// API callback
randomposts({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$blogger":"http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-06-21T21:10:48.915+01:00"},"category":[{"term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"term":"Listed Building"},{"term":"High Street"},{"term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"term":"1942"},{"term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"term":"Stuart Exeter"},{"term":"Tudor Exeter"},{"term":"Post-War Reconstruction"},{"term":"Cathedral Close"},{"term":"Other Streets"},{"term":"West Quarter"},{"term":"Exeter Churches"},{"term":"Inner Bypass"},{"term":"Inns and Taverns"},{"term":"Saxon Exeter"},{"term":"South Street"},{"term":"Exeter Cathedral"},{"term":"Guildhall Shopping Centre"},{"term":"Roman Exeter"},{"term":"Walls and Gates"},{"term":"Slum Clearance"},{"term":"20th Century"},{"term":"North Street"},{"term":"Victorian Exeter"},{"term":"Palace Gate"},{"term":"Eastgate"},{"term":"Bampfylde House"},{"term":"Exe Bridge"},{"term":"Exe Island"},{"term":"Southernhay"},{"term":"Bedford Circus"},{"term":"Fore Street"},{"term":"Queen Street"},{"term":"Deller's Cafe"},{"term":"Out of Exeter"},{"term":"Rougemont"},{"term":"Sidwell Street"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Demolition Exeter"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"A Century of Destruction in an English Cathedral City"},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/posts\/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default?alt=json-in-script\u0026max-results=1000"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"169"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"1000"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5853405938441186995"},"published":{"$t":"2018-04-10T15:02:00.000+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-04-10T23:01:24.328+01:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"End of a Blog"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Many 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith best wishes to all visitors, both past and future!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003Ewolfpaw\u003Cbr \/\u003E10 Apr 2018\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-K5XWMprjXw8\/WszDjWQvyMI\/AAAAAAAAITc\/BFULl4g7EdIWT8zwJjQCJskOS8kdUO53QCLcBGAs\/s1600\/delll.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1008\" data-original-width=\"636\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-K5XWMprjXw8\/WszDjWQvyMI\/AAAAAAAAITc\/BFULl4g7EdIWT8zwJjQCJskOS8kdUO53QCLcBGAs\/s1600\/delll.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5853405938441186995\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5853405938441186995","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5853405938441186995"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5853405938441186995"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2018\/04\/end-of-blog.html","title":"End of a Blog"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-K5XWMprjXw8\/WszDjWQvyMI\/AAAAAAAAITc\/BFULl4g7EdIWT8zwJjQCJskOS8kdUO53QCLcBGAs\/s72-c\/delll.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-7253153188474438745"},"published":{"$t":"2016-11-01T12:57:00.000+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-11-03T10:39:36.360+00:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The 2016 Fire in Cathedral Yard"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-URcD19UByJA\/WBda9HdCVAI\/AAAAAAAAIPQ\/2MDcOJc2eTQVrg1wLW2u2KmYH2pNHTutwCLcB\/s1600\/overview%2Bfire%2Bexeter%2B2016.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"418\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-URcD19UByJA\/WBda9HdCVAI\/AAAAAAAAIPQ\/2MDcOJc2eTQVrg1wLW2u2KmYH2pNHTutwCLcB\/s640\/overview%2Bfire%2Bexeter%2B2016.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EA\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Es \u003C\/span\u003Eeveryone in Exeter now k\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Enows, \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eon 28 Octo\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eber \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E2016 \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003Eseveral \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ebui\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eldings in the Cathedral Yard \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ewere\u003C\/span\u003E seriously dama\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eged \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ein a fire\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E, incl\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Euding\u003C\/span\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003Ethe Royal C\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003El\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ea\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Erence Hotel\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E.\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EMo\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Est of t\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003Ehe affected structures are\u003C\/span\u003E h\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eistoric\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eally \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eor archite\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ecturally i\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Emportant Grade II listed \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eproperties, including \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ethe\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003Ehotel,\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E No. 1\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E8 Cathedral Yard\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E \u003Ci\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/i\u003E, the W\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eell House inn at 16 \u0026amp; 1\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E7 Cathedral Yard and the former Exeter Bank building on the corner of C\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eathedral Yard and St Martin's Lane\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E. Unfortuna\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Etely \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ebo\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eth the\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E Royal Clarence H\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eotel and No. \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E18 C\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eathedral Yard\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ewere almost c\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eompletely destroyed.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-fHyHTGXhVPM\/WBcxzZmeO4I\/AAAAAAAAIOk\/ssxxTVuo7vMRsCJkGxmdIihUsp9fNckXwCLcB\/s1600\/18CY.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-fHyHTGXhVPM\/WBcxzZmeO4I\/AAAAAAAAIOk\/ssxxTVuo7vMRsCJkGxmdIihUsp9fNckXwCLcB\/s640\/18CY.jpg\" width=\"396\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EIt is also a testament to the work of the fire ser\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Evice that the \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Econflagration didn't spread s\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eig\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Enific\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eantly\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E into \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/07\/probably-best-preserved-group-of-late.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe small group of 16th buildings that front onto the High Street\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E, although even here there was damage.\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E I\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ef the fire had o\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eccurred at an\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ey other period in time then it\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E's highl\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ey li\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ekely that these, arguably even more significant \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ebuildings,\u003C\/span\u003E wo\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Euld've been lost\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E too.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003ECliche i\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Et may be, bu\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Et it could easily have been much worse.