38 High Street. No. 36 High Street dated to c1805 and featured in Richardson and Gill's 1924 book 'Regional Architecture in the West of England'. It was a narrow four-storey building, notable for the bow windows on its top three floors. The top two storeys were damaged in 1942 and it was reduced in height to just the ground floor and first floor. Instead of being reconstructed the remaining two floors were cleared away as part of the redevelopment of Colsons department store which had occupied the building prior to 1942 (now Dingles).<br />
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Next to No. 36 was <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/no-37-high-street-demolished-after-400.html" target="_blank">No. 37 High Street</a><i>, </i>shown<i> left </i>c1955. This was a timber-framed merchant's house, possibly built as a pair, dating from c1600 and very similar in appearance to the still-surviving <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/nos-41-42-high-street.html" target="_blank">Nos. 41 & 42 High Street</a>. Harbottle Reed poked around inside the building in 1931 and reported that there was little of interest to be found, but it's highly likely that original features were concealed behind later alterations and that much of the original fabric remained. The property, one of only three twin-gabled timber-framed houses still surviving in the city centre with their street facades intact, was allegedly found to be structurally unsound. It was subsequently demolished in the 1950s. (The two surviving examples are the above-mentioned Nos. 41 & 42 High Street and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/no-67-south-street.html" target="_blank">No. 67 South Street</a>.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OSYdQLE3Emp5iOBTd7b2AR7-SC3v7ThQyjqg0Pp48hlEFLc5KkjbdYXMQ8yjLUhq4nVgYq_E-F2pujeZCu-QmNubDQMIb4wXoRs1xa6KBCv9_QmZwknY9rXJsh5ifJ5IkHHVXts3pwFJ/s1600/High_Street_Exeter_1925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OSYdQLE3Emp5iOBTd7b2AR7-SC3v7ThQyjqg0Pp48hlEFLc5KkjbdYXMQ8yjLUhq4nVgYq_E-F2pujeZCu-QmNubDQMIb4wXoRs1xa6KBCv9_QmZwknY9rXJsh5ifJ5IkHHVXts3pwFJ/s640/High_Street_Exeter_1925.jpg" width="428" /></a>No. 38 stood on the corner of the High Street and St Martin's Lane. It was formerly a branch of the West of England and South Wales District Bank. Built of stone in the mid 19th century, the exterior of No. 38 was ornately decorated with pilasters capped with Corinthian capitals and egg-and-dart moulding around the doorway. The building is shown in the photo <i>right</i> c1925. No. 38 High Street was also bizarrely demolished in the 1950s and replaced with yet another drab, red brick block.<br />
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The buildings opposite Nos. 36, 37 & 38 High Street fared little better. The carved, mid 17th century wooden facade of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/no-227-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 227 High Street</a> is now one of the city's landmark buildings. Despite being granted Grade II* status in 1953, from 1958 onwards Exeter City Council repeatedly tried to secure its demolition for road-widening. Another application for its destruction was made in 1960 and yet another in 1962. Objections made at the time ensured the building's survival but in 1971 almost the entire structure was destroyed for new retail space. Only the timber-framed facade was left standing and the ground floor was gutted to become a pedestrianised walkway. The demolition took place without any archaeological record being made although a number of original features, including a mullioned window, a flagstone passageway and part of a substantial 17th century staircase, are known to have been destroyed. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8FJRgGq9pXRWfsSSWIep1GTxRSd3vzBsLx7T9SmcCBz76Tq-9WJja91nc-8JR6LzcI207Pphk06N95X2ewlaBQPfJZmSyCEE2QbSBPdcdsQwAHMkNQKgsX8icL-0UxIplWcy8y-yFvGl/s1600/397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8FJRgGq9pXRWfsSSWIep1GTxRSd3vzBsLx7T9SmcCBz76Tq-9WJja91nc-8JR6LzcI207Pphk06N95X2ewlaBQPfJZmSyCEE2QbSBPdcdsQwAHMkNQKgsX8icL-0UxIplWcy8y-yFvGl/s1600/397.jpg" /></a></div>
(The photo <i>left</i> shows part of the High Street which was left undamaged after the Exeter Blitz. The facade of No. 228, the 'Civet Cat' emporium, is just visible to the far right. Although the photo itself was taken c1910, all of the buildings shown remained essentially unaltered until they were largely demolished between 1971 and 1980. Only the gutted timber-framed facades of No. 227 and No. 226 still survive.)<br />
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The same fate awaited the adjacent <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/nos-223-225-high-st-mock-tudor-exeter.html" target="_blank">No. 226 High Street</a>. Dating to the mid 16th century, the timber-framed facade of No. 226 had already been heavily restored in 1907. It too had been granted Grade II* listed status in 1953 but the city council tried to demolish it for road-widening in 1958. This is when the now infamous cartoon appeared in the local paper
accompanied by the caption "Come to Exeter and Watch the Natives Pull it
Down". Like the planned demolition of No. 227, the proposed destruction of No. 226 High Street caused an uproar. By 1962 the council had been granted permission from the government to demolish the building but the plans were hampered by objections led by Professor William Hoskins and the Exeter Civic Society. In 1971 the entire building was demolished apart from the timber-framed facade. The ground floor was also gutted to make a pedestrian walkway. Only the facades of Nos. 226 & 227 High Street now remain but it's quite obvious that even they only now survive because of the actions of the Exeter Civic Society. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbj-u47_kwLo-7rykeVw_DL3aPYlYxqYxAc9aSOiFjrc0MHtnI2XouvjwQqPefd4BwJez9AGDLZxT4jTN5caCiTVWSrCQmclZFIjQ41Ycfxu_1S4TDpgQvrd9ZgfW3t9v98zregDLdoHjN/s1600/exeter_high+st.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbj-u47_kwLo-7rykeVw_DL3aPYlYxqYxAc9aSOiFjrc0MHtnI2XouvjwQqPefd4BwJez9AGDLZxT4jTN5caCiTVWSrCQmclZFIjQ41Ycfxu_1S4TDpgQvrd9ZgfW3t9v98zregDLdoHjN/s640/exeter_high+st.jpg" width="480" /></a>Referring to the treatment of Nos. 226 & 227 High Street, Peter Thomas has written that their "facades only exist as considerable vandalism took place with the whole insides of the buildings being ripped out. It can be said that the frontages are only held as a token of the past and are a classic example of the lack of interest and damage that has been done to the City's buildings in the past".<br />
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It's worth comparing this with the bold claim made in the council-run Royal Albert Memorial Museum that after the destruction of World War Two "people were determined to look after the historic buildings that had survived". Unfortunately the evidence belies the veracity of such a claim. In terms of the attitude of the local authority to the city's historical architecture it was as if the Exeter Blitz had never happened at all. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLiTzeNofpgwXvQFkDvK1yJjDNWIhq6P5JtVKGOLj3RmswabCsM67Zkvg-jowsa9NJ4gwPa7eGpQtkof78Np1YS15rgmmcIl8P7HCCvYyYIkFLhtFKt5eNmRN92UEdVR86zo41rnQ0mCH/s1600/boots+exeter+queen+street+high+street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLiTzeNofpgwXvQFkDvK1yJjDNWIhq6P5JtVKGOLj3RmswabCsM67Zkvg-jowsa9NJ4gwPa7eGpQtkof78Np1YS15rgmmcIl8P7HCCvYyYIkFLhtFKt5eNmRN92UEdVR86zo41rnQ0mCH/s1600/boots+exeter+queen+street+high+street.jpg" /></a></div>
Although the facades of Nos. 226 & 227 High Street were largely retained the pre-war buildings on either side of them were demolished. No. 228 High Street stood on the western corner of the High Street and Gandy Street. It <br />
had been sold to the city in 1759 and became known as the Mansion House or the Mayoralty House. It seems to have been largely rebuilt in 1791.<br />
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During the 19th century the premises had a show room converted out of the former banqueting hall of the mayors of Exeter. In 1843 it became the premises of the Civet Cat, a company selling luxury perfumes, soaps and other high-end objects and after World War Two was the location of Timothy Whites hardware store. No. 228 High Street had a plain Georgian facade which, unfortunately, seems to have resulted in it being one of the least photographed buildings on the High Street. It was demolished in the late 1980s and replaced with the yet another bland red-brick block (now the Britannia Building Society). I've no idea if anything of interest was found when the building was demolished.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIkQ1s3B6t3Xba4dh46KBj_TCmFm0IWhujkAW9ts2ySVra-1y2RI89qlGrURNndatpn7gzHj5debVMg_n7fH6-_B4W5y-wvMjWcDj8R0gQXMQ_zXfjAj_bjHeS52yasY9HprNB1d5yKB5n/s1600/High+St+Queen+St+Corner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIkQ1s3B6t3Xba4dh46KBj_TCmFm0IWhujkAW9ts2ySVra-1y2RI89qlGrURNndatpn7gzHj5debVMg_n7fH6-_B4W5y-wvMjWcDj8R0gQXMQ_zXfjAj_bjHeS52yasY9HprNB1d5yKB5n/s1600/High+St+Queen+St+Corner.jpg" /></a>On the west side of Nos. 225/226 & 227 was No. 224 High Street. This was a narrow building, which must've been constructed on the site of a medieval tenement. It was four storeys tall, the top two floors each having a single bay window which projected out over the pavement below. It was demolished in 1971 without any systematic record made into the building's architectural history. As the structure was being pulled down an A-framed truss belonging to the roof of a two-storey house was founded embedded in the side wall of No. 225/226. The truss dated to the 14th or 15th century. Its place in the evolution of either No. 224 or No. 225/226 will never be known. The only record of the discovery are a series of photos taken by a passer-by.<br />
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The neo-Classical building next to No. 224, which curved around the corner from the High Street into Queen Street, was part of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/wanton-demolition.html" target="_blank">a terrace of nine early Victorian townhouses</a>, most of which were located in Queen Street itself. The entire terrace was demolished by the city council in 1971 and replaced with a structure that was infinitely worse than anything constructed in the upper High Street during the post-war rebuilding. No. 224 and the corner building of the Queen Street terrace are both shown in the photo <i>above left</i>. The photo <i>above right</i> shows what replaced the pre-war buildings in 1971. Even the artfully placed tree can't disguise the structure's hideousness.<br />
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The post-war demolition of the eastern corner of the High Street and Queen Street junction was bad enough. Unfortunately the western corner was similarly destroyed. The buildings shown in the photo <i>left</i> extended down the north side of the High Street from Queen Street, past the entrance into Goldsmith Street and almost as far as The Guildhall. Despite surviving the Exeter Blitz they were all demolished between 1975 and 1980 and replaced with the current Marks & Spencer building (a structure variously described as "wretched", "an inept lump" and "a dog's dinner").<br />
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Most of the demolished buildings i.e. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/nos-212-to-219-high-street.html" target="_blank">Nos. 212 to 219 High Street</a> dated from c1890 to c1910 and had in turn replaced a number of tall properties from c1700. It's been suggested to me that traces of these earlier buildings remained embedded in the fabric of their late Victorian replacements but the entire row was destroyed in the 1970s without record. Although not the finest structures in Exeter, the buildings added much to the varied architectural character of the already battered High Street. The fact that this was at the time part of the city's central conservation area makes their demolition even more deplorable.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7XmiWtHOPuJyjo4KqboHCBAOUlbB4irfhGqepF7oU0Cf3SKqVzXuwAPtY1llAWPsuPv_4kIzBH01ApyLlGcpL9OW4EfnrAR8jEiLMF0PMbY0CY7Q5CEny1MbKSbuPC72yAAyXLlaG4jI/s1600/206+High+Street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7XmiWtHOPuJyjo4KqboHCBAOUlbB4irfhGqepF7oU0Cf3SKqVzXuwAPtY1llAWPsuPv_4kIzBH01ApyLlGcpL9OW4EfnrAR8jEiLMF0PMbY0CY7Q5CEny1MbKSbuPC72yAAyXLlaG4jI/s640/206+High+Street.jpg" width="439" /></a><a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/nos-206-207-high-street.html" target="_blank">Nos. 206 & 207 High Street</a> <i>right</i> stood on the western corner of the High Street and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html" target="_blank">Goldsmith Street</a>. Both buildings were granted Grade II listed status in 1974. The facade of No. 206 probably concealed elements of an earlier structure but externally at least the properties dated to c1830. Both buildings were completely demolished in 1979, the original facades replaced with modified concrete casts. At the back of No. 207 was the late 18th century No. 1 Goldsmith Street. It was also Grade II listed but, like nearly all of Goldsmith Street, it was demolished for redevelopment in the 1970s.<br />
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Slightly further down on the other side of the street stood <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/nos-50-to-52-high-street-exchange-lane.html" target="_blank">Nos. 50 to 52 High Street</a>. This comprised two separate buildings from the 18th century or earlier. They backed onto No. 21 Cathedral Yard. A narrow, flagged passageway called Exchange Lane ran underneath the facade of No. 51 linking the High Street to the cathedral precinct. Nos. 50 to 52 were demolished in 1963 and replaced with the remarkably poor 'Burger King' building. No. 21 Cathedral Yard, an early 18th century townhouse with a Grade II* listed interior, was shamefully demolished with the consent of the city council in 1964.<br />
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On the corner of the High Street and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/broad-gate-at-broadgate_16.html">Broadgate</a> were three Grade II listed buildings, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/no-63-high-street.html" target="_blank">Nos. 61, 62 & 63 High Street</a>. All three dated to around the end of the 17th century, although they had received a single Victorian brick facade in the 19th century. The buildings were all badly damaged by fire in the mid 1970s and subsequently demolished. An entirely new structure was built on the site.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBhLzAgQdpXZL5xhLd9bXrHXawbF0gcpbm-OCslYPTAqtU84jPjfHGnunsO62OFC17Wt2yhN93VY_imecBE_A2sGpYrZ6rrWS4P5iU8uDlhoPd-sSqkH8dtEF6SiWhhCIn8TVkbDMa3K8/s1600/Exeter+High+St+c1965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBhLzAgQdpXZL5xhLd9bXrHXawbF0gcpbm-OCslYPTAqtU84jPjfHGnunsO62OFC17Wt2yhN93VY_imecBE_A2sGpYrZ6rrWS4P5iU8uDlhoPd-sSqkH8dtEF6SiWhhCIn8TVkbDMa3K8/s1600/Exeter+High+St+c1965.jpg" /></a></div>
Almost opposite the entrance into Broadgate stood Nos. 196, 197 & 198 High Street, shown<i> left</i> highlighted in red c1965. At the core of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/no-196-high-street-elizabethan.html" target="_blank">No. 196 High Street</a> was a late 16th century townhouse which had been heavily remodelled in 1914. The remodelling had involved the removal of some oriel windows overlooking the High Street and the destruction of a plasterwork ceiling. Despite these alterations it appears that significant parts of the 16th century building remained in situ and the property was given Grade II listed status in 1953.<br />
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Nos. 197 & 198 dated to the 18th century or earlier. They stood on a single large medieval tenement plot which had probably been subdivided in the 15th century. The rears of both properties extended as far back as <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/brief-history-of-waterbeer-street.html" target="_blank">Waterbeer Street</a> which they fronted as Nos. 21 & 22 Waterbeer Street. The parts of the buildings sited on Waterbeer Street both dated to c1700 and had Grade II listed status. It seems highly likely that the parts which fronted onto the High Street were of a similar age but had received modernised facades in the 18th century. Nos. 196, 197 & 198 High Street were all demolished in 1973 to create a pedestrianised entrance into the new Guildhall shopping centre. Nos. 21 & 22 Waterbeer Street were demolished at the same time. A late Elizabethan fireplace and wooden window from No. 196 High Street were left in situ following the demolition and can now be seen in the show room of H Samuel in the shopping centre <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVlEKVMhh67CXDz9WZNWkpAQHo2rf0rPFGa3f9Mi2k5ZZz634-S0sur1FxV214VT-dW0-NpeOUygqnBzydahEzhaPAlMoThyphenhyphenV6QqBwUqRJ8QLjlP5pbSU5Gu-yXgO2wpow4fpat2Zo5AyD/s1600/img032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVlEKVMhh67CXDz9WZNWkpAQHo2rf0rPFGa3f9Mi2k5ZZz634-S0sur1FxV214VT-dW0-NpeOUygqnBzydahEzhaPAlMoThyphenhyphenV6QqBwUqRJ8QLjlP5pbSU5Gu-yXgO2wpow4fpat2Zo5AyD/s640/img032.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The image <i>above</i> shows part of the High Street that survived the Exeter Blitz intact. The buildings highlighted in red was Nos. 61, 62 & 63 High Street destroyed by fire in the 1970s. The properties highlighted in yellow were all deliberately demolished between 1950 and 1980. It's fortunate that anything survived on the north side of the High Street at all. According to Jacqueline Warren, in 1960 the city council's planning department came up with a scheme which would've seen the complete demolition of every standing pre-war building on the north side of the High Street except for The Guildhall and the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/no-202-high-street-turks-head.html" target="_blank">Turk's Head</a>. This would've resulted in the destruction of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/nos-192-193-194-high-street.html" target="_blank">Nos. 192, 193 & 194 High Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/parliament-street-no-195-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 195 High Street</a> and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/nos-199-200-201-high-street.html" target="_blank">Nos. 199 & 200 High Street</a>, all of which are now Grade II listed. As Jacqueline Warren wrote: "As we look at the city today, and consider what has been done to it, [we] can only console ourselves with the thought, 'it could have been even worse!'" Indeed it could've been worse, but not by much.<br />
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The postcard view <i>below</i> c1985 shows the gutted timber-framed facades of Nos. 226 & 227 High Street surrounded by a sea of insipid post-war redevelopment. The building to the far right, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/no-229-high-street-ii.html" target="_blank">No. 229 High Street</a>, only dates to 1930 and was partially damaged by fire in 1942. (It was built on the site of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/no-229-high-street.html">the birthplace of Sir Thomas Bodley</a>, the founder of the Bodleian Library at Oxford). One of its magnificent Jacobean windows were salvaged from <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/nos-19-20-north-street.html" target="_blank">No. 20 North Street</a> at the end of the 19th century (the other is presumably a copy). All the pre-war buildings to the left of No. 229 survived the Blitz undamaged only to be largely demolished during post-war redevelopment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jchZTWZ4ZkXMnzdf5XqOL-voeLMiuv3V_-MiVPSHiUjh8Ujws2UhlB0nsG0lXiArofveEw_7rOOxbdEezNv2B5Tz9FjK-OukNXqneZjcssGllfYV7eWu_qcGFva6o43Yi99ebnTZdS4P/s1600/post-war+High+Street+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jchZTWZ4ZkXMnzdf5XqOL-voeLMiuv3V_-MiVPSHiUjh8Ujws2UhlB0nsG0lXiArofveEw_7rOOxbdEezNv2B5Tz9FjK-OukNXqneZjcssGllfYV7eWu_qcGFva6o43Yi99ebnTZdS4P/s640/post-war+High+Street+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It can easily be argued that the local authority turned the disaster of 1942 into a catastrophe as far as Exeter's historical architecture was concerned, perpetuating a trend that was already well established long before bombs started falling on the city. To the post-war destruction of the High Street can be added the vast post-war demolitions that took place around Goldsmith Street, Waterbeer Street and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/brief-history-of-north-street.html" target="_blank">North Street</a>, in <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html" target="_blank">Magdalen Street and Holloway Street</a>, Cowick Street and Alphington Street not to mention the pre-war demolition of the West Quarter, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/paul-street-complete-disaster.html" target="_blank">Paul Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/frog-street-west-quarter.html" target="_blank">Frog Street</a> and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/st-edmunds-church-exe-bridge_30.html" target="_blank">Edmund Street</a>.<br />
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Perhaps it's easy with the benefit of hindsight, but it doesn't take much imagination to envisage Exeter as it might've been had the local authority retained most of the city's surviving pre-war architecture following <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html" target="_blank">the Blitz of 1942</a>, repaired and/or reconstructed the Georgian splendour of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/southernhay-west-southernhay.html" target="_blank">Southernhay</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/dixs-field-southernhay-east.html" target="_blank">Dix's Field</a> and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html" target="_blank">Bedford Circus</a>, retained the medieval street plan and integrated the many surviving buildings in bomb-damaged areas with new structures instead of demolishing them completely. All of this would've been perfectly feasible and well within the capabilities of the city at the time. Instead of which destruction was piled upon demolition and demolition was piled upon destruction. It is a genuinely tragic tale..<br />
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The image <i>below</i> shows a complete aerial view of the High Street. Sites destroyed or badly damaged during the Exeter Blitz are highlighted in red. Buildings demolished between 1950 and 1980 are highlighted in yellow. Surviving pre-war structures are highlighted in purple, and even five or six of these were only built between 1900 and 1942. Only a few pathetic remnants now survive of what was once Exeter's most historically important street.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxz7mT2kkkzftC_H9gQErPwYzhm-M_1SuI1ADvWIp4diSej9OPzru1uX0Use-9mZc10DA2HWk69QCfBI6GwgU5ZSVcEr-mdLLYyANXcCK6Va7JD8JS0Sviq7lgXyKELW8gTy232kaDf5YJ/s1600/High+Street_Exeter+demolition+1942_2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="601" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxz7mT2kkkzftC_H9gQErPwYzhm-M_1SuI1ADvWIp4diSej9OPzru1uX0Use-9mZc10DA2HWk69QCfBI6GwgU5ZSVcEr-mdLLYyANXcCK6Va7JD8JS0Sviq7lgXyKELW8gTy232kaDf5YJ/s640/High+Street_Exeter+demolition+1942_2013.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html">Sources</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-36598343144729025372013-04-14T13:57:00.000+01:002013-04-26T16:51:14.614+01:00The Destruction of the High Street in 1942<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHQ2DeSF38y3x4h_kR-3976jl7C0T5hoQz8astMRxFmpGeu_OgsC2Y9_Dvepr2-ZrfmAemu9kjcbOQ6JcJuclKWv19LnXnsFrlsxLzSm9zQNuvhV95OYGTWRJeUvJt4y9LfteSnVSkCWG/s1600/High_Street_Exeter_1925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHQ2DeSF38y3x4h_kR-3976jl7C0T5hoQz8astMRxFmpGeu_OgsC2Y9_Dvepr2-ZrfmAemu9kjcbOQ6JcJuclKWv19LnXnsFrlsxLzSm9zQNuvhV95OYGTWRJeUvJt4y9LfteSnVSkCWG/s640/High_Street_Exeter_1925.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is a follow-up to an earlier post, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-destruction-of-high-street-before.html" target="_blank">'The Destruction of the High Street Before 1942'</a>, and a brief summary of the Exeter Blitz can be found <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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The photograph <i>above</i> from c1920 shows the view up the High Street looking east towards Sidwell Street. If nothing else it shows the wonderful architectural diversity of the pre-war High Street, the product of centuries of gradual evolution. The tower of St Lawrence's Church is about halfway up on the left. The entrance into St Martin's Lane is in the foreground on the right. Apart from the altered facades of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/nos-223-225-high-st-mock-tudor-exeter.html" target="_blank">No. 226 High Street</a> and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/no-227-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 227 High Street</a>, and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html" target="_blank">St Stephen's Church</a> (whose weathervane can just be seen poking above the rooftops on the right), not one of the buildings shown in the photograph remains standing today.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvPo9Jin4hBwwMTLiY6Tv6tbiYsBreZym9otVpSWlS8qGRcVjC9r68E7mNqgMGg6ngPDilglbyksodB9HDkLMWxiEOQQklpT1pRHD3PJJ1XKiPmjy1pmCLEJqdNm5aM3bB3IatgTW7WN4/s1600/High+St+c1906+Exeter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvPo9Jin4hBwwMTLiY6Tv6tbiYsBreZym9otVpSWlS8qGRcVjC9r68E7mNqgMGg6ngPDilglbyksodB9HDkLMWxiEOQQklpT1pRHD3PJJ1XKiPmjy1pmCLEJqdNm5aM3bB3IatgTW7WN4/s1600/High+St+c1906+Exeter.jpg" /></a>Not all of the buildings shown in the image were destroyed in 1942. For example, the ornate stone bank on the corner of St Martin's Lane and the timber-framed house with oriel windows next to it (<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/no-37-high-street-demolished-after-400.html" target="_blank">No. 37 High Street</a>) were demolished in the 1950s. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/no-229-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 229 High Street</a>, just beyond the tram on the left, was demolished in 1930. But it does show the approximate extent of the wartime destruction of the High Street and a complete historical street scene which has disappeared forever.<br />
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Pevsner wrote that "the German bombers found Exeter primarily a medieval city, they left it primarily a Georgian and early-Victorian city. The close-knit pattern of medieval streets and alleys, medieval churches and houses is irretrievably gone". This perhaps needs some qualification. By the end of the 19th century, anyone wanting to experience a visual flavour of medieval Exeter beyond the Cathedral Close would've had to trek to the forgotten slums of the West Quarter, to <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/preston-street-demolished.html" target="_blank">Preston Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/smythen-street.html" target="_blank">Smythen Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/frog-street-west-quarter.html" target="_blank">Frog Street</a> and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/slum-clearance-of-stepcote-hill.html" target="_blank">Stepcote Hill</a>, to <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/paul-street-complete-disaster.html" target="_blank">Paul Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/mary-arches-street.html" target="_blank">Mary Arches Street</a> and parts of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html" target="_blank">Catherine Street</a>. By 1942 much of Exeter's surviving medieval fabric had already been swept away through slum clearances. The High Street itself had been one of the first parts of the city to experience modernisation in the 18th and 19th centuries. And on the surface at least, Exeter was far from being a medieval city.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGd_-0nV44PwqXgLnQIVKdv49-ZQjuzWYB5Y0viZTPBpArI3FA6Uz1pGIMFvYDyRrJwbBRe1HBMzh3ntOSHq7i7K-9ls592ZHc_SCQzBs3zDpPv2ri6Nck1odkZwuxjL2uKU_O5hIX4nG/s1600/High+St+c1930+edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGd_-0nV44PwqXgLnQIVKdv49-ZQjuzWYB5Y0viZTPBpArI3FA6Uz1pGIMFvYDyRrJwbBRe1HBMzh3ntOSHq7i7K-9ls592ZHc_SCQzBs3zDpPv2ri6Nck1odkZwuxjL2uKU_O5hIX4nG/s1600/High+St+c1930+edit.jpg" /></a>But in a real sense Pevser was quite right. The fingerprints of the Middle Ages were still in evidence all across the city, primarily in its street plan, in the presence of the Castle, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html" target="_blank">Cathedral</a> and Guildhall, and in the survival of many of the medieval tenement plots, all of which were encircled by the majority of the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/exeters-city-wall-2.html" target="_blank">medieval city walls</a>. And there were almost certainly many medieval and early post medieval buildings hidden behind altered facades and embedded in later structures.<br />
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Unfortunately most of the individual tenement plots were eradicated between the post-war reconstruction of war-damaged areas and the various redevelopments of the 1960s and 1970s. During the same period much of the ancient street plan was either either rerouted or totally/partially obliterated e.g. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/george-street.html" target="_blank">George Street</a>, Bampfylde Street, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/milk-street-west-quarter.html" target="_blank">Milk Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html" target="_blank">Goldsmith Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/st-pancras-church-pancras-lane.html" target="_blank">Pancras Lane</a>, Little Stile, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/destruction-of-sun-street.html" target="_blank">Sun Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/one-thousand-years-in-egypt-lane.html" target="_blank">Chapel Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/destruction-of-guinea-street_20.html" target="_blank">Guinea Street</a>, Coombe Street, James Street, Catherine Street, Frog Street, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/st-edmunds-church-exe-bridge_30.html" target="_blank">Edmund Street</a>, James Street, Musgrave Alley and King's Alley. Almost miraculously, the Castle, Cathedral and Guildhall still survive. Anyway, the High Street on the eve of World War Two was one of the most picturesque streets remaining within the boundary of the city wall, perhaps notable for its rich architectural variety than for any single building.<br />
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The Exeter Blitz began at around 1.50am in the early hours of 04 May 1942 and only lasted for about 80 minutes. 75 tonnes of bombs were dropped by 40 planes including 160 high explosives, parachute mines and around 10,000 incendiaries. The resulting fire was seen up to fifty miles away. By dawn 156 people had died, large parts of central Exeter lay in ruins and about 50% of the High Street, Exeter's foremost thoroughfare, had been irreparably destroyed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcg-rzha-ZJX8-doJL4er22vogtKPilbA0Divwe2IwSuDRXbltLGHo0wZdsFkNKrW69lY_L-6HhKIiy5a-IoBubNs_LjGqch-abXbruza5v7H16_hmFnbnsgCU5cB8OcxQ4cWcYHKqs0L/s1600/High+Street_Exeter+demolition+1942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">.<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcg-rzha-ZJX8-doJL4er22vogtKPilbA0Divwe2IwSuDRXbltLGHo0wZdsFkNKrW69lY_L-6HhKIiy5a-IoBubNs_LjGqch-abXbruza5v7H16_hmFnbnsgCU5cB8OcxQ4cWcYHKqs0L/s640/High+Street_Exeter+demolition+1942.jpg" width="504" /></a> The image <i>left</i> shows the extent of war-damage in the High Street following the Exeter Blitz. It is based on a 1905 map of the city overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area. Only the section of the High Street affected by the air raid, around 50% of its total length, is shown. <br />
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The buildings on the tenement plots highlighted in red were nearly all completely destroyed down to ground level. Some had already been rebuilt prior to 1942 e.g. the Half Moon inn on the corner of the High Street and Bedford Street, but the High Street of 1905 was largely the same as the High Street of 1942. The late 19th century Post Office and Eastgate Arcade, which replaced St John's Hospital School, are to the right. A cross marks the site of the great medieval <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/east-gate-high-street.html" target="_blank">East Gate</a>. The two most westerly pre-war buildings now surviving on the High Street are highlighted in purple: on the north side <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/no-229-high-street-ii.html" target="_blank">No. 229 High Street</a> built in 1930, and on the south side <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html" target="_blank">St Stephen's Church</a>. The image doesn't show the extensive network of courtyards, alleyways and smaller structures which existed at the back of the buildings fronting onto the High Street but which were also destroyed during the air raid. The gargantuan bulk of the Princesshay Shopping Centre which now squats on the site of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html" target="_blank">Bedford Circus</a> is easily visible to the south of the High Street.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Drag the slider in the centre of the photographs <i>below</i> to see before and after images (or click on 'Show only then' or 'Show only now'). </b><br />
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<img alt="before" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Q1xZ-ngPBgKmj3c0Zv-ckmfBh2KZQSoITfwoKQWKI-dKC6Cy2d17EiBUACMXNNImocahMRWiR0H1yhrqdpW2BrMjFCcNVzSw6-y_FP2Fq8RX6z3ZLwUIxbseBNJouuuJjB147mlUKZFG/s1600/High07.jpg" width="630" /></div>
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<img alt="after" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLkSGIYPx4BVeZjl3MNR-pDl90RPjbIGSWD6Ncupna7oHUi4xjSR_B4ijY59n6h8MiDbJ6k00dRmJRCsp3wWSokhqhPkWTlM29JA6uWCpt0uXlBS2vcVrHFwhje5VAc3Q53J7KkuCVbKL/s1600/High08.jpg" width="630" /></div>
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The photo <i>above</i> is from c1910 looking down the High Street towards the west. The brick entrance into the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/eastgate-arcade-and-coffee-tavern.html" target="_blank">Eastgate Arcade</a> is on the left. Slightly further down on the same side is the stone Gothic Revival facade of the main Post Office. The properties on the immediate right were built c1830 and marked the corner of the High Street with <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/new-london-inn-new-london-inn-square.html" target="_blank">London Inn Square</a> (now the site of 'Waterstones').<br />
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<img alt="before" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ta4niWcF9OeE5IlwUrBBziiW0wnraa4TBVPal2EiTI1d1jL7zCCGLMDfbsIlXXUJHvUCvxtjW0t6Y-dt-0cSbiIP9BHfd-MudG6h9yN-znzvTclTKoy3frd4oiP1zzFyGOq8fUqecjCP/s1600/High01.jpg" width="630" /></div>
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<img alt="after" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYSvB0iAo-R_vHpJIgWZd7u1aS_IFgCYDMC7pdImgWleS6S5Jsc_KA4Y433EoTCVKIPlSZgVJC6vxUtAhbJDq7kmNQVo0tWw9pmYAD4HBNv2eFqXz0ycAl7AVLOF2Ju8cfwemW0NDzPw2/s1600/High02.jpg" width="630" /></div>
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The photo <i>above</i> shows the High Street looking east towards Eastgate and, in the far distance, the start of Sidwell Street (now occupied by the tower block at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/debenhams-nos-1-to-11-sidwell-street.html" target="_blank">Nos. 1 to 11 Sidwell Street</a>). The Eastgate Arcade and Post Office are on the right. In the centre of the photo are the premises of The Cathedral Dairy Company (you can just see the lettering on the side of the wall). This was at Nos. 6 & 7 Eastgate, beyond the boundary of the city walls. The premises were converted out of the late 18th century residence of the headmaster of St John's Hospital School. The small, three storey timber-framed house on the left was No. 264 High Street. Before the start of the 20th century the date 1597 was written under the gable but by the 1930s this had changed to 1297! The late 16th century date is probably much more accurate. Unfortunately such externally ancient buildings were a rarity in the High Street by 1942. Next to No. 264 is a tall building with a gable end facing into the street, No. 265. This only dated to 1893 and replaced the much-earlier Apothecaries' Hall, formerly at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/apothecaries-hall-no-246-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 246 High Street</a>. Next door to No. 265 is the Georgian facade of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/nos-266-267-high-street.html" target="_blank">Nos. 266 & 266 High Street</a>, fashioned in the 1780s from stone recycled from the East Gate. Just about visible is a niche at first-floor level which contained the gatehouse's statue of Henry VII. <br />
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<img alt="before" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAG9CGySOut4XJIf6Tp1CnFMZdtWt0AaKDT3kJUnG2_ZWveqCzz2rh4V6MRqcSTlsc6YII0J9bnwv8I3WjZKr77QZVTR4Sdo4Wpy8NJouWGoAHqqdmIUaiKxfyr_FSKgQLzwLLmvIL93Bj/s1600/High03.jpg" width="630" /></div>