\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E And \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Et\u003C\/span\u003Ehere's obviously also \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ea salutary lesson \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/span\u003E in \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ethe dangers of \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ehaving\u003C\/span\u003E all your historical\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\/architec\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Etural\u003C\/span\u003E eggs in one small basket. Exeter \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ehas so\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E few of thes\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ee 'eggs' that it really can\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E't af\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eford to lose \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ethe ones it's \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Egot\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAnother rather u\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Enfor\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Etunate cons\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eequence is \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ethat it's led \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eto a\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E resurgence in the usual bleat\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eing about the damage caused \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eby the\u003C\/span\u003E 'Exe\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eter Bli\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Etz', and i\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Et reminded me a\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Egain\u003C\/span\u003E how deeply ingrained this particular myth is in the general Exeter consciousness. \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EEven the bishop wa\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Es \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ea\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Et it, fo\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Er \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Egoodness s\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eake\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E, claiming that \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe 1942 \u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eair-raid\u003C\/a\u003E destroyed \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\"\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003El\u003C\/span\u003Eots of our medieval buildings in Exeter\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\" as if th\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eat\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eevent was solely responsible for the destruction of Exeter as a visually\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003Ehistoric\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ecity.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003EAt least Dr Todd Gray\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E, when\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E interviewed by the BBC,\u0026nbsp; mentioned the \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Edestructive redevelopments of the 1960s and 1970s\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E while adding that \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/destruction-of-exeter-in-20th-century.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe Blitz only affected 25% of the city\u003C\/a\u003E [not 75% as many seem to believe\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E]\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-TxzETtQBibs\/WBczpudbqcI\/AAAAAAAAIOw\/1NAyTj_4ooYy5USvdhUmxfUOl6VEkhEVQCLcB\/s1600\/18%2BCathedral%2BYard%2Binterior.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-TxzETtQBibs\/WBczpudbqcI\/AAAAAAAAIOw\/1NAyTj_4ooYy5USvdhUmxfUOl6VEkhEVQCLcB\/s640\/18%2BCathedral%2BYard%2Binterior.jpg\" width=\"348\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EIt \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eseems that the fire started in No.\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E 18 Cathedr\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eal Yard. The ground floor was being used as a\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003En a\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ert gallery and the \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eupper floors were in the process of being con\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Everted into luxury apartments. According to media report\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Es\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E, the upper floors had been empty for an incredib\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ele\u003C\/span\u003E ten years as various schemes for their use fell through.\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EBu\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eilt c.1910, No. 18 was Grade II listed and \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ebuilt of r\u003C\/span\u003Eed brick with stucco dressings, pilasters and entablature\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003Eat each level\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E. It also had a distin\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ective M\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eansard roof \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Emore typical of France than south\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ewest England\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E. In his book 'Exeter Architecture', Hugh Mell\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ee\u003C\/span\u003Er writes that \"there is \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ea theory that it was built \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eby a \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ecurio collector with a \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Efancy for the French renaiss\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eance\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E...it was cert\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eainly \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ea curious person who dre\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eamt up the \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Einterior\" \u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E. Dark mahogany doors with inset mirrored panels and framed by Co\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Erinth\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eian pilasters led from room to room\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E, an effect that Mel\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eler descri\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ebes \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eas \"w\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eeirdly surreal\". A staircase, at leas\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Et\u003C\/span\u003E part\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E of which was\u003C\/span\u003E 18th century\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E, ascended through the centre of the bu\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eild\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eing with a \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eg\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ealler\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eied lan\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eding\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eon the first \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Efloor.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe mos\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Et remarka\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eb\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ele \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eroom\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ehowever\u003C\/span\u003E had \"gilded \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ewallp\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eaper in the Po\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Em\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Epeian style\", large mirrors, black fireplaces decorated with stone lions \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eand a very elabor\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eate gilded cornice. Pevsner\/Cherry desc\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eribe this room as \"very lavishly decorated in the Louis Quin\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eze style\"\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E. It's a pity more people couldn't h\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eave seen the\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ese interiors before they were destroyed at the w\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eeekend. \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003ENo\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E. 18 has been left as a shell\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E although \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eperhaps\u003C\/span\u003E the exterior a\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Et least can be sal\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eva\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eged\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZPiPv_i2MxQ\/WBdCCIyB30I\/AAAAAAAAIPA\/fMlutCYLJvsp12rUrMAGBI9yNJaV2bBtACLcB\/s1600\/16_17_Cathedral_Yard%2BExeter%2BWell%2BHouse.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZPiPv_i2MxQ\/WBdCCIyB30I\/AAAAAAAAIPA\/fMlutCYLJvsp12rUrMAGBI9yNJaV2bBtACLcB\/s640\/16_17_Cathedral_Yard%2BExeter%2BWell%2BHouse.jpg\" width=\"436\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003ENos. 16 \u0026amp; 17 C\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eathedral Yard\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E \u003Ci\u003Eleft \u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Edate fr\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eom\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E the 1600s\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E,\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ealthough the faca\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Edes were \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Erefurbished in the 19th century. This makes them s\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eome of the oldest surviving timber-framed domestic \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ehouses \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ewithi\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003En the city walls.\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003EBoth stand on very long, narrow tenement plo\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ets of \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ea \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Esort once found tho\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003Eroughout Exeter\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe buildings\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E are kno\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ewn to most people today as the site of the Well House inn. The \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ename derives from a well discovered in 1933 of \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eallegedly Roman \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Edate\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E which can be\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eseen in the \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ece\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ell\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ears\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003EThe cell\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ears also cont\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eain a skeleton\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E comprising t\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ehe \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ebones of two separate individuals. \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThis feeds into the\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E ridiculous story of the bones being the remains of a monk and some woman \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ewith whom he was having an illicit \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eaffair.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAlthough badly damage\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ed by the \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Efire\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E, \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eespeciall\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ey at the rear, \u003C\/span\u003Ee\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Enough\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E appears to \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Esurvive \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eof both \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003ENos. 16 \u0026amp; 17 \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eto m\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eake resto\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eration a real possibility. \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EIt's incredible that anything rem\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eains of them at all\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E given their wooden construction and the almost total des\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Etr\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Euction of the buildings on either s\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eide. The fire \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eseems \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eto have passed from No. 18 to the Royal C\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Elarence \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EHotel via the\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E g\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eabled roofs of Nos. 16 \u0026amp; 17 while leaving the f\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eronts \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eand floors\u003C\/span\u003E relatively in\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Etact.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-UMJkAcY27t0\/WBdoLmZAxYI\/AAAAAAAAIPg\/A8vbvdjo2y0DCRRZZKUwrHwZ0te1ENTvwCLcB\/s1600\/royal%2Bclarence%2Bexeter%2Bblog.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"496\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-UMJkAcY27t0\/WBdoLmZAxYI\/AAAAAAAAIPg\/A8vbvdjo2y0DCRRZZKUwrHwZ0te1ENTvwCLcB\/s640\/royal%2Bclarence%2Bexeter%2Bblog.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EUnfortunately the same can't be said of the Royal Clarence Hotel \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E, 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/11\/new-london-inn-new-london-inn-square.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe New London\u003C\/a\u003E - its great rival - describing itself as an inn\".\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-WIJDwg1qB54\/WBduXubYQVI\/AAAAAAAAIPw\/yOtQ6lcXda4Fx4EtjMD4ulFLBaE0bWNwACLcB\/s1600\/royal%2Bclarence%2Bfrom%2Bcathedral.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-WIJDwg1qB54\/WBduXubYQVI\/AAAAAAAAIPw\/yOtQ6lcXda4Fx4EtjMD4ulFLBaE0bWNwACLcB\/s640\/royal%2Bclarence%2Bfrom%2Bcathedral.jpg\" width=\"438\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThe Hotel was just one of numerous coaching inns and taverns which flourished in the city throughout the 17th and 18th centuries e.g. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/11\/globe-inn-cathedral-yard.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe Globe\u003C\/a\u003E, the London, the previously-mentioned New London, the Mermaid, the White Hart, the Valiant Soldier, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/03\/bear-inn-on-south-street-abbots-of.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe Bear\u003C\/a\u003E on South Street, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/02\/black-lions-inn-no-78-south-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe Black Lions\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/02\/elephant-inn-no-37-north-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe Elephant on North Street\u003C\/a\u003E, the Half Moon and, oldest of all, the New Inn on the High Street, to name just a few.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EAlexander 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/02\/devon-and-exeter-subscription-rooms.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe Public Subscription Rooms\u003C\/a\u003E at the former East Gate]. The photo \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E shows the Royal Clarence Hotel from the north tower of the Cathedral with associated structures visible behind the facade.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-x2Wc6o4-3Gg\/WBe6qb8tiVI\/AAAAAAAAIQA\/EZiU7YIvKF4DJrK6A-wgWYKjwK8aLg65ACLcB\/s1600\/Clarence%2BHotel%2BRoyal%2BArms%2Bii.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-x2Wc6o4-3Gg\/WBe6qb8tiVI\/AAAAAAAAIQA\/EZiU7YIvKF4DJrK6A-wgWYKjwK8aLg65ACLcB\/s640\/Clarence%2BHotel%2BRoyal%2BArms%2Bii.