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<img alt="after" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dJNgc8V6bm-6XcU2-PDboNS9VFZY_h16CfBBRxhjw8Zl-yrjObFHGBnZmUEuAiA2GAIZUgvMoCj2Kxv4vxtypRRiGgyQhN0X44i7M7slLZzOPLqMnKthYmJuGfW2VRrQwe0vPjIzURKr/s1600/High04.jpg" width="630" /></div>
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The photo <i>above</i> c1900 was taken looking in the same direction i.e. towards Eastgate. Electric trams had yet to be introduced into the High Street so the image dates to before 1905. If that dog was in the High Street today it would probably get run down by a minibus! The Post Office and Eastgate are still visible on the right. The entrance into Castle Street, which ran up to Rougemont Castle, is on the left. The entrance was much narrower before 1942 and was massively widened during the post-war reconstruction. The three-storey gabled house on the right, from c1600, stood at the High Street's junction with Bampfylde Street. Another very narrow street, Bampfylde Street was dominated at its far end by the magnificent <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/bampfylde-house-elizabethan-mansion-in.html" target="_blank">Bampfylde House</a>. To the far right is the Three Tuns inn at No. 8 High Street. In 1836, at the rear of the Three Tuns, workers unearthed a subterranean chamber described at the time as a "Roman sepulchral family vault". The chamber was 7ft square with an arched roof. Around the walls were niches containing five urns believed to contain the cremated remains of some of Exeter's Roman citizens. The inn closed in 1913 but the premises survived until they were destroyed in 1942.<br />
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<img alt="before" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgz8VEEDkV80Byo0E2RUNfMiIZDN1QR4Eo8Ufu6YQqSAX1gd0mtD4te2bN4mFQpT1sr9TGitEHbwbIOcqkGIFnOmxmckqv2uWJAyTaWaNgf-Fiivp1OPGu6FOdgP8KIzsMCVBgbSr4MZCH/s1600/High05.jpg" width="630" /></div>
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<img alt="after" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIchraQ2XuyFqhWxFwFrpp8Zutc1H-sgeUyrzFUIj4YzaJBIGR8kc65AO4clJUUUfYVPLsm1I0aPiDP21SGJF0cJUe1iplMlmMQ0tQ8Z__K3n8hMvNmXVeo45VcsqCE1Nj76zQxjQj16Jm/s1600/High06.jpg" width="630" /></div>
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The photo <i>above</i> dates to c1930 also showing the view towards Eastgate. The south wall of St Lawrence's Church is on the left. The former Three Tuns building, now missing its first floor windows, is the fourth along on the right. Apart from St Lawrence's Church and the stone Post Office, nearly every other building shown was destroyed to ground level during the Exeter Blitz. This was almost certainly a consequence of most of them being constructed in the 18th century or earlier on timber frames with lath and plaster facades. Next to St Lawrence's is the arched entrance into the Empire cinema, Exeter's first, a not particularly attractive addition from 1911. Comparison between the 'then' and 'now' photos vividly shows how much this part of the High Street was widened during post-war reconstruction.<br />
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<img alt="before" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFpgmmLvycsQj2zj-yQDYGP12Ap8bAxjyKsF8pCTdrCUItvQvIynDGUL_DuIx4obUhytNvsMsNk2aQAVwvNy2Z1oYea03GfsU6RkKLvOh1ks2RkusBasfFDrG_UprncksOLAFStLJRJwKV/s1600/High09.jpg" width="630" /></div>
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<img alt="after" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2oRPfAV8Yud0YD0YEBjicOmMZyAIaECvFjlHDEbyS4vZQhgIk801KkfdByhTJB4WiORKKzBVOar6ycIhSQ_gtJJD2vI9T7PTOc1Ulpw1DsZgZlU3pjoUxqdmwhAPxXbqs4nTbKQR3_70/s1600/High10.jpg" width="630" /></div>
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The photo <i>above</i> is taken from about the same place as the previous one but looking in the opposite direction c1910. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/st-lawrences-church-high-street.html" target="_blank">St Lawrence's Church</a> is on the right. Most of the building dated to the 15th century although the south wall, visible in the photo, was rebuilt in 1674. The stone for the porch was recycled from a late 16th century water conduit which stood close to the church until the conduit was demolished in 1694. The conduit was adorned with statues of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The statue of Elizabeth was placed above the porch when it was added to the church in the 1690s. Although the interior of the church was gutted in 1942 the south wall, medieval bell tower and porch survived the air raid only to be demolished during the post-war reconstruction. Running under the building to the immediate left of the church was a covered passageway which led, since 1692, to a small churchyard. Beatrix Cresswell described it in 1927: "Just beside the tower is the narrowest possible slip which surprises the enterprising wanderer by leading him into a tiny courtyard where there are two little houses, their porches overgrown with white jessamine, and a fat friendly cat offers a welcome." Cresswell thought it was "a delicious corner of the old city, with the red wall and cusped windows of the old church at one side of it". Unfortunately it was all destroyed in 1942. On the opposite side of the street can be seen the side wall of the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/half-moon-inn-high-street.html" target="_blank">Half Moon inn</a> at the entrance into Bedford Street. By 1942 the Half Moon had been replaced with Deller's Cafe (see photo <i>below</i>).<br />
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<img alt="before" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Snr_qWVok7iwYqeCYabQ5PtpYMGEXdFyzzYDqQ4Z_kyE96iaZDVl3OE0BZX9ySe8DN45yFE6ZpXJSWZ8QNRCzWsl2vtBoAm38kPzeaIkB_TFJt0qzwIUQ9FXvnnZfQa6KLB28lksw7Dl/s1600/High13.jpg" width="630" /></div>
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<img alt="after" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrT5Is8y2QpsmwsEwjtPu4uPyLslvhu4Ctnme5Lwbl3ReteUK-Iv4y189VOlTsc4KPd4UoZizJSPDrvDiqNmCEZ3KIraY_qKA0X4SL4wVQjI_mMLoG93KIWHsHC5fuI-HEjICxLUhcaue_/s1600/High14.jpg" width="630" /></div>
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The photo <i>above</i> c1930 shows the most attractive ensemble of buildings destroyed in the High Street in 1942. The sign for <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/dellers-cafe-bedford-street.html" target="_blank">Deller's Cafe</a> is on the far left although the main entrance was actually via Bedford Street. Most of Deller's exterior stonework and some of the ornate interiors survived 1942 but were demolished during the post-war reconstruction. Not visible in the photograph but a little further down on the same side was the site of the New inn at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/nos-25-26-high-street-new-inn.html" target="_blank">Nos. 25 & 26 High Street</a>. The building still contained the 'Apollo' ceiling created by Thomas Lane between 1689 and 1690, destroyed in 1942. Most notable of the buildings on the right was Brufords at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/no-241-high-street-town-house-of-earls.html" target="_blank">No. 241 High Street</a>, a fine 17th century townhouse which once belonged to the Earls of Morley. Its most notable feature was a clock which projected over the pavement supported on the back of an enormous carved figure of Father Time. To the left of Brufords can just be seen part of the neo-Classical facade of the West of England Fire and Life Insurance Company at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/west-of-england-fire-and-life-insurance.html" target="_blank">No. 237 High Street</a>. The facade, built in 1833, was surmounted by a colossal statue of King Alfred, the Company's emblem. Although the rest of the company's buildings were gutted during the air raid the facade survived. It was subsequently demolished during the post-war reconstruction. The modern photograph of the same area shows the side wall of No. 229 High Street. This marks the extent of the wartime destruction, although No. 229 lost its gabled roof during the air raid. It's easy to see how the pre-war line of the street was pushed back during the reconstruction against the recommendation of the city's post-war town planner, Thomas Sharp. The mural has since been replaced with that of a smiling woman with a tower block in the background. The exterior timber work of the two buildings on the far right was a relatively recent addition in 1942. Although the buildings were probably 18th century or earlier, the timber facades were applied c1920. Thomas Sharp would've <i>hated</i> their lack of authenticity but I think they made a very attractive addition to the High Street's general appearance.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWB9-NEeRjZRrNf4kJHl-txCgajF9SLE12Grmceo1mSUjZxcGoMKydLLtKEiZn8XPbL9LTg1MYttsqaqvsQgJQ8MI3SCYVbmYLYPzBuqiaAJ8dRIhsUmVbA9BPhk2vzog6gs_bN0o6v9Ry/s1600/View+of+High+St+1942+WCSL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWB9-NEeRjZRrNf4kJHl-txCgajF9SLE12Grmceo1mSUjZxcGoMKydLLtKEiZn8XPbL9LTg1MYttsqaqvsQgJQ8MI3SCYVbmYLYPzBuqiaAJ8dRIhsUmVbA9BPhk2vzog6gs_bN0o6v9Ry/s640/View+of+High+St+1942+WCSL.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
The photo <i>above</i> (Courtesy of Devon County Council) shows the view down the High Street within hours of the Exeter Blitz. Smoke is curling up from the ruins. The photo must've been taken from the roof of the burnt out post office building. The post office's stone gable and downpipes can be seen to the immediate left. The crenellated tower of St Lawrence's Church can also be seen in the distance. The burnt out building in the centre of the image stood on the corner of the High Street with Castle Street.<br />
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The photo <i>below</i> shows part of the rebuilt High Street c1953, prior to the construction of the monolithic 'Bobby's' department store. The wide horizontal lines of the post-war buildings were a total break with the narrow vertical appearance of the pre-war streetscape. One reason for the widening was to allow for a dual-carrriageway to run through the middle of the street! Whatever were they thinking of.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrwnPqJ1pTQmDlMD_9sQ7SDrU2gWRvpYYqeLxrGlY9VGsDn2c17TYZskWKdX_8373dLlYeSz2K07Lm54eev_pnOVmqT8oU_IWiXjt3ZqRVpcwzhyphenhyphenoRuMawDJGHvJ0sK_8mropr-riL0co/s1600/High+Street_1950s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrwnPqJ1pTQmDlMD_9sQ7SDrU2gWRvpYYqeLxrGlY9VGsDn2c17TYZskWKdX_8373dLlYeSz2K07Lm54eev_pnOVmqT8oU_IWiXjt3ZqRVpcwzhyphenhyphenoRuMawDJGHvJ0sK_8mropr-riL0co/s640/High+Street_1950s.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately the Exeter Blitz wasn't the end of the 20th century's effect on the High Street. Although 50% of the street was destroyed in 1942 around half survived without any damage. Between 1950 and 1980 the remaining 50% had been reduced again by half leaving just a small fragment to stagger on into the 21st century. The <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-destruction-of-high-street-after.html">demolitions between 1950 and 1980</a> will be the subject of part three of this series of posts.<br />
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html" target="_blank"> Sources</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-87567375137767310492013-04-13T23:04:00.000+01:002014-11-15T15:42:40.003+00:00The Destruction of the High Street Before 1942<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFeVA_dLBb65zT1uMZEzWNCT_pAEePlpfpbN2teOdTL3YWOya1SyEi7Aa0MdeLgMbAoUCXo09_Qi0Fh9F4GQdmWnTbI-1ACLS3XKpEMuuHql1KPETZrRhJ-qKYlIsNJK9GCOSvEnsqN7K/s1600/High_Street+c1875.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFeVA_dLBb65zT1uMZEzWNCT_pAEePlpfpbN2teOdTL3YWOya1SyEi7Aa0MdeLgMbAoUCXo09_Qi0Fh9F4GQdmWnTbI-1ACLS3XKpEMuuHql1KPETZrRhJ-qKYlIsNJK9GCOSvEnsqN7K/s640/High_Street+c1875.jpg" height="442" width="640" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"The city wears the marks of its history proudly; and the High Street has an aspect of antiquity without rival in the West. It ranks indeed among the most picturesque thoroughfares not merely in Devon, but in the kingdom...it is a paradise for the antiquary."</span><br />
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'Tourist's Guide to Devonshire' 1880<br />
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The image <i>above</i> is an albumen print from c1875. It is one of the earliest surviving photographs of Exeter's High Street, almost contemporary with the quote from the 'Tourist's Guide to Devonshire'. Almost none of the buildings shown still exist today. The most prominent exceptions are The Guildhall, its crumbling and blackened portico shown prior to later restoration of the stonework, and, to the far left, the lower floors of the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/no-202-high-street-turks-head.html" target="_blank">Turk's Head</a> inn. From this perspective at least, the High Street looks almost unchanged from the 17th century. The photo <i>below</i> shows the same view c1910. As can be seen, the High Street's "aspect of antiquity" was already vanishing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsSlDxa_hE-ehlMNDGGpR7edj8LLMh9dhsyhmRr4X54CAR8bVardARNL_Qm1UPU0ZwWOSfaPpOlQ49K534SBbmz9jkVyRAwQzSjZvjsdeP-apv-Ikq3fwWCUzUZP3xNpVJmnI4qy1yLPz/s1600/Guildhall+1905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsSlDxa_hE-ehlMNDGGpR7edj8LLMh9dhsyhmRr4X54CAR8bVardARNL_Qm1UPU0ZwWOSfaPpOlQ49K534SBbmz9jkVyRAwQzSjZvjsdeP-apv-Ikq3fwWCUzUZP3xNpVJmnI4qy1yLPz/s1600/Guildhall+1905.jpg" /></a>For much of Exeter's history the High Street was the city's oldest, widest and most prestigious street. But today, apart from a handful of notable exceptions, very little of historical interest survives above ground.<br />
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So what happened to this "most picturesque" of thoroughfares? Clearly the Exeter Blitz played a major role as approximately 50% of the High Street was destroyed during a single bombing raid in 1942. Of the remaining 50% around half, including a number of listed buildings, was demolished between 1950 and 1980 by Exeter City Council for redevelopment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EOsqZxoakXEixw6ZcNdRkzNBtDrHdV6LzbN6BjEAkHt3Ep4d57x__3nKvCF0_wmnej3xWZZIxuc7-EcSaju3nlCme_3E0ETgI-ozYu1RfzVF6L52U4lpRdBdsQDVXGkrMIMFSu4rMNRo/s1600/High+Street+before+the+Blitz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EOsqZxoakXEixw6ZcNdRkzNBtDrHdV6LzbN6BjEAkHt3Ep4d57x__3nKvCF0_wmnej3xWZZIxuc7-EcSaju3nlCme_3E0ETgI-ozYu1RfzVF6L52U4lpRdBdsQDVXGkrMIMFSu4rMNRo/s1600/High+Street+before+the+Blitz.jpg" /></a></div>
The High Street on the eve of World War II was the product of centuries of architectural evolution. Much has been written about the damage inflicted upon Exeter during World War Two and it's tempting to write about the effect of the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html" target="_blank">Exeter Blitz</a> on the High Street in isolation (the buildings <i>right</i> were indeed destroyed in 1942). But in terms of the architectural losses at least, the bombing of the High Street must be considered as part of a more general history of destruction and demolition which started long before the outbreak of war. To understand what was lost it's perhaps necessary to understand what was there before. <br />
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From the 19th century onwards a theory has been put forward that the High Street is on the same alignment as a prehistoric ridgeway. This ridgeway is said to have run from over the high land of Stoke Hill, down Old Tiverton Road, through Sidwell Street and along the High Street to a large settlement overlooking the River Exe at a point close to where Bartholomew Street West is today.<br />
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It's a great theory and perfectly plausible but as far as I know there's no direct archaeological evidence for it. There<i> were</i> people living on the site of Exeter before the Second Augustan Legion arrived cAD55. An Iron Age round house was unearthed during the construction of the Guildhall Shopping Centre in the 1970s, and in 2002 a small Iron Age farmstead was excavated at Southernhay. Unfortunately these scattered remains aren't enough to conclude that the site was a major prehistoric tribal centre or that it was connected to a ridgeway along the course of the High Street.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9v1Ox4pZ-e6O9BcFi7TQqpiDRim-xZqD0H-ht_BkRzxLNvj6-ZsH2oQ1Johyv_8HXubzlnF6lDYiPjdEsVoWvo0dJvu_R5XrGcJN14CWrnMjr7r0pID3HHYxDvxIUxR5CdhmKuPoOkCOr/s1600/Benjamin_Donn+1765_Exeter+resize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9v1Ox4pZ-e6O9BcFi7TQqpiDRim-xZqD0H-ht_BkRzxLNvj6-ZsH2oQ1Johyv_8HXubzlnF6lDYiPjdEsVoWvo0dJvu_R5XrGcJN14CWrnMjr7r0pID3HHYxDvxIUxR5CdhmKuPoOkCOr/s1600/Benjamin_Donn+1765_Exeter+resize.jpg" /></a>The street plan of the Roman town that evolved out of the legionary fortress cAD75 seems to have been largely replaced when Alfred the Great refounded Exeter at the end of the 9th century.<br />
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Nearly all of the streets within the city walls are either Saxon or later. But the High Street is one of the very few streets in Exeter that probably does have a Roman origin. It's believed to have evolved at the same as the Roman civitas of Isca Dumnoniorum and was the main Roman road through the settlement. Again, any direct archaeological evidence for the metalling of the Roman High Street seems to have been destroyed by the installation of underground water conduits in the Middle Ages and by the insertion of sewers and modern utility pipes.<br />
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The 1765 map <i>above left</i> is by Benjamin Donn. It shows the old city surrounded by <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/exeters-city-wall-2.html" target="_blank">the city walls</a>. The extent of the modern High Street is highlighted in red. The surviving stretches of the grid-like Anglo-Saxon street plan are highlighted in purple. It's easy to see how the High Street and Fore Street form one major thoroughfare travelling through the city for east to west with smaller streets extending away from it. Donn labels the main thoroughfare "Fore Street or High Street". The names are often used interchangeably in earlier documents but everything mentioned in this post refers to the extent of the High Street as we know it today.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zikP6cDqjz8-YXs5aScLXq9ax4vbsZrVQdFmp-fhhEWHI4PU5gJAGJGPFfM4R7fcz_lMjQXZQxRwL_7ONd7AQuN33fGcWYiid1dmgNj4T_jf71aDGL5cbs-PsjrazpCCPR7Zz2v7zv2w/s1600/Braun+and+Hogenburg+Exeter_1587+High+Street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zikP6cDqjz8-YXs5aScLXq9ax4vbsZrVQdFmp-fhhEWHI4PU5gJAGJGPFfM4R7fcz_lMjQXZQxRwL_7ONd7AQuN33fGcWYiid1dmgNj4T_jf71aDGL5cbs-PsjrazpCCPR7Zz2v7zv2w/s1600/Braun+and+Hogenburg+Exeter_1587+High+Street.jpg" /></a> The image <i>right</i> is a detail showing the High Street from Hogenberg's 1587 map of Exeter. The East Gate is at the top. Below The Guildhall, depicted before it acquired its portico, is Broadgate with the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/broad-gate-at-broadgate_16.html" target="_blank">Broad Gate</a> leading into the cathedral precinct. The tower of St Petrock's is almost obscured by houses. At the very end of the street, standing in the centre of the road, is the Great Conduit where the High Street met <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/brief-history-of-north-street.html" target="_blank">North Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/brief-history-of-south-street.html" target="_blank">South Street</a> and Fore Street.<br />
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By the beginning of the 11th century Exeter was about the sixth richest settlement in late Saxon England and by the close of the same century it was a cathedral city. Chapels and churches had sprung up all across the city. During the medieval period there were a large number of chapels on the High Street. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/st-petrocks-church-high-street.html" target="_blank">St Petrock's Church</a>, still standing, is close to the corner of the High Street and South Street. The Guildhall, which has been in the High Street since at least the 12th century, had a chapel dedicated to St George, demolished when the portico was added in 1593. A little further up, on the corner of the High Street and Goldsmith Street, was Allhallows Church. On the south side of the High Street is <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html" target="_blank">St Stephen's Church</a>. On the north side and closer to the East Gate was <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/st-lawrences-church-high-street.html" target="_blank">St Lawrence's Church</a> (severely damaged in 1942 and later demolished). A chapel dedicated to St Bartholomew was probably located in an upper chamber of the East Gate itself. Next to it, from c1200 onwards, was the medieval hospital dedicated to St John, later St John's Hospital School, which also had its own chapel. At the west end of the street stood the Great Conduit, a colossal pinnacled Gothic water conduit built in 1441 and demolished in 1770.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXj0W3gAd4eRBpzP28Cgl_K0NydZ8yUApMf6380xI-6w2_ZW80Kev6h8WzQBnfPtpWmEatGoJeduth5-yGUH9WQqfxsC_JaEDHzl7-Q9kka7LzciwuKv2ifaiBMf2GGrpRimPnqoBcEoFO/s1600/Nos.+41+and+42+High+Street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXj0W3gAd4eRBpzP28Cgl_K0NydZ8yUApMf6380xI-6w2_ZW80Kev6h8WzQBnfPtpWmEatGoJeduth5-yGUH9WQqfxsC_JaEDHzl7-Q9kka7LzciwuKv2ifaiBMf2GGrpRimPnqoBcEoFO/s640/Nos.+41+and+42+High+Street.jpg" height="640" width="406" /></a>As might be expected, there were numerous inns and taverns in the High Street. The 15th century <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/nos-25-26-high-street-new-inn.html" target="_blank">New Inn</a> next to St Stephen's Church was one of the largest medieval inns in Exeter. There was also the Green Dragon almost opposite St Lawrence's Church, the Swan near St Martin's Lane, as well as the Phoenix, the Rose & Crown and the Eagle. Prior to the East Gate's demolition, the Salutation was located in the gatehouse's huge drum towers.<br />
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Until the 18th century the High Street was also the home to many of Exeter's wealthiest citizens. A few of their houses still exist to show what much of the High Street would've looked like in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries e.g. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/nos-41-42-high-street.html" target="_blank">Nos. 41 & 42 High Street</a> <i>left</i> and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/nos-46-47-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 46 High Street</a> <i>below right</i>. Dating to c1520, No. 46 is the oldest surviving domestic building on the High Street. In 1695 Celia Fiennes thought the High Street was comparable with any street in London and when the antiquarian William Stukeley visited Exeter in 1727 he observed that the High Street was "a street full of shops well furnished". Markets were held in the High Street until the creation of the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/higher-market-queen-street.html" target="_blank">Higher Market</a> and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/lower-market-fore-street.html" target="_blank">Lower Market</a> in the 1830s.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROQvYD_WBSgrdTslAcbBN9zWy_W_S4RCSZFAwU9KG9GeZl2xzMqtSVpbeHfOkgJM87Fac6c0HuXqhJaJSuXsOUH7sLQqGJnpBLBg74Bj9iJOOeUCgCJQiZ05Rv-CPwu-58ydsSiIeklo_/s1600/Exeter+High+Street+c1900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROQvYD_WBSgrdTslAcbBN9zWy_W_S4RCSZFAwU9KG9GeZl2xzMqtSVpbeHfOkgJM87Fac6c0HuXqhJaJSuXsOUH7sLQqGJnpBLBg74Bj9iJOOeUCgCJQiZ05Rv-CPwu-58ydsSiIeklo_/s640/Exeter+High+Street+c1900.jpg" height="640" width="404" /></a>The poet Robert Southey stayed at Exeter in 1797 and left a vivid description of the city. "Exeter is ancient", he claimed, "and stinks. One great street runs through the city from east to west; the rest consists of dirty lanes". The "great street" was the High Street, including Fore Street. Southey's dismissal of the rest being "dirty lanes" is probably fairly accurate. In the words of Hoskins, "for centuries the High Street had been the only street of any consequence". This might be overstating it a little but it's hard to imagine now what Exeter must've been like before the middle of the 19th century. The city's other main streets, South Street and North Street, were <i>much</i> narrower than they are today. Curling away from the main routes was a network of even narrower streets, like <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html" target="_blank">Catherine Street</a>, Gandy Street and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/paul-street-complete-disaster.html" target="_blank">Paul Street</a>, or <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/preston-street-demolished.html" target="_blank">Preston Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/smythen-street.html" target="_blank">Smythen Street</a> and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/slum-clearance-of-stepcote-hill.html" target="_blank">Stepcote Hill</a> in the West Quarter.<br />
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Areas of dense housing were connected by a tortuous network of passageways and alleyways. Musgrave's Alley and King's Alley, both destroyed in 1942, were two that led directly off the High Street. Further down the street were Lamb Alley and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/nos-50-to-52-high-street-exchange-lane.html" target="_blank">Exchange Lane</a>, both leading into the Cathedral Close, as well as Bussel Lane and Parliament Street, leading into Waterbeer Street to the north. The fact that few of these streets and byways had a flagstone road surface meant that they probably really were just "dirty lanes". The High Street would've seemed exceptionally spacious in comparison with nearly every other thoroughfare in the city. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxPzaYaG7tQtf7CK228K0CYJPRCbCzZpntb0_Ie-3QKVZbk297qXCSa4oLBJMDij4GuNqCabap-8oyX8PnyrVEq73eL03yDYr62V-ekB8WwLA_t8GSxSgTunGUjl1apgEAS84nzl12gaL/s1600/John+White+Abbott+1797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxPzaYaG7tQtf7CK228K0CYJPRCbCzZpntb0_Ie-3QKVZbk297qXCSa4oLBJMDij4GuNqCabap-8oyX8PnyrVEq73eL03yDYr62V-ekB8WwLA_t8GSxSgTunGUjl1apgEAS84nzl12gaL/s640/John+White+Abbott+1797.jpg" height="539" width="640" /></a>The painting by John Abbot White <i>above</i> dates to 1797 and shows a market taking place in the High Street. The artist must've been leaning out of the first floor window of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/nos-43-44-and-45-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 45 High Street</a> to get this view (the decorative cornice of No. 46 is visible to the far left). It's a fascinating snapshot of what the High Street looked like at the end of the 18th century. A large number of oversailing houses from the 16th and 17th centuries are still evident. It's even possible to trace a little of the history of many of them, even though much has now been demolished. To the far right is <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/nos-211-212-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 211 High Street</a>, one of a pair of 17th century houses. Next to it is <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/no-210-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 210</a>, built over the chancel of Allhallows Church. Then there's the narrow entrance into <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html" target="_blank">Goldsmith Street</a> and what is now the site of 'Millets' on the corner. Some of the houses do still exist almost unchanged since Abbot White painted them, such as <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/nos-199-200-201-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 200 High Street</a> with a semi-circular window set high into the gable end. Fortunately The Guildhall is still standing.<br />
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The image <i>below</i> shows a detail from <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html" target="_blank">Hedgeland's model of the city as it appeared in 1769</a>. This was townscape familiar to Southey. The image shows just one half of the High Street. The Great Conduit is on the far right almost blocking the entrance into South Street. St Petrock's Church is still obscured by houses as it was when Hogenberg engraved his map almost two centuries earlier. On the far left St Martin's Lane leads into the Cathedral Close spanned at its far end by St Martin's Gate, one of the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html" target="_blank">precinct's medieval gatehouses</a>. Allhallows Church can be seen, on the corner of Goldsmith Street, as can the barn-like structure of The Guildhall itself almost in the centre of the image.<br />
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One thing that is vividly conveyed by Hedgeland's model are the long tenement plots upon which the individual houses were built. Nearly all of the houses shown are built at a right angle to the streets. This maximised the number of properties that could front onto the street while allowing them plenty of space at the rear for other rooms and yards. Even such an eminent property as No. 229 High Street was built in the same way.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsDmMTUafKt8KVQ-Dj76h947JrVynSmHnuHh4RGbezTeqEuE53j1bXnDKmnrNw2vDC824PoGusFb57GEj5or7WlEBr0qaLqqB1K6TIkuf42TiDH2KV3AVR_w8ACRcDzOh8sALuXWf0bmI/s1600/Burgage+plots+Exeter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsDmMTUafKt8KVQ-Dj76h947JrVynSmHnuHh4RGbezTeqEuE53j1bXnDKmnrNw2vDC824PoGusFb57GEj5or7WlEBr0qaLqqB1K6TIkuf42TiDH2KV3AVR_w8ACRcDzOh8sALuXWf0bmI/s1600/Burgage+plots+Exeter.jpg" /></a></div>
In many cases these tenement, or burgage plots dated back to the 10th and 11th century. In subsequent centuries they were sometimes subdivided and two houses built where there had previously only been one but the outline of the plots often remain the same. Even when a house was demolished and rebuilt it was often rebuilt on the same plot.<br />
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It was the resulting architectural variety that largely contributed to the pre-war character of not just the High Street but Exeter as a whole. The majority of these plots remained intact for nearly one thousand years until 1942 and the subsequent redevelopment of the city, even if the buildings that originally occupied the burgage plots were long gone.<br />
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People talk about history being lost when a structure is lost, which is true, but for me it was the destruction of these ancient footprints that destroyed the city as a living historical entity on a quite profound level. The aerial view <i>above left</i> shows one of the fragments of the High Street where the medieval tenement plots have remained intact. Compare these with the colossal redevelopment on the other side of the street (now 'Marks & Spencer').<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Hp7F_LE36KQeb_TzOlGpCKH0o4TAEM621QuKyixHZtWPfSNAb0Du1EzRka0M7Kux1gk4XGuTD7k8tOh2wm4rXGSDRuK9XTQQi438NFmz7gCSaFQODdgnaXztwIjbsLeKg_ZyTY2mAmTY/s1600/East+Gate_model+Exeter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Hp7F_LE36KQeb_TzOlGpCKH0o4TAEM621QuKyixHZtWPfSNAb0Du1EzRka0M7Kux1gk4XGuTD7k8tOh2wm4rXGSDRuK9XTQQi438NFmz7gCSaFQODdgnaXztwIjbsLeKg_ZyTY2mAmTY/s400/East+Gate_model+Exeter.jpg" height="400" width="321" /></a>Given both its central location and its importance the High Street was one of the first parts of the city to experience wholescale modernisation. According to Alexander Jenkins writing in 1806, it was around 1768 that "the spirit of improvement" began to manifest itself in Exeter. Jenkins cited the rebuilding of the Green Dragon inn by William Praed "in a more modern style" as the start of the process. Later in the 19th century this period in Exeter's history is given a slightly different slant. Referencing Jenkins, a report in the 1866 issue of the 'Transactions of the Exeter Diocesan Architectural Society' claimed that the years of 1768 to 1770 were "a terrible time for 'public improvements in Exeter', effected through the destruction of architectural antiquities".<br />
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The report cites the demolition of the North Gate in 1768 and the construction of the Royal Clarence Hotel over "some antique frontage" as well as the demolition of the Great Conduit in 1770, the demolition of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/bedford-house-and-dominican-friary.html" target="_blank">Bedford House</a>, "the ancient seat of the Dukes of Bedford", and the demolition of the Green Dragon inn "and other houses". Perhaps the Victorians shouldn't have protested too much given their own predeliction for razing historical structures to the ground (such as the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/medieval-college-of-vicars-choral-at.html" target="_blank">College of the Vicars Choral</a>). The vast and beautiful late medieval <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/east-gate-high-street.html" target="_blank">East Gate</a> in the High Street <i>above right</i> came down in 1784. Jenkins, who liked to think of himself as something of an antiquarian, thought that this was "a very great and necessary improvement".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaauMS-PhDEyKk2gNp_ypg7hYUAej9dRF5c_JNhi2FvaJ2ihc2JOLIz6DlnaN_7g5CXDcpi-NrQvt80iGV1OgbO_m_oXInEmO7BewgSNQMVU_h7bRcNCFyXaL6DA77jAf6RCxcusNTu13F/s1600/194+&+195+High+Street.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaauMS-PhDEyKk2gNp_ypg7hYUAej9dRF5c_JNhi2FvaJ2ihc2JOLIz6DlnaN_7g5CXDcpi-NrQvt80iGV1OgbO_m_oXInEmO7BewgSNQMVU_h7bRcNCFyXaL6DA77jAf6RCxcusNTu13F/s640/194+&+195+High+Street.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
Throughout the latter half of the 18th century and well into the 19th century, a number of the older properties in the High Street received 'Georgianised' stucco facades with sash windows replacing oriels.<br />
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One such example which still exists is <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/parliament-street-no-195-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 195 High Street</a> standing on the corner of Parliament Street and the High Street (the pale pink building <i>left</i>). It has a very plain facade dating to c1820 but behind the frontage is a timber-framed property of c1700 which was part of an even earlier house from the 16th century. No. 195 still contains a number of interesting features, including a fine late 17th century staircase, none of which are apparent just from looking at the exterior. Such alterations make it difficult to tell a building's age just by looking at the outside, especially if those buildings now no longer survive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLJFnHm_3iVynw7Q72RLPm2n-6-gJGqykASoksLbwjfoJYed_JeJ2qNpIiVelTjHdrwwetXlMIhLLcpHi7gME1948JloZZ_nKHqFsf-rAnRXdLif2jaqI5IGHcU2AAn1MZtSIxWmUoliR/s1600/Exeter+High+Street+c1905+b&w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLJFnHm_3iVynw7Q72RLPm2n-6-gJGqykASoksLbwjfoJYed_JeJ2qNpIiVelTjHdrwwetXlMIhLLcpHi7gME1948JloZZ_nKHqFsf-rAnRXdLif2jaqI5IGHcU2AAn1MZtSIxWmUoliR/s1600/Exeter+High+Street+c1905+b&w.jpg" /></a>Unfortunately very little is known about the vast majority of historical buildings destroyed in Exeter over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, even if images of the properties still exist.<br />
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For example, the photo <i>right </i>shows a number of pre-war properties in the High Street which were destroyed in 1942. The gabled building at No. 6 High Street stood on the corner of the High Street and Bampfylde Street. (Bampfylde Street was a very narrow lane which, before 1942, led to <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/bampfylde-house-elizabethan-mansion-in.html" target="_blank">Bampfylde House</a> and Catherine Street.) No. 6 is clearly timber-framed and probably dated to the 16th or 17th century. But that's about as much as can be said about it. The house to the right of No. 6 was probably of a similar age with a remodelled facade but similar windows. The same was possibly true of the Three Tuns at No. 8 High Street. It's all possibly, perhaps and maybe. It's only relatively recently, with seemingly nondescript properties being subjected to rigorous archaeological investigations, that the often hidden history of Exeter's remaining buildings has come to light.<br />
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Anyway, be that as it may the High Street underwent a series of other major changes over the course of the 19th century. By 1820 the corner of the High Street with London Inn Square had been rebuilt with a terrace of four Regency townhouses (destroyed in 1942). The construction of the terrace and the contemporary <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/devon-and-exeter-subscription-rooms.html" target="_blank">Devon and Exeter Subscription Rooms</a> resulted in the demolition of part of the city wall.<br />
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The Rose and Crown inn at Nos. 256-258 High Street (near 'Boots') <i>left</i> was demolished in 1834. The Phoenix inn and the Swan inn were demolished at around the same time for the construction of Queen Street. The Swan had an interesting porch supported by grotesque figures carved in oak (something similar once existed at the early 16th century King John Tavern in South Street). <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/nos-206-207-high-street.html" target="_blank">Nos. 206 & 207 High Street</a> were both rebuilt c1830. The late medieval house of Thomas Elyot at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/thomas-elyots-house-no-73-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 73 High Street</a> was demolised in 1845.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHWtMMbQVdJO6JjF8ZfYoqBj6Nl71xHLJk2VnqQYxZEStB1VXQV3qXCOmC_frKnTfa_I2YHu-oFlwF-Xooi3jq1A20cqnEOO4I6OhVCmsMxfAcGjNprgsASqsd-CD_VjEIo-kMqEP9Rec/s1600/St+John%27s+Hospital+School.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHWtMMbQVdJO6JjF8ZfYoqBj6Nl71xHLJk2VnqQYxZEStB1VXQV3qXCOmC_frKnTfa_I2YHu-oFlwF-Xooi3jq1A20cqnEOO4I6OhVCmsMxfAcGjNprgsASqsd-CD_VjEIo-kMqEP9Rec/s1600/St+John%27s+Hospital+School.jpg" /></a>St John's Hospital School was almost completely rebuilt in 1852. Since 1633 the school had been located on the site of a medieval hospital founded c1200 and dedicated to St John. The hospital's massive High Street frontage had already been largely remodelled in the late 18th century <i>right</i> but the work of 1852 resulted in the loss of the remaining medieval fabric, including parts of the original quadrangle around which the hospital had been constructed. The new buildings were largely demolished just under 30 years later in 1879 when a new Post Office was constructed on the site. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/eastgate-arcade-and-coffee-tavern.html" target="_blank">The Eastgate Arcade</a>, which opened in 1881, was also built on part of the former school. The Arcade and Post Office were both destroyed in 1942.<br />
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In 1876 No. 34 High Street, part of 'Colsons' where 'Dingles' stands today, was remodelled from the first floor upwards. (A large part of the 'Colsons' store survived the Blitz until it was demolished during post-war redevelopment in the 1950s). Bedford Street, leading to <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html" target="_blank">Bedford Circus</a> and formerly as narrow as St Martin's Lane, was widened in 1878 resulting in several properties being demolished at its corner with the High Street (William Pread's "modern" building that replaced the Green Dragon inn disappeared at this time).<br />
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The image <i>left</i> is based on a sketch of c1860 by George Townsend. It shows, from left to right, Nos. 263-267 High Street. No. 263, with its oversailing upper floors and oriel windows dated to c1600 and was demolished around 1870. No. 264 High Street, its smaller timber-framed neighbour, was of a similar age and was destroyed in 1942. Next to it, with the half hipped roof, is No. 265. Dating from the 18th century or earlier it was demolished when the new Apothecaries' Hall was built in the site in 1893. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/nos-266-267-high-street.html" target="_blank">Nos. 266 and 267 High Street</a> were constructed from the recycled stone of the East Gate after it was demolished in 1784. Just visible is the statue of Henry VII that stood in a niche on the first floor. This building was also destroyed during the Exeter Blitz.<br />
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The peculiar little early 17th century house at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/no-210-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 210 High Street</a>, built over the chancel of Allhallows Church, was demolished for road-widening in 1879. A group of tall timber-framed houses from the late 17th century or earlier at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/nos-212-to-219-high-street.html" target="_blank">Nos. 212-219 High Street</a>, conspicuous in the albumen print at the <i>top</i> of this post, were gradually removed at the corner of Queen Street and the High Street between c1880 and 1900. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/nos-55-56-and-no-57-high-street.html" target="_blank">Nos. 55, 56 & 57 High Street</a>, including the Eagle tavern which dated to the 15th century, were all destroyed by a major fire in October 1881. The timber-framed <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/apothecaries-hall-no-246-high-street.html" target="_blank">Apothecaries' Hall</a> at No. 246 High Street, which dated to the 17th century or earlier, was demolished in 1893 <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4A6pI9apEiPaPJrNsnY-8HQa8mAFCUIBjeZ850_JNO3X8twpjwlApHBVYcsNNnSmKUPRW-p2OPG0tbqZ8GP0jYY7L6u5ofxpn6fWqa7mjczfnLo5NLrCiInkfc1u9v3yYYCwU7tgxzmpw/s1600/Hgh+Street+North+Street+corner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4A6pI9apEiPaPJrNsnY-8HQa8mAFCUIBjeZ850_JNO3X8twpjwlApHBVYcsNNnSmKUPRW-p2OPG0tbqZ8GP0jYY7L6u5ofxpn6fWqa7mjczfnLo5NLrCiInkfc1u9v3yYYCwU7tgxzmpw/s400/Hgh+Street+North+Street+corner.jpg" height="400" width="318" /></a></div>
By now the High Street was clearly in danger of losing much of its historical character and ancient patina. As early as 1871 a report in the 'Exeter Flying Post' stated that "the High Street is wonderfully picturesque, with its quaint gabled houses" but that these houses were "gradually being improved away to give place to modern abominations of stucco".<br />
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A<i> </i>number of other unfortunate demolitions and alterations took place between 1900 and the 1930s. The corner of North Street and the High Street<i> right</i>, where 'Athena' is today, was rebuilt by the start of the 20th century. Who knows what lay behind the Georgianised facades. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/allhallows-church-goldsmith-street.html" target="_blank">Allhallows Church</a> was demolished for road-widening in 1906.<br />
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According to Harbottle Reed, No. 199 High Street had a central courtyard overlooked on one side by "a massive timber front of 15th century date having cusp headed lights". Although No. 199 still survives, hidden behind another plain stucco facade, the 15th century timber work described by Reed was demolished in 1904. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/nos-70-71-high-street.html" target="_blank">Nos. 70 & 71 High Street</a>, next to St Petrock's Church, were demolished for road-widening in 1903. The property was described by Reed as being "a very fine specimen of early 16th century timber work" with an interior "sumptuous with linen fold door panels and moulded framing". At <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/lost-history-of-no-72-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 72 High Street</a> a 16th century timber-framed facade that formed part of an inner courtyard was demolished in 1905. A second facade of a similar age, which overlooked the cathedral at the rear, survived until it was demolished by the city council in the 1950s.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW79EQsWjCzijtETobrZ4QdNk_yr14Qqz1fci9CMOjXFZqI88NOyTFWY7lhgb3Mig4Ky6NPj4999E5EErmC5-v8VKla3P3mjc9-37HpbMbpU5dK7a1zMUltqnfIBeIE_-v1OmTct8cURY3/s1600/Half+Moon_Exeter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW79EQsWjCzijtETobrZ4QdNk_yr14Qqz1fci9CMOjXFZqI88NOyTFWY7lhgb3Mig4Ky6NPj4999E5EErmC5-v8VKla3P3mjc9-37HpbMbpU5dK7a1zMUltqnfIBeIE_-v1OmTct8cURY3/s400/Half+Moon_Exeter.jpg" height="400" width="314" /></a></div>
<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/nos-65-67-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 65 High Street</a>, on the corner of the High Street and Broadgate, had a very unusual, early groin vaulted cellar made from brick before it was demolished in 1904. Several houses that obscured the north wall of St Petrock's were demolished at the same time.<br />
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The Half Moon inn <i>left</i>, which dated to the late 17th century, had already had its timber-fronted facade and oriel windows replaced in the 19th century. But the interior contained several very fine plasterwork ceilings from c1680, possibly the creation of Thomas Lane. The extensive premises were completely demolished in 1912. (One of the ceilings was salvaged in its entirety and can be seen in the city's museum.) The site was used for the renowned <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/dellers-cafe-bedford-street.html" target="_blank">Deller's Cafe</a> which opened in 1916 before being badly damaged in 1942. Nos. 23 & 24 High Street were two very tall gabled properties with oriel windows which stood next to the Half Moon inn. They probably dated to the 17th century and were demolished in 1923.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9v3VopnUDJbPriUCIZca_Czk-4EyFr2eXl1kXMdXBfNexikAUcMS1EwWeXSAyldLoxhDjRQcFCPqGo9rOBHFsAxWLLUS4lS6B2mo9gxJ15PF_e9h3IZE7KwTLQy5qdCT8eoyvLZ0QB_0d/s1600/229+House+High+St.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9v3VopnUDJbPriUCIZca_Czk-4EyFr2eXl1kXMdXBfNexikAUcMS1EwWeXSAyldLoxhDjRQcFCPqGo9rOBHFsAxWLLUS4lS6B2mo9gxJ15PF_e9h3IZE7KwTLQy5qdCT8eoyvLZ0QB_0d/s400/229+House+High+St.jpg" height="400" width="332" /></a></div>
In 1925 the red brick late 17th century front of No. 234 High Street was replaced. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/no-59-60-high-street.html" target="_blank">Nos. 59 & 60 High Street</a> were demolished c1925 and replaced with a single structure. No. 59 dated to the 18th century or earlier. No. 60 dated at least to the 16th century. Fragments of wall paintings dating to late 1500s were uncovered at No. 60 along with sections of a thick medieval wall, all of which were destroyed during the demolition.<br />
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Perhaps most shocking of all was the demolition of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/no-229-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 229 High Street</a> <i>right</i>. This late Tudor townhouse, again with a modified facade, contained some of Exeter's finest surviving Elizabethan and Jacobean interiors. The house was demolished in 1930 and the interiors were removed and shipped to America. The 15th century Church of St Lawrence's was destroyed in the bombing of 1942 but it had already been threatened with demolition in the 1930s. One of the last pre-war demolitions to take place was the removal of No. 190 High Street in 1933 (where 'MacDonalds' is today). Again, there's no record of what the building was like before it was destroyed.<br />
described as "a modern intrusive shop". <br />
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The image <i>left</i> is an animated early stereoscopic photograph of the High Street from c1885.<br />
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I'm not sure there's necessarily any pattern to be traced in this brief history of the some of the documented demolitions that took place in the High Street between the start of the 19th century and 1942. Obviously cities, streets and individual buildings evolve over the centuries.<br />
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In England there never was the same level of preservation of historical cityscapes as could be found in pre-war continental Europe, particularly in Germany where entire city centres were filled with pre-industrial Gothic architecture almost untouched since the Middle Ages. Any gradual pattern or trend that might've existed at Exeter was interrupted by the almost total destruction of the upper High Street during the Exeter Blitz. It's not possible to know what might've been demolished in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s had the Blitz never happened.<br />
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Most English cities that were left largely untouched by air-raids during World War Two were subsequently defaced by post-war townplanners anyway e.g. Winchester and Worcester. Sadly, the post-war history of the High Street suggests that Exeter would probably not have fared any better. That said, and even though the pre-war High Street would never have been preserved in aspic anyway, it would certainly have been more characterful than it is today if the bombing of 1942 had never occurred. What exactly would've survived remains a matter of pure conjecture. <i> </i><br />
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Part Two of this series of posts, 'The Destruction of the High Street in 1942' can be found <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-destruction-of-high-street-in-1942.html">here</a>. Part Three, 'Destruction of the High Street After 1942', can be found <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-destruction-of-high-street-after.html">here</a>.<br />
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<i>Below</i> are some colourised photographs of the High Street from c1900 to c1910.<br />
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html" target="_blank">Sources</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-9305658762922009532013-03-30T13:44:00.002+00:002013-04-08T11:28:18.746+01:00St Edmund's Church, Exe Bridge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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St Edmund's Church is, or was, another of the city's ancient parish churches. It is shown <i>above</i> in a very rare photograph from the 1860s, the dark stone church contrasting with late 17th century timber-framed houses that cluster around it. St Edmund's, or St Edmund on the Bridge, actually stood on the medieval Exe Bridge, as did the timber-framed houses, their sagging galleries and upper floors supported by a network of wooden timbers springing out from the stone arches of the bridge itself.<br />
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Like <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/holy-trinity-church-south-street.html" target="_blank">Holy Trinity</a> and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html" target="_blank">St Mary Major</a>, the medieval fabric of St
Edmund's suffered from almost complete reconstruction during the 19th
century. Apart from portions of the tower, the church in the photograph only dated to the 1833 but the origins of the church were much older. There is some uncertainty about the date of the first church. According to David Francis, the first church on the site "was probably a very small chapel taken down when the first stone Exe Bridge was built c.1200". Cresswell believed the chapel was late Saxon in origin. Unfortunately there's no archaeological evidence to support such an early structure. A 'chaplain of the bridge' is mentioned in 1196, soon after construction of the bridge had started, and it's possible that this chaplain was associated with St Edmund's.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIdT2omcN1FwewbXaAMPPqeppzZWhixXtRj25WEf4ANbHJhm2sAwSV1ah_jhEGKWEjsYJdLsh5HjF8Wuw6PJO3GoKP8ATOXuLlP1HuuQoXUUMYv2CfgAFxeIejupJS1gmx7kzlkJikLpB/s1600/St+Edmunds_Plan_1905_Exeter+numbered.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIdT2omcN1FwewbXaAMPPqeppzZWhixXtRj25WEf4ANbHJhm2sAwSV1ah_jhEGKWEjsYJdLsh5HjF8Wuw6PJO3GoKP8ATOXuLlP1HuuQoXUUMYv2CfgAFxeIejupJS1gmx7kzlkJikLpB/s1600/St+Edmunds_Plan_1905_Exeter+numbered.jpg" /></a>A chapel on the bridge dedicated to St Edmund was definitely in existence by c1200 as it is mentioned in the will of Peter de Palerna. If there was an earlier structure on the site then it would've been demolished and rebuilt when the new bridge was built. The chapel of St Edmund didn't become a parish church until 1222.<br />
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The image <i>right</i> shows a modern aerial view of the church overlaid onto which is the 1905 street plan of the city: remains of St Edmund's (<b>1</b>), the remains of the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-medieval-exe-bridge.html" target="_blank">medieval Exe Bridge</a> (<b>2</b>), the site of the lower leat (<b>3</b>), the site of the higher leat (<b>4</b>), the site of the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/west-gate-west-quarter.html" target="_blank">West Gate</a> (<b>5</b>), the original location of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/house-that-moved-west-street.html" target="_blank">The House That Moved</a> (<b>6</b>), the so-called 'Tudor House' in Tudor Street (<b>7</b>). The houses, factories and warehouses highlighted in red were demolished when the inner bypass was created in the 1960s and 1970s.<br />
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The great stone bridge that spanned the Exe, approximately 750ft long, was begun c1190 and probably took 40 or 50 years to complete. By the end of the 13th century there were three religious sites on it. A chantry chapel dedicated to St Mary, which stood opposite St Edmund's, and a chapel dedicated to St Thomas at the far (western) end of the bridge. St Edmund's stood at the eastern end, outside the city walls and close to the West Gate. It was built parallel with the bridge across two of the bridge's arches. The fabric of the church was supported underneath by stone pillars to allow water to pass underneath the church and through the spans of the bridge. (The place where the bridge started at its eastern end was more marsh than fast flowing river, at least for most of the year, the Exe being much wider and shallower then than it is today).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYudSxGKFiTTY4bFcJrE-EZjPe06nZMXB9IXjU8zEcN6QnRhi6efyeri5fQanLgRTae3sPkHHYdiwMJoKuezr_l4sl_vCjfVLBc8C-fztMnjBWKuqqa57svS7znKcu0eSGyKmhyphenhyphenvnCxTr/s1600/St+Edmund_Street_+Exeter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYudSxGKFiTTY4bFcJrE-EZjPe06nZMXB9IXjU8zEcN6QnRhi6efyeri5fQanLgRTae3sPkHHYdiwMJoKuezr_l4sl_vCjfVLBc8C-fztMnjBWKuqqa57svS7znKcu0eSGyKmhyphenhyphenvnCxTr/s640/St+Edmund_Street_+Exeter.jpg" width="491" /></a> The drawing <i>left</i> shows St Edmund's Church in the 1830s before it was reconstructed. It looks like a normal street but it is in fact the carriageway of the medieval Exe Bridge with houses built on either side over the arches of the bridge. The two gabled houses next to the church tower are the street frontages of the two gabled houses that can be seen next to the church in the photograph at the top of this post.<br />
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The 13th century church was possibly a simple single-celled structure constructed from the same purple volcanic trap as the bridge itself. It underwent a series of alterations in the following centuries. The bell tower was added between 1448-1449 when Bishop Lacy was offering indulgences to anyone who would contribute towards the cost of a new belfry and a side aisle was added c1500. Fortunately a brief description of the late medieval church was made just after it had been almost completely demolished. The description appeared in an article in 'The Gentleman Magazine' in 1835: "The exterior, as far as could be seen, was built of red sandstone so common in the buildings of Exeter. The mullions and arches of the windows and doors, were executed in freestone, forming a pleasing variety. The doorcases and the two windows in the Church, with the lower one in the tower, are of the latter part of the fifteenth century. The square windows and door towards the east, are not earlier than the reign of Elizabeth. This portion of the structure may have been the residence of a chantry priest at a prior period. The interior consisted of a nave and side-aisle, divided by arches, either circular or very obscurely pointed, the columns octagonal, with moulded caps". The "red sandstone" was probably Heavitree breccia, a relatively poor quality stone used in Exeter from the 1350s onwards.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Qf4Fdk7cJ9-E8rGEEu74iU0TXpVrBLwvBGyaJEJAPZsVOCjfNNx-UGh8_J73Zc0ch6Hkw78xxRZ_ikXC1ijxPkusBJDrf7LWhbMXexCaDa9sfKt5Be3g3R4-Oc-4d2kPcAkGp6ORHqA3/s1600/St+Edmunds+c1830_Exeter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Qf4Fdk7cJ9-E8rGEEu74iU0TXpVrBLwvBGyaJEJAPZsVOCjfNNx-UGh8_J73Zc0ch6Hkw78xxRZ_ikXC1ijxPkusBJDrf7LWhbMXexCaDa9sfKt5Be3g3R4-Oc-4d2kPcAkGp6ORHqA3/s640/St+Edmunds+c1830_Exeter.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The drawing <i>above</i> was executed by the author of the article. It was, he said, "taken from an opposite window on 1st August 1830, at which time the demolition of the Church was talked about. A crack was visible in the north wall; but probably the fondness for improvement which has led to the rebuilding of several of the churches in the city, was the actual cause of its demolition. The protecting Genius of the Church would exclaim 'repair,' but 'not destroy;' but this small still voice would be drowned in the yells of the Demon of Improvement". It was ever thus. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Y23hrUOlAeJnxeZlL0JpMNNQXcqmi_F8Zel26aYD9qi0_UJXwppdxdsgKPDRjjqnF_aeVP5q5bz99e1MBlTlmJ1Gyn-aHCcBqoBjGjCeVRoRYOVndrgnp2tI-bqVSfAPcXFGwhTrm9OW/s1600/St+Edmunds+Undercroft+Pillars+Exeter.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Y23hrUOlAeJnxeZlL0JpMNNQXcqmi_F8Zel26aYD9qi0_UJXwppdxdsgKPDRjjqnF_aeVP5q5bz99e1MBlTlmJ1Gyn-aHCcBqoBjGjCeVRoRYOVndrgnp2tI-bqVSfAPcXFGwhTrm9OW/s640/St+Edmunds+Undercroft+Pillars+Exeter.jpg" width="468" /></a>Alexander Jenkins fills in a couple more details relating to the post-1833 church in his brief description of 1806: "The tower is small and not very lofty. It is crowned with a small spire and vane; it has six bells, which from their situation near the river have a very pleasing sound". Jenkins also mentions some remnants of painted glass in the windows that featured the heraldic shields of various Devon families.<br />
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The photo <i>right</i> shows two of the remaining medieval pillars which once supported the floor of St Edmund's Church allowing water to flow under the church and through the bridge arch on the right.<br />
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The church was not only one of the four retained in Exeter during the Commonwealth that followed the English Civil War but it might've been the location for the city's first printing press. A printing press is known to have existed at Tavistock Abbey prior to the Reformation. After the abbey was dissolved in 1539 the press disappears. But in a will of 1567 the rector of St Edmund's, John Williams, cites "all such stuff as tooles concerning my printing with the matrice with the rest of the tooles concerning my press". It's probable that the rector was related in some way to William Williams, a known monk at Tavistock Abbey and that the press mentioned in 1567 was once at Tavistock Abbey.<br />
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On the morning of 19 August 1800 there was a tremendous thunderstorm over the city that raged for five or six hours. The church was struck by lightning, much to the excitement of the population. The "dial of the clock was beaten to pieces, the machinery of the chimes was deranged, the wire attached to it melted or burnt to small pieces, and scare any part of the church escaped injury". The sulphurous atmosphere left in the church after the strike made it difficult for the sexton to remain long in the building. The lightning conductor attached to the weathervane was blamed for carrying the lightning into the church itself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-Pa4u0qMRLwzT2K85zJ7d8lvkmvA8mf7xhXQ4q0E87DV7hHsDsQ9TTYTWjwarxrxAIfsfxBWyF1HzzIxdr4-OYfOEEFTM7fvbVGZMcIJHIUQtFiRRJyTcgpoQigHbC7-doCRr62Ia4BI/s1600/St+Edmund+BC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-Pa4u0qMRLwzT2K85zJ7d8lvkmvA8mf7xhXQ4q0E87DV7hHsDsQ9TTYTWjwarxrxAIfsfxBWyF1HzzIxdr4-OYfOEEFTM7fvbVGZMcIJHIUQtFiRRJyTcgpoQigHbC7-doCRr62Ia4BI/s640/St+Edmund+BC.JPG" width="507" /></a>By 1830 the church's future was in doubt. A report in the 'Exeter Flying Post' on 25 February announced that divine service had been suspended because of the "insecure state of St Edmund's Church".<br />
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A meeting of the parishioners had been called by the rector "to consider the best means for reinstating it by a new edifice". On Thursday 06 September 1832 the 'Post' claimed that "the demolition of the Church of St Edmund on the Bridge in this city...was commenced on Monday morning". The same paper announced on 25 July 1833 that "We notice with much satisfaction the progress towards a finish of the New Church of St Edmund's on the Bridge - to that part of our city it will be a great ornament". If only.<br />
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Beatrix Cresswell in her 1908 book on Exeter's parish churches stated that "the present building had the misfortune to be erected in 1833, therefore, as a building, there is nothing more to be said for it". Perhaps that's a little unkind. I think the almost contemporary rebuilding of Holy Trinity resulted in a much poorer structure. At least the rebuilt St Edmund's <i>above left</i> had the look of Exeter's other remaining medieval parish churches, even if it had been stripped of nearly all of its historical fabric.<br />
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The postcard view <i>above</i> shows St Edmund's Church as it appeared at the beginning of the 20th century looking towards the city (the tower of St Mary Steps can just be seen amongst the rooftops in the background). The cityscape here remained little changed until the 1960s. With the creation of the new Exe Bridge in the 1770s part of the medieval bridge continued to be used as Edmund Street. The bridge was widened in 1854. The work involved in widening it can be seen in the stonework at the bottom of the photograph. This was all removed when the bridge was excavated in the 1960s, returning the structure back to its medieval form.<br />
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The aerial photograph <i>below</i> from c1930 shows part of the West Quarter and the leats of Exe Island. The Custom House is bottom right. St Edmund's Church is highlighted in red. Almost none of the buildings shown now survive. Many were swept away as part of slum clearances in the 1930s but the majority were demolished in the 1960s and 1970s during the creation of the inner bypass. The area today is completely unrecognisable. Similar devastation occurred <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html" target="_blank">outside the South Gate</a>. <br />
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The new church was designed by the local architects of Cornish & Julian (Robert Cornish was also responsible for the Holy Trinity rebuild). A lot of the medieval material was recycled into the rebuilt structure. According to Cresswell, the tower was "in some measure retained, the top repaired with an ornamental parapet". The galleries that extended down the sides of the old church were replaced with a single gallery at the west end. The old painted glass mentioned by Jenkins was gathered into the windows of the north wall.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3hbYyEiCAMWxeaHVY9oQUPQPmGfjEStHe0DiOsNXhh-59PKzDq6ZfAP-LG9mCnQNZD3i6VJ6o1JltvgK7pFJkjGwFdVIAYEvEcoTrZkg_2w_imcKZp2Ardg5tuKFX9PfO5QgdjWjthja/s1600/St+Edmunds+Church+Exeter+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3hbYyEiCAMWxeaHVY9oQUPQPmGfjEStHe0DiOsNXhh-59PKzDq6ZfAP-LG9mCnQNZD3i6VJ6o1JltvgK7pFJkjGwFdVIAYEvEcoTrZkg_2w_imcKZp2Ardg5tuKFX9PfO5QgdjWjthja/s640/St+Edmunds+Church+Exeter+2012.jpg" width="494" /></a>According to Cresswell the old font had been left in a stone mason's yard and the one in the church was modern i.e. from the 1830s. The pulpit was fashioned from the 15th century remains of its predecessor. Cresswell also claimed that some "old and rather uncomfortable looking open benches" had been brought from the cathedral at the time of the restoration i.e. in the 1870s.<br />
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There were eight bells in the tower which, said Cresswell, "had a very pleasant tone". The old church had three bells in 1533 and five when it was demolished in 1832. The oldest bell that Cresswell saw was dated 1721 with four others dated 1731. Three others dated to 1833 and were installed when the church was rebuilt. <br />
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In 1881 the issue of how much of the medieval tower had been left standing resulted in some bickering between the rector of St Edmund's and the city council. In that year the late 17th century houses shown adjacent to the church tower in the photograph at the <i>top</i> of this post were demolished by the city council as part of a slum clearance. The rector wanted to know why the council wasn't prepared to pay for the repairs necessary to the wall of the tower where the house nearest to the tower once stood. He cited a precedent. In 1879 the city council had demolished <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/no-210-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 210 High Street</a>, an early 17th century house that was next to <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/allhallows-church-goldsmith-street.html" target="_blank">Allhallows Church</a> in <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html" target="_blank">Goldsmith Street</a>, and had paid for repairs on the church's newly-exposed wall.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJsFFvfdnWV7MqwRoMzpr9bK5YGoWHR7__P34WwDAMTfTDbiL9xgtPP5-g871QQc9P5i7BsKrc9Yrg1Xhu83hRksN1vhURSV2VsvZ6wRUStTcuvZg7obbgd_77P0Z4FqnkbOI6gF8uDTn/s1600/St+Edmunds+Church+Tower+Exeter+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJsFFvfdnWV7MqwRoMzpr9bK5YGoWHR7__P34WwDAMTfTDbiL9xgtPP5-g871QQc9P5i7BsKrc9Yrg1Xhu83hRksN1vhURSV2VsvZ6wRUStTcuvZg7obbgd_77P0Z4FqnkbOI6gF8uDTn/s640/St+Edmunds+Church+Tower+Exeter+2012.jpg" width="473" /></a>But the council were having none of it and informed the rector that "whereas in the case of Allhallows the house was built against the church, in St Edmund's the church was built against the house". The rector responded with a letter from the churchwardens which stated that "it was obvious that the original wall of the old church was not disturbed when the present church was built (some fifty years since) from the fact that the walls of the old houses still adhered to the west end, the reason doubtless being that to remove the wall would endanger the safety of the premises". The churchwardens also complained that two large beams that had supported the timber-framed houses had been left in the west wall of the church. The churchwardens were undoubtedly correct but it appears that the parishioners ended up paying for the repair work themselves. <br />
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The photograph <i>above left</i> shows the surviving west wall of the tower that was at the centre of the disagreement in 1881. Constructed largely from red Heavitree breccia with some random blocks of purple volcanic trap, it is almost certainly a surviving fragment from the medieval church of St Edmund. The remaining part of the tower's south wall, shown <i>above right</i> with the entrance doorway, dates to the rebuilding of 1833. The photo <i>below</i> shows the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/edwardian-exe-bridge.html" target="_blank">Edwardian Exe Bridge</a> c1910 looking towards New Bridge Street and the city centre. New Bridge Street was created at the end of the 18th century and bypassed the route into Exeter from the west along the medieval Exe Bridge. The isolated tower of St Edmund's Church is visible to the right.<br />
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The church probably started to go downhill after the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/georgian-exe-bridge.html" target="_blank">Georgian Exe Bridge</a> was opened in the 1770s, although Jenkins claimed in 1806 that "the whole of the decorations and furniture in this small edifice is kept in perfect repair". It was effectively sidelined as New Bridge Street made for a much easier entry into the city from the west, and St Edmund's was always one of Exeter's smaller medieval parishes even before the new bridge was built. The church was last used for regular services in 1956 and was then partially damaged by fire in 1969. Although the damage wasn't irreparable, the construction of the inner bypass and the consequent demolition of almost every surrounding building resulted in St Edmund's own demolition in 1973 after nearly 800 years of use as a site of worship. What was believed to be the surviving portions of the medieval building were retained and left as a 'picturesque' ruin along with the remains of the old Exe Bridge now "incongruously sited on a roundabout" (Pevsner & Cherry).<br />
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html" target="_blank">Sources</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-21934849244502471372013-03-28T01:13:00.000+00:002013-05-22T22:30:03.897+01:00The Medieval Exe Bridge<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqpUxgKBJ0iPNDf0D8I08A7aLcgNTC29ezXkfYRAsCywnqHdiPj3CixFlmNhF2485t3VAkvigODNquYbbxbMz0lxGDBYu-5Lq03kD7gT_KCHgx53F3XhJrdYO2fx_unukIb9ya2xRwQt8/s1600/Medieval_Exe_Bridge_Exeter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqpUxgKBJ0iPNDf0D8I08A7aLcgNTC29ezXkfYRAsCywnqHdiPj3CixFlmNhF2485t3VAkvigODNquYbbxbMz0lxGDBYu-5Lq03kD7gT_KCHgx53F3XhJrdYO2fx_unukIb9ya2xRwQt8/s640/Medieval_Exe_Bridge_Exeter.jpg" width="640" /></a>The remains of the medieval bridge that once spanned the river Exe at Exeter is one of the earliest structures of its kind in England <i>above</i>. Eight and a half arches out of a likely total of 17 or 18 still survive today, although the ninth arch is mostly buried under the modern ring road. Along with the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html" target="_blank">cathedral</a>, castle and the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/exeters-city-wall-2.html" target="_blank">city walls</a>, the medieval Exe Bridge is one of Exeter's major monuments of the Middle Ages. It's likely that there was a wooden Roman bridge spanning the river at the important civitas of Isca Dumnoniorum. It's now believed that Roman influence extended much further west of Exeter than had previously been thought. Excavations in 2011 at Ipplepen, 16 miles west of Exeter, revealed a previously unknown large Romano-British settlement made up of roundhouses and the remains of a Roman road. This settlement was populated by the native Britons who probably traded with the newly-arrived Romans following the establishment of the fortress at Exeter c55 AD. At least one Roman road left Exeter to the west: a section of the modern A380 towards Newton Abbot is based on a known Roman route and there is some evidence of Roman tin-mining in Cornwall.<br />
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Anyway, work on the medieval stone bridge was probably in progress by 1190, although the first documentary reference to it is in 1196. John Hooker, writing in the mid 16th century, believed that this stone bridge replaced an earlier pedestrian bridge made of wood: "there was no stone bridge over the river of Exe, but only certain clappers of timber which served for men to pass over on foot". Hooker goes on to describe the perils associated with trying to cross the river: "in the winter the passage was very dangerous and thereby many people perished and were carried away with the floods and drowned".<br />
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The river at Exeter has changed so much over the last thousand years that it's difficult to imagine what it was like in the 12th century but it was once much wider and much shallower than it is today with marshes on either side. It was also a tidal river and at certain times of the day in summer the decreased flow of the water would've exposed glistening mudflats. (The effect of the tides on the river at Exeter were largely eliminated following the building of the Countess Weir of 1296.) The dangers described by Hooker probably came from trying to ford the river in carts and on horseback as well as the frequent destruction of the wooden footbridge by violent winter floods. It was still possible to ford the river as late as the 17th century. A 1662 drawing of the medieval Exe Bridge by Willem Schellinks (illustrated in Hoskins' 'Two Thousand Years in Exeter') shows mounted figures picking their way through the water against a backdrop of the old stone bridge.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheORApGQI5credgrMGEY-ODLaHA6xpRGZB1CyKkuGaa1RZkup5LMHTvjhLlv_h9LK9ed2g8zVJ_-BHw4G7FRoNX7QdUtH5YXkAQimlp2DNmCsSsR-5LZiw-hizPNp3ARoAu-8GA78_nLmH/s1600/Exe+Bridge+aerial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheORApGQI5credgrMGEY-ODLaHA6xpRGZB1CyKkuGaa1RZkup5LMHTvjhLlv_h9LK9ed2g8zVJ_-BHw4G7FRoNX7QdUtH5YXkAQimlp2DNmCsSsR-5LZiw-hizPNp3ARoAu-8GA78_nLmH/s400/Exe+Bridge+aerial.jpg" width="400" /></a>The difficulty in crossing the river was noticed by two of Exeter's citizens: Nicholas Gervase and his son, Walter. Despite their own personal wealth, the Gervase family were unable to fund the building of the bridge themselves. Instead Walter Gervase went on a tour of England collecting money for the project from anyone who was willing to donate while his father remained in Exeter to oversee the initial construction. Gradually the bridge was built, arch by arch, as finances allowed. According to Hooker, Walter Gervase raised £10,000, enough both to complete the bridge and to purchase land for its endowment. The aerial view <i>above left</i> shows the remains of the old bridge. The conjectural location of the now missing sections, based on a plan by John Steane, is highlighted in red. The medieval sites are numbered as follows: St Thomas's Church (<b>1</b>), <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/st-edmunds-church-exe-bridge_30.html" target="_blank">St Edmund's Church</a> (<b>2</b>), St Mary's Chantry Chapel (<b>3</b>), the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/west-gate-west-quarter.html" target="_blank">West Gate</a> (<b>4</b>), <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/slum-clearance-of-stepcote-hill.html" target="_blank">Stepcote Hill</a> (<b>5</b>). The perimeter of the city wall is highlighted in purple.<br />