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ELike \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eall the buildings affected by the fire, the Royal C\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Elarence Hotel\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Estood\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E within the footprint of the \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003ERoman legionary fort establi\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eshed in the middle of the first cent\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eury AD \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eby the\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E future emper\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eor of Rome\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E, \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EVespasian\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EHowever, t\u003C\/span\u003Ehe history of the site reall\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ey only takes shape during the Middle A\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eges\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ewhen\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E, in the 1440s, it\u003C\/span\u003E was occ\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eupied by houses belonging to the can\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eons \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ea\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Et the Cathedral, including \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eone William Pencrych.\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003EAccording \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eto Todd Gray, the \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eground floor and first floor of the Hotel incorporated mediev\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eal \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Efabric\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E. In 1732 it was the site \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eof a large house belon\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Egin\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Eg to \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003ENathaniel Matthews\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E and presumably it was this building \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ethat was demolished in order to \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Econstruct\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003Ewhat became the \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003ERoyal Clarence.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-qMvYJcJqeoA\/WBe8ekrJ1cI\/AAAAAAAAIQI\/KMo18Ow6lp4drizTHF38wAch7Px27RWrgCLcB\/s1600\/clarence%2Bexeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-qMvYJcJqeoA\/WBe8ekrJ1cI\/AAAAAAAAIQI\/KMo18Ow6lp4drizTHF38wAch7Px27RWrgCLcB\/s640\/clarence%2Bexeter.jpg\" width=\"444\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe most attractive details were the two coats of arms with which it was adorned: one on the parapet \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E, which has unfortunately fallen into the remains of the interior, and another on the Tuscan porch \u003Ci\u003Ebottom\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs 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. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/nos-25-26-high-street-new-inn.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe New Inn\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/half-moon-inn-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe Half Moon\u003C\/a\u003E]. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-iwkjUXkkv6Y\/WBhiK5qsqEI\/AAAAAAAAIQY\/9QE74PtR5nM_YahOqmUhVqEGyC1SGqIiACLcB\/s1600\/exeter%2Bbank.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-iwkjUXkkv6Y\/WBhiK5qsqEI\/AAAAAAAAIQY\/9QE74PtR5nM_YahOqmUhVqEGyC1SGqIiACLcB\/s640\/exeter%2Bbank.jpg\" width=\"396\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E. It opened its doors on 09 July 1769. It was also once the site of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/07\/dellers-cafe-bedford-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EDeller's Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E before that business moved to its extraordinary new premises in Bedford Street in 1916.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere 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: \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/07\/no-39-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 39\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/07\/no-40-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 40\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp; \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/12\/nos-41-42-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 41 \u0026amp; 42 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E [Laura Ashley], \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/07\/nos-43-44-and-45-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 43, 44 \u0026amp; 45\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/07\/nos-46-47-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 46 \u0026amp; 47 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E [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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--0PmD7LkEPY\/WBm9U7SASCI\/AAAAAAAAIRc\/Kk404Jt3_DU450KmuFq47VoWcEBLSZlbACLcB\/s1600\/ex1.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"408\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--0PmD7LkEPY\/WBm9U7SASCI\/AAAAAAAAIRc\/Kk404Jt3_DU450KmuFq47VoWcEBLSZlbACLcB\/s640\/ex1.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETalk 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].\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-XGBWzSn2QAU\/WBiOIxkL6jI\/AAAAAAAAIRA\/eEt9QesR9AEhdxsspfJqqQR51r4qGWNzQCLcB\/s1600\/Princesshay%2Bshit.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-XGBWzSn2QAU\/WBiOIxkL6jI\/AAAAAAAAIRA\/eEt9QesR9AEhdxsspfJqqQR51r4qGWNzQCLcB\/s640\/Princesshay%2Bshit.jpg\" width=\"402\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut 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 \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E. 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\". \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EExeter 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/09\/medieval-merchants-at-no-36-north.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe demolition of medieval houses in the 1970s\u003C\/a\u003E to build the Guildhall Shopping Centre, or \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe demolition of Goldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E, or \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2013\/03\/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe creation of the inner bypass\u003C\/a\u003E and redevelopment of Cowick Street, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/09\/debenhams-nos-1-to-11-sidwell-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe old Debenhams building\u003C\/a\u003E, the latest hideous incarnation of Princesshay or the new plans for Sidwell Street, mindless in-fill like \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/12\/nos-50-to-52-high-street-exchange-lane.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 50 - 52 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, or \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/12\/nos-212-to-219-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe atrocious Marks \u0026amp; Spencer building\u003C\/a\u003E of 1980.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-r7XirRnp99U\/WBiQYFtCmcI\/AAAAAAAAIRM\/QQ8XV8cluDQh_XEA91ZXlAjuKuc6Rw-OwCLcB\/s1600\/princesshay2016.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-r7XirRnp99U\/WBiQYFtCmcI\/AAAAAAAAIRM\/QQ8XV8cluDQh_XEA91ZXlAjuKuc6Rw-OwCLcB\/s640\/princesshay2016.jpg\" width=\"454\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EExeter'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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETheoretically, a modern architect should be commissioned to come up with something grossly inappropriate. If 'modern' was good enough for the new Princesshay \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E, 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?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESurely, 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].\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EExeter doesn't 'do' historical reconstructions. Why should it start now?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-OnCUkmklCbY\/WBiKkT6_uCI\/AAAAAAAAIQo\/nRIN7vlQ0iQeEqfwJks1jhiqJpa5Mf6BgCLcB\/s1600\/Clarence%2BHotel%2BRoyal%2BArms%2Bsmall.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"416\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-OnCUkmklCbY\/WBiKkT6_uCI\/AAAAAAAAIQo\/nRIN7vlQ0iQeEqfwJks1jhiqJpa5Mf6BgCLcB\/s640\/Clarence%2BHotel%2BRoyal%2BArms%2Bsmall.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/7253153188474438745\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=7253153188474438745","title":"11 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7253153188474438745"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7253153188474438745"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2016\/11\/the-2016-fire-in-cathedral-yard.html","title":"The 2016 Fire in Cathedral Yard"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-URcD19UByJA\/WBda9HdCVAI\/AAAAAAAAIPQ\/2MDcOJc2eTQVrg1wLW2u2KmYH2pNHTutwCLcB\/s72-c\/overview%2Bfire%2Bexeter%2B2016.