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The construction of the stone bridge probably took about 50 years to complete with work ending c1238. It was an enormous structure, approximately 750ft (229m) in length and must've been a wonder to everyone who saw it in the 13th century.<br />
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By the time it had been completed the bridge had three chapels. On the city side was the church of St Edmund and, almost opposite, a chantry chapel dedicated to St Mary. On the far side was a church dedicated to St Thomas. Nicholas Gervase, the father, died before the bridge was complete and he was reputedly buried in St Edmund's church. When Walter Gervase died in 1256 he was allegedly buried at the chantry on the bridge dedicated to St Mary. (According to George Oliver, when the chantry chapel was demolished in July 1833 the workmen discovered a tall skeleton under the floor which was then reinterred on the site.) <br />
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In reality both Nicholas Gervase and his son Walter were probably buried in the Cathedral Close, as stipulated in Walter's will of 1257. There were also two official positions connected with the bridge. One was the Chaplain of the Bridge, first mentioned in 1196. The chaplain probably officiated at St Edmund's church, which had been located near the eastern end of the bridge since at least 1214. The second was the Warden of the Bridge. The warden administered the various endowments of land and property associated with the bridge. His bronze seal matrix, bearing an impression of the bridge and the latin inscription 'S'Pontis Exe Civtatis Exoniae' ('Seal of the Exe Bridge of the City of Exeter'), still survives and is on display in the city museum, <i>above right</i>. A mid 13th century document is the earliest to survive still bearing a wax impression of the seal. <br />
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No-one knows exactly where the bridge started and finished, but on the city side at least it almost certainly began outside the West Gate, the main entrance into medieval Exeter from the west. Cowick Street, on the west side of the river, was on the same alignment as the medieval bridge (although this alignment is difficult to make out following the alterations to the street plan in the 18th and 20th centuries). <br />
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Anyone crossing the bridge after its completion would've passed through the West Gate and up Stepcote Hill into the city centre. Hogenberg's 1587 plan of the city, based on a drawing by John Hooker, shows the Exe Bridge in some detail, <i>left</i>. In reality the bridge had more arches than is shown but St Edmund's church is visible towards the West Gate, as is Frog Street. The plan also shows the recesses in the bridge used by pedestrians to keep out of the way of carts. Various mills and leats can also seen. The mills were used for fulling cloth, upon which much of Exeter's medieval and early post-medieval wealth was based.<br />
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The image <i>below</i> is a drawing of the medieval Exe Bridge by the early 19th century historian Alexander Jenkins. It shows the houses that were built on the arches at either end of the bridge. The six arches in the centre remained clear of buildings and never seem to have had any structures on them. The little turret on the right marks the bell tower of St Edmund's church. Jenkins' 1806 description of the bridge states that in the centre of the bridge "was a doorway, and a flight of steps, that led to a long vaulted room, commonly called the Pixhay, or Fairy House." There was also a weir made of wattle, visible in the foreground, which Jenkins said was designed to "prevent the fall of water from injuring the foundation". The Pixie House, built into the central cutwater, was probably a public latrine which emptied directly into the river.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiVOUggDVmjtJyx7a0AN6nwY-SzCTX7Hvt-fpH8CwtkXNN9ywAszdkgJrONZ6qwWT6YrbHaxU-4nhXJMv4R-3QUoLHu8bOT7pB1ubqdg8r4f5_-_pmHjRIDu_t5iR6G2lZhoTrW5Zt2gG/s1600/St+Edmund_Jenkins_Exeter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiVOUggDVmjtJyx7a0AN6nwY-SzCTX7Hvt-fpH8CwtkXNN9ywAszdkgJrONZ6qwWT6YrbHaxU-4nhXJMv4R-3QUoLHu8bOT7pB1ubqdg8r4f5_-_pmHjRIDu_t5iR6G2lZhoTrW5Zt2gG/s640/St+Edmund_Jenkins_Exeter.JPG" width="640" /></a> There appear to have been efforts made to reclaim some of the swampy ground outside the city walls to the west just before or just after the bridge was completed. With the creation of the bridge, and limited space within the city walls, what was once waste ground would've suddenly gained economic importance. One example of this reclamation was <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/frog-street-west-quarter.html" target="_blank">Frog Street</a> (now demolished) which ran between the West Gate and St Edmund's church. Archaeological excavations at Frog Street have recovered large bits of domestic pottery dated to c1230, contemporary with the construction of the bridge itself. This process of land reclamation was to continue throughout the Middle Ages resulting in the creation of the industrial area known as Exe Island. As more land was reclaimed the River Exe was gradually shunted into a narrower channel and eventually attained its present course.<br />
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The 1727 drawing <i>right</i> is by the antiquarian William Stukeley. It shows the view across the river from the suburb of St Thomas to St Edmund's Church. The church's bell tower is visible at the far end of the bridge.<br />
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Almost from the moment of its construction the bridge was subjected to numerous floods. According to Jenkins, in 1286 "the summer proved very wet; which caused great inundations; a considerable part of Exe-Bridge was carried away by the high waters".<br />
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The bridge was repaired but was damaged again by floodwaters in 1384 that caused some loss of life. One of the casualties of the constant floods was the chapel dedicated to St Thomas that had been established at the western end of the bridge in the mid 13th century. In the early 1400s the chapel was almost entirely destroyed and the parishioners rebuilt the chapel further away from the river (this explains the location of what is now the parish church of St Thomas in Cowick Street. The rebuilt church was consecrated in 1412 but was badly damaged in 1645 during a battle between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians). Jenkins reported in 1806 that "according to tradition, the scite of the ancient chapel was in Ford's garden, near Gouldshay; the angle of a stone wall, with some foundations, were lately visible near the edge of the river".<br />
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By the middle of the 15th century the bridge was in a very poor condition. In 1447 John Shillingford, the mayor of Exeter, petitioned John Kemp, Archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor, for help with repairing the bridge. In 1539 one of the middle arches of the bridge collapsed and its repair was ordered by the warden, Edward Bridgeman, occupier of the former <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/bear-inn-on-south-street-abbots-of.html" target="_blank">residence of Abbots of Tavistock in South Street</a>.<br />
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Stone from the recently dissolved Priory of St Nicholas within the city walls was used for repairs so fulfilling a prophecy recounted by Hooker, that "the ryver of Exe should run under St. Nicholas Church". One of the stones perhaps taken from the priory at this time was the shaft of a late Anglo-Saxon cross carved from Dartmoor granite. It was found in front of one of the bridge's cutwaters when part of the bridge was demolished in 1775. An alternative location for the cross before it was reused in the fabric of the bridge was outside the West Gate. A 'broken cross' is mentioned in a city roll of 1316-1317. This is possibly Toisa's Cross, mentioned by Jenkins as having stood at the West Gate "but long since demolished". Either way, the cross shaft was retrieved from the waters and purchased by William Nation who placed it at the corner of his house at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/no-229-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 229 High Street</a>. In 1911 the 10th century shaft was moved to the grounds of the surviving priory buildings, <i>above right</i>, and in 1991 it was finally placed in the city's museum where it can still be seen today.<br />
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After 600 years the bridge was finally replaced in the 1770s. According to Jenkins, "the intricate, and inconvenient, entrance into the city over the Old
Bridge (by which all carriages, and travellers, were obliged to enter at West Gate and, to avoid the steep ascent of Fore-street hill, proceed commonly
by the way of Rock-lane) made an alteration absolutely necessary". The replacement of the bridge and its beautiful Georgian successor is covered <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/georgian-exe-bridge.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Jenkins states that "as soon as the new bridge was completed, the greater part of the old one was taken down, as far as the houses at the Eastern end". The demolition left only the nine arches that still survive today but the bridge continued to be used as Edmund Street, "a great conveniency to such people as have occasion to go to the Southern parts of the city". <br />
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A detail from Benjamin Donn's 1765 map of Exeter <i>above right</i> shows the medieval bridge before it was replaced in the 1770s. Most of the structure is obscured by housing. The old houses that stood on the bridge are particularly interesting. It seems that nearly two-thirds of the bridge once had houses on it with only the central six arches being left free of structures. The medieval houses were deliberately destroyed during the English Civil War but they were replaced between 1650 and 1700.<br />
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The idea of a medieval bridge covered in properties is one we usually associate with the old London Bridge and it seems strange that such a thing might've existed at Exeter, especially given that the maximum width of the medieval bridge was only just over five metres with a carriageway of only 3.5 metres. But these houses certainly were built and a number of them survived until end of the 19th century.<br />
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The image <i>left</i> is an animation using stereoscopic photographs taken in the 1860s (.apng compatible browsers only). It shows surviving late 17th century timber-framed houses balanced on the arches of the medieval bridge. The tower of St Edmund's church is to the left. As far as I know it's the only photograph ever taken of these properties, although such was their peculiar, antique charm that they appeared in several drawings and watercolours throughout the 19th century (e.g. the houses on the south side of the bridge were sketched by JMW Turner in 1811). The water running beneath the two visible arches isn't the River Exe, which by 1880 was some distance away, but the leat of the nearby Cuckingstool Mill. The image shows the rear of four properties with galleries overhanging the water on the ground floor.<br />
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It seems incredible that these buildings could've been constructed on such a narrow structure (especially when it's remembered that similar properties would've been on the other side of the bridge with the narrow carriageway running between them). Part of the secret lay in timbers that sprang from the stone arches of the bridge to support a great horizontal beam. This beam supported the rear of the houses while allowing the water to flow through the arches unimpeded. The architect James Crocker believed this to be the "most picturesque peep to be found in the city of Exeter" and, had this small ensemble survived, I think it would've been among the most photographed scenes in Devon.<br />
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The illustration <i>right</i> shows the view down the carriageway of the medieval Exe Bridge towards St Thomas c1830. St Edmund's church, constructed over two of the bridge's arches, appears on the right prior to its reconstruction in 1833-34. By this date over half of the bridge had been demolished but the eastern half, closer to the city, had retained its ancient aspect and many of its timber-framed properties. As mentioned by Jenkins, the houses on the western end of the bridge were demolished in the 1770s, after the new bridge had been constructed. Most of the properties on the south side of the bridge were demolished when the remaining arches were widened in 1854 to improve Edmund Street. The houses on the north side of the remaining portion of the bridge survived well into the latter-half of the 19th century.<br />
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Members of the Royal Archaeological Insitute toured Exeter's historical buildings in 1873 and a report in the 'Exeter Flying Post' stated that "the remains of old Exe-Bridge attracted much attention. Many of the houses on the north side of the bridge remain and a few of the arches of those crossing some mill leats exist." The report goes on to say that "the interesting part were the houses...they saw the remains of a seventeenth century house built on the bridge".<br />
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Unfortunately the houses shown in the photograph, the last of their kind still standing, were demolished in 1880. To see something similar to the medieval Exe Bridge as it would've appeared in the 16th or 17th centuries you have to travel to the German city of Erfurt in Thuringia. The Krämerbrücke, part of which is shown <i>above left</i>, is the only surviving bridge in northern Europe to retain its timber-framed housing. The properties are constructed in a similar manner to the houses at Exeter, the backs jettied out over the edge of the bridge on huge wooden beams supported by timbers set into the stone arches.<br />
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Like the Exe Bridge, the Krämerbrücke also had a chapel at either end of the bridge. Although wider, the Krämerbrücke is a fraction of the original length of the medieval Exe Bridge, just 259ft (79m) in comparison with the Exe Bridge's 750ft (229m). The Krämerbrücke also has houses along its full length unlike the medieval Exe Bridge which had a gap in the housing over the six central spans.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2BFhRlhLd3-ag6MJcp1Qigco0GQlu9nqPIBkP8wA5e4rqvfiugwRhktrxBEQbj9jdw_SI70Duds9CxTvLNXugc57Fuqi7kxTmMBjyKjPWg5btYBl9mFXCzabnmMuA3AQV-X4L1zlvYkw/s1600/St+Edmund+ruin.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2BFhRlhLd3-ag6MJcp1Qigco0GQlu9nqPIBkP8wA5e4rqvfiugwRhktrxBEQbj9jdw_SI70Duds9CxTvLNXugc57Fuqi7kxTmMBjyKjPWg5btYBl9mFXCzabnmMuA3AQV-X4L1zlvYkw/s400/St+Edmund+ruin.jpg" width="297" /></a>By 1900 the only building of historical interest left on the bridge was St Edmund's church and that had been largely rebuilt in the 1830s. And the remnants of the bridge itself were largely forgotten, the remaining medieval arches buried beneath later road surfaces and the brick additions made when Edmund Street was widened in 1854.<br />
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During the 1960s the entire area around the bridge was cleared to constuct part of the inner bypass. The surviving arches were evcavated and St Edmund's church was slighted so that it looked like a medieval ruin <i>above right</i>. Pevesner & Cherry's 'Devon' states incorrectly that the remains were "revealed by war damage". The bridge is now incongruously surrounded by a gyratory road system and I doubt it's visited as often as it should be.<br />
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So much for a brief summary of the bridge's history! This has already gone on forever, and I apologise to anyone still reading. I wanted to make these entries shorter but some mention should be made of the medieval engineering that went into the bridge. If only this was straight-forward but unfortunately it isn't. The shape of the arches is a mystery. Three of the remaining eight and a half have pointed arches while the rest have semicircular arches, more in keeping with a late 12th century date. The pointed and semicircular arches aren't even spaced out regularly but are mixed up seemingly at random. The obvious answer is that the pointed arches are of a later date but the evidence seems to suggest that the remaining eight and a half arches are all of the same build. Perhaps a different group of masons worked on the spans with the pointed arches but I'm not sure this is really believable either.<br />
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The pointed arches are also constructed differently to the semicircular arches. The spans with the pointed arches are constructed from five narrow ribs. The semicircular arches have just three much wider ribs, <i>left</i>.<br />
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The piers for the bridge were built on square stone foundations that rested on a bed of timber stakes. According to Jenkins, when the western end of the bridge was demolished in the 1770s the 600-year-old stone foundations were found to be resting on "an innumerable quantity of oak piles, driven thick into the ground. Some of these, on being drawn up, were very hard, and black as jet." Each of the piers had a cutwater on each side, a wedge-shaped structure of stone used to divide the current. Surrounding each cutwater there was probably a starling, a ring of piles driven into the riverbed and filled with gravel and rocks as a way of protecting the piers and cutwaters from flotsam carried on floodwater. These starlings would've made it look as though the bridge were floating on rafts. Little is left of most of the cutwaters although a couple do survive almost up to their full height.<br />
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The cutwaters on the south side were probably severely damaged when Edmund Street was widened in the mid 19th century. Although the cutwaters once provided a recess for pedestrians they must've been obscured when houses were constructed on the bridge. The cutwaters were all skewed in the direction of the current, quite an innovation at the time.<br />
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The bulk of the bridge was constructed from rubble with a facing of dressed blocks of purple volcanic trap quarried at various sites around Exeter. Unfortunately much of the dressed stone has disappeared, revealing the rubble core and giving the bridge a more ruinous appearance than it deserves, but the original exterior still survives in many places. The bridge also contains some sandstone and, most notably, blocks of white limestone. The limestone was used alternatively with the purple volcanic trap in the ribs of the pointed arches to create an attractive alternating pattern of colour, <i>above right</i>. One of the semicircular arches shows where the central rib collapsed and had to be repaired, probably in the 15th century, using inferior red Heavitree breccia.<br />
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The photograph <i>below</i> shows one of the pointed arches with the best of the surviving cutwaters. Much of the original dressed stonework is still intact on this section of the bridge. It's interesting to remember that this was the bridge that the rebels crossed during their assault of the city during the Prayerbook Rebellion of 1549, that the Royalists and Parliamentarians rode over during the English Civil War and that William of Orange crossed in 1688 on his journey from Brixham to London to be proclaimed King of England. It is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument.<br />
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html" target="_blank">Sources</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-72970663211431815182013-03-24T23:14:00.002+00:002013-05-03T16:46:35.214+01:00Old Larkbeare House & The Shitbrook Valley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysVm8l8J2JC5WuSUHGboCKDEOSNKeBpVcK83ty4PwN7ebVJzIruz7vaZsd094NbJGiula-B388c8WPXHxdLIrFgdQ82zU4meFHGIaQ8YnmUQIyrGtRtmqp6AIY0aq5YSSjv0-zF1_-Wwl/s1600/Larkbeare+House_door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysVm8l8J2JC5WuSUHGboCKDEOSNKeBpVcK83ty4PwN7ebVJzIruz7vaZsd094NbJGiula-B388c8WPXHxdLIrFgdQ82zU4meFHGIaQ8YnmUQIyrGtRtmqp6AIY0aq5YSSjv0-zF1_-Wwl/s640/Larkbeare+House_door.jpg" width="460" /></a></div>
Staying in the Holloway Street area and another deplorable tale of demolition. Unusually for Exeter though, this one has something that's almost like a happy ending. Leave the site of the medieval <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/the-south-gate-south-street_27.html" target="_blank">South Gate</a>, try and cross the multi-lane ring road and walk down <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html" target="_blank">the remnant of Holloway Street that survived the creation of the inner bypass</a>.<br />
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It soon becomes obvious that Holloway Street falls away from the high plateau upon which Exeter was built before rising steeply as Holloway Street turns into Topsham Road. The pronounced dip in the road is the valley, or hollow way, that gave the street its name. Although Roman in origin, the road was called Carterne Street by 1291 (according to Hoskins this refers to the place where the carters lived). By the 15th century Carterne Street had changed to 'Holoway' and the name has stuck for the last six centuries.<br />
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Running along the bottom of this valley was Exeter's infamous Schytebroke or Shitbrook. Known by that colourful name since at least the 12th century, the Shitbrook was one of the city's streams that also functioned, not surprisingly, as an open sewer. (Another stream, the Longbrook, flowed on the other side of the city through the once precipitous Longbrook Valley, now spanned by the Iron Bridge at the bottom of North Street.)<br />
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The Shitbrook rose close to St Ann's Chapel at the top of Sidwell Street and flowed along the south side of the city, behind Denmark Road and down through the steep-sided Shitbrook Valley before discharging into the River Exe, downstream of the city itself. It is this valley which is still visible in the dipping and rising topography of Holloway Street.<br />
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The photograph <i>above right</i> shows Holloway Street as it crosses the site of the Shitbrook. The stream bed would've been around 5 metres beneath the present road surface in the Roman and medieval period, which show how much the hollow way has been filled in. Despite the reduction in the gradient it's stilll possible to see how the street rises up and curves towards Topsham Road on the opposite side of the valley. The remaining fragment of Old Larkbeare House is on the left. Larkbeare Bridge lies 2.5 metres beneath the road surface just beyond the pedestrian crossing with a pushchair.<br />
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The Shitbrook, more politely known today as the Shutebrook,
still runs beneath the road. It was covered over in the 1840s and turned
into a storm sewer and it probably wasn't quite as noxious as its name suggests. The steep fall of the brook from its source to the Exe probably meant that it was kept relatively clean in all but the driest months (which, in Devon, don't occur that frequently!). By 1467 the city chamber had built public latrines outside the city which emptied into one of the mill leats of Exe Island. This must've alleviated the amount of waste carried by the Shitbrook to some extent. (Larger properties in the city centre would've had garderobes that discharged into cesspits which could be emptied at regular intervals.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZizpCNCVn5jynwKxtZWyAby6D9QyN2MuqxZg7QFC7lILq2Lln97ccsC6O1nJJEAwn5iY4Y80R4c2-TkjfJNNRLV34ONMJQcG3emY7H1PrNTCsvj3TzS3WMVLLfm7pWkQ8YcC7ctueYtx/s1600/Larkbeare+Bridge+arch+c+DevArchSoc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZizpCNCVn5jynwKxtZWyAby6D9QyN2MuqxZg7QFC7lILq2Lln97ccsC6O1nJJEAwn5iY4Y80R4c2-TkjfJNNRLV34ONMJQcG3emY7H1PrNTCsvj3TzS3WMVLLfm7pWkQ8YcC7ctueYtx/s1600/Larkbeare+Bridge+arch+c+DevArchSoc.jpg" /></a>The Romans might've built a timber bridge to cross the Shitbrook at the bottom of Holloway Street as it would've flowed with some force after heavy rains. No evidence of this remains but, remarkably, a Scheduled Ancient Monument does survive some 2.5 metres beneath the modern road surface. This is Larkbeare Bridge, one of the earliest surviving medieval bridges in southwest England <i>left</i> <span style="font-family: inherit;">© </span>Devon Archaeological Society.<br />
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The bridge was built in the 13th century so traffic could cross the Shitbrook and is probably contemporary with the great medieval Exe Bridge completed in the early 1200s. English Heritage have described the structure as a "remarkable and rare
example of medieval engineering". When the Shitbrook was covered over in the 1840s the bridge was completely buried instead of being removed and so the stream still flows under its arches just as it has done for 800 years. No sign of the bridge is visible from above ground. In February 2013 work had to be carried out on the bridge after a collapsed sewer pipe was found to have damaged some of the mortar holding the stones together. Much of the work on the sewer pipe had to be done by hand to prevent vibrations from machinery damaging the ancient structure.<br />
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Anyway, Larkbeare Bridge gets its name because it lies very close to what was the great estate of Larkbeare. According to Hoskins this poetic name, literally translated as larks' wood, "must be a reference to the number of larks that sang here on summer mornings a thousand years ago where now is only the screech of car brakes and the stink of exhaust fumes". Unfortunately not much has changed since Hoskins wrote these words in 1960.<br />
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The earliest reference to Larkbeare is from a deed dated to the first half of the 13th century. The document refers to the brook next to "the land of Richard de Leverbeare". There was almost certainly a significant house on the site by then. The estate is referred to again c1266 when it is in the possession of Adam de Laverkbere to whom it had descended. By the 15th century the estate had passed from the Larkbeares to Nicholas Bowden. In 1416 Bowden was granted a licence by Bishop Stafford to have divine service performed for a year in "his mansion at Lerkebeare in the parish of St Leonard's". The Bowdens didn't have the estate for long and by the end of the 15th century it belonged to a family called Hull.<br />
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It was probably John Hull who remodelled the already ancient mansion between 1530 and 1550, making it one of the last great late medieval houses built either in or around Exeter. It is a fragment of this house which still survives today <i>left</i>. The castellated mansion of 'Larkbeare', with a gatehouse and round tower, is shown surrounded by fields and woods on Braun and Hogenberg's 1587 map of Exeter, detail <i>above right</i>.<br />
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Built of the local red Heavitree breccia, the house had three storeys, a cellar and at least one garderobe that emptied directly into the Shitbrook. A 16th century wooden garderobe seat from the house survives and is in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter. The principal chambers had a series of elaborate oak coffered ceilings made from intersecting, richly-moulded beams.<br />
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By 1617 the property had been sold to Sir Nicholas Smith and by 1714 it belonged to an Exeter merchant called Andrew Lavington. Lavington's financial position was precarious and he eventually became bankrupt. In 1716 part of the house was being let by Lavington as a separate tenement. A notice in the Exeter Flying Post of that year states that the tenement is "the Fore Part of Larkbear House, without South Gate, Exon, containing a Kitchen with a little Room by, a large Parlour and a Cellar, with a Chamber over the Cellar; also 5 Lodging Chambers with 3 Closets; likewise a Garden; being very fit for a private family".<br />
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In 1737 Larkbeare House was bought by another Exeter merchant, John Baring, who was then residing at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/a-brief-history-of-palace-gate-and-its.html" target="_blank">Palace Gate</a>. Two of John Baring's sons, John and Francis, were later to achieve fame as the founders of Barings Bank. Baring's son John was born at Palace Gate and his brother Francis, later made a baronet, was born at Larkbeare. (The oldest merchant bank in London, Barings Bank collapsed in 1995 after the speculative investing of Nick Leeson.) In 1770 John Baring the second purchased the nearby Mount Radford estate and retired there from London. (Mount Radford house, built by John Baring around the core of Lawrence Radford's late 16th century mansion, was unfortunately demolished in 1904.)<br />
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It was the Baring family who made extensive alterations to Larksbeare House c1740. The medieval core was retained but the property was extended and the exterior remodelled. A handsome 8-bay classical facade was added with two slightly projecting wings at either end. The image <i>above right</i> shows a watercolour of the northern end wall of the remodelled property c1850. The image <i>below left</i> shows a similar watercolour depicting the facade of Larkbeare House following the mid 18th century alterations. Holloway Street can just be seen on the left. The mid 19th century townhouses of Lansdowne Terrace are in the background on the right. Both images are <span style="font-family: inherit;">©</span> Devon County Council.<br />
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In 1889 almost the entire building was demolished. The garden was destroyed and the terrace houses of what is now Roberts Road were built on the site of the old estate. Only the small part of the property adjacent to Holloway Street was left standing. <br />
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This remnant of old Larkbeare House is now No. 38 Holloway Street and is Grade II listed. From the outside the house appears to contain little of interest but the ground floor still has a remarkable oak coffered ceiling from what was perhaps the parlour of the great 16th century mansion. There is also a large three-bay room on the second floor which has retained its fine arch-braced roof. It's difficult to know what else remained of the 16th century house when the property was largely demolished. But it's clear that, at the very least, Exeter lost an attractive Georgian mansion close to the city walls. <br />
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An article from 19 April 1890 in the 'Exeter Flying Post' regarding donations to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum suggests that more of the late medieval property existed before 1889 than does today. It was reported that "Mr G. Diggines has given a number of carvings in stone from the old Larkbeare House, lately demolished; and these it is hoped may some day be built into some portion of the museum". Two of these "carvings in stone" are now on display in the museum. One of them, shown at the <i>top</i> of this post, is a beautiful stone doorway. According to the museum, the doorway is "late gothic in style, with foliage ornament in the traditional manner of pre-Reformation days, swallowed at the foot of the doorway by a grotesque head". The other carving is the fragmentary remains of a colossal stone lintel that once spanned a fireplace within the house, <i>above</i>. I'm not sure what the animals mean. Maybe they had some heraldic significance.<br />
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The story would end there if it wasn't for a 'Dangerous Structure Notice' served on the surviving fragment of the building in 1977. Following this the owner of the property, BP oil, wanted to demolish the 16th century remnant. A public inquiry was held during which Exeter City Council and the Department for the Environment combined forces to compel BP to restore the building. The council and department won their case and BP consequently sold No. 38 Holloway Street to the Devon Historic Buildings Trust for the sum of just £1. The property was in imminent danger of collapse but, helped by financial support from Exeter City Council, the trust restored the house, converting it into a two-bedroom dwelling and retaining all of the historically important features.<br />
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The photo <i>above left</i> shows the facade of No. 38 Holloway Street today following some brick additions made at the end of the 19th century. It's hard to believe it's the same building as that is shown in the mid 19th century watercolours. The image <i>below</i> shows what old Larkbeare House would might look like from Holloway Street had it not been demolished in 1889.<br />
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html" target="_blank">Sources</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-46712235259196961262013-03-23T16:21:00.000+00:002013-04-01T00:06:07.311+01:00Magdalen House: Nos. 39 & 40 Magdalen Street<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-xFul6o1qyzxTdFcTHs4oEultEHzXfk8l1woN3nVGygKNnCuwMHccqzcXgsFdOSulkL_Hpq-q5nfF8ODEmM9WYaAAXQHR41QnbraF8RsORHCnJPh-0RHrksb78Dgt1sgfnY97OOZA_8Y/s1600/Magdalen+St+20.12.1960+Express+and+Echo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-xFul6o1qyzxTdFcTHs4oEultEHzXfk8l1woN3nVGygKNnCuwMHccqzcXgsFdOSulkL_Hpq-q5nfF8ODEmM9WYaAAXQHR41QnbraF8RsORHCnJPh-0RHrksb78Dgt1sgfnY97OOZA_8Y/s640/Magdalen+St+20.12.1960+Express+and+Echo.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
Magdalen House at Nos. 39 & 40 Magdalen Street was another pointless casualty of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html" target="_blank">the post-war inner bypass at South Gate</a>. The property was built at the beginning of the 18th century for Dr Micheal Lee Dicker. Dicker was born at Exeter in 1683. In 1717 left Exeter to spend a year working with the eminent physician Herman Boerhaave at Leiden in The Netherlands. Upon his return to Exeter he set up a practice and, in 1741, was one of the founding physicians of the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. According to George Oliver writing in 1821, "the doctor was a Quaker, and the smart house in Magdalen Street which he built for himself was his residence". Norman Penny commented in 1929 that Dicker had "resided in a large and handsome house erected by himself and still standing in Magdalen Street".The house is highlighted in red in the 1960 photograph of Magdalen Street <i>above</i> <span style="font-family: inherit;">©</span> Express & Echo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTqHlM7LBz9kKHAqS5L0MlMHX1P2XA_BcwMt8DGkRFihKwmN3D2dLeOAWX1qGnl7pcf468g-v8Go6LAhvxxLKcpaq9xJu02ERcxmKtiW9Rv5BUDgAYhoy6OHJNuKuWiDO-XTuxO2MwUhn/s1600/Michael+Dicker+by+Thomas+Hudson+RDAE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTqHlM7LBz9kKHAqS5L0MlMHX1P2XA_BcwMt8DGkRFihKwmN3D2dLeOAWX1qGnl7pcf468g-v8Go6LAhvxxLKcpaq9xJu02ERcxmKtiW9Rv5BUDgAYhoy6OHJNuKuWiDO-XTuxO2MwUhn/s640/Michael+Dicker+by+Thomas+Hudson+RDAE.jpg" width="467" /></a>Michael Dicker married in 1727 and it's likely that the house was constructed at the same time. It was a fairly early example of a large brick-built residence in Exeter, although surviving photographs show that it had a coat of white stucco covering the brick.<br />
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The house was built on three storeys, its facade divided into five bays and capped with a classical pediment. Beneath the pediment a richly decorated entablature ran across the entire face of the building. According to Jacqueline Warren in 'Aspects of Exeter', "the facade of Magdalen House was remarkable. The dentil band and ovolo decoration of its pediment, the shells, acanthus leaves and urns of its frieze made it unique in Exeter". The five bays of the house were divided 1-3-1 by four fluted pilasters capped with Corinthian capitals, one at each corner and one under each corner of the pediment.<br />
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Michael Dicker died in 1752, bequeathing a fine three-quarter length portrait of himself by Devon-born artist Thomas Hudson to the hospital. The portrait, <i>above right</i> <span style="font-family: inherit;">©</span> Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, still hangs in the board room of the old hospital in Southernhay. The interior of the house was partially remodelled in the early 19th century when a large extension was added at the back. Soon after 1868 the house was sold and unfortunately divided into two separate properties, Nos. 39 & 40 Magdalen Street. The ground floor rooms were converted into shops and the property stayed like this until its destruction. At the time of its demolition in 1977 the house still contained a number of important historical features e.g. a fine Regency staircase lit from above by a glass cupola and panelling in the hallway from when the house was first built. <br />
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Magdalen House was of sufficient importance that it was among the first wave of buildings in Exeter to be listed, receiving Grade II listed status on 29 January 1953 (many others weren't listed until 1974 or later). Although threatened by the inner bypass the property didn't actually impede the creation of the road system at all. The bypass was essentially finished before the building was destroyed.<br />
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The aerial view <i>left</i> shows the location of the property highlighted in red. As can be seen, the modern pavement follows almost the exact same line as the one depicted on the 1905 Ordnance Survey map of Exeter. There was absolutely no reason why most of the entire row of historically interesting properties on the north side of Magdalen Street between South Street and the entrance into Southernhay couldn't have been retained. (The <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/44-46-magdalen-street-house-of-john.html" target="_blank">1659 mansion of John Matthew</a> at Nos. 44-46 was scandalously destroyed at the same time.) Trinity Street, which ran behind Magdalen House next to the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/exeters-city-wall-2.html" target="_blank">city wall</a>, was also cleared of all its remaining properties. According to Jacqueline Warrren, after 1974 Magdalen House "seemed safe, and it has never really been
made clear why it was not properly looked after; why it was demolished
instead of restored".<br />
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Whatever the reason, it is sadly typical of the sort of mindset that has predominated across England since the beginning of the 20th century. Change is, of course, inevitable, but before the 20th century change in Exeter had been a piecemeal process, with single buildings usually replacing other single buildings.<br />
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When large-scale developments did take place, as in <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/brief-history-of-southernhay_16.html" target="_blank">Southernhay</a> at the end of the 18th century, they usually took place on undeveloped land leaving the centre of the city relatively free from mass development (one notable exception was the creation of the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/higher-market-queen-street.html" target="_blank">Higher Market</a> and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/lower-market-fore-street.html" target="_blank">Lower Market</a> in the 1830s). It was this gradual evolution over a period of nearly 1000 years that characterised the city's landscape at the end of the 19th century. As far as its impact on Exeter's historical impact is concerned the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html" target="_blank">Exeter Blitz of 1942</a> was clearly a disaster, but it is a huge mistake to view the Blitz in isolation without taking into account the pre-war slum clearances, the destructive nature of the post-war reconstruction, and the massive post-war redevelopment that took place for the Guildhall Shopping Centre, the flood prevention scheme and the inner bypass in the 1960s and 1970s, all of which were under the direct control of the local authority. It is little surprise that <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/destruction-of-exeter-in-20th-century.html" target="_blank">only around 25% of the inner city's pre-1900 buildings have remained standing</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html" target="_blank">Sources </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-60926466136981528212013-03-22T14:44:00.000+00:002013-05-03T16:38:54.482+01:0044-46 Magdalen Street: The House of John Matthew<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In terms of the destruction of individual buildings rather than entire streets, the demolition of Nos. 44-46 Magdalen Street in 1977 ranks as one of the most shameful post-war acts of vandalism committed against Exeter's dwindling historical fabric. It even equals the unforgivable demolition by the city council of the late medieval open halls at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/medieval-merchants-at-no-36-north.html" target="_blank">Nos. 36</a> and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/no-38-north-street.html" target="_blank">38 North Street</a> in 1972. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The photograph <i>above</i> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">©</span> Express & Echo shows Nos. 42-46 Magdalen Street just prior to their demolition in June 1977. All the properties were Grade II listed buildings, but Nos. 44-46, highlighted in red, were of particular historical and architectural interest. The story begins at the end, with the creation of the inner bypass in the 1960s and 1970s. The destruction that ensued outside the South Gate is covered <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html" target="_blank">here</a>, but to recap: the area where Nos. 44-46 Magdalen Street stood was deliberately burnt in 1645 by the Royalist defenders of the city during the English Civil War. Following the war the area around the junction of Magdalen Street with Holloway Street was gradually rebuilt, the empty plots being filled up mostly by the timber-framed homes of the city's merchants. The area remained rich in 17th century houses until they were all demolished for the creation of the inner bypass road system. Nos. 44-46 was one of the casualties, torn down in 1977.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAzT3XHOkc2VsykJbl0f9gLr2VUoKKSpbh02BiiNcui8o9HLM2IaIErdj-F1jjLcOrX0CqG9TJNA7oPKd4vW8z1UQxLkYidxI1tcDsFWZU_4O9MU4pCYaAfE3W-enq6iI6Ai5GM-TfF31d/s1600/South+Gate+aerial+demolition+John+Matthew_House+Exeter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAzT3XHOkc2VsykJbl0f9gLr2VUoKKSpbh02BiiNcui8o9HLM2IaIErdj-F1jjLcOrX0CqG9TJNA7oPKd4vW8z1UQxLkYidxI1tcDsFWZU_4O9MU4pCYaAfE3W-enq6iI6Ai5GM-TfF31d/s400/South+Gate+aerial+demolition+John+Matthew_House+Exeter.jpg" width="326" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The image <i>right</i> shows an aerial view of the area today. The buildings that comprised John Matthew's mansion are highlighted in red. It stood almost on the corner of Magdalen Street with the entrance into <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/brief-history-of-southernhay_16.html" target="_blank">Southernhay</a>. The photo <i>below</i> shows the grassy verge where the listed buildings once stood.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The property had received Grade II listed status on 18 June 1974, along with Nos. 42 & 43. Unfortunately, when the property was surveyed its architectural importance was completely overlooked. It wasn't uncommon for the survey merely to include the exterior of the buildings and to leave the interior unassessed. This was presumably what happened with Nos. 44-46 Magdalen Street. All five buildings, Nos. 42, 43, 44, 45 and 46 were listed as a "three storey stucco range probably circa 1830" with "moulded window architraves" and "good contemporary door surrounds". </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The city council purchased the buildings as part of the inner bypass construction and then wilfully neglected them. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">According to David Pearce, "council-owned, council-neglected, then council-condemned was all too frequently the fate of listed structures impeding redevelopment". Having allowed them to fall into disrepair the council then issued a Dangerous Structure Notice that circumvented their listed status and provided the perfect excuse for their demolition.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2mVNZe1RJsTzKPSSymkkhOBBYTRDgNaTWV3B-faFRwsqKpDc3ezT-j7oIKqcPnkKxkoMCCwe9V9KL51QboXvhzSpURl8u4O5S-Npoa93yhfWFdJZMjGsQDzBDbh2DE7rL5vXbop2GtMf/s1600/44-46+Magdalen+Street+GE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2mVNZe1RJsTzKPSSymkkhOBBYTRDgNaTWV3B-faFRwsqKpDc3ezT-j7oIKqcPnkKxkoMCCwe9V9KL51QboXvhzSpURl8u4O5S-Npoa93yhfWFdJZMjGsQDzBDbh2DE7rL5vXbop2GtMf/s640/44-46+Magdalen+Street+GE.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">In June 1977, just three years after the buildings had been given listed status, work began on tearing them down. But during the demolition it was discovered that part of the listed group, Nos. 44-46, didn't date to c1830. It was actually the mid 17th century house of John Matthew, and it proved be one of Exeter's most architecturally important buildings. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Following the damage caused during the English Civil War, one of the first properties to be built on the war-ravaged land outside the South Gate was the mansion of John Matthew. I don't really know anything about him. He was clearly wealthy, as will be seen from the house he built for himself, and it's possible that he was one of the men appointed to the city chamber in 1684.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The house was built on an L-plan and it was built of brick. This made it hugely significant. There is some debate over which is Exeter's earliest surviving brick building. The Custom House, constructed between 1680-81 is often cited as the earliest. Other candidates are <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/notaries-house-no-8-cathedral-close.html" target="_blank">The Notaries' House</a> in Cathedral Yard <i>right</i>, which was probably built c1692 and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/no-40-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 40 High Street</a>, which has a facade of c1700 Other late 17th century brick facades survived into the 20th century in Fore Street and Paris Street but both have been demolished. The magnificent Pinbrook House in Cheynegate Lane on the outskirts of the city is brick-built and is dated to 1679 <i>below left</i>. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/paragon-house-no-75-south-street.html" target="_blank">Paragon House</a> at 75 South Street was a late 17th century brick house but it was destroyed during the Exeter Blitz, <i>below right</i>. Another large brick-built property was Holloway House of c1700 but it was demolished by the city council in 1980. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mGtG96xE5DuHhNwf5cs5Dp4FIQ5WSTHY6u8KvlHdgD4vAD6tLPURy_Dry6mtKBpIJNEYnMzIiBicBNJ0LepfabbwqVFj6j438ZstGmdZfQJR9Nbmt5lX-tWSSYHhgVgaRApGyq76zS1U/s1600/Pinbrook+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mGtG96xE5DuHhNwf5cs5Dp4FIQ5WSTHY6u8KvlHdgD4vAD6tLPURy_Dry6mtKBpIJNEYnMzIiBicBNJ0LepfabbwqVFj6j438ZstGmdZfQJR9Nbmt5lX-tWSSYHhgVgaRApGyq76zS1U/s400/Pinbrook+House.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Although brick-built houses were popular in Exeter throughout the latter-half of the 18th century they were rarely used for major construction work before 1700. One reason was the cost of importing bricks and the material wasn't manufactured locally, even on a limited scale, until the middle of the 17th century. Before then most new houses built in Exeter were timber-framed with bricks only being used, from the beginning of the 16th century onwards, for fireplaces and chimneys. The first recorded large-scale use of brick in Exeter is in 1657 following the end of the English Civil War. £100 was spent erecting a brick wall over the choir screen inside the cathedral to divide the Presbyterian and Independent congregations. John Matthew's house was built just two years later making it, by some measure, the earliest known fully brick-built house to be constructed in the city and probably in Devon.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxUeaq2MslUTuzGie-oFl47I5hESYfHbPN37bwhQ1Vk-Emdpl19u9GmFJyc-y0AjdWKmmLpw432IPxz3VfyoPbSyXjYMsop0q_ixCXCcUvBuJwVR8LFc_p-JMzlP6vHGCTkM5RAbRn6Ie/s1600/Paragon+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxUeaq2MslUTuzGie-oFl47I5hESYfHbPN37bwhQ1Vk-Emdpl19u9GmFJyc-y0AjdWKmmLpw432IPxz3VfyoPbSyXjYMsop0q_ixCXCcUvBuJwVR8LFc_p-JMzlP6vHGCTkM5RAbRn6Ie/s400/Paragon+House.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">During the demolition of the house in 1977 a massive beam was discovered carved with the date 1659 and the initials I.M for 'John Matthew'. At the time of its destruction the property still contained 17th century panelling, two 17th century fireplaces and a fine 17th century staircase along with other original features. It was built with three storeys and had a cellar. It seems that the importance of the house had been lost until it was being destroyed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Around 1830 the property had received a modified stucco facade, the one recorded in the 1973 assessment, and was divided into three separate units, Nos. 44, 45 and 46 Magdalen Street. This is why, from the exterior, the house appeared to date to the 19th century. In reality the core of the building remained a single mid 17th century structure. Once the significance of the discovery was realised work halted on the demolition and an archaeological survey took place. Following the completion of the survey the destruction continued until the house had been razed to the ground. As if the demolition of Nos. 44-46 wasn't bad enough, the location where it stood didn't even impede the construction of the inner bypass. The road system completely missed it and the empty ground was left vacant until part of the charmless Southgate Hotel was built over it. It would've been perfectly possible to build the inner bypass and leave John Matthew's house standing.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDPoY73211whqD8Mp_sflB5_n95ew0HF9j6hGrcNJrwgc6i6AOCgJ38oVvwXnPvyLnT2l3kFhtiHhKjudltQuP3hwi3Pd9XRvV85dezViiS8MuBupuKN4PZHxK4N8LUvfgnwfzflLF-fp3/s1600/BrickHouse1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDPoY73211whqD8Mp_sflB5_n95ew0HF9j6hGrcNJrwgc6i6AOCgJ38oVvwXnPvyLnT2l3kFhtiHhKjudltQuP3hwi3Pd9XRvV85dezViiS8MuBupuKN4PZHxK4N8LUvfgnwfzflLF-fp3/s1600/BrickHouse1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Until the recent refurbishment of the city's Royal Albert Memorial Museum it was possible to view a large model of the property showing its massive scale, its surviving brick walls and the position of mid 17th century beams found during the archaeological survey. I managed to take a photo of it before it was mothballed <i>above left</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The original beams are shown slightly darker than later additions. It's pretty obvious that a lot of the 1659 mansion had remained intact until it was destroyed in 1977. Unfortunately, since the museum reopened, it seems that the model has now been relegated to the store room along with its tragic tale. It's a story that needs telling though as it was an important building and its pointless demolition was utterly reprehensible. The digitally-altered image <i>below</i> shows what Nos. 42-46 Magdalen Street might've looked like today if they had been restored rather than destroyed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html" target="_blank">Sources</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-71623078387402002992013-03-21T00:11:00.000+00:002013-03-31T23:58:52.566+01:00Demolition at Magdalen Street & Holloway Street<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The extended demolition of the South Gate area between 1962 and 1977 marked one of the most destructive phases in Exeter's 20th century history. Hardly a single bomb was dropped here during World War II and it largely escaped the catastrophic slum clearances of the pre-war years. The photograph <i>left</i> shows late Regency houses being demolished in Magdalen Street in 1964 <span style="font-family: inherit;">©</span> Express & Echo.<br />
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At South Gate the destruction of nearly all the historical structures in the area was a result of the inner bypass, a post-war ring road that now carves its way from the top of Sidwell Street, past South Gate, through the West Quarter and on towards Cowick Street and Alphington Street on the opposite side of the river. The scale of the destruction was immense as literally hundreds of pre-war townhouses, shops, courtyards, tenements, gardens and warehouses were bulldozed out of existence and replaced with what is now a multi-lane carriageway.<br />
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The clearance at South Gate alone involved the removal of much of Magdalen Street, most of Holloway Street, the whole of Quay Lane, a few surviving buildings at the bottom of South Street, and a large section of Exeter's city wall that had stood since the end of the second century AD. The <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/edwardian-exe-bridge.html" target="_blank">Edwardian Exe Bridge</a>, Alphington Street and Cowick Street fared little better.<br />
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What made the destruction at South Gate particularly unfortunate was its historical importance to the development of the city and the architectural significance of some of its buildings. Following the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html" target="_blank">Exeter Blitz of 1942</a> it remained one of the Exeter's last intact historical cityscapes and a large number of the buildings dated to the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries. The photograph <i>above</i> shows the view into Magdalen Street from the bottom of South Street in 1960 <span style="font-family: inherit;">©</span> Express & Echo. Nearly all of the houses shown dated from between c1659 and c1720, some with later mid 19th century facades. The photograph <i>below</i> shows the same view today.<br />
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As with almost everywhere in Exeter, South Gate has a very long recorded history. Sometimes shortened simply to Southgate, the area was the name given to the junction of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2012/06/brief-history-of-south-street.html" target="_blank">South Street</a>, Holloway Street and Magdalen Street where they met outside the great <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/the-south-gate-south-street_27.html" target="_blank">South Gate</a>, itself demolished in 1819. The earliest artifact ever found in the city was recovered at Magdalen Street: a 250,000 year-old flint hand axe. The top of Holloway Street was the site of a Roman legionary cremation cemetery in the 1st centry AD and the Roman road between Topsham and Exeter terminated here. Now a small, picturesque town some four miles from Exeter, Topsham was the Second Augustan Legion's supply base. This route still exists, divided into Topsham Road and Holloway Street. Used by thousands of people every day, it runs in a characteristically straight line between Exeter and Topsham.<br />
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Magdalen Street, another road that ended at the South Gate, may also be Roman in origin. The main Roman route from Exeter to Dorchester is known to have run through Heavitree, about a mile outside Exeter. This road probably led originally to the Roman city's <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/east-gate-high-street.html" target="_blank">East Gate</a> but it's likely that it forked before reaching the city walls with a spur running along Magdalen Road, Magdalen Street and into Exeter at the South Gate. The fork in the road is still present where Heavitree Road splits at what is now Livery Dole.<br />
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The image <i>above</i> attempts to show how the Roman roads converged on Exeter in the 3rd century AD. The perimeter of the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/10/exeters-city-wall-2.html" target="_blank">Roman city walls</a> is highlighted in red. The Exeter-Topsham service road used by the Second Augustan Legion cAD60 is highlighted in orange. The main Roman road from Exeter to Dorchester, ending at the East Gate (<b>2</b>), is highlighted in purple. The spur that forked at what is now Livery Dole (<b>3</b>), which comprised Magdalen Road and Magdalen Street, and which terminated at the South Gate (<b>1</b>) is highlighted in yellow. Except where it was destroyed outside the South Gate in the 1960s and 1970s, and where Paris Street was rerouted following post-war reconstruction, the road plan has remained essentially unchanged.<br />
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The image <i>left</i> shows the exterior of the South Gate from Holloway Street in the early 19th century. Magdalen Street runs off to the right. Although the gatehouse was demolished in 1819 the three 17th century timber-framed buildings to the left survived until they were demolished in the 1960s. The narrow entrance into Quay Lane was down the side of the nearest of the three houses.<br />
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Another ancient route that led into the area outside the South Gate was
Quay Lane, used for hundreds of years to bring goods up into the city
from the Quay. Built over the city's in-filled defensive ditch, Quay Lane was
lined with small houses that backed onto the city wall, the variety and
charm of its townscape the product of centuries of gradual evolution. In c1300 the Greyfriars of Exeter moved their friary from its site at Bartholomew Street inside the city to a large area outside the city walls just south of Holloway Street. Dissolved during the Reformation, some of the friary buildings survived until they were demolished during the English Civil War. The houses on Quay Lane were built within the precinct of the old friary and two roads south of Holloway Street are still known today as Friars Walk and Friars Gate. <br />
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The South Gate itself formed one of the main entrances in and out of Exeter. In 1452 Henry VI began a Royal Progress that reached Exeter on 17 July. Accompanied by 300 dignitaries from the city, he was met at Livery Dole by the monks from the city's Greyfriars' priory and Dominican friary. The king and his entourage then processed along Magdalen Road, Magdalen Street and into the city at the monumental South Gate which had been adorned especially for the occasion. Braun and Hogenberg's 1587 map of Exeter <i>above right</i> shows that a small medieval suburb had built up outside the South Gate in Magdalen Street and Holloway Street. Nicholas Smith's mansion of Larkbeare is shown as is Quay Lane and what are probably some of the remaining buildings of the Franciscan friary in the field at the bottom.<br />
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In the autumn of 1645, during the English Civil War, the city's Royalist defenders deliberately razed around 80 houses on the south side of Exeter to clear the ground outside the South Gate and to have an improved field of view for cannon and muskets. Most of the houses outside the city walls in the South Gate area, including many in Magdalen Street and Holloway Street, were affected. In his book, 'Two Thousand Years in Exeter', published in 1960 before the 20th century demolition of the area began, Hoskins wrote that "there are a number of gabled houses of late seventeenth-century date in Magdalen Street and Holloway Street. These houses are those that were built again after the war was over to replace those that had been destroyed."<br />
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By the end of the 17th century many of the battle-scarred plots had new houses built upon them. One of these was a three-storey, brick-built mansion, constructed in Magdalen Street for Thomas Matthew in 1659. Another significant property was known as Magdalen House, built for Dr Michael Dicker in the first decades of the 18th century. There was also the Valiant Soldier, an inn rebuilt in 1651 which stood on the corner of Holloway Street and Magdalen Street and which was named after those who fought and died during the English Civil War, and the Red Lion inn, its courtyard and timber-framed walls sketched by John Gendell in the 1830s <br />
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Benjamin Donn's 1765 map of the city <i>left</i> clearly shows Magdalen Street, Holloway Street and Quay Lane as they converge at the South Gate. It also shows that by the mid 18th century the area had recovered from the damage inflicted during the English Civil War. The evocative drawing <i>below</i> <span style="font-family: inherit;">©</span> Exeter City Council by Richard Parker appears on an information panel associated with the site of the South Gate. The drawing shows the junction of South Street, Magdalen Street and Holloway Street c1800. Magdalen House, with a classical pediment at roof level, can be seen on the far right.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWLHHtQPcORRy8djSijhgQ5JOGZntTltkzBkzt4nFScJa9QzTxrE-VxM6umREvgZq9XEz0JVOpxuYISWhT_gxnmbZpT1neNUG_K5qX3h4a8_fLM9cicWXTuzdPqm3yOKQTTClcGRGTWnZ/s1600/South+Gate_Exeter+Richard_Parker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWLHHtQPcORRy8djSijhgQ5JOGZntTltkzBkzt4nFScJa9QzTxrE-VxM6umREvgZq9XEz0JVOpxuYISWhT_gxnmbZpT1neNUG_K5qX3h4a8_fLM9cicWXTuzdPqm3yOKQTTClcGRGTWnZ/s640/South+Gate_Exeter+Richard_Parker.jpg" width="640" /></a>Exeter historian Jacqueline Warren left a vivid description of one small part of Magdalen Street prior to its demolition: "Another of these Jacobean houses had a cobbled passage to a court from which a flight of stone steps led to the front doors of two dwellings. This was Bowden's Place, and in its happy, simple design, it had incredible charm. Beyond the first court, and past a fine, early nineteenth century iron gate was another little courtyard where a hefty sandstone buttress held the lower portion of a slate-hung house. The narrow cob-wall passage of one of the houses led to an alley from which could be seen the slightly sagging ridges of original slate roofs. Eventually, through this enchanting maze, one coud reach Holloway Street". Following the pre-war slum clearances, the bomb damage of 1942 and the destructive post-war reconstruction, the post-English Civil War houses around Southgate were some of the oldest domestic buildings still standing in Exeter outside of the Cathedral Close.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6D5_O02EwAdrkvTbfxU9rZRqJfLl_5nxMQdIZMbo52boSGx880ZiHjr5fXt4CdjzqlzQDO6jpFuZhyphenhyphenDuqglIyqirAsHjPyYskw_4JFYolV1tpzLCwB9aV9V5mdgQk33gopXwK4qJtn0Nx/s1600/Exe+Aerial+overlay+with+numbering+Exeter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="587" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6D5_O02EwAdrkvTbfxU9rZRqJfLl_5nxMQdIZMbo52boSGx880ZiHjr5fXt4CdjzqlzQDO6jpFuZhyphenhyphenDuqglIyqirAsHjPyYskw_4JFYolV1tpzLCwB9aV9V5mdgQk33gopXwK4qJtn0Nx/s640/Exe+Aerial+overlay+with+numbering+Exeter.jpg" width="640" /></a>The image left shows the 1905 Ordnance Survey map of Exeter overlaid onto an aerial view of the same area today with the following numbering: 1 <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/the-south-gate-south-street_27.html" target="_blank">Site of the South Gate</a>, 2 Quay Lane, 3 <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/magdalen-house-nos-39-40-magdalen-street.html" target="_blank">Magdalen House</a>, 4 <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/44-46-magdalen-street-house-of-john.html" target="_blank">42-46 Magdalen Street</a>, 5 The Valiant Solider Inn, 6 Magdalen Street, 7 Holloway Street, 8 Nos. 71-73 Holloway Street, 9 Site of Franciscan Friary. The route of the city wall is highlighted in purple. The buildings destroyed as a direct consequence of the inner bypass, well over 200 in total, are highlighted in red. Quay Lane was completely demolished, even though the bypass ran nowhere near it, as was most of Magdalen Street. Holloway Street was similarly decimated.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tuvaHXQGr71r7ODFmMGCnezyRuuXf67lcBlTbud2tXd6hT45TexBLmWJG7QFkbLJ3TTAxlgRHw_XRKlWBFPFW-S-wnvbqbVk5WaisUn_dmmoDa_LlCFGXhm-Eu5cj7Ap1iCGNgZAinnH/s1600/South+gate+pre-war+aerial.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tuvaHXQGr71r7ODFmMGCnezyRuuXf67lcBlTbud2tXd6hT45TexBLmWJG7QFkbLJ3TTAxlgRHw_XRKlWBFPFW-S-wnvbqbVk5WaisUn_dmmoDa_LlCFGXhm-Eu5cj7Ap1iCGNgZAinnH/s400/South+gate+pre-war+aerial.jpg" width="400" /></a> The pre-war aerial view <i>right</i> shows Holloway Street in the foreground
running up to the former site of the South Gate (marked with a red
arrow) and merging almost without a break into South Street. It shows how densely built-up the area was at the beginning of the 20th
century. The majority of the buildings north of the red arrow were
destroyed in pre-war slum clearances or during World War Two. The
majority of the buildings south of the red arrow were destroyed during
the creation of the inner bypass.<br />
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The inner bypass was initiated as early as 1949. It was designed to intercept heavy traffic arriving at Exeter from the east and bypass it across the river. In 1950 work began on surveying the proposed route between the top of Sidwell Street and Exe Bridge. Construction didn't commence at Belmont Park near Sidwell Street until 1953 and by 1960 the bypass had reached as far as Magdalen Bridge. 1962 saw the demolition of the Valiant Soldier inn and work started on continuing the bypass from Holloway Street to Exe Bridge. By 1965 the bypass was complete but work continued on creating a gyratory road system near to the old West of England Eye Infirmary. The last demolitions didn't take place at South Gate until 1977 by which time the road system achieved its present form.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4m8Hk5ZZrOJcHC2pVQRMWzCgm2C2KiAiDZUqTJuPqY-Y8IbHpoRDM9aVjliJ7IVjgzh_j-Cfzb9jx_DzO8vzEviE7_FFCjben3Gnj4pdV_j1PyI9BKuzqLWWuKZlI0OYcOsEvxypZjtdg/s1600/Holloway+Street+pre-war.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4m8Hk5ZZrOJcHC2pVQRMWzCgm2C2KiAiDZUqTJuPqY-Y8IbHpoRDM9aVjliJ7IVjgzh_j-Cfzb9jx_DzO8vzEviE7_FFCjben3Gnj4pdV_j1PyI9BKuzqLWWuKZlI0OYcOsEvxypZjtdg/s640/Holloway+Street+pre-war.jpg" width="640" /></a>The photograph <i>above</i> shows the view across the junction of Magdalen Street and Holloway Street in the 1940s. The three gabled houses to the right from c1680 are the same ones visible in the early 19th century depiction of the South Gate but with slightly altered facades. The very narrorw entrance into Quay Lane was to the left of the left-hand house.<br />
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In his book 'Conservation Today', published in 1989, David Pearce discusses the implementation of so-called Dangerous Structures Notices used by English city councils in the 1960s and 1970s to get rid of inconveniently sited old buildings: "Council-owned, council-neglected then council-condemned was all too frequently the fate of listed structures impeding redevelopment". The idea was that the local authority would purchase a building, willfully neglect it and then issue a DNS on the structure when it was deemed either structurally unsafe or unfit for habitation. As Pearce says, "Exeter swept away splendid seventeenth century merchants' houses as if vying with Bristol to disfigure itself". The photograph <i>below</i> <span style="font-family: inherit;">© Express & Echo </span>shows Magdalen Street in the early 1960s when demolition had started in Holloway Street (in the background). The Valiant Soldier inn had already been bulldozed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJGwQmt4EK53BtYuRvk_mibJodp-_Qj-DGpw90qQHM_BUa5yD2XyOGf6l_wmeNvuokGZZreGccS3AT985qaEUFaFBJklph8CK6jL5PQNQ8qugOGPPf3_o0tDVtqrmYJXi-0CiZza8ei94/s1600/Magdalen+Street%252C+Exeter.+19.12.1961+WMT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJGwQmt4EK53BtYuRvk_mibJodp-_Qj-DGpw90qQHM_BUa5yD2XyOGf6l_wmeNvuokGZZreGccS3AT985qaEUFaFBJklph8CK6jL5PQNQ8qugOGPPf3_o0tDVtqrmYJXi-0CiZza8ei94/s640/Magdalen+Street%252C+Exeter.+19.12.1961+WMT.jpg" width="640" /></a> Pearce continues: "A building does not need to be neglected for many years before grounds can be discovered for declaring it unsafe, or at the very least unfit for habitation. A classic case occurred in 1977 in Exeter where the city council condemned and destroyed seventeenth and eighteenth century listed houses in Magdalen Street, containing particularly rare plasterwork, which it had originally bought (and then neglected) in connection with what even the local newspaper called 'megolomaniac' traffic schemes". (Another property that suffered the same fate was Whipton Barton, a large 17th century farmhouse in Whipton village. The history of the site dated back to the Domesday survey. Whipton Barton was purchased by the city council in the 1950s, left to fall into disrepair and, despite being a listed building, was demolished in the early 1960s. A block of flats, known as Rennes House, was built on the site.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyM45bKvKNBweqZMjytaprrkq-ozZKqOCGFYRle9HcC0mw4NRyYES7zsg_e8BP_Hdsgk5i4lO3erY6CRbAU5GV-vmNRlmSreuI3JucE_j4VfTfp1laX5YXm11XqyBW-B7yvt0yLCeHFGkp/s1600/40-46+Magdalen+Street.+23.12.1975++EandE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="473" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyM45bKvKNBweqZMjytaprrkq-ozZKqOCGFYRle9HcC0mw4NRyYES7zsg_e8BP_Hdsgk5i4lO3erY6CRbAU5GV-vmNRlmSreuI3JucE_j4VfTfp1laX5YXm11XqyBW-B7yvt0yLCeHFGkp/s640/40-46+Magdalen+Street.+23.12.1975++EandE.jpg" width="640" /></a> The photograph <i>above</i> shows Nos. 42-46 Magdalen Street in 1975. Purchased by the city council they were allowed to rot before being demolished. The late Georgian facade of Nos. 44-46 concealed the mid 17th century brick mansion of John Matthew, a fact that was only discovered when the property was being demolished.<br />
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The specific buildings mentioned by David Pearce were Magdalen House and Nos. 42-46 Magdalen Street, all of which were Grade II listed structures. (Magdalen House was listed in 1953. Nos. 42-46 Magdalen Street were listed in 1974. They were all demolished just three years later.) It is shocking to realise that these particular buildings, on the north side of Magdalen Street, did not impede in any way the new road system. The current pavement is on the same alignment as it was before the creation of the inner bypass and where the houses once stood is just a big patch of grass in front of the modern Southgate hotel.<br />
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As Jacqueline Warren states, after 1974 Magdalen House "seemed safe, and it has never really been made clear why it was not properly looked after; why it was demolished instead of restored". Other important buildings suffered the same fate. No. 36 Holloway Street, known as Holloway House, was granted Grade II listed status in 1953. It was a large brick townhouse built at the end of the 17th century, its three-storey facade set back from the road. It was demolished in 1980. No. 35 Holloway Street dated to 1797 and was listed in 1973. It too was demolished. Nos. 48-56 Holloway Street were also Grade II listed in 1973. These were mid-19th century houses with stucco facades and an unusual string course and cornice that curved up the face of the houses following the slope on which the houses were built. These too were demolished. The west side of Holloway Street was almost completely obliterated. Nearly 400 metres of pre-war frontages were torn down leaving just three, traffic-blighted examples near the top to indicate what has been lost. (The three survivors on the west side are Nos. 71-73 Holloway Street, all Grade II listed, shown <i>above </i>and as <b>8</b> on the Ordnance Survey aerial view.) The east side fared little better with 'only' around 200 metres of pre-war frontages being demolished. <br />
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Not only were most of the affected buildings in Holloway Street and Magdalen Street destroyed without any archaeological or architectural record, but a 30 metre stretch of the Roman city wall was hacked down to ground level by council workmen using pickaxes. As a Scheduled Ancient Monument the city wall was allegedly protected by law but the council applied to the Ministry of Works for permission to demolish it and permission was granted (another large section was destroyed at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/eastgate-arcade-and-coffee-tavern.html" target="_blank">Eastgate</a> during the post-war reconstruction). The houses in Quay Lane, another area that had little to do with the creation of the inner bypass, were also destroyed. The photograph <i>above </i>shows the large section of the city wall that was demolished to accomodate the inner bypass, now spanned by a pedestrian footbridge. The photograph <i>below</i> shows the view towards the Magdalen Street-Holloway Street junction today.<br />