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"11"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-964937103641365756"},"published":{"$t":"2013-05-21T01:01:00.002+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-22T13:04:06.424+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Cathedral"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Exeter Cathedral: Bishop Stapledon's Lost Reredos"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan id=\"goog_816559256\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan id=\"goog_816559257\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-g2kowqNJ9uk\/UZql7jMCxoI\/AAAAAAAAHH8\/OP_VZZidAlA\/s1600\/Stapledons+Lost+Reredos+blog.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-g2kowqNJ9uk\/UZql7jMCxoI\/AAAAAAAAHH8\/OP_VZZidAlA\/s640\/Stapledons+Lost+Reredos+blog.jpg\" width=\"598\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe early 14th century reredos which stood behind the high altar at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003EExeter Cathedral\u003C\/a\u003E must be counted as one of greatest lost masterpieces of medieval England. The photo \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E is a rather feeble attempt by me to reconstruct what it might've looked like c1400, after the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/02\/great-east-window-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003EGreat East Window\u003C\/a\u003E had been replaced by Robert Lyen and Robert Lesyngham at the end of the 14th century. The photo \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E shows the Neville screen at Durham Cathedral which gets mentioned a little further on.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-zHi_vZYKR8Q\/UZqnRq8Mk3I\/AAAAAAAAHIQ\/EAus5ByVR2w\/s1600\/screen.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-zHi_vZYKR8Q\/UZqnRq8Mk3I\/AAAAAAAAHIQ\/EAus5ByVR2w\/s640\/screen.jpg\" width=\"438\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EWe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/05\/exeter-cathedral-bishops-throne.html\"\u003Ethe largest piece of medieval furniture still in existence\u003C\/a\u003E, towering nearly 60ft (18m) high and covered in intricate detail.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 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 \u0026amp; 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/i\u003E shows part of the tomb of Hugh Despenser at Tewkesbury which might've drawn inspiration from the Exeter reredos.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-_n217iGrvJY\/UZldxSBEViI\/AAAAAAAAHGQ\/IyhlpGK9cto\/s1600\/despenser.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-_n217iGrvJY\/UZldxSBEViI\/AAAAAAAAHGQ\/IyhlpGK9cto\/s640\/despenser.jpg\" width=\"380\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EWork 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAccording 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-8L3b3-3moNc\/UZlfys-bqmI\/AAAAAAAAHGo\/ivxvTXV-Hno\/s1600\/exeter+choir.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-8L3b3-3moNc\/UZlfys-bqmI\/AAAAAAAAHGo\/ivxvTXV-Hno\/s640\/exeter+choir.jpg\" width=\"439\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EVeronica 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGiven 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ajBlA5Mffys\/UZpDU5QrS7I\/AAAAAAAAHHk\/XYiUEVfnjYE\/s1600\/Exeter+Sedilia.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ajBlA5Mffys\/UZpDU5QrS7I\/AAAAAAAAHHk\/XYiUEVfnjYE\/s640\/Exeter+Sedilia.jpg\" width=\"430\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EApart 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 \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photo \u003Ci\u003Eabove right \u003C\/i\u003Eshows  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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-fCGx39Pw_CY\/UZqot4c9RqI\/AAAAAAAAHIg\/Iy3Paqx_ruE\/s1600\/st+andrews+chapel+fragment.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-fCGx39Pw_CY\/UZqot4c9RqI\/AAAAAAAAHIg\/Iy3Paqx_ruE\/s1600\/st+andrews+chapel+fragment.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EStapledon'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 \u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E\"Bishop Stapledon\u003Ci\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E made also the riche fronte of stonework at the high altar in the\u003Ci\u003E \u003C\/i\u003ECathedral church of Exeter and also made the riche silver table in the middle of it\".\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDuring the Reformation this retable was allegedly hidden within the walls of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/01\/chancellors-house-cathedral-close.html\"\u003EChancellor's House\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-9bIf8xJx85k\/UZqsXOU6n6I\/AAAAAAAAHIw\/0lKWAYs5404\/s1600\/arch+scar+reredos.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-9bIf8xJx85k\/UZqsXOU6n6I\/AAAAAAAAHIw\/0lKWAYs5404\/s640\/arch+scar+reredos.jpg\" width=\"428\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EA second fragment \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOtherwise the great reredos is only present by its absence. The photo \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Etrompe l'oiel\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-QL1kmJXxXIM\/UZqzqauPiKI\/AAAAAAAAHJA\/1BJLKOFIwkM\/s1600\/Choir+with+reredos.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"460\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-QL1kmJXxXIM\/UZqzqauPiKI\/AAAAAAAAHJA\/1BJLKOFIwkM\/s640\/Choir+with+reredos.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe reconstruction of the reredos \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E shows what a devastating impact the Reformation had on English medieval art.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-eXE28HNkMQ0\/UZq0h-Lhr7I\/AAAAAAAAHJM\/WManYR-L0h8\/s1600\/Choir+without+reredos.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"476\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-eXE28HNkMQ0\/UZq0h-Lhr7I\/AAAAAAAAHJM\/WManYR-L0h8\/s640\/Choir+without+reredos.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources \u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/964937103641365756\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=964937103641365756","title":"13 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/964937103641365756"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/964937103641365756"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/05\/exeter-cathedral-bishop-stapledons-lost.html","title":"Exeter Cathedral: Bishop Stapledon's Lost Reredos"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-g2kowqNJ9uk\/UZql7jMCxoI\/AAAAAAAAHH8\/OP_VZZidAlA\/s72-c\/Stapledons+Lost+Reredos+blog.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"13"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-2797997984030581055"},"published":{"$t":"2013-05-18T17:34:00.001+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-22T13:18:09.532+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Cathedral"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Exeter Cathedral: The Bishop's Throne"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-y6owMyGwWTA\/UZbC7h2W8hI\/AAAAAAAAHCc\/10qVoPrLwQo\/s1600\/Bishop+Throne+Canopy+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-y6owMyGwWTA\/UZbC7h2W8hI\/AAAAAAAAHCc\/10qVoPrLwQo\/s1600\/Bishop+Throne+Canopy+Exeter.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EOf international importance, the 14th century bishop's throne in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003EExeter Cathedral\u003C\/a\u003E 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe throne or, strictly speaking, the architectural canopy which covers the throne or \u003Ci\u003Ecathedra\u003C\/i\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEducated 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBishop 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHis 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/05\/exeter-cathedral-bishop-stapledons-lost.html\"\u003Ereredos\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u0026amp; Cherry). The first of these to be started was the throne canopy.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-IlkN_wnz4tc\/UZeCsOEDfDI\/AAAAAAAAHDc\/7Tzbo_0qMTA\/s1600\/throne+detail+01.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-IlkN_wnz4tc\/UZeCsOEDfDI\/AAAAAAAAHDc\/7Tzbo_0qMTA\/s640\/throne+detail+01.jpg\" width=\"458\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EWork on the bishop's throne canopy began in 1313. In June of that year the acclaimed medieval architect \u003Cbr \/\u003EThomas 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/05\/exeter-cathedral-evolution-of-the-west.html\"\u003Ewest front\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-oNrx53vRXIc\/UZeC5PZIlyI\/AAAAAAAAHDk\/1VwJEYKoIUg\/s1600\/throne+detail+03.