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Changes in legislation during the 1980s made it more difficult for local authorities to destroy listed buildings but, for Exeter at least, it was too late as the obliteration of most of the city's historical fabric was complete. The pre-war slum clearances in <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/paul-street-complete-disaster.html" target="_blank">Paul Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/frog-street-west-quarter.html" target="_blank">Frog Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/smythen-street.html" target="_blank">Smythen Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/preston-street-demolished.html" target="_blank">Preston Street</a> and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/slum-clearance-of-stepcote-hill.html" target="_blank">Stepcote Hill</a>, the bombing in 1942 of the High Street, South Street, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html" target="_blank">Bedford Circus</a> and Sidwell Street, the post-war removal of most of the standing structures in the bomb-affected areas, the creation of the post-war inner ring road, the installation of the flood defence system in the 1960s, the rebuilding of the Exe Bridges at Cowick Street and Exe Island, and the creation of the sprawling Guildhall Shopping Centre at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/brief-history-of-north-street.html" target="_blank">North Street</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html" target="_blank">Goldsmith Street</a> and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/brief-history-of-waterbeer-street.html" target="_blank">Waterbeer Street</a> has resulted in the wholesale destruction of Exeter as a visually historic city.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh3adsBUKAdmxk_3eG5_KQtYscAWPWtVRPMKNIsvCGJHdq0pr_c6V_-weQmkJUa-G_bbOuhgEFxmFf4FdAU5XWciqs_LJpv5pQhbp_ZlqyAeSZzc0FzfCq50iDfC_AsLRQ9voTuWMvMY5Z/s1600/Grim+Exeter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh3adsBUKAdmxk_3eG5_KQtYscAWPWtVRPMKNIsvCGJHdq0pr_c6V_-weQmkJUa-G_bbOuhgEFxmFf4FdAU5XWciqs_LJpv5pQhbp_ZlqyAeSZzc0FzfCq50iDfC_AsLRQ9voTuWMvMY5Z/s640/Grim+Exeter.JPG" width="640" /></a>The loss of life caused by the Exeter Blitz shouldn't be forgotten but it seems strange that so much emphasis is placed on the physical damage wrought upon the city by German bombers in 1942 when the majority of the architectural losses over the course of the 20th century have been entirely self-inflicted.<br />
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Even some of those buildings which now survive, feted as important parts of the city's architectural heritage, only escaped through the post-war endeavors of protestors. For example, in the 1960s and 1970s the city council actively campaigned for the total demolition of the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/higher-market-queen-street.html" target="_blank">Higher Market</a> in Queen Street, the late Regency houses in Bartholomew West, and the 16th and 17th century houses at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/nos-223-225-high-st-mock-tudor-exeter.html" target="_blank">No. 226</a> and No. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/no-227-high-street.html" target="_blank">227 High Street</a>. (The Higher Market was partially demolished anyway and Nos. 226 and 227 only exist today as shallow facades, their ground floors completely gutted.)<br />
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In the city's Royal Albert Memorial Museum is a display of medieval, Tudor and Jacobean metal door fittings that were salvaged from the ashes of buildings destroyed in 1942. These fittings are accompanied by an information panel that makes the bizarre assertion that "after so much destruction people were determined to look after the historic buildings that remained".<br />
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There are of course instances of the post-war city council salvaging historical buildings e.g. the remaining fragment of old Larkbeare House further down Holloway Street, the much-publicised <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/house-that-moved-west-street.html" target="_blank">'House That Moved'</a> (moved to the edge of the inner bypass) or, more recently, the restoration of Cricklepit Mill, but the extent of the demolition that took place around Exeter following World War Two is quite at odds with the museum's bold claim. It was only exceptional conservation cases that were considered to be of any importance. Although the general background noise of lesser streets and perhaps lesser buildings provided context, coherence and visual proof of organic development over centuries it was, unfortunately, regarded as expendable.<br />
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Two other issues deserve mention. One is Exeter's over-burdened road system. The inner bypass was completed in the 1970s when both car ownership and the population of the city were much lower. I'm sure it was lovely to speed around the semi-empty new road system in the early 1970s but anyone who has queued along Alphington Road, Topsham Road, Holloway Street, Western Way, Magdalen Street or Cowick Street will understand that the inner bypass now suffers from major gridlock at key times of the day. The situation will only become worse given the thousands of new houses that are being thrown up around the city's outskirts. It seems all that demolition only provided a temporary solution to what is becoming an increasingly big problem.<br />
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The other issue is the poor architecture that was built in the South Gate area following the creation of the road system. These squat blocks of flats have no redeeming features other than their lack of verticality (although at least if you're in it you don't have to look at it.) Like so much of Exeter's post-war architecture, they wouldn't appear out of place on an industrial estate. What was once the great historical approach into the city is today a barren wasteland of roads, junctions, roundabouts and traffic lights.<br />
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html" target="_blank">Sources</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-32814714272023720202013-03-17T15:53:00.000+00:002013-03-31T23:48:05.000+01:00A Brief History of Palace Gate and its Buildings<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRwQkAiUKoEoEYgAPfj8KoVUv77W6PexhaytSEPQZJfsVikHvSC6v6IH62FyT00RrMVwsornn8WGTVLQBIvA7f3GjtIixQhV5u1vKzomLSFY9rIpAGCvCNeG3pyVuAMXGb4YYrLg-ArRq/s1600/Palace+Gate+Exeter.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRwQkAiUKoEoEYgAPfj8KoVUv77W6PexhaytSEPQZJfsVikHvSC6v6IH62FyT00RrMVwsornn8WGTVLQBIvA7f3GjtIixQhV5u1vKzomLSFY9rIpAGCvCNeG3pyVuAMXGb4YYrLg-ArRq/s640/Palace+Gate+Exeter.jpg" width="469" /></a>A small fragment of pre-war central Exeter survives at Palace Gate <i>left</i>. Despite some unfortunate demolitions at the end of the 19th century and in the 1930s, it remains one of the more attractive parts of the city centre. Palace Gate, also called Palace Street, follows a steep incline from <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2012/06/brief-history-of-south-street.html" target="_blank">South Street</a> up to the west front of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html" target="_blank">Exeter Cathedral</a>, taking in a small area known as Deanery Square or Deanery Place.<br />
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The area is full of interest, both historical and architectural. From c1200 Palace Gate was the home to some of Exeter's most prominent medieval churchmen. The Bishop, the Precentor, the Archdeacon of Exeter and the Dean all had large residences at Palace Gate and the impressive townhouse of the Abbots of Tavistock Abbey, later The Bear inn, backed onto it. Sir Walter Raleigh's parents lived in a house "adjoyning the Palace-gate" in the late 16th century and it was here that Raleigh's mother died in 1594. The funeral of his father took place at the nearby church of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html" target="_blank">St Mary Major</a> in 1581. According to a plan devised by Exeter Archaeology, the lower part of Palace Gate, from South Street to what is now the gatehouse to the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-bishops-palace-palace-gate_12.html" target="_blank">Bishop's Palace</a>, was in existence by the end of the 9th century.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2CCIJIwBJPENw_PeQrd4MTOGihY7U5QoVc-PbPJrNa-5QgAJ4ReCyfapEtoi3PG6YbMZCLkSpc7OINS79KHXQUJh8xXfcqFV45hoH76TNCQq3Scma50sPpfUFNsBzvdDmRz9CpBepCnag/s1600/Palace+Gate+Hedgeland+titles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2CCIJIwBJPENw_PeQrd4MTOGihY7U5QoVc-PbPJrNa-5QgAJ4ReCyfapEtoi3PG6YbMZCLkSpc7OINS79KHXQUJh8xXfcqFV45hoH76TNCQq3Scma50sPpfUFNsBzvdDmRz9CpBepCnag/s640/Palace+Gate+Hedgeland+titles.jpg" width="640" /></a> Based on <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html" target="_blank">Hedgeland's great model of Exeter in 1769</a>, detail <i>above</i>: 1 <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-archdeacon-of-exeters-house-palace.html" target="_blank">Archdeacon of Exeter's House</a>, 2 Palace Gate, 3 <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/gatehouse-of-bishops-palace-palace-gate.html" target="_blank">Bishop's Palace Gatehouse</a>, 4 Deanery Place, 5 <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/chantry-deanery-place.html" target="_blank">The Chantry</a>, 6 <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/bear-street-bear-gate-bear-tower.html" target="_blank">Bear Gate</a>, 7 The Deanery, 8 Nos. 1 & 2 The Cloisters, 9 Site of St James's Church<br />
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The upper part of the street is a slightly later development and perhaps dates to the creation of the office of the Dean by Bishop Brewer in 1225. The Deanery in Palace Gate has certainly been on the same site since 1301 when a visitation described the house as "much improved". The upper part, from Deanery Square to the cathedral, could've developed its present twisting alignment as a result of the cloisters being built in the early 13th century (and rebuilt in the late 14th century), a construction that forced the street out into a curve before returning towards the cathedral.<br />
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Anyway, the best place to start is back at South Street. On the left-hand corner of South Street and Palace Gate stood the parish church of St James. It was in existence by c1190 although it had a relatively short lifespan. By 1386 the church had been demolished and the site was vacant, probably a result of the poverty of its parish. The parish was united with that of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/holy-trinity-church-south-street.html" target="_blank">Holy Trinity</a>, further down South Street towards the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/the-south-gate-south-street_27.html" target="_blank">South Gate</a>, and little more is heard of it. And then in 1878 Kennaway's wine merchants, located in Palace Gate, decide to extend their cellars.<br />
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The excavations were centred on a courtyard and "partly under a house lately in the occupation of Mr Northway". The finds that were unearthed were described in the 'Exeter Flying Post' as "quite a mine of archaeological treasures", including Roman coins, Samian pottery, bones of animals, bronze articles and "no less than eighteen human skeletons, more or less perfect". The bodies had been buried in a "very irregular manner, and no indications of coffins were to be found". It's very possible that the skeletons were indeed associated with the former parish church of St James.<br />
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Until 1956 the site of the church was occupied by a timber-framed building from c1650. Unfortunately, despite surviving the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html" target="_blank">Exeter Blitz of 1942</a>, the property was demolished by the City Council for road-widening and an ugly structure was built on the site, <i>above left</i>. Archaeological deposits must've been disturbed when the post-war building was constructed but I've no idea what was found or even if it was recorded. The opposite corner fared little better. It was badly damaged during the Blitz and the remains were cleared, the road widened and an inexcusably poor building arose from the ashes. <br />
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Fortunately things improve further up the street. No. 3 Palace Gate, next to the site of the old church, is the former premises of the above-mentioned Kennaway wine merchants. A Grade II listed building, it was established in 1743 and has an early 19th century stucco front. Next door are Nos. 5, 7 & 9 Palace Gate, three handsome Grade II listed red-brick Georgian townhouses from c1800 with string courses, modillion cornices and sash windows <i>above right</i>. There are also attractive coade stone decorations around the arched doorways with sculpted keystones, similar to those found in the surviving townhouses at Southernhay and Colleton Crescent. The interiors have been relatively little altered and still contain some late 18th century panelling and original staircases. <br />
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Outside No.9 Palace Gate is a short stone post engraved with the words "Palace Gate Removed 1812" <i>left</i>. A matching post once stood on the opposite side of the road but it has now disappeared. The post commemorates Palace Gate, one of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html" target="_blank">a series of ancient gates</a> that were built to restrict access into the cathedral precinct. The gatehouses were first installed as a security measure at the end of the 13th century following the murder of the cathedral's precentor, Walter Lechlade.<br />
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The Palace Gate spanned what was a much narrower street than it appears today and was designed to be wide enough to allow horses and carts to pass beneath it. The gate was refurbished in 1768 but was described as "mean", noteworthy only for its "antiquity" by Jenkins in 1806. The gate's location is depicted on Hedgeland's early 19th century model of Exeter. It was demolished for road-widening in 1812. Close to the gate was an ancient tavern known as the 'Peter Bell', named after the great 'Peter' bell that hangs in the north tower of the cathedral, originally given to the cathedral by Bishop Peter Courtenay in 1484. (Recast in 1676, the 'Peter' bell weighs about four tons.) The 'Peter Bell' inn was pulled down along with the gate.<br />
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Opposite the post marking the position of the Palace Gate are two more houses of interest: Nos. 14 and 16 Palace Gate. Both Grade II listed, they stand on the sites of medieval tenements and it's possible that medieval fabric remains within the party walls at basement and first floor level.<br />
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No. 16 was probably reconstructed and set back from the road when the Palace Gate was demolished as the gate was formerly attached to the front of the building. No. 14 also dates to the first decades of the 19th century. Slightly further up from Nos. 14 and 16 is the former Archdeacon of Exeter's House. Now Grade I listed, it is medieval in origin and contains "one of the finest 15th century roofs in southwest England" (English Heritage). Adjacent to Archdeacon's House is the 14th century gatehouse to The Bishop's Palace, also Grade I listed <i>above</i>.<br />
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A little further up still and on the left is the hulking brick mass of The Chantry <i>left</i>. The medieval buildings, formerly the residence of the cathedral's precentor in the High Middle Ages, were sadly demolished and rebuilt in the 1860s. On the right is a long stretch of Grade II listed medieval walling that forms part of the boundary of the Bishop's Palace grounds.<br />
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The street opens out here into Deanery Place which until the 19th century had a much more enclosed appearance than it does today. The demolition of The Chantry in the 1860s, the Bear Gate in 1813, the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2012/03/bear-inn-on-south-street-abbots-of.html" target="_blank">Bear Inn</a> in the 1880s and a row of late medieval houses on the north side of Bear Street in the 1930s hasn't improved the appearance of the area at all. Opposite the former Chantry, now the Exeter Cathedral School, is Church House, a huge four storey block from c1800 constructed from reused rubble stone. It dominates the area almost as much as the nearby cathedral. The complex rear of the building dates to the mid 17th century when the cloisters were demolished and a serge market built in their place. Church House replaced an almost equally large building that is shown on Braun and Hogenberg's 1587 map of Exeter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEOCQdxMlHpXtNLCyN4XSbXEy7Zk8Q1_b1QlgRFkWjxdQeRFfWa54zOTs_o2XUeeVlvQuWokTvjtKkFfWYURM_C2NM7yAupdUKlpMxfhYKPdRzrAyjB8CBNracKL_SaALGWl8HRtbsGjXy/s1600/1+The+Cloisters.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEOCQdxMlHpXtNLCyN4XSbXEy7Zk8Q1_b1QlgRFkWjxdQeRFfWa54zOTs_o2XUeeVlvQuWokTvjtKkFfWYURM_C2NM7yAupdUKlpMxfhYKPdRzrAyjB8CBNracKL_SaALGWl8HRtbsGjXy/s640/1+The+Cloisters.JPG" width="480" /></a>Nos. 1 and 2 Deanery Place are more attractive. Both Grade II listed, No. 2 Deanery Place dates to the end of the 18th century. Built of Heavitree stone it has a stucco facade. An ancient house attached to the left was called Selwood's Cottage until it was demolished in the early 20th century (probably in the 1930s). No. 1 Deanery Place is older than its neighbour. The 18th century facade disguises a late medieval building that possibly retains elements of The Deanery's gatehouse.<br />
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The Deanery itself, a Grade II* listed building. It was here that Catherine of Aragon was kept awake by a squeaky weathervane in October 1501 as she journeyed from Plymouth to meet her future husband, Prince Arthur. Unfortunately The Deanery is nearly hidden behind a high rubble wall. Opposite The Deanery, at the end of Palace Gate and the last surviving houses before the cathedral, are Nos. 1and 2 The Cloisters. These date to 1762 and are also Grade II* listed. A lot of recycled medieval stone work can be seen in the walls, especially at No. 2 <i>above right</i>. It's likely that the pale stone work came from the cathedral's late 14th century cloisters.<br />
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This brief survey of one small part of Exeter hopefully suggests something of the historical and architectural richness of the city before the onset of the 20th century. The other fragments of Exeter's historical centre e.g. the Cathedral Close, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/southernhay-west-southernhay.html" target="_blank">Southernhay</a>, The Quay, The Mint and Queen Street, demonstrate why Exeter was once regarded as perhaps the most picturesque city in southern England.<br />
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html" target="_blank">Sources</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5368918766638819372013-03-16T01:08:00.002+00:002013-03-31T23:43:00.790+01:00The Archdeacon of Exeter's House, Palace Gate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSqzWIR_Uu06ESHOKMwGQm7CqKSyUZFFNyulJbBFWHPBCCFJBwgTmmvNpZ-B_JxJHagIQnzgXcicA15SeewWXdbeSC0NFNrwMEumJdjAAi_k2oTKTUkFZp3SLQxMRtrMW4M7PkTjfKTO7b/s1600/Archdeacon+of+Exeter%27s+House+roof+Exeter+Archaeology.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSqzWIR_Uu06ESHOKMwGQm7CqKSyUZFFNyulJbBFWHPBCCFJBwgTmmvNpZ-B_JxJHagIQnzgXcicA15SeewWXdbeSC0NFNrwMEumJdjAAi_k2oTKTUkFZp3SLQxMRtrMW4M7PkTjfKTO7b/s640/Archdeacon+of+Exeter%27s+House+roof+Exeter+Archaeology.jpg" width="412" /></a>It might not look much from the outside but this complex of different buildings is one of the most historically and architecturally important properties in Exeter. Grade I listed, it has a recorded history stretching back nearly 900 years. And most remarkably of all, behind the uneventful facades is one of the finest surviving structures from Exeter's rich medieval past: a spectacular early 15th century roof that once crowned the property's Great Hall, shown <i>left</i> in 1995 © Exeter Archaeology.<br />
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The history of what is known as the Archdeacon of Exeter's House is very long and very complex as it has been altered numerous times over many centuries but it began life in the middle of the 12th century. A property on this same site is recorded in documents from c1150 and c1188. A deed from c1210, cited by Lega-Weekes, refers to "land and houses" belonging to the Archdeacons of Exeter* that
were "next to the Bishop's court", "adjoining the Bishop's gate" and
"next to the gate of the Lord Bishop of Exeter". This places the early 13th
century "land and houses" in the same place as the
Grade I listed structure today, close to the grounds of the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-bishops-palace-palace-gate_12.html" target="_blank">Bishop's Palace</a> and almost adjacent to the palace's gatehouse.<br />
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Although known as the residence of the Archdeacon of Exeter, for some of its existence the building was also used by the medieval Archdeacons of Cornwall.<br />
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One such archdeacon, Walter, is believed to have begun the current property, specifically the great hall, in around 1200. A 13th century document in the cathedral's archives <span class="st">refers to "the great Hall which Walter, Archdeacon of Cornwall constructed". </span><br />
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<span class="st">By the end of the 15th century the residence had reverted back to the Archdeacons of Exeter, by which time it had achieved its late medieval form. By at least 1500 the residence was a courtyard house, a form found at nearly all of Exeter's great ecclesiastical residences during the end of the Middle Ages e.g. the townhouses of the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/bear-inn-on-south-street-abbots-of.html" target="_blank">Abbots of Tavistock</a>, the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/town-house-of-abbots-of-buckfast.html" target="_blank">Abbots of Buckfast Abbey</a> and the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/black-lions-inn-no-78-south-street.html" target="_blank">Priors of Plympton Priory</a> as well <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/chantry-deanery-place.html" target="_blank">the Chantry</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/chancellors-house-cathedral-close.html" target="_blank">the Chancellor's House</a> and several canons houses in the Cathedral Close. These houses were distinguished by the presence of a gatehouse, a great hall, a chapel and private chambers built in ranges around a central courtyard as well as stables and accommodation for servants. </span><br />
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<span class="st">The front gatehouse range at the Archdeacon of Exeter's house at Palace Gate has since been demolished but it is visible in the plan of Palace Gate and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/brief-history-of-south-street.html" target="_blank">South Street</a> drawn by John Hooker in the mid 16th century, <i>above right</i>. The 'Great Hall' is still essentially the building painted a sort of salmon pink in the photo <i>below</i>, though much altered. </span><br />
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<span class="st">The late 19th century brick building to the far right in the same photo corresponds with the 'Chamber Block' on Hooker's plan, fragments of which survive in the present structure. Hooker hasn't included the late medieval range to the north, parts of which survive in the unit known today as the The Coach House. With its end wall facing into Palace Gate, part of the white wall and roof of The Coach House can be seen to the left in the photograph <i>below</i>.</span><br />
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The gatehouse range was perhaps the first part of the residence to be demolished and it doesn't appear on <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html" target="_blank">Caleb Hedgeland's early 19th century model of Exeter in 1769</a>. In a detail from the model <i>above left</i> some of the residence's buildings have been highlighted in red. The approximate location of the missing gatehouse range is highlighted in purple. It's easy to see how the late medieval buildings would've been arranged around a central courtyard. (What does appear on the model is the old Palace Gate, spanning the narrow street close to the missing gatehouse. One of the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html" target="_blank">gated entrances into the cathedral precinct</a>, the Palace Gate originated in the late 13th century. Not to be confused with the surviving gatehouse to the Bishop's Palace, the Palace Gate was demolished in 1812.)<br />
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The Archdeacon of Exeter's House was massively altered around 1830 when the surviving ranges were remodelled and further additions were made in the late 19th century. In 1896 the property was purchased by a Roman Catholic convent from William Peters, a former mayor of Exeter, and it was used as the Presentation of St Mary Convent School.<br />
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The school added an enormous two-storey brick-built chapel in 1928 and the property remained as a school until 1996 when it was closed and the buildings sold. In the late 1990s the school buildings were subdivided into six separate residential units. Fortunately the architectural significance of the site has resulted in the preservation of the most important historical features.<br />
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Despite all of the alterations, the property retains three late medieval buildings at its core. Part of the medieval chamber range survives to the south, along with what is possibly the site of the chapel under an addition from 1908. The north east range, now known as The Coach House and next to <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/gatehouse-of-bishops-palace-palace-gate.html" target="_blank">the gatehouse of the Bishop's Palace</a>) is also late medieval in origin and part of the original roof survives.<br />
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However the most astonishing survival is the roof of the medieval great hall, now part of a unit called The Tudor House. During the modifications of the 1830s a new parallel frontage was added to the great hall (now painted salmon pink) completely disguising its origins, and the space was carved up into smaller rooms, a process that already seems to have begun in the 17th century. It was divided horizontally to make two floors and the roof appears to have remained almost forgotten, hidden above later ceilings, until it was practically rediscovered during an archaeological survey in the 1990s, a discovery of such importance that it increased the listed status of the building from Grade II to Grade I.<br />
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The roof of the great hall has six bays, twice the number of bays as at the almost contemporary roof of the Law Library. It is designed as a series of variant base-cruck trusses with intermediate trusses. The tie beams are richly moulded and there is evidence for carved bosses at the junctions of the intermediate trusses, purlins and windbraces. Some of the spandrels are infilled with boards pierced with decorative cinquefoil-headed mouchettes. Tree ring samples taken from the oak structural timbers returned a felling date of between 1415 and 1440. <br />
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The structure therefore forms part of a local group of outstanding medieval roofs around Exeter which includes two roofs at Bowhill <i>above left</i> just beyond the city walls, and one each at the Guildhall <i>right</i>, at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/law-library-no-8-cathedral-close.html" target="_blank">the Law Library</a> <i>below</i> and at the Deanery. Unfortunately the roof at the Archdeacon of Exeter's House isn't viewable, and it is still hidden above the later ceilings, but it has been described by English Heritage as "one of the finest 15th century roofs in southwest England, of national importance and distinguished by its base cruck form, upper
roof construction and the quality of its moulded and carved detail." These roofs really are one of the city's greatest glories. <br />
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It's hard not to be impressed by Exeter as it was in the 15th century. The late Middle Ages was one of the cultural highlights of the city's 2000 year history. Just within the 93 acres of the city walls there was Rougemont Castle, the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html" target="_blank">Cathedral</a>, the recently rebuilt Guildhall, numerous small parish churches, a sprawl of spectacular ecclesiastical residences, a Benedictine monastery, a Dominican friary, medieval gatehouses within <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/exeters-city-wall-2.html" target="_blank">the city wall</a>, medieval gatehouses within the wall of the cathedral precinct and a large number of impressive timber-framed merchant houses. It was the county town of Devonshire and the great capital of the southwest peninsula of Britain, a status reflected in the architecture of the city itself.<br />
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*The story of Exeter's archdeaconries begins with the Anglo-Saxon Leofric who, in 1050, became the first Bishop of Exeter. It was probably Leofric who introduced an archdeacon at Exeter, a huge diocese that covered all of Devon and Cornwall. Following the Norman Conquest such large dioceses in England proved difficult to manage for a single bishop and so, from the 11th century onwards, they were subdivided into separate archdeaconries. An archdeacon was appointed to oversee his own particular archdeaconry in which he could act in the absence of the bishop (who was often away at the Royal court or on the Continent). By the end of the 11th century there were four archdeacons at Exeter, one for each of the archdeaconries of Exeter, Cornwall, Totnes and Barnstaple. Between them they effectively covered the whole of Devon and Cornwall and, eventually, each office came with its own house within the cathedral precinct at Exeter. The Diocese of Truro was formed out of the old Archdeaconry of Cornwall in 1876.<br />
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html" target="_blank">Sources</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-29745976734584537902013-03-13T00:06:00.000+00:002013-03-31T23:38:22.365+01:00Gatehouse of the Bishop's Palace, Palace Gate<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQQ8Ck1KINVVho1fEFWWK9OhiG_ApZeZvtKvUENWr-fyo_INSbQ6hWieShPBLwKdObYf6t7MArX33jHhTxnYz2PuUYnJm0qO0tFT0rwO3e8YLdzC2ftv0SQoChQ7Y1nrhYoDzLypfHpkZ/s1600/Gatehouse+Bishop%27s+Palace+Exeter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="529" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQQ8Ck1KINVVho1fEFWWK9OhiG_ApZeZvtKvUENWr-fyo_INSbQ6hWieShPBLwKdObYf6t7MArX33jHhTxnYz2PuUYnJm0qO0tFT0rwO3e8YLdzC2ftv0SQoChQ7Y1nrhYoDzLypfHpkZ/s640/Gatehouse+Bishop%27s+Palace+Exeter.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">The gatehouse of
the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-bishops-palace-palace-gate_12.html" target="_blank">Bishop’s Palace</a> is a Grade I listed building. Unfortunately, because of a
number of insensitive alterations over the last 150 years, its current
appearance is a bit of a mess. But at least it still exists, which is more than can be said for nearly every other medieval gatehouse in Exeter.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span>The core of the
building dates to the 14th century and is perhaps contemporary with a major
extension of the palace by Bishop Grandisson around 1340. Much of the gatehouse
is constructed from rough blocks of purple volcanic trap, typically used for
high status buildings in Exeter before the 1400s, although there has been a lot
of patching during subsequent centuries. The arrow slits and the main entrance
arch are original, even if they have been significantly restored. The arched
window openings also perhaps date to the 14th century. There is evidence in the
west end wall of a large, medieval pointed archway, now blocked. The Georgian
sashes were added in the 18th century along with a new staircase. William Butterfield added the cusped
Gothic stone windows in 1875 and seems to have raised the height of the
building. The rooms built into the modern roof space are a particularly
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It has all been so altered that it's hard to imagine what the building looked like when first completed. I don't know if any features of interest survive inside but it seems unlikely given the extent of the alterations. In the Westcountry Studies Library is an intriguing sketch made by John Gendell in 1829 <i>right</i> © Devon County Council. It is entitled 'Part of the Palace Gate being the only remains'. It shows a room strewn with barrels, above which can be seen a fine <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/lost-jacobean-plasterwork-ceilings-i.html" target="_blank">plasterwork ceiling</a> of a late 16th century type. It is similar in style to an existing ceiling at St Nicholas's Priory. It seems likely that Gendell's sketch does indeed show the interior of the gatehouse of the Bishop's Palace. The ceiling was presumably destroyed either before or during Butterfield's 'improvements' as there is nothing to indicate it still exists today, either in the gatehouse or in any other building in Exeter<span style="font-size: 12pt;">.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html" target="_blank">Sources</a></div>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-55353159726492816212013-03-12T16:53:00.000+00:002013-05-22T22:35:28.180+01:00The Bishop's Palace, Palace Gate<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Constructed on a vast scale during the Middle Ages, by the end of the 15th century the Bishop's Palace at Exeter <i>left</i> would've been one of the most opulent medieval houses in the West of England. Unfortunately, so little of it has survived intact that it must now be regarded as one of the city's greatest lost buildings. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Abandoned by its owners at the end of the 15th century, it was sold off during the Commonwealth in the mid 17th century, suffered again at the hands of improvers during the 18th century before being almost completely rebuilt by the Victorians in the 1840s and 1870s. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today’s much-reduced structure is essentially a product of the 19th century with a few older elements embedded within it, described by Hugh Meller as "sterile fragments of a once great medieval house". From the 11th<sup> </sup>century until the Reformation, the medieval bishops of Exeter had over twenty high-status domestic residences for their own personal use e.g. at Exeter, Ashburton, Chudleigh and Paignton, Yarcombe, Bishop's Nympton, Bishopsteignton, Bishop's Tawton and Bishop's Clyst. (The property at Bishop's Clyst, known today as Bishop's Court, is a Grade I listed building and contains large amounts of 13th century fabric from the medieval palace. Significant 13th century ruins also exist from the former palaces at Bishopsteignton and Paignton.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Not only was the residence at Exeter the largest and most substantial of these numerous properties but it was almost certainly the largest medieval domestic building ever constructed within the perimeter of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/exeters-city-wall-2.html" target="_blank">Exeter’s city walls</a>, dwarfing even such extensive properties as the Deanery, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/chantry-deanery-place.html" target="_blank">the Chantry</a> and <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/treasurers-house-cathedral-close.html" target="_blank">the Treasurer's House</a>. (The largest private house ever built within the walls was probably the post-Reformation <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/bedford-house-and-dominican-friary.html" target="_blank">Bedford House</a> fashioned out of the dissolved Dominican Friary by Lord John Russell in the mid 16th century.)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQNdMcqOImy56DcV-6UwLsvHadykC6P3KhyNAyX4s3d1zSbaxoOAfSvPWSE05v8vTcsX4Zsj4AcDLQNEx6vZSGvWpYctVSB4sC0JSZCYromivv80ad8KYTSj12aTB8bWwBiwNcfupDQ3A/s1600/Braun+and+Hogenburg+Exeter_1563.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQNdMcqOImy56DcV-6UwLsvHadykC6P3KhyNAyX4s3d1zSbaxoOAfSvPWSE05v8vTcsX4Zsj4AcDLQNEx6vZSGvWpYctVSB4sC0JSZCYromivv80ad8KYTSj12aTB8bWwBiwNcfupDQ3A/s400/Braun+and+Hogenburg+Exeter_1563.jpg" width="295" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">The detail from Braun and Hogenberg's map of Exeter <i>right</i> shows the Bishop's Palace in the late 16th century. The <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/gatehouse-of-bishops-palace-palace-gate.html" target="_blank">gatehouse at Palace Gate</a> is visible as is the Great Courtyard beyond with the wall dividing the courtyard from the bishop's garden. Also shown are the palace's main block with the embattled south porch in the centre, the service rooms to the right of the porch and the great hall to the left.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">According to Lega-Weekes there are references to the 'Bishop's Gate' as early as the 12th century and the first phase of the palace was constructed sometime between c1170 and c1240. There is some disagreement about the exact date but according to the Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum the Bishop’s Palace is “the only house still standing in Devon which dates from the Norman period”, although little of the medieval palace actually remains. This early phase of the palace included a great hall, a service wing, a solar for the bishop’s private use, and a chapel. At least by the 14th century the palace grounds were entered through a fortified gatehouse which, although much modified, still stands today at Palace Gate. Beyond the gatehouse was the Great Courtyard surrounded by stables and lodgings for the servants. To the left was a wall, on the other side of which was the bishop’s private gardens. The courtyard and wall are long gone and the palace now stands amongst lawns and shrubs, laid out by the early 18th century and largely unchanged today. It is perhaps the oldest garden in Devon.