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-oNrx53vRXIc\/UZeC5PZIlyI\/AAAAAAAAHDk\/1VwJEYKoIUg\/s640\/throne+detail+03.jpg\" width=\"432\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EOnce 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-hv_asiUoV2Q\/UZbMLqgnu1I\/AAAAAAAAHDM\/ZF_lxjNIPpQ\/s1600\/throne+detail+3.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-hv_asiUoV2Q\/UZbMLqgnu1I\/AAAAAAAAHDM\/ZF_lxjNIPpQ\/s640\/throne+detail+3.jpg\" width=\"458\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe entire scheme is intensely architectural. Every concept known to the medieval stone mason was thrown \u003Cbr \/\u003Einto 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is an astounding confection of almost overwhelming ostentation.When painted and covered in metal foil it would've been even more so.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-nkh9SSvCxQs\/UZeRst-JYbI\/AAAAAAAAHD8\/uwQEBMrL0dk\/s1600\/ExCath+iii+1869.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-nkh9SSvCxQs\/UZeRst-JYbI\/AAAAAAAAHD8\/uwQEBMrL0dk\/s640\/ExCath+iii+1869.jpg\" width=\"456\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAlexander 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-CQWmso8HD3M\/UZeqEuJ00sI\/AAAAAAAAHEw\/wBvNpV7OAo8\/s1600\/st+james+chapel+1942+exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-CQWmso8HD3M\/UZeqEuJ00sI\/AAAAAAAAHEw\/wBvNpV7OAo8\/s1600\/st+james+chapel+1942+exeter.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt'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 \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E. Like the medieval glass in the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/02\/great-east-window-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003EGreat East Window\u003C\/a\u003E, if the throne canopy had still been in place it would've been smashed to pieces by the blast.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDespite 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E shows the throne canopy in the choir c1890.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-s0hXYytb_SA\/UZesJKmV58I\/AAAAAAAAHFI\/jU8QUdqoB6A\/s1600\/Bishops+Throne_Exeter+edit.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-s0hXYytb_SA\/UZesJKmV58I\/AAAAAAAAHFI\/jU8QUdqoB6A\/s1600\/Bishops+Throne_Exeter+edit.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2797997984030581055\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=2797997984030581055","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2797997984030581055"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2797997984030581055"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/05\/exeter-cathedral-bishops-throne.html","title":"Exeter Cathedral: The Bishop's Throne"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-y6owMyGwWTA\/UZbC7h2W8hI\/AAAAAAAAHCc\/10qVoPrLwQo\/s72-c\/Bishop+Throne+Canopy+Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-1644632465487807697"},"published":{"$t":"2013-05-16T23:01:00.000+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-22T22:37:11.325+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Cathedral"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Exeter Cathedral: The Image Screen"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-x2V0eTvw4fE\/UZP1iiTIKvI\/AAAAAAAAG_k\/yNUr1y3fqWY\/s1600\/image+screen+exeter+cathedral.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"230\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-x2V0eTvw4fE\/UZP1iiTIKvI\/AAAAAAAAG_k\/yNUr1y3fqWY\/s640\/image+screen+exeter+cathedral.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image screen at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003EExeter Cathedral\u003C\/a\u003E 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!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-tQd1jn71NoY\/UY1qCwdiMWI\/AAAAAAAAG6o\/7ev2w6vL-Vc\/s1600\/knight+west+front+exeter+cathedral.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-tQd1jn71NoY\/UY1qCwdiMWI\/AAAAAAAAG6o\/7ev2w6vL-Vc\/s1600\/knight+west+front+exeter+cathedral.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EA general overview of the evolution of the west front and the creation of the image screen can be found \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/05\/exeter-cathedral-evolution-of-the-west.html\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPhase I - c.1342 to 1348\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xp-0UTiQq1U\/UY2FkPAzRDI\/AAAAAAAAG7I\/7qX_NJO_MSQ\/s1600\/demi+angels+exeter+west+front.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xp-0UTiQq1U\/UY2FkPAzRDI\/AAAAAAAAG7I\/7qX_NJO_MSQ\/s640\/demi+angels+exeter+west+front.jpg\" width=\"448\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EWilliam 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDetails 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E shows one of the better survivals among the demi-angels which form the lowest tier of the screen.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-X20peVl3ApM\/UZVGur3xpJI\/AAAAAAAAHA8\/I62ZtBY72-M\/s1600\/angel+verity.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-X20peVl3ApM\/UZVGur3xpJI\/AAAAAAAAHA8\/I62ZtBY72-M\/s640\/angel+verity.jpg\" width=\"430\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAll 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. \u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESadly, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOf 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OLwIbsqcclw\/UY2U-AiAcyI\/AAAAAAAAG7w\/-uDdn4fP4lU\/s1600\/William+Joy+King+Exeter+Cathedral.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OLwIbsqcclw\/UY2U-AiAcyI\/AAAAAAAAG7w\/-uDdn4fP4lU\/s640\/William+Joy+King+Exeter+Cathedral.jpg\" width=\"432\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E 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).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe phot\u003Ci\u003Eo right\u003C\/i\u003E 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photo \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-dTGMUHqcoUo\/UY56g3L0bRI\/AAAAAAAAG8Q\/W0P5PV0fONs\/s1600\/Three+kings+William+Joy+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"458\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-dTGMUHqcoUo\/UY56g3L0bRI\/AAAAAAAAG8Q\/W0P5PV0fONs\/s640\/Three+kings+William+Joy+Exeter.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-p8br23UnEmQ\/UY6QU6EDDfI\/AAAAAAAAG8g\/ZaratOSaHFs\/s1600\/demi+figure.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-p8br23UnEmQ\/UY6QU6EDDfI\/AAAAAAAAG8g\/ZaratOSaHFs\/s1600\/demi+figure.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EOne aspect of the 1340s statues which has largely been lost through erosion is their intricate surface detail. The photo \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EPhase II - c.1348 to c.1380\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-t12hMJhkwmM\/UY-Q5FQ1tyI\/AAAAAAAAG9E\/6sPuMdeiCtQ\/s1600\/St+Radegund+Chapel+image+screen+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-t12hMJhkwmM\/UY-Q5FQ1tyI\/AAAAAAAAG9E\/6sPuMdeiCtQ\/s640\/St+Radegund+Chapel+image+screen+Exeter.jpg\" width=\"405\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIt'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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGrandisson 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-_YGS_o16Byc\/UY-k0XsHnyI\/AAAAAAAAG9U\/ejDFal4WcEo\/s1600\/1370s+statues+west+front+image+screen+exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"476\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-_YGS_o16Byc\/UY-k0XsHnyI\/AAAAAAAAG9U\/ejDFal4WcEo\/s640\/1370s+statues+west+front+image+screen+exeter.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ESeven of the statues from the 1370s survive on the second tier. Three of them are shown \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaYR0QvShsM\/UY-s812nLOI\/AAAAAAAAG9o\/Q0aVfhQdhHo\/s1600\/ogee+arch.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaYR0QvShsM\/UY-s812nLOI\/AAAAAAAAG9o\/Q0aVfhQdhHo\/s640\/ogee+arch.jpg\" width=\"440\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EFive of the 1370s figures are at the north end of the screen and are probably associated with the construction of the north porch.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/02\/great-east-window-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003Egreat east window\u003C\/a\u003E in the 1380s and alternating\/rebuilding the cloisters.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-vrF_iKFREBc\/UZP9DNQdDLI\/AAAAAAAAG_0\/yjpag0Yqzwo\/s1600\/Melchisedech.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-vrF_iKFREBc\/UZP9DNQdDLI\/AAAAAAAAG_0\/yjpag0Yqzwo\/s640\/Melchisedech.jpg\" width=\"428\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EUnfortunately 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-GuYH-xDMjUQ\/UY1uZ4HR4WI\/AAAAAAAAG64\/XZAM1x7-qrI\/s1600\/Cathedral_of_Exeter_phase+i+image+screen.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"370\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-GuYH-xDMjUQ\/UY1uZ4HR4WI\/AAAAAAAAG64\/XZAM1x7-qrI\/s640\/Cathedral_of_Exeter_phase+i+image+screen.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPhase III - c.1460\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIt'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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-tUurIor3T5E\/UZAWgfhBViI\/AAAAAAAAG-I\/oP_p4F-WtLk\/s1600\/St+Bartholomew+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-tUurIor3T5E\/UZAWgfhBViI\/AAAAAAAAG-I\/oP_p4F-WtLk\/s640\/St+Bartholomew+Exeter.jpg\" width=\"472\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThirty-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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-j8rP_msgZv4\/UZEs7TUvdYI\/AAAAAAAAG_I\/DrSpnQ36XkE\/s1600\/Third+Tier+Table.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"316\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-j8rP_msgZv4\/UZEs7TUvdYI\/AAAAAAAAG_I\/DrSpnQ36XkE\/s640\/Third+Tier+Table.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFive of the twelve apostles are certainly identifiable. The photo \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-5zL0j5zxT-w\/UZAdE4R-xpI\/AAAAAAAAG-Y\/ma9HxoXCfPw\/s1600\/three+saints+west+front+exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"432\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-5zL0j5zxT-w\/UZAdE4R-xpI\/AAAAAAAAG-Y\/ma9HxoXCfPw\/s640\/three+saints+west+front+exeter.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe four figures \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PUfx3k__xcA\/UZAgMqJFplI\/AAAAAAAAG-o\/GQyjD64FmKw\/s1600\/central+door+figures.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"338\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PUfx3k__xcA\/UZAgMqJFplI\/AAAAAAAAG-o\/GQyjD64FmKw\/s640\/central+door+figures.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOnly 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gmKnB38Ofbs\/UZAlHvRq5BI\/AAAAAAAAG-4\/LL8Rrpy7TbU\/s1600\/More+apostles+Exeter+Cathedral.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gmKnB38Ofbs\/UZAlHvRq5BI\/AAAAAAAAG-4\/LL8Rrpy7TbU\/s640\/More+apostles+Exeter+Cathedral.jpg\" width=\"440\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photo \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDismissed 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 \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhat 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAll of the 15th century additions would also have been painted. The image \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-3IrHa24RhDM\/UZEzhcjU-aI\/AAAAAAAAG_U\/Zdq0RpyeRTU\/s1600\/Cathedral_of_Exeter_lime+wash+screen+colour+blog.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"580\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-3IrHa24RhDM\/UZEzhcjU-aI\/AAAAAAAAG_U\/Zdq0RpyeRTU\/s640\/Cathedral_of_Exeter_lime+wash+screen+colour+blog.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMajor Restoration - 1805 to 1985\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-1zXAnSlSGA0\/UY_84c8nqZI\/AAAAAAAAG94\/p3hEdAy8COA\/s1600\/William+the+Conqueror.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-1zXAnSlSGA0\/UY_84c8nqZI\/AAAAAAAAG94\/p3hEdAy8COA\/s640\/William+the+Conqueror.jpg\" width=\"424\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETwelve of the elaborate canopies above the central figures were replaced in 1838 along with the open parapet at the top of the central section.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 1865 a statue of William the Conqueror by E. B. Stephens \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-s8jTuih3Zp0\/UZUBYFZKwhI\/AAAAAAAAHAE\/JA8VKjslNcc\/s1600\/St+Peter+Exeter+Cathedral.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-s8jTuih3Zp0\/UZUBYFZKwhI\/AAAAAAAAHAE\/JA8VKjslNcc\/s640\/St+Peter+Exeter+Cathedral.jpg\" width=\"452\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EBetween 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 \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERelatively 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E is an animated stereoscopic view of the image screen dating to c1865.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EIconography\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-LYt1bRf7oVQ\/UZ06XeD3dmI\/AAAAAAAAHLE\/dur9nK0NgKk\/s1600\/image+screen.gif\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-LYt1bRf7oVQ\/UZ06XeD3dmI\/AAAAAAAAHLE\/dur9nK0NgKk\/s400\/image+screen.gif\" width=\"383\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EUnfortunately 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt'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: \u003Ci\u003E\"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\"\u003C\/i\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-I1EMNy0E4SI\/UZVIjy3WcFI\/AAAAAAAAHBM\/sQwray7wXbE\/s1600\/three+tiers+image+screen+exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-I1EMNy0E4SI\/UZVIjy3WcFI\/AAAAAAAAHBM\/sQwray7wXbE\/s1600\/three+tiers+image+screen+exeter.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EOther 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother possibility is that the screen was designed by  Bishop Grandisson in the 1340s as an architectural and iconographical  counterweight to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/05\/exeter-cathedral-bishop-stapledons-lost.html\"\u003Ethe enormous reredos\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWithout 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/i\u003E shows two of the prophets from c.1460.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-XdeeS2Q9Kuc\/UZVMIH_edEI\/AAAAAAAAHBc\/w2Fhn3RNOPw\/s1600\/two+prophets+exeter+image+screen.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-XdeeS2Q9Kuc\/UZVMIH_edEI\/AAAAAAAAHBc\/w2Fhn3RNOPw\/s640\/two+prophets+exeter+image+screen.jpg\" width=\"440\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt'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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt'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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6sOEFO06iks\/UZVWSNi_7EI\/AAAAAAAAHBs\/Kh1J3mi22_Q\/s1600\/image+screen+exeter+cathedral+colour.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"230\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6sOEFO06iks\/UZVWSNi_7EI\/AAAAAAAAHBs\/Kh1J3mi22_Q\/s640\/image+screen+exeter+cathedral+colour.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1644632465487807697\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=1644632465487807697","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1644632465487807697"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1644632465487807697"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/05\/exeter-cathedral-image-screen.html","title":"Exeter Cathedral: The Image Screen"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-x2V0eTvw4fE\/UZP1iiTIKvI\/AAAAAAAAG_k\/yNUr1y3fqWY\/s72-c\/image+screen+exeter+cathedral.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5433022170043849362"},"published":{"$t":"2013-05-10T00:32:00.001+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-18T17:47:46.688+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Cathedral"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Exeter Cathedral: The Evolution of the the West Front"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-3JJ8YxmfTWk\/UYgPXH-IQBI\/AAAAAAAAG3A\/hQzS08jGd5U\/s1600\/west+front+Exeter+cathedral.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"540\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-3JJ8YxmfTWk\/UYgPXH-IQBI\/AAAAAAAAG3A\/hQzS08jGd5U\/s640\/west+front+Exeter+cathedral.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/06\/chancel-of-st-mary-major.html\"\u003Ethe medieval chancel\u003C\/a\u003E of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003EChurch of St Mary Major\u003C\/a\u003E 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!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-YTjmAujWDJ0\/UYrT8w38ZwI\/AAAAAAAAG3Q\/toTwoK73ZhM\/s1600\/west+front+exeter+cathedral.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"542\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-YTjmAujWDJ0\/UYrT8w38ZwI\/AAAAAAAAG3Q\/toTwoK73ZhM\/s640\/west+front+exeter+cathedral.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAs \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003Epreviously mentioned\u003C\/a\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/05\/exeter-cathedral-bishops-throne.html\"\u003Ethe 60ft-high bishop's throne\u003C\/a\u003E, 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 \u0026amp; Cherry as \"a group which cannot be paralleled in any other English cathedral\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-hw0dQNRD_qg\/UYrYcYGVXMI\/AAAAAAAAG3g\/ySUdf7SXoUg\/s1600\/west+front+detail+exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-hw0dQNRD_qg\/UYrYcYGVXMI\/AAAAAAAAG3g\/ySUdf7SXoUg\/s640\/west+front+detail+exeter.jpg\" width=\"484\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe west front is now dominated by two features \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E: the west window and the colossal \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/05\/exeter-cathedral-image-screen.html\"\u003Eimage screen\u003C\/a\u003E containing  large statues of kings, prophets and angels, described on the cathedral's website as \"one of the great architectural features of Medieval England\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOf 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-R3yZlWHBkLU\/UYvx2UdnpcI\/AAAAAAAAG4Q\/aaLIqLGbLmE\/s1600\/Cathedral_of_Exeter_Phase+I+blog.