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The South Porch and Inner Doorway </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the palace’s few remaining 13th century elements is the monumental inner doorway of the south porch, the main entrance into the palace itself. The inner doorway <i>left</i> dates to c1200 and features late transitional-style zigzag mouldings combined with stiff-leaf capitals on slender shafts either side of the entrance. This massive portal led directly into a wide cross-passage. Inside this passageway, to the right, were three more arched doorways. One doorway led into a buttery and another into a pantry. The middle doorway led into an enormous eastern service range containing a great kitchen with a brewhouse and a bakehouse. Across the other side of the cross-passage, to the left, a doorway led via a wooden screen into the colossal great hall. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The 13th century great aisled hall of the Bishop's Palace was approximately 75ft long and 42ft wide. It was, I believe, the largest open domestic interior space ever built in medieval Exeter. The palace hall had three bays and two side aisles. These aisles were formed by two rows of wooden arcade posts, four posts in total, which helped to support the roof structure. One of these posts still survives in situ on the ground floor, although reduced in height. Carved from oak, its cross-section is in the form of a quatrefoil. Three more fragments of similar posts exist in the roof space where they were reused during 17th century alterations, one of which shows traces of stiff leaf carving. The survey of 1647 reported that the hall had “a high roof supported with four great pillars of squared timber”. In the context of other buildings in 13th century Devon this hall would’ve been gargantuan. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The hall was perhaps modelled on slightly earlier examples at Leicester Castle and the Bishop’s Palace at Hereford. The photograph <i>above right</i> shows the eastern end wall of the palace today. The three arched openings at the bottom were probably the doorways that led from the cross-passage into the now-demolished service rooms. Unfortunately, apart from some of the fabric of the walls, and the footprint of the structure itself, little else of the medieval great hall now survives. Two large buttresses in the north wall of the hall range, built from purple volcanic trap. According to Pevsner and Cherry, the buttresses are perhaps 13th century in date and probably reflect the division of the hall into three bays with a window between each buttress. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Chapel of St Faith</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another surviving feature of the palace is the bishop's chapel. This was on the upper floor of a two-storey building attached to the north-west corner of the great hall. The chapel was dedicated to St Mary by Bishop Brewer c1235 and, according to George Oliver, it was used “to celebrate perpetual obits of the deceased Bishops of Exeter”. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The oldest surviving parts of the original chapel are the three tall lancet windows in the east wall, rare examples in Exeter of Early English Gothic architecture. The chapel has a timber wagon roof with small, carved bosses, probably installed as part of Bishop Grandisson’s 14th century improvements. The exterior walls have been refaced with Heavitree stone although the bulk of the walling is probably 13th century in date. The early bishops' private chamber, known as the “bishop’s camera”, was close to the chapel and was accessed from the great hall via a spiral staircase in one corner. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The image <i>above left</i> shows the general layout of the Bishop's Palace as it existed c1250 overlaid onto an aerial view of the palace. Only the chapel and the footprint of the Great Hall still survive from the 13th century. The similar image <i>right</i> shows the enormous extent of the palace following the creation of the new episcopal apartments in the 14th century, outlined in purple. Nothing of these have survived above ground.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> The projected wall lines on both images are based on plans by John Chanter. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Edward II granted Bishop Peter Quinil a licence to crenellate the palace in 1290 and another licence was issued to Bishop Stapledon in 1322. Almost nothing of the great episcopal apartments of the medieval bishops now survives but by the end of the Middle Ages these private apartments had been massively enlarged. The great hall, the eastern service wing and the chapel retained their early 13th century form but a new two-storey range was built to the west, probably started by Bishop Grandisson c1330. The new west wing contained numerous rooms e.g. the old solar was expanded to form a new open hall for the bishop’s private use and a new parlour was created in the wing’s south-west corner.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> George Oliver certainly believed that Grandisson was responsible for the new west wing. In 1821 he wrote that "On some of the beams of what appears to have been a spacious hall, [Grandisson's] armorial bearings, and those of Montacutes, were lately discovered."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Something of the decorative splendour of the Grandisson’s improvements can be seen in four surviving oak bosses, three of which are in the Victoria and Albert Museum. These bosses, each about 50cm in diameter, formed part of a ceiling from Grandisson’s own sumptuous parlour in the new west wing. In 1848 the chamber was described as having an oak roof made up of ornamental crossbeams. The bosses would’ve been installed where one beam or rib butted up against another. It has been suggested, by Charles Tracy, that this ceiling was designed by the great medieval architect, Thomas of Witney, in collaboration with the cathedral’s master carpenter. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of these bosses, depicting a lioness, is shown <i>above left</i> © Victoria and Albert Museum. It would've originally been painted and gilded. Apart from these four bosses nothing now remains of the ceiling. (Thomas of Witney worked at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html" target="_blank">Exeter Cathedral</a> from c1313 until 1342 and, amongst other things, designed the vast wooden architectural canopy for Bishop Stapledon’s throne, described by Pevsner and Cherry as “the most exquisite piece of woodwork of its date in England and perhaps in Europe”.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another medieval bishop who left his mark on the palace was Peter Courtenay, described by Shakespeare in ‘Richard III’ as a “haughty prelate”. One of Courtenay’s additions still survives today in the form of a remarkable stone overmantel, detail <i>right</i>. Described as “exceedingly ostentatious” by Pevsner, it was installed between 1485 and 1486 in the bishop’s parlour in the west wing. This is probably the finest of a series of spectacular late medieval stone fireplaces that were created for various ecclesiastical residences in Exeter between c1450 and c1540 e.g. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/john-coombe-fireplace-formerly-in.html" target="_blank">the John Coombe fireplace</a> place formerly in the Chantry. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Despite experiencing various modifications and some general neglect throughout the16th century, the Bishop’s Palace retained its late medieval form until the middle of the 17th century. In 1647, following the English Civil War, the palace along with all the other property belonging to the Dean and Chapter was confiscated by the Exeter Corporation. In 1650 it was sold to the governors of St John’s Hospital (which stood near to the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/east-gate-high-street.html" target="_blank">East Gate</a> on the High Street) for £450 and in 1653 the palace was divided into tenements. Part of it was leased to someone named Ford who used some of the palace buildings as a sugar refinery. (Ford’s lease was for 31 years at £60 a year.) According to Bryan Mawer, the palace is the “oldest surviving sugar refining building in the UK”. During building works in 1821, “many vestiges of the sugar refinery were here discovered” (Oliver).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8WECcBqvs1H1x3We31awnCdvJwgeo66YKzGp5zAf9J4lJnRmxB3ASq-u7bfoRgWh0_xT0e-9G2XOy3BnskRpAPTj5vjMkBIg7k4LvnkLeZcdejUCVRs7yCpd9KmR94cxn16Naf9MrICR/s1600/1819+engraving+bishops+palace+exeter+west+wing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8WECcBqvs1H1x3We31awnCdvJwgeo66YKzGp5zAf9J4lJnRmxB3ASq-u7bfoRgWh0_xT0e-9G2XOy3BnskRpAPTj5vjMkBIg7k4LvnkLeZcdejUCVRs7yCpd9KmR94cxn16Naf9MrICR/s1600/1819+engraving+bishops+palace+exeter+west+wing.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">The engraving <i>left</i> shows the 14th century west wing in 1819. The bishop's parlour is almost adjacent to the Perpendicular window of the chapter house of the cathedral. Next to it, the wall supported by buttresses, is the bishop's private hall. Just visible to the far right is the west corner of what was the great hall, the ground floor remodelled with semi-circular windows. The photo <i>below right</i> shows the same view after the palace was rebuilt in the mid 19th century.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The palace was restored to the Dean and Chapter after the Restoration of 1660 but it had been severely damaged. The buildings were repaired by Bishop Seth Ward between 1662 and 1671 but it was either at this time or during the Commonwealth that the great hall was totally ruined. The timber piers were cut out and the huge open space was divided into four squat floors divided by a wall that ran through the centre of the hall. (These four floors were replaced in the 18th century with just two floors containing rooms with higher ceilings.) Other mid 17th century alterations included the replacing the hall’s medieval roof with the twin gables that can be seen today. But the worst was still to come.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgconWYU9jk-bkYK3HJ8H8LK6VO0MG3EswVNTJ4wFvoKGv7NjuiSUF2I56kZyHpD_8fkAHA1fYG2zeYvAP14tDj0K5NF-7B-x_aRjTOoDcklU9OOHtC2mzjV4-qnKC0F86tMf_2Mw8fYr-/s1600/Cornell+University+Library+Exeter+Bishop+Palace.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgconWYU9jk-bkYK3HJ8H8LK6VO0MG3EswVNTJ4wFvoKGv7NjuiSUF2I56kZyHpD_8fkAHA1fYG2zeYvAP14tDj0K5NF-7B-x_aRjTOoDcklU9OOHtC2mzjV4-qnKC0F86tMf_2Mw8fYr-/s400/Cornell+University+Library+Exeter+Bishop+Palace.jpg" width="302" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">The palace underwent further extensive modifications in the 18th century during the reign of Bishop Keppel.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> According to Jenkins, writing in 1806, Keppel “expended great sums on the Bishop’s Palace, which was very much out of repair, having been sadly neglected by his predecessors, and also made great additions to it”. Jenkins describes the palace as “though not a regular is a very extensive and commodious house; it has a neat chapel, and several elegant apartments, in one of which is an ancient and curious chimneypiece, embellished with carving in the gothic style” (this is the above-mentioned Courtenay fireplace, a copy of which is at Powderham Castle). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Unfortunately Keppel had removed the fireplace from its original location in the medieval parlour of the west wing and placed it in one of the new rooms carved out of the hall range. Between 1762 and 1764 Bishop Keppel also converted the early 13th century service wing into chaplain’s apartments and many of the medieval windows were replaced with Georgian sashes.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IEpgaFhsNYL4EF8wsoczQIDtKXP-c6H_xh1JjeXT1r3WwV-215ZTt3-mClZZjuZOR7Cq0EO745MTPciDoJMpn4YK6_ZKMU-hI-GLxwCzn2B12iQCRtaKMqHV7L5hllMGfXxphTRJVSIq/s1600/Exeter_1709_map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IEpgaFhsNYL4EF8wsoczQIDtKXP-c6H_xh1JjeXT1r3WwV-215ZTt3-mClZZjuZOR7Cq0EO745MTPciDoJMpn4YK6_ZKMU-hI-GLxwCzn2B12iQCRtaKMqHV7L5hllMGfXxphTRJVSIq/s400/Exeter_1709_map.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">According to Pevsner and Cherry, "the service rooms were converted into chaplain's apartments in 1762-1764 and demolished in 1812", reducing the size of the medieval palace by about one third. The three arched doorways that once led from the cross-passage into the service rooms became glazed exterior windows.<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (The
removal of the former great kitchen and brewhouse explains why the south porch now appears strangely out of place, stuck on the corner of the former great hall.) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Despite Pevsner and Cherry's claim, it seems that the service wing was demolished well before 1812. A 1709 map of the city, detail <i>left</i>, shows the Bishop's Palace with an already greatly truncated eastern range </span>George Oliver described the palace in 1821 as “an irregular, mis-shapen, and patched-up building”, and when Henry Phillpotts became Bishop of Exeter in 1830 he preferred not to live in the palace. (The autocratic, deeply conservative Bishop Phillpotts was perhaps the most unpopular bishop ever to hold the post at Exeter. His continued opposition to the 1832 Reform Bill resulted in a mob attacking the palace, his effigy being burned in the city along with Guy Fawkes on November 5th of the same year.) But, according to Oliver, prior to Phillpotts’ arrival the palace had “been suffered to go so much out of repair, as scarcely to be habitable”. Phillpotts built himself a large villa at Bishopstowe near Torquay and spent a lot of his episcopate there. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRxHZGCB8itz2OLonRWSvW3Y_N9MpwYFPrdzau9lCdFpgyTuOo-tADHzZOT_HUZf39uRT4WFT4kOwjYQX3KpG_MuF9EN4qk0uKt2y46oQgkPpeT8-UZtAEMbEwl8iPzkQZM8O0P2D5MHP/s1600/1823+engraving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRxHZGCB8itz2OLonRWSvW3Y_N9MpwYFPrdzau9lCdFpgyTuOo-tADHzZOT_HUZf39uRT4WFT4kOwjYQX3KpG_MuF9EN4qk0uKt2y46oQgkPpeT8-UZtAEMbEwl8iPzkQZM8O0P2D5MHP/s1600/1823+engraving.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Disaster struck between 1846 and 1848 when much of the palace at Exeter was almost completely rebuilt by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The architect was Ewan Christian, who was later to rebuild the city’s medieval Chantry. The palace’s entire west wing, enlarged by Grandisson in the 14th century, was demolished and the medieval parlour and small open hall disappeared completely. Only the chapel was retained. A new, much smaller, neo-Tudor west wing was built in its place using some of the rubble (this is now holds the cathedral’s library and archives). A 14th century octagonal tower was pulled down and re-erected on the south-west corner of the new wing and the south wall of the former great hall was completely rebuilt. A superb three-storey, late medieval bay window, salvaged from the recently demolished house of Thomas Elyot at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/thomas-elyots-house-no-73-high-street.html" target="_blank">No. 73 High Street</a>, was cut down, rearranged and inserted into the south wall.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The engraving <i>above right</i> from 1823 shows the South Porch prior to its modification in the 19th century. The lower half, built from purple volcanic trap, is probably 14th century. The upper half, with decorative shields surmounted by mitres, was added in the early 16th century probably by Bishop Oldham. Comparison with the image <i>below</i> illustrates the extent of the Victorian alterations. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaUAG5B2kqC3Xbx1_g6ZjAThyEMtgtTZS4DBugjI6qB434hhhql_Vkkq4_nfstiIsbnJM07c-rcufh1gjqLUAWJUpX0cxrAamcQ4fbDuoJZrYaM6GPSrKXMP-CVh8hKivrNT78dgZHPaMR/s1600/palace.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaUAG5B2kqC3Xbx1_g6ZjAThyEMtgtTZS4DBugjI6qB434hhhql_Vkkq4_nfstiIsbnJM07c-rcufh1gjqLUAWJUpX0cxrAamcQ4fbDuoJZrYaM6GPSrKXMP-CVh8hKivrNT78dgZHPaMR/s400/palace.gif" width="364" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The image <i>left</i> is an animated early stereoscopic view of the palace c1870 with the South Tower of the cathedral in the background. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Despite all of this rebuilding/demolition in 1870 the palace was described in the ‘Exeter Flying Post’ as "the gloomiest pile of old stone in the city” and “a very disagreeable Tudor prison”. William Butterfield made further ‘improvements’ to both the palace and its gatehouse in the 1870s for Bishop Temple who was, according to Pevsner and Cherry, “the first bishop to use the palace as a residence since the Middle Ages”. The south porch received an extra storey, complete with battlements and a new oriel window, and the chapel was ‘restored’ with Victorian wall paintings and stained glass. Fortunately the chapel’s medieval wagon roof was left intact but the damage had already been done. The chapel and the footprint of the great aisled hall, along with a small handful of other surviving features, are the only existing remnants of the medieval palace. Most of the historical fabric has been completely destroyed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In his 1932 book about the palace’s history, John Chanter described it as “a most uncomfortable and badly planned house that man ever conceived”. Further alterations were made in 1952, including the relocation, yet again, of Peter Courtenay’s fireplace. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Perhaps surprisingly, the Bishop's
Palace is a Grade I listed building and even if it doesn't contain much
historical architecture it remains a site of enormous historical
interest. </span>The palace grounds can be visited as part of the city’s Red Coat guided tours. The palace itself remains closed to the public.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzV3iKSgz4iA7fke3-M6abAF-WXjccbJEtqhuz3tmKguAk1Las1MqQStBLNzU3JLVtVre7xt7RvJ3BdnZcAe5zbBSisr0D5_Nqw8x4nJ1mZpIYV34YvlP8ys9LTJEVXSMoDUDOQkwIG-i/s1600/3825736128_760bd43cc3_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="413" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzV3iKSgz4iA7fke3-M6abAF-WXjccbJEtqhuz3tmKguAk1Las1MqQStBLNzU3JLVtVre7xt7RvJ3BdnZcAe5zbBSisr0D5_Nqw8x4nJ1mZpIYV34YvlP8ys9LTJEVXSMoDUDOQkwIG-i/s640/3825736128_760bd43cc3_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sources</span></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-91007378970029681972012-07-27T00:06:00.004+01:002013-03-31T23:33:56.265+01:00The South Gate, South Street<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06O8SwZtHtoipLtWc-9gChlEd9UJCyNxFhyocHhHC78Nqjux8Q3_ouc5YjaEK_XWE1tgz-r-n2tSJkBWLw4bx3os3Xa7-7RLJL_a8p09l7mTirJZypsO581Xz-3PiPzsbEV1XWUhxMADe/s1600/South+Gate+Exeter_2012.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765105803607326338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06O8SwZtHtoipLtWc-9gChlEd9UJCyNxFhyocHhHC78Nqjux8Q3_ouc5YjaEK_XWE1tgz-r-n2tSJkBWLw4bx3os3Xa7-7RLJL_a8p09l7mTirJZypsO581Xz-3PiPzsbEV1XWUhxMADe/s640/South+Gate+Exeter_2012.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="487" /></a>The image <span style="font-style: italic;">left</span> attempts to give some idea of how the exterior of Exeter's South Gate might've appeared today had it not been demolished in 1819. Located at the end of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2012/06/brief-history-of-south-street.html">South Street</a>, the South Gate was the main entrance into the city for nearly 1700 years.<br />
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Built by the Romans, altered by the Saxons and rebuilt by the Normans, the gate acquired its final form in the Late Middle Ages and remained little altered until it was pulled down at the beginning of the 19th century.<br />
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The first Roman gatehouse on the site was built c140 AD, a product of the transformation of Isca Dumnoniorum from a former military fortress into a civilian settlement. As the population had increased the perimeter of the settlement was extended outwards to cover the area still bounded by the city walls. A defensive ditch with an earthen bank topped by a wooden palisade was constructed around the newly-enlarged civitas. The Roman South Gate would've been part of this expansion and was originally built of wood. (Timber from this earliest incarnation of the South Gate was excavated in February 1989.) In c180 AD the wooden palisade and bank were replaced with a thick stone wall, parts of which can still be seen today, and the South Gate was rebuilt in stone at the same time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSChFd0PShG6d_FkgVUnz-dtsyl2ASV_gaLPwMQcfEsF2FnRAFOadQxX1yZj69JzsRmobJvh_5S5DwiDbMyLhcfKOHIE-CuaYzUKdGvJXhqA_7H3qMbpdWrbdJy0cIbCelURbbraQUGOS/s1600/City+Wall_Exeter+numbers.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765106768557420082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSChFd0PShG6d_FkgVUnz-dtsyl2ASV_gaLPwMQcfEsF2FnRAFOadQxX1yZj69JzsRmobJvh_5S5DwiDbMyLhcfKOHIE-CuaYzUKdGvJXhqA_7H3qMbpdWrbdJy0cIbCelURbbraQUGOS/s400/City+Wall_Exeter+numbers.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 322px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;" /></a>The aerial view of Exeter <span style="font-style: italic;">right</span> shows the circuit of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/10/exeters-city-wall-2.html">the Roman and medieval city walls</a> highlighted in purple (missing sections are highlighted in red). No. 2 marks the former location of the South Gate. South Street can clearly be seen heading towards the city centre where it meets Fore Street, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/brief-history-of-north-street.html">North Street</a> and the High Street at the ancient crossroad known as the Carfoix.<br />
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The Roman South Gate is the only one of Exeter's Roman gatehouses for which archaeological evidence has been found and its remains still lie beneath the modern road. The stone gatehouse consisted of two tall square towers flanking a central entrance. It was about 55ft (17m) wide, including both towers. Unfortunately very little is known about Exeter during the so-called Dark Ages, but the South Gate, along with the city walls, must've remained standing after the decline of the Roman administration of Britain in the early 5th century. When Alfred the Great refortified Exeter between 880 and 895, one of the measures taken to improve security probably included rebuilding the South Gate.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_21hqMOf6NI-WzcMX3UlAoMDJnSx7ZEsGCOb7jhrQ4ANhoXcecB5xtNNRz8vtBPPw9ngCwGN0hV-0xiUhfuHtXtlBZhGPeKgRw_Dmf3MZRZBxpdEBgdWyGLViGnhlXF0gkki1s0R6jqY/s1600/Braun+and+Hogenburg+Exeter_1587+South+Gate.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765173507840465746" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_21hqMOf6NI-WzcMX3UlAoMDJnSx7ZEsGCOb7jhrQ4ANhoXcecB5xtNNRz8vtBPPw9ngCwGN0hV-0xiUhfuHtXtlBZhGPeKgRw_Dmf3MZRZBxpdEBgdWyGLViGnhlXF0gkki1s0R6jqY/s400/Braun+and+Hogenburg+Exeter_1587+South+Gate.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 313px;" /></a>(The late medieval South Gate is shown in Hogenburg's 1587 map of Exeter <span style="font-style: italic;">left</span>. The crenellated wall with an archway is presumably the priest's house projecting over the street from the tower of Holy Trinity church.)<br />
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Christopher Hendersen in his 2001 paper 'The Development of the South Gate of Exeter and its Role in the City Defences' believed that the Anglo-Saxon gate was probably constructed primarily of timber but also included some "elements" of the old Roman gate that were still standing some 600 years after it had first been built. Hendersen also believed that the late 9th century gatehouse was itself probably rebuilt again, this time in stone, during the 11th century, either just before or just after the Norman Conquest.<br />
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For some reason, perhaps French raids on the south coast of England, the South Gate received a massive overhaul between 1410 and 1420, transforming the earlier structure into what Hoskins called "one of the most impressive things of its kind in England". Like the outer face of the East Gate, the new South Gate was also probably built of the extremely durable grey/purple volcanic trap quarried from a variety of sites around Exeter. The early 15th century South Gate consisted of a bastion in the form of a rectangular block. The rear of the block lay flush with the line of the city wall and projected outwards over the old town ditch. The block was flanked on either side by huge drum towers, each tower being of four storeys and at least 50ft high. There was a drawbridge set into the carriageway and deep ditches ran away on either side.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqxvH_Jc0H8M9Kek4RgA0-4DU5yvpDJfsq1hwOXt-oOrIT1sKbG0IAYyXNupDQ8IDskthome4-K1_AWc3V2apSQyTbOhai6sldcLkH8mVXTGpp4CNaB4IW1CzJT1-mkwvrrDqMiyCHP7v/s1600/South+Gate+1803.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="452" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769895341845716242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqxvH_Jc0H8M9Kek4RgA0-4DU5yvpDJfsq1hwOXt-oOrIT1sKbG0IAYyXNupDQ8IDskthome4-K1_AWc3V2apSQyTbOhai6sldcLkH8mVXTGpp4CNaB4IW1CzJT1-mkwvrrDqMiyCHP7v/s640/South+Gate+1803.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="640" /></a>A central passageway some 16ft (5m) tall, the interior of which was constructed with rib vaulting, ran through the centre of the bastion and a niche on the outer face contained a statue. The exterior face also had arrow slits and carved shields set into square stone plaques. The towers were subdivided into separate rooms and there were also chambers in the part of the gatehouse that spanned the central passageway. When the Tudor antiquarian, John Leland, visited Exeter in 1542 he believed that the South Gate was "the strongest" of the city's four main medieval gatehouses although the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2011/02/east-gate-high-street.html">East Gate</a> was perhaps larger.<br />
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Alexander Jenkins left an eyewitness description of the South Gate as it appeared in 1806: "The gate is a massy [massive] building of hewn stone. The entrance from the suburbs is through a lofty pointed arch, flanked by circular towers, over the gateway is a niche, where lately stood a mutilated statue in a magisterial robe; this front is likewise decorated with angels, supporting the Royal and City arms; the interior arch of the gateway from its semi-circular form, appears of Saxon construction, and is probably some remains of the ancient gate".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofrl41e2icKZWYmwuRsTcQonlS-VfGccodPB3QAWYIRf9U5glukBQekK0BVqu19AFcCcz_jU8dybLta1gWAEvJS5alNLpKU5CnQWaqz3gQRiR4FC8k2htN8wsFdq3XF_lF-u_DInHTj0C/s1600/Exeter+South+Gate+north+wall.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="531" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769591511084979730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofrl41e2icKZWYmwuRsTcQonlS-VfGccodPB3QAWYIRf9U5glukBQekK0BVqu19AFcCcz_jU8dybLta1gWAEvJS5alNLpKU5CnQWaqz3gQRiR4FC8k2htN8wsFdq3XF_lF-u_DInHTj0C/s640/Exeter+South+Gate+north+wall.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="640" /></a>The image <i>above</i> is one of the few surviving depictions of the interior elevation of the early 15th century rebuilding. This view was obscured for centuries by the priest's house of Holy Trinity church which spanned South Street almost directly behind the gate. The drawing was executed in the very short space of time between the demolition of the priest's house and the gatehouse itself. The location of what was probably part of the side wall of the priest's house is highlighted in purple. The semi-circular inner archway of the gatehouse is clearly visible. The north wall had stone mullion windows with what looks like cusped tracery. The upper chambers could be accessed from the top of the city walls via a doorway. The debris on the ground to the left is demolition rubble from the church and the priest's house.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicakwuhq2sQjrFrTtWBeqXa_GgVjaE-ET-SjjHdjn5HwHAF5MX7eFf-yLe2nIWtoiktPCUXNNzda5p868RbGaNMEWihXivFXZk_fQrGLCotJ-1ZFQMDSaBENTjnjwEB3NvI4Yyz8FJxwEh/s1600/South+Gate_Exeter.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769595367544081154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicakwuhq2sQjrFrTtWBeqXa_GgVjaE-ET-SjjHdjn5HwHAF5MX7eFf-yLe2nIWtoiktPCUXNNzda5p868RbGaNMEWihXivFXZk_fQrGLCotJ-1ZFQMDSaBENTjnjwEB3NvI4Yyz8FJxwEh/s1600/South+Gate_Exeter.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a>The fact that the exterior arch was pointed and the interior arch was semi-circular strongly suggests that the gatehouse built between 1410 and 1420 also retained elements of a much earlier structure. The disparity between the two styles of arch was noted in the 1720s by the English antiquarian William Stukeley. He wrote that "one arch of South-gate seems to be Roman", a surviving component of the gatehouse built one-and-a-half thousand years earlier.<br />
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The idea that the interior arch of the late medieval South Gate was part of the original Roman building has been banded around ever since. As late as 1971 Aileen Fox <span class="st">wrote that "it is possible that the round<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>arch <i></i> that is shown on the inside of the South Gate in early nineteenth century prints was a Roman <i></i>survival</span>". Wacher went further in 1975 when he stated that the arch "almost certainly" dated to the Roman period. A partial excavation of the site in 1992 indicated that parts of the Roman gatehouse had been demolished by c1200. A small guide to the city walls, written in association with the Exeter Archaeology unit and published in 1998 maintained that "the archway was probably Roman". Chris Hendersen, in the above-mentioned paper of 2001, supported Jenkins' belief that the archway was probably late Saxon or early Norman and dated to the 11th century. Unfortunately, now the South Gate no longer exists, it's not possible to say categorically whether the arch was Roman or Saxo-Norman in date, although the latter seems most likely.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKDHci6gVi7p-9i_95utg_0j8ZNn2NDesluiZSosdAJb9y-xCsXnvnOGQh4Fy0lpbdoWZJOLuefGSgXIKOUeKKNq2SZuahWblDpt7xbVnwcg5KU1IHDfZoPjQ0iI0Tq0HXvwfLY3LkLVcZ/s1600/Rougemont+Castle+Gatehouse+Arches_Exeter.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769595834514500242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKDHci6gVi7p-9i_95utg_0j8ZNn2NDesluiZSosdAJb9y-xCsXnvnOGQh4Fy0lpbdoWZJOLuefGSgXIKOUeKKNq2SZuahWblDpt7xbVnwcg5KU1IHDfZoPjQ0iI0Tq0HXvwfLY3LkLVcZ/s640/Rougemont+Castle+Gatehouse+Arches_Exeter.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="447" /></a>Chris Hendersen described the process whereby the Roman/Saxo-Norman arch at the South Gate might've been retained. Before it was rebuilt in the early 15th century, the exterior face of the South Gate was flush with the city wall and didn't project out from the city as it did after 1420. Following the construction of the bastion and the two flanking towers, what was once the exterior arch of the Saxo-Norman gatehouse became the interior arch of the early 15th century gatehouse.<br />
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It probably didn't seem worth rebuilding a semi-circular arch that was being protected by the tremendous strength of the new outwork. This is perhaps why the new exterior arch was a pointed Gothic arch in keeping with the 15th century and yet the interior remained as an old-fashioned semi-circular arch, familiar to the Romans, Saxons and Normans. Two very similar archways to that which has prompted so much discussion still exist in Exeter at the gatehouse of Rougemont Castle <span style="font-style: italic;">above left</span>. The two castle arches of c1068 are constructed from white sandstone. The interior arch at the South Gate was similar in appearance. The general colour scheme of the castle gatehouse, with its contrast between the white dressed stone of the arches and the purple volcanic trap of the walls, is also very reminiscent of what would've been the colouring of the South Gate.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgrcg56xdJCUjZriDZRu520rDiRRrcTnmbZYczprDqJ0hpxTUP4FVfMjHS9FYaCAlufDFKZfgGU-m9uBtI6VKmQUmR1CVOtHNSOypFM4_vFmuxLjEEuDXkvYmu2VscwQkgcKlrjAaD89R/s1600/Holy+Trinity+church+c1800.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769596898238671362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgrcg56xdJCUjZriDZRu520rDiRRrcTnmbZYczprDqJ0hpxTUP4FVfMjHS9FYaCAlufDFKZfgGU-m9uBtI6VKmQUmR1CVOtHNSOypFM4_vFmuxLjEEuDXkvYmu2VscwQkgcKlrjAaD89R/s1600/Holy+Trinity+church+c1800.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a>Another uncertainty surrounding the architecture of the South Gate was the close proximity of the house used by the priest of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2012/06/holy-trinity-church-south-street.html">Holy Trinity church</a>. The church was sited just within the city walls, almost adjacent to the South Gate itself. Jenkins complained in 1806 that the South Gate and the church's bell tower constricted the flow of traffic in and out of Exeter, a situation "rendered still worse by an arched building adjoining the tower, once the habitation of the Priest, but now of the Sexton". An 1853 article by William Harding also refers to this property. Harding cites a document relating to the parish of Holy Trinity dated 18 May 1615 which, according to him, "mentions also the Parsonage House, which was built over the king's high way; the entrance to which was by a Gothic door, forming an inconvenient projection into the street".<br />
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This structure, with a pointed gable roof, is shown in the drawing <span style="font-style: italic;">above right</span>. The arch of the South Gate itself can just be seen in the distance. The few surviving images of the priest's house suggest that it too had semi-circular arches but it was quite separate from the South Gate as a gap existed between the front wall of the priest's house and the back wall of the South Gate itself although the two were built of a similar material. In fact, prior to 1819, anyone walking down South Street would've had their view of the South Gate almost completely obscured by the presence of the overarching priest's house.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCrQ05MHPeytqsMMNO06tBYf-FA0rqg9hg8TnJ1UcnjQDLIkiluX3G6XbU-OlreNAGtwppg3fs8p1aZcuW3TxbPGwMnKrJemxlZokUb6_tG_C3cCFuetlxXnyhZsJeR55-o2sxRiDP8Yk/s1600/South+Gate+Priests+House_Exeter.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769598094818881906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCrQ05MHPeytqsMMNO06tBYf-FA0rqg9hg8TnJ1UcnjQDLIkiluX3G6XbU-OlreNAGtwppg3fs8p1aZcuW3TxbPGwMnKrJemxlZokUb6_tG_C3cCFuetlxXnyhZsJeR55-o2sxRiDP8Yk/s400/South+Gate+Priests+House_Exeter.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 311px;" /></a>The South Gate and the priest's house were accurately depicted by Caleb Hedgeland on his <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2012/01/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html">early 19th century model of the city</a>, a detail of which is shown <span style="font-style: italic;">left</span>. The early 15th century reconstruction of the South Gate is highlighted in red. The priest's house is highlighted in purple connected directly to the church of Holy Trinity. Holy Trinity was itself remodelled around the same time that the South Gate was rebuilt. Was the priest's house originally part of the South Gate and only later used by the priests? Was it constructed at the same time or was it part of an earlier building? Unfortunately I can't find out much else about it.<br />
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In c1600 the roof of the South Gate was strengthened to take guns and the height of the gate raised, but apart from these slight alterations the South Gate remained unchanged until the beginning of the 19th century. From the 16th century onwards the gatehouse was used as the city prison. The prison reformer, James Neild, visited the South Gate prison in 1806 and recorded that "it consists, amongst others, of two rooms in the Keeper's house called the Long Room and the Shoe".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTYoAk7w8WPrjSIBSybd35gyh3ALkQmeDcNsU3emQOAZjZk0M4md907cPeXGeIQoFb-i5SkIy1Mo5nSzcJ3h6TdDAzQbesohhYNZq7eCGKoBtaLUNgZLgLjhvoLdKvvZCxgsgVnJGNWye/s1600/South_Gate_Prison.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769600559876914402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTYoAk7w8WPrjSIBSybd35gyh3ALkQmeDcNsU3emQOAZjZk0M4md907cPeXGeIQoFb-i5SkIy1Mo5nSzcJ3h6TdDAzQbesohhYNZq7eCGKoBtaLUNgZLgLjhvoLdKvvZCxgsgVnJGNWye/s400/South_Gate_Prison.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 281px;" /></a>According to Neild, the Shoe received its name from a shoe that was hung by the prisoners from a length of string and suspended from "the iron-grated window towards the street". The idea was that charitable passers-by would put a small amount of money into the shoe (hence the phrase "living on a shoestring"). Neild recorded that the Shoe was used by debtors that "bring their own beds and pay six-pence per week". The image <span style="font-style: italic;">right</span> is an early 20th century postcard depicting a fictional view of prisoners lowering a shoe to pedestrians. The artist has shown the prisoners as being incarcerated in the priest's house of Holy Trinity rather than the South Gate.<br />
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The Long Room was used by the debtors for exercise, there being no courtyard. There were nine other rooms that could be let out by the jailer according to the debtors ability to pay. Jenkins reported that the room called the Shoe had formerly been a chapel as the remnants of the Ten Commandments, painted on the wall, could still be seen. He also believed that the debtors were sometimes allowed access to the tops of the towers, "which command a fine prospect", so they could enjoy some of the fresh air.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLUfE5XjDVElrrQNQ_wB7da6gyf6XeacTAkOpeaN4aZZw7PcIK4M9QZfQ1PwNAxUdqKKAEcDCQ8qfKfRByEplGtF-dLSyZRcjKgI2L7mYughoZZon3yM6zHHVR3Y0L8E_E2SVSrImC-zO/s1600/South+Gate+Plaque.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769602350609071922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLUfE5XjDVElrrQNQ_wB7da6gyf6XeacTAkOpeaN4aZZw7PcIK4M9QZfQ1PwNAxUdqKKAEcDCQ8qfKfRByEplGtF-dLSyZRcjKgI2L7mYughoZZon3yM6zHHVR3Y0L8E_E2SVSrImC-zO/s640/South+Gate+Plaque.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="494" /></a>The felons had a much worse time of it. Neild stated that "on the side opposite of the Gaoler's apartments are the three wards appropriated to the felons, dark, dirty and offensive; - we went into them with lighted candles: they have no chimney for ventilation; no courtyard belonging to them; nor water, except what was brought by the Keeper". There were three cells, two for men and one for women, located in the western side of the gatehouse. Jenkins related that these cells were all on the ground floor and "from their damp situation, and darkness, may not improperly be termed dungeons". The presence of an open sewer flowing from nearby <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/10/brief-history-of-southernhay_16.html">Southernhay</a> didn't add much to the comfort of those unfortunate enough to be imprisoned there. The largest felon cell was just over 12ft high, 18ft wide and 11ft deep. Above these cells were two day rooms with fireplaces accessed from below via a trap door. Jenkins wrote that John Howard, the 18th century prison reformer, believed that the South Gate prison was one of the "most unwholesome and dismal places of confinement" in England.<br />
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In June 1818 the foundation stone for a new 'House of Correction' was laid by the mayor at Northernhay where the Rougemont Hotel now stands. According to the 'Exeter Flying Post', the mayor declared that the construction of the new prison would take approximately 12 months "when the completion of their labours would be the destruction of a building which has long outraged humanity, and disgraced the city of Exeter". It's likely that the gatehouse would've been removed irrespective of the presence of the prison itself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsIhOLTfRxQ73FncuZodlgaPshl67cwP80IKnhOGMMEaamcLglA27aPHEj8jeSIdYVWAm5_Tm18Fql-L4dASpBEM07Ht2gJVxMAcQEk8pXa7sVvPZLvCZUMFZQ6zFeKaQRRZkTVETNeds/s1600/South+Gate+sale+of+materials+1819+Exeter.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769602764158612818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsIhOLTfRxQ73FncuZodlgaPshl67cwP80IKnhOGMMEaamcLglA27aPHEj8jeSIdYVWAm5_Tm18Fql-L4dASpBEM07Ht2gJVxMAcQEk8pXa7sVvPZLvCZUMFZQ6zFeKaQRRZkTVETNeds/s400/South+Gate+sale+of+materials+1819+Exeter.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 316px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;" /></a>All of the city's other medieval gatehouse had already been removed for street improvements and the South Gate was the last one to go. Exactly one year later, in June 1819, an advertisement <span style="font-style: italic;">right</span> appeared in the 'Exeter Flying Post' announcing the sale of building material from the South Gate, comprising bricks, stone, woodwork, floor joists as well as doors, windows and slate and lead from the roof. Parts of the South Gate must still exist in Exeter, spread around the city in various houses. (Old beams from 17th century houses demolished outside the South Gate in the 1970s were reused in a similar way e.g. at a house in Sylvan Road, Pennsylvannia.) The priest's house of Holy Trinity was demolished, along with the church, at the same time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrFZ3Xoi3dbnprEvOR2-1doDQQbcPyk5OdOfFvamivJcSsPlMX2XV9dVPzhQi1rassGWkkj71g9rNbWgyiLn9Xrf2qF0rhs7CyDzxhcR5w7S3QSDM7zD_BtCcXDit4ej86f4QmeJuo1Sy/s1600/South+Gate+aerial.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769605903859446626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrFZ3Xoi3dbnprEvOR2-1doDQQbcPyk5OdOfFvamivJcSsPlMX2XV9dVPzhQi1rassGWkkj71g9rNbWgyiLn9Xrf2qF0rhs7CyDzxhcR5w7S3QSDM7zD_BtCcXDit4ej86f4QmeJuo1Sy/s400/South+Gate+aerial.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="326" /></a>As with the slum clearances at the beginning of the 20th century, although the philanthropic sentiment can't be faulted it's impossible not to regret the demolition of the South Gate. As Hoskins wrote, "it's a vast pity that this magnificent gateway, one of the most impressive things of its kind in England, should have been destroyed like this and not by-passed as it could easily have been. Through this gateway many kings of England had passed from William the Conqueror onwards: it ranked with the cathedral, the castle, and the guildhall, as one of the grandest monuments to the Middle Ages in Exeter". The only city gatehouse left in England that was similar to the South Gate at Exeter is probably the surviving West Gate at Canterbury (the many surviving medieval gatehouses in York are of a quite different design).<br />
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The site today is marked by a late 19th century bronze plaque. The footprint of one of the square Roman towers and one of the early 15th century drum towers is marked out on the pavement in brick, highlighted in purple and red on the aerial view <span style="font-style: italic;">above left</span>. Unfortunately the approach to the gate, an area that survived the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html">Exeter Blitz</a> of 1942 and which contained many historically interesting properties from the 17th and 18th centuries, has been totally spoilt by the construction of the inner bypass in the 1960s and 1970s. But that's a whole different story.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45CyFu58wmCOCHEcjIWMLCT0GL8AdzmLiGQSVPlOxQAgQzzVH4jI5wqbi0A5X_emYc5AL0VtOqEPXC2v44uRYMqIT3duDf8sCsDSqOqba-qaRtaSt3pbnn4DDYUAY3v5vWKecD1Swauei/s1600/South+Gate+Exeter+2012.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="426" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769608566433485714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45CyFu58wmCOCHEcjIWMLCT0GL8AdzmLiGQSVPlOxQAgQzzVH4jI5wqbi0A5X_emYc5AL0VtOqEPXC2v44uRYMqIT3duDf8sCsDSqOqba-qaRtaSt3pbnn4DDYUAY3v5vWKecD1Swauei/s640/South+Gate+Exeter+2012.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/sources.html">Sources</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-61963113106694713892012-07-21T00:12:00.042+01:002013-03-31T23:29:28.253+01:00Medieval Stained Glass at Doddiscombsleigh<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ooaNZ4_vus2X75cN5TWzIyW0-M4YjETB8VcikDD_ARu9RHY-yZTg9JCWl1YPtSkYXysywpWdLhRZQhIIAuqNfRyb7-6MM-7gGADrRuVaEb-QGRXJxu8kdZGYCEQiQ_I72fvspGy597k3/s1600/Dodd+7Sacrament+i.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5767397503426928178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ooaNZ4_vus2X75cN5TWzIyW0-M4YjETB8VcikDD_ARu9RHY-yZTg9JCWl1YPtSkYXysywpWdLhRZQhIIAuqNfRyb7-6MM-7gGADrRuVaEb-QGRXJxu8kdZGYCEQiQ_I72fvspGy597k3/s640/Dodd+7Sacrament+i.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="486" /></a>The small village of Doddiscombsleigh lies about five miles southwest of Exeter. The village is locally notorious for being difficult to find, despite its proximity to the city. It's surrounded by twisting narrow lanes and deep valleys with the foothills of Dartmoor stretching away to the horizon.<br />
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Remarkably, apart from that in the <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/great-east-window-exeter-cathedral.html">Great East Window</a> of Exeter Cathedral, the parish church at Doddiscombsleigh contains the greatest collection of medieval stained glass to be found in situ anywhere in Devon.<br />
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Of particular interest is the fact that the Doddiscombsleigh panels and some of the glass at Exeter Cathedral were produced in the 15th century by the same glazing workshop.<br />
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The Doddiscombsleigh panels were installed c1480 and consist of five windows in the north aisle of the church of St Michael. This aisle was the original site of the 10th or 11th century church. (Part of the Saxon long-and-short work is still visible in the exterior of the north wall. This makes St Michael's one of the handful of extant buildings in Devon where Saxon masonry can still be seen.) The four windows in the north wall consist of groups of standing figures under which are heraldic shields. The window in the east wall of the aisle contains a single window depicting the Seven Sacraments, described in the church's guide book as St Michael's "crowning glory".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDfWZH7VsQf75JIYPVPC1eIpEG9B7Qpc3e4FAyjziRkQbvKdtd-0DMqtHfuF4uQl8X8V2036PNmSh80cshtYkcya3D54RGxbAEH0qb3WzwtiTITWk87M9bo7ivJNjEXeDgAduB-W1lzNw/s1600/Dodd+glass+i+exeter.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5767408774328946802" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDfWZH7VsQf75JIYPVPC1eIpEG9B7Qpc3e4FAyjziRkQbvKdtd-0DMqtHfuF4uQl8X8V2036PNmSh80cshtYkcya3D54RGxbAEH0qb3WzwtiTITWk87M9bo7ivJNjEXeDgAduB-W1lzNw/s640/Dodd+glass+i+exeter.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="465" /></a>Although the workshop that produced the glass is now often referred to as the 'Doddiscombsleigh artelier' or 'Doddiscombsleigh school', the panels weren't made in the village. The village just happens to possess the best surviving examples of the workshop's output. In fact the workshop was almost certainly based in Exeter and comprised a number of people working on many different commissions. Although the glass produced by the workshop exhibits a general similarity in style, experts in medieval glass have been able to distinguish the hand of individual artists.<br />
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The workshop executed panels for churches all across the southwest of England. Fragmentary examples still exist at Bratton Clovelly, Dunsford, Manaton and Cadbury, all in Devon, as well as Melbury Bubb in Dorset and Winscombe, Pitcombe and Langport in Somerset. The workshop also received an important commission from the Dean and Chapter of Exeter Cathedral in the late 15th century for a glazing scheme for the cathedral's chapter house (these very beautiful panels were transferred to the Great East Window in the 19th century where they can be seen today).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsa2yVb2LCn6-tUn_aPT2LTLvGEPjPu0uRiDl1Ipm1kN3_eIgtFxjKdo3w_89LesCp6p73LqbxtrENdNiUCBE8BXeBJet-cG__io8plnhKURjP_ezFBasTuGIgP6VV6x20LssFpoX6N1DH/s1600/Dodd+glass+detail.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5767668538670422082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsa2yVb2LCn6-tUn_aPT2LTLvGEPjPu0uRiDl1Ipm1kN3_eIgtFxjKdo3w_89LesCp6p73LqbxtrENdNiUCBE8BXeBJet-cG__io8plnhKURjP_ezFBasTuGIgP6VV6x20LssFpoX6N1DH/s400/Dodd+glass+detail.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="315" /></a>The windows at Doddiscombsleigh have been restored at least twice since the 15th century. Once in 1762 by Peter Coles, who also restored some of the glass in Exeter Cathedral, and again in 1877 by a firm called Clayton & Bell when anything between 15% and 20% of the panels were replaced with newly-painted glass and the four windows on the north wall underwent some rearrangement of the figures.<br />
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So not all of the panels have survived intact, but given the destruction of the Reformation, the English Civil War, the Puritans, general neglect and five centuries of wind, rain, frost and sun, not to mention the scarcity of existing medieval glass in Devon generally, and it's almost miraculous that any of the glass has survived at all!<br />
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According to Vidimus, the online magazine dedicated to medieval stained glass, tracings were made of the windows by an antiquarian in 1847, prior to the restoration of the 1870s. From these tracings it's possible to reconstruct something of the original scheme before some of the panels were rearranged and new figures inserted. The panels featuring St John the Evangelist, St Patrick and St Edward the Confessor are entirely the work of Clayton & Bell. The head of the Christ child being carried by St Christopher is also a Victorian addition, as is the head of St Paul.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJMLAP-lf8hvhzQWDTdf_YdRJXBzwYXm-2Myj74BPHWBHsukrpeu-KXcjjxm_9otV9Nb8_qrqNmYDD8v5JafKEw9-noe5wnETKE_QE2SCqRhtWaeb-zXeXMAzttw3-DMAZz29Wzt5Mzsw/s1600/Edward+the+Confessor+Doddiscombsleigh.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5767763068077521074" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJMLAP-lf8hvhzQWDTdf_YdRJXBzwYXm-2Myj74BPHWBHsukrpeu-KXcjjxm_9otV9Nb8_qrqNmYDD8v5JafKEw9-noe5wnETKE_QE2SCqRhtWaeb-zXeXMAzttw3-DMAZz29Wzt5Mzsw/s640/Edward+the+Confessor+Doddiscombsleigh.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="490" /></a>The 19th century figure of St Edward the Confessor is particularly impressive, the head <span style="font-style: italic;">right</span> being slightly reminscent of Robert Lyen's work on the East Window at Exeter Cathedral at the end of the 14th century.<br />
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Although it doesn't quite capture the stylistic quality of the genuine 15th century panels at Doddiscombsleigh, the figure demonstrates how successfully Victorian craftsmanship could mimic medieval stained glass. The glass was artificially aged using various techniques so that it blended more convincingly with the medieval survivals.<br />
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Of the eleven saints depicted in the four windows of the north wall, eight are composed almost entirely of panels made c1480 by the Doddiscombsleigh workshop. These include the figures of St Christopher, St Michael weighing the souls of the dead, St Peter, the Virgin Mary, St Paul (with a Victorian head), St George killing a dragon (shown <span style="font-style: italic;">above</span>, second from top), St Andrew and St James the Great, his cloak ornamented with sea shells. (<a href="http://vidimus.org/issues/issue-10/feature/">This page</a> at the Vidimus website has more detailed information on the reshuffling of the panels and their restoration.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Y6kr-k81Ntrq9ZVl9IknesL3_mqR2Rou2hfuUWhn5LzwfyKpZWrXSZAYR14_Nwk9ty1WHSy_sVzR_UiuGq13M8xP4cfi_2LNCqzqJ3D9cjuqBo0lldag6ZJjpWAXLtNfsGozJR1bkNYL/s1600/Seven+Sacraments+Window+Doddiscombsleigh.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5767785368492389106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Y6kr-k81Ntrq9ZVl9IknesL3_mqR2Rou2hfuUWhn5LzwfyKpZWrXSZAYR14_Nwk9ty1WHSy_sVzR_UiuGq13M8xP4cfi_2LNCqzqJ3D9cjuqBo0lldag6ZJjpWAXLtNfsGozJR1bkNYL/s640/Seven+Sacraments+Window+Doddiscombsleigh.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="492" /></a>The fifth window <span style="font-style: italic;">left</span> is the finest of all and is of national importance. It depicts the Seven Sacraments of the Church, seven separate panels depicting one sacrament each. In the centre of the scheme was originally a figure of Christ from which emanated lines of red glass, symbolising blood streaming from wounds of Christ and connecting each of the sacraments to God.<br />
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Unfortunately the central Christ figure had been removed at least by the end of the 18th century and replaced with clear glass. This was allegedly done at the behest of a local farmer who had a pew under the window. He complained that the large figure obscured the light so much that it prevented him from reading his Bible. The space occupied by Christ remained empty until the current figure was installed by Clayton & Bell in the 1870s. Comparison with a tiny fragment of a similar Seven Sacraments scheme from the same workshop that once existed at St Michael's at Cadbury near Exeter has shown that Clayton & Bell were probably incorrect in representing Christ as sitting, facing towards the viewer. The original panel probably showed Christ standing, facing slightly to the left. Despite this Victorian addition, the panels depicting the Seven Sacraments themselves have remain largely unaltered since the end of the 15th century.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Zz8LqEriCbqjr5vnbDaOMJSz0yI-XCAc7XYrZtmbAMKAKHG6T5UbZZ0JyjmQBTvVxH7U8G-zdXBzh7PUpJY5QixvqBMwffsm23cqp4MSorAGPBwu5G8ZtJ99jZWzqf8YjTmEW4rMKRNy/s1600/Dodd+7Sacrament+iii+Baptism.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5767790807686961106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Zz8LqEriCbqjr5vnbDaOMJSz0yI-XCAc7XYrZtmbAMKAKHG6T5UbZZ0JyjmQBTvVxH7U8G-zdXBzh7PUpJY5QixvqBMwffsm23cqp4MSorAGPBwu5G8ZtJ99jZWzqf8YjTmEW4rMKRNy/s640/Dodd+7Sacrament+iii+Baptism.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="493" /></a>The order of the Seven Sacraments in the window is as follows, starting in the top left and going anti-clockwise: The Eucharist shows a priest holding aloft the Eucharistic bread. The congregation crowd behind as he kneels before an altar draped in white and gold cloth upon which are placed a chalice and a statue of the Madonna.<br />
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Below this is the Sacrament of Marriage depicting a couple being married by a priest at the moment when the ring is placed on the bride's finger. To the bottom right is the Sacrament of Confirmation, the red-robed bishop wearing a mitre (a detail from this panel is shown<span style="font-style: italic;"> above</span>, the third photo from the top).<br />
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The central panel at the bottom of the window depicts the Sacrament of Absolution and shows a priest sitting on a wooden bench, dressed in a red cowl and hearing the confessions of a sinner, his hand placed on the sinner's head in an act of absolution. The top right panel is the Sacrament of Ordination with a bishop carrying a crozier seated before three newly-ordained priests as three others watch on in the background (this panel is shown at the <span style="font-style: italic;">top</span> of this post). Beneath is the Sacrament of Baptism<span style="font-style: italic;">, </span>the infant being held over a Gothic font and surrounded by a priest and four adults, probably the parents and godparents, <span style="font-style: italic;">above right</span>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWH6vufJ7A3rhAXKB2HNsirevYm5BY1aKSQTxVGGuk3seyN0bpFazt-lcJR5njZ7aHcHqIUedZDbPhPwOlDf3VWtGdxhcK25OZxdmiuylTr_7RTCfiC33NoqEDYQLZGFdHJWp8R2VSrg4g/s1600/Dodd+7Sacrament+iv.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5767788111623528018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWH6vufJ7A3rhAXKB2HNsirevYm5BY1aKSQTxVGGuk3seyN0bpFazt-lcJR5njZ7aHcHqIUedZDbPhPwOlDf3VWtGdxhcK25OZxdmiuylTr_7RTCfiC33NoqEDYQLZGFdHJWp8R2VSrg4g/s640/Dodd+7Sacrament+iv.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="484" /></a>The seventh panel shows the Sacrament of Extreme Unction <span style="font-style: italic;">left</span>, a dying man propped up in bed as he receives sacramental bread from a priest, his wife in the background, a chair standing near the bed on a floor of black and white tiles. The four small figures at the top of the window, above the main lights, depict St Stephen, St Lawrence and St Blaise. The forth is believed to be either St Heydrop or St Nicholas.<br />
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When Clayton & Bell restored the window in 1877 they believed "the scheme of the window to be entirely unique, never having seen anything like it in England or abroad". In fact the remains of several other Seven Sacrament windows do still exist. As mentioned above, there was a very similar scheme at Cadbury and fragments of others can be seen at St Trynog's in Llandyrnog in Wales, Cartmel Fell in Cumbria and Melbury Bubb in Somerset. But the Vidimus website states that the window at Doddiscombsleigh is "the most complete in situ composition of the Seven Sacraments in any English church". Full images of the other four windows containing medieval panels are shown <span style="font-style: italic;">below</span>.<br />
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These panels left Exeter over five hundred years ago, around the time of the Wars of the Roses, transported out of the city during the Late Middle Ages on a cart and hauled up and down the precipitous hills of West Devon before being installed in the church for which they were made. And they remain there today, rare survivals of perhaps the most fragile of medieval art forms.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQKAiZPAf0KkWe1kKYi4fXZQwoPAtnhr5I83TVZmAmA4IkOqS2LLFJ3qWI57nBaRfqaV-tgCWii7xwCmRjfaBRs-dHU7TsIrcjz6WxSaQrWrWcE-cAId0h8CBcKw5zX2d26bM4b30c11ma/s1600/Doddiscombsleigh+Window+1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5768009097753296562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQKAiZPAf0KkWe1kKYi4fXZQwoPAtnhr5I83TVZmAmA4IkOqS2LLFJ3qWI57nBaRfqaV-tgCWii7xwCmRjfaBRs-dHU7TsIrcjz6WxSaQrWrWcE-cAId0h8CBcKw5zX2d26bM4b30c11ma/s200/Doddiscombsleigh+Window+1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 200px; width: 150px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vBeuZFSgewLcNusCKQ1I7cqA7gpzzydj67n3O9aPGDT0g-d17zIhECZXvTnb7D1G8MueLMwtjtLxvs9p1ywp2kLEAtXzLHIuEdZkmrKlJOcrU4XdTpQGG5BPO2uhMc75utADXqzROilu/s1600/Doddiscombsleigh+Window+2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5768009100544885026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vBeuZFSgewLcNusCKQ1I7cqA7gpzzydj67n3O9aPGDT0g-d17zIhECZXvTnb7D1G8MueLMwtjtLxvs9p1ywp2kLEAtXzLHIuEdZkmrKlJOcrU4XdTpQGG5BPO2uhMc75utADXqzROilu/s200/Doddiscombsleigh+Window+2.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 200px; width: 152px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqD1iIKnNlDSUS0yPw-vWvMbQR-4Sptqb1RaMzew-CFWPAGsgr1EqF_C3TELg12K8zCHwJdn7yv_dktybf3lZV-wjqsgXPNzHE3WpIYS5u__OtUxIZHDPSxWPaBw02cHZQPPBynCj7pLnV/s1600/Doddiscombsleigh+Window+3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5768009107209090786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqD1iIKnNlDSUS0yPw-vWvMbQR-4Sptqb1RaMzew-CFWPAGsgr1EqF_C3TELg12K8zCHwJdn7yv_dktybf3lZV-wjqsgXPNzHE3WpIYS5u__OtUxIZHDPSxWPaBw02cHZQPPBynCj7pLnV/s200/Doddiscombsleigh+Window+3.jpg" style="height: 200px; width: 142px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3WEkaff1jHi609KfKKgUbOZVE_SnCS06dYLR0ml0ljiy3q9AN1AWur8aoca5cBeP-4OW_btYoEIBgncJK-Uobc913vuxKb3pe9LhMwaTWjAX0RN1q0JJFPx8DNW7JrD95ZNviYmm84Vd/s1600/Doddiscombsleigh+Window+4.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5768009111666960994" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3WEkaff1jHi609KfKKgUbOZVE_SnCS06dYLR0ml0ljiy3q9AN1AWur8aoca5cBeP-4OW_btYoEIBgncJK-Uobc913vuxKb3pe9LhMwaTWjAX0RN1q0JJFPx8DNW7JrD95ZNviYmm84Vd/s200/Doddiscombsleigh+Window+4.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 200px; width: 144px;" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3usGQn8bCWaLzQTyj4Fpm1QhU6JkAcEWk1yzByF6y2Ije9_UkhHJAqyy9HSTeNvR74eQ_UhIeFULPhJpZf4LRvlZKl1OrbjGkhGhuvA590jud6sX8-LY96xNe_ALCcvCub89kU09DEKLy/s1600/St+Michael+Doddiscombsleigh.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="539" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5768124455725172226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3usGQn8bCWaLzQTyj4Fpm1QhU6JkAcEWk1yzByF6y2Ije9_UkhHJAqyy9HSTeNvR74eQ_UhIeFULPhJpZf4LRvlZKl1OrbjGkhGhuvA590jud6sX8-LY96xNe_ALCcvCub89kU09DEKLy/s640/St+Michael+Doddiscombsleigh.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-29842673113956276162012-07-03T16:34:00.041+01:002013-01-22T23:28:53.955+00:00The Imminent Sale of Exeter's Church Plate<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PJlYrXz74BG42v722jMXq_EfpIBP8U07gyKGqh1OuiEo8Qco2AWgASthcYkr_3-ywxx5j5APmxGCkfYs5T3vlpNoKfQZPCjN-bnICxKhXq6UHDRqv-qxFhDDzcmlwxCgyVwb0vIWlWCF/s1600/St+Kerrian+communion+cup+John+John+c1570.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5761660142209310562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PJlYrXz74BG42v722jMXq_EfpIBP8U07gyKGqh1OuiEo8Qco2AWgASthcYkr_3-ywxx5j5APmxGCkfYs5T3vlpNoKfQZPCjN-bnICxKhXq6UHDRqv-qxFhDDzcmlwxCgyVwb0vIWlWCF/s400/St+Kerrian+communion+cup+John+John+c1570.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 296px;" /></a>Exeter has lost a number of its central medieval parish churches. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2011/01/st-georges-church-south-street.html">St George's</a> and St Kerrian's were demolished in the 19th century. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/11/allhallows-church-goldsmith-street.html">Allhallows</a>, St Paul's and St John's were all demolished in the first four decades of the 20th century. St Lawrence on the High Street was badly damaged during <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/10/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html">the Exeter Blitz of 1942</a> and subsequently demolished. <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/10/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html">St Mary Major's</a> was demolished in the 1970s. The churches of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2011/04/st-petrocks-church-high-street.html">St Petrock's</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/12/st-mary-steps-church-west-street.html">St Mary Steps</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2012/03/st-pancras-church-pancras-lane.html">St Pancras's</a>, St Olave's, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/12/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html">St Stephen's</a>, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/10/church-of-st-mary-arches-mary-arches.html">St Mary Arches's</a> and St Martin's still survive.<br />
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All of these buildings, from their ancient foundations through their subsequent development, tell the story of Exeter's history over the last one thousand years. Over the centuries each church accrued collections of plate: chalices, salvers, flagons, communion cups and patens, made of either pewter or silver, often bequeathed by wealthy benefactors to be held by the church <span style="font-style: italic;">in perpetuity</span>. When a church was demolished or destroyed that church's plate frequently found its way into another church where it became part of a new collection. Dwindling post-war congregations means that the churches of St Stephen's, St Petrock's, St Pancras', St Mary Arches and St Olave's now form a single entity known as the Parish of Central Exeter. The PoCE has control of nearly all of the church plate from the medieval parish churches, both from the churches that still survive and those that have disappeared.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZGoOS8h4Tj4NVV5iAxXn7ImOZXjGzF3s2rkwd8xhJ9roOHRn2OdNQ3DvZwaqSucdklvesf6d5ayn7u98hzXyVn1FMn6hytTrGNISXlWOgeom1QLg9-VI4fyAUrIs2ZeQBKhfI_DNCiKE/s1600/RAMM+Exeter.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5761668197777050610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZGoOS8h4Tj4NVV5iAxXn7ImOZXjGzF3s2rkwd8xhJ9roOHRn2OdNQ3DvZwaqSucdklvesf6d5ayn7u98hzXyVn1FMn6hytTrGNISXlWOgeom1QLg9-VI4fyAUrIs2ZeQBKhfI_DNCiKE/s400/RAMM+Exeter.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 303px;" /></a>The Parish of Central Exeter's collection consists of 116 individual pieces, some of which dates back to the 1570s. For many years much of the collection was displayed at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter <span style="font-style: italic;">right</span>. The collection of plate is currently in a bank vault, allegedly in Glasgow. Mention must also be made of the St Stephen's project, a £1.5 million regeneration of one of Exeter's central churches, managed by the PoCE, which includes such 'necessities' as touch-screen interactive panels. In order to raise money for the project some of the collection is being sold at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood auctioneers in Exeter on 11 July <br />
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In February 2012 a spokesman for the Dean and Chapter told a local journalist that the PoCE had asked for permission to sell twelve of the pieces. Permission was granted but the true extent of the sale remains uncertain. Keith Walton, a church warden, told the local paper that "we assessed all of the items that are held and have only put forward those with the least significant historic interest for Exeter". John Allan, one of Exeter's most senior archaeologists, has written an article especially for the catalogue of the planned sale of the silver. In the article he states that, in some cases, all that survives of some of Exeter's oldest churches is their plate. So let's see exactly what is being sold at auction on 11 July.<br />
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The first item is a silver communion cup made c1575 by Exeter's most celebrated Elizabethan goldsmith, John Jones. (This item is shown at the <span style="font-style: italic;">top</span> of this post.) Examples of his work are on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The cover is engraved with a Tudor rose and was used as a paten. The cup held the consecrated wine and the bread was laid on the paten. It is inscribed: "Entrusted to the Church Wardens of St Petrock by The Parish of St Kerrian, May 1884". <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2011/02/st-kerrians-north-street.html">St Kerrian's church</a> on <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/11/brief-history-of-north-street.html">North Street</a> is first mentioned in 1194 but was demolished in 1878. This is almost certainly the communion cup and cover that was used in St Kerrian's church for three hundred years, possibly fashioned by John Jones out of a pre-existing medieval chalice. In the auction catalogue, John Allan states that this cup is probably the church's "most important surviving relic".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_xEIkr6KTI7-fQV9MuRxbo3Ikx4vh1I_UZu7CGfg4aKEHSVR8jIoxBi9nswhGKLG_3Nn3w0JnJs5lr-_yUkOEZJX7BCRy7UsrNjYd97qquRvlyT28IhvD8yzFfbghYbDxzlrHZGKfRIU/s1600/St+Paul%2527s+communion+cup+John+John+c1570.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5761669683207367986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_xEIkr6KTI7-fQV9MuRxbo3Ikx4vh1I_UZu7CGfg4aKEHSVR8jIoxBi9nswhGKLG_3Nn3w0JnJs5lr-_yUkOEZJX7BCRy7UsrNjYd97qquRvlyT28IhvD8yzFfbghYbDxzlrHZGKfRIU/s400/St+Paul%2527s+communion+cup+John+John+c1570.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 314px;" /></a>The second item is another Elizabethan silver communion cup with cover also by John Jones c1575 <span style="font-style: italic;">left</span>. This cup is inscribed "St Paul's, Exon, 1758". Like St Kerrian's, <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/10/parish-and-church-of-st-paul_21.html">the church of St Paul</a> on <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/10/paul-street-complete-disaster.html">Paul Street</a> had ancient origins stretching far back into the city's past. The communion cup was once again perhaps reformed from a medieval chalice. The cup was in use before the church was rebuilt in the 1680s and it survived both the Commonwealth which followed the English Civil War and the demolition of the church in 1937. As in the case of St Kerrian's, this communion cup is the most important surviving remnant of the church along with its parish registers.<br />
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Other items relating to St Paul's church are in the planned sale. A pair of George II silver flagons made in London in 1758 and inscribed "St Paul's, Exon, 1758" are also to be sold along with two late 17th century silver patens, made in Exeter by John Dagge and inscribed "St Paul's, Exon, 1758". A silver paten from 1658 that was used in the bombed church of <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2011/01/st-lawrences-church-high-street.html">St Lawrence</a>, inscribed "St Lawrence, 1690" is in the auction, shown <span style="font-style: italic;">bottom</span>. Another piece associated with St Lawrence's is a silver flagon with a domed lid, made in London in 1735 and inscribed "The Gift of Mr Robt Dawe to the Church of St Lawrence in Exeter, A.D 1735". Yet another silver flagon, made in London in 1692 and inscribed "St Martin's in Exon" is also going along with two silver flagons made late in the reign of Charles I. They are inscribed with "St Stephen's" and the date 1664, commemorating the year that the church was rebuilt following severe damage during the Commonwealth. What John Allan calls "historically one of the most interesting items in the sale" is a silver flagon that was given to St John's church by Thomas Potter in 1694.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFe9AtTaut4HFYPeCMe80o_R1DFH-_GhzVA3uq6M1k7vm6wa_QUJdS6Z-InfpBQlTjnBmM2Ji5bcQEeiXBKs5LiwrlUuFKroJQ4UqaPmw7ErEeq5rfwVGQHs_lt4q2XhDlpIx51q_77ts8/s1600/229+Exeter+House+High+St.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5761671610609417714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFe9AtTaut4HFYPeCMe80o_R1DFH-_GhzVA3uq6M1k7vm6wa_QUJdS6Z-InfpBQlTjnBmM2Ji5bcQEeiXBKs5LiwrlUuFKroJQ4UqaPmw7ErEeq5rfwVGQHs_lt4q2XhDlpIx51q_77ts8/s400/229+Exeter+House+High+St.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 334px;" /></a>The idea that the two Elizabethan communion cups, particuarly, fall into the category of "least significant historic interest" is risible. They were at the very centre of the liturgy at St Kerrian's and at St Paul's for over sixteen generations and played an integral role in the religious experience of thousands of Exeter's citizens. You don't have to be religious or belong to any particular denomination to realise that these two items are of profound importance to Exeter's heritage. They are history incarnate and that they are now to be sold off is reprehensible. It is no different to the sale of the Elizabethan and Jacobean interiors at <a href="http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr/2010/09/no-229-high-street.html">No. 229 High Street</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">right</span> in 1930 to William Randolph Hearst, an act which has been widely condemned ever since. It would be like the cathedral selling Leofric's 'Exeter Book' of Anglo-Saxon literature or the city council selling the civic regalia and the sword presented to the city by Henry VII. Both items, like the two communion cups and other pieces of church plate, are inextricably linked to the history of Exeter.<br />
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The Parish of Central Exeter may well be the legal owner of the two John Jones cups and the other items but by putting them up for sale it has proven itself to be an unfit custodian of the entire collection. Irrespective of the inclusion of the communion cups, the sale of even one part of the collection throws the future of the entire collection into doubt. Now it has been dipped into once then who is to say that other pieces won't be sold the next time that more money is needed. The PoCE's website refers to "the first auction" taking place on 11 July which implies that more auction sales are imminent. It's ironic that the PoCE used the phrase "St Stephen's church has been here for a thousand years and belongs to us all" as part of its fundraising campaign. A sense of collective ownership could equally be applied to elements of the church plate that is being sold.<br />
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A small story about the sale appeared in the Express & Echo in March 2012, which is when the untruth was told concerning the pieces of "least significant historic interest". It's only recently that the presence of the communion cups in the sale has become public knowledge. Clearly there's a real possibility that everything in the collection will eventually be dispersed. If the communion cups of St Paul's and St Kerrian's can be sold then <span style="font-style: italic;">anything</span> can be sold. It is extremely disappointing that attitudes towards Exeter's heritage seem to have changed so little when so much has already been irretrievably lost.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQ0eaB-m-pK0MlZ9urQYyKOyzT4cO6lzZqxEqqMB90nAymdBvRT5xyyWSKxGxW49LM7qG95lLkk-LkGjMcIYt9eOCIUcgA2UUmlbigRXw2AQGckghRfBahPOSUjcThZLZRW0ZKb26fN9R/s1600/Commonwealth+silver+paten+St+Lawrence.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5761678869139274546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQ0eaB-m-pK0MlZ9urQYyKOyzT4cO6lzZqxEqqMB90nAymdBvRT5xyyWSKxGxW49LM7qG95lLkk-LkGjMcIYt9eOCIUcgA2UUmlbigRXw2AQGckghRfBahPOSUjcThZLZRW0ZKb26fN9R/s400/Commonwealth+silver+paten+St+Lawrence.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 335px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3