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"580\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-R3yZlWHBkLU\/UYvx2UdnpcI\/AAAAAAAAG4Q\/aaLIqLGbLmE\/s640\/Cathedral_of_Exeter_Phase+I+blog.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EWitney'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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/07\/above-cathedral-vault-i.html\"\u003Ethe top of the vault\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-vnvWIidhRyQ\/UYv2KDTEQMI\/AAAAAAAAG4g\/-XZAzEC7QZk\/s1600\/Cathedral_of_Exeter_phase+i+detail.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"266\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-vnvWIidhRyQ\/UYv2KDTEQMI\/AAAAAAAAG4g\/-XZAzEC7QZk\/s640\/Cathedral_of_Exeter_phase+i+detail.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe lowest level, detail \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-a17rHoDGU0k\/UYrkPRWtRkI\/AAAAAAAAG4A\/ETfilAHNmr0\/s1600\/Thomas+of+Witney+doorway.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-a17rHoDGU0k\/UYrkPRWtRkI\/AAAAAAAAG4A\/ETfilAHNmr0\/s1600\/Thomas+of+Witney+doorway.JPG\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E. (The smaller arch in the photo dates to the chapel's construction and is unrelated to Witney's original design for the west front.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWitney'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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt'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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-bMBf-ul0Ff4\/UYv5yiSr1tI\/AAAAAAAAG4w\/yQ4Fb03p64o\/s1600\/quatrefoil+detail+exeter+cathedral.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-bMBf-ul0Ff4\/UYv5yiSr1tI\/AAAAAAAAG4w\/yQ4Fb03p64o\/s1600\/quatrefoil+detail+exeter+cathedral.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne 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 \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E. 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\u003Ci\u003E \u003C\/i\u003Eof the west front I extended the stone string course\u003Ci\u003E \u003C\/i\u003Eacross the entire facade of the cathedral. Attempts at doing the same with the crenellations\/quatrefoils looked a mess so I abandoned the idea!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThomas 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-d7xC3fFKVw8\/UYwNT2uR4MI\/AAAAAAAAG5A\/q4RKYtih0xk\/s1600\/grandisson+chapel+st+radegund+exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-d7xC3fFKVw8\/UYwNT2uR4MI\/AAAAAAAAG5A\/q4RKYtih0xk\/s640\/grandisson+chapel+st+radegund+exeter.jpg\" width=\"441\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe reconstruction \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-rmFsXKSTIIE\/UYwOSQgExFI\/AAAAAAAAG5M\/hshLigTrOVE\/s1600\/Cathedral_of_Exeter_Phase+2+blog.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"573\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-rmFsXKSTIIE\/UYwOSQgExFI\/AAAAAAAAG5M\/hshLigTrOVE\/s640\/Cathedral_of_Exeter_Phase+2+blog.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-4IBvja9As_M\/UYwUDJa-evI\/AAAAAAAAG5c\/Vsymr7vvZI8\/s1600\/Cathedral_of_Exeter_Phase+3+blog.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"568\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-4IBvja9As_M\/UYwUDJa-evI\/AAAAAAAAG5c\/Vsymr7vvZI8\/s640\/Cathedral_of_Exeter_Phase+3+blog.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-aAanZuEgLCA\/UYwoazMrn1I\/AAAAAAAAG6I\/fNfN9RckmuM\/s1600\/Cathedral_of_Exeter_animated.gif\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"370\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-aAanZuEgLCA\/UYwoazMrn1I\/AAAAAAAAG6I\/fNfN9RckmuM\/s400\/Cathedral_of_Exeter_animated.gif\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E is just a slow-moving animation showing the successive changes made to the west front between c1342 and 1480. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESomething 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWe 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?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-RxT9hkLvv6k\/UYwcJtVqXnI\/AAAAAAAAG5s\/6dhiaSt_12g\/s1600\/raking+crenellations+exeter+west+front+screen.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-RxT9hkLvv6k\/UYwcJtVqXnI\/AAAAAAAAG5s\/6dhiaSt_12g\/s1600\/raking+crenellations+exeter+west+front+screen.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photo \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E 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!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-WMJnIn5iMmk\/UYwgz2BKnAI\/AAAAAAAAG58\/XgPYzjsUPks\/s1600\/Cathedral_of_Exeter+altered+west+front+blog.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"579\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-WMJnIn5iMmk\/UYwgz2BKnAI\/AAAAAAAAG58\/XgPYzjsUPks\/s640\/Cathedral_of_Exeter+altered+west+front+blog.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5433022170043849362\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5433022170043849362","title":"6 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5433022170043849362"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5433022170043849362"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/05\/exeter-cathedral-evolution-of-the-west.html","title":"Exeter Cathedral: The Evolution of the the West Front"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-3JJ8YxmfTWk\/UYgPXH-IQBI\/AAAAAAAAG3A\/hQzS08jGd5U\/s72-c\/west+front+Exeter+cathedral.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"6"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-8648606129647673882"},"published":{"$t":"2013-05-04T23:37:00.003+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-05T12:14:27.828+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Other Streets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Saxon Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Destruction of Stephen Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-T_N3J4rFxLc\/UYY-8TDkv6I\/AAAAAAAAG2s\/fOuPDB3ArQg\/s1600\/St+Stephen+Street+1923+blog.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"548\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-T_N3J4rFxLc\/UYY-8TDkv6I\/AAAAAAAAG2s\/fOuPDB3ArQg\/s640\/St+Stephen+Street+1923+blog.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E ©  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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/st-catherines-almshouses-catherine.html\"\u003ESt Catherine's Almshouses\u003C\/a\u003E. The 15th century almshouses stood in Catherine Street almost opposite the narrow entrance into Stephen Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-UvzDU_u6sNE\/UYVEFrEZUNI\/AAAAAAAAG0g\/jZoxxmOpryM\/s1600\/St+Stephens+Bow+from+Catherine+St+1911+WCSL.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-UvzDU_u6sNE\/UYVEFrEZUNI\/AAAAAAAAG0g\/jZoxxmOpryM\/s1600\/St+Stephens+Bow+from+Catherine+St+1911+WCSL.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E The photograph \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E ©  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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/nos-25-26-high-street-new-inn.html\"\u003ENos. 25 \u0026amp; 26 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E.  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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EStephen Street was little more than a narrow lane connecting the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/04\/the-destruction-of-high-street-before.html\"\u003EHigh Street\u003C\/a\u003E to Catherine Street, much like St Martin's Lane does today. Stephen Street continued across Catherine Street in a straight line where it became \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/09\/one-thousand-years-in-egypt-lane.html\"\u003EEgypt Lane\u003C\/a\u003E, later Chapel Street. Like a number of other streets in Exeter, Stephen Street was named after a nearby church. (Other examples include \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/mary-arches-street.html\"\u003EMary Arches Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html\"\u003EPaul Street\u003C\/a\u003E, St Martin's Lane, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/01\/george-street.html\"\u003EGeorge Street\u003C\/a\u003E, John Street and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/03\/st-pancras-church-pancras-lane.html\"\u003EPancras Lane\u003C\/a\u003E.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PM220O-N66k\/UYWe_htvltI\/AAAAAAAAG18\/_EpVtTgIbcs\/s1600\/St+Stephens+Bow+BC.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PM220O-N66k\/UYWe_htvltI\/AAAAAAAAG18\/_EpVtTgIbcs\/s400\/St+Stephens+Bow+BC.jpg\" width=\"292\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Stephen's Church\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E shows the view under St Stephen's Bow into Stephen Street as seen from the High Street c1908.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-DJ_YL1MWRCg\/UYV7Ka21UtI\/AAAAAAAAG1A\/DQ_4zPiprvo\/s1600\/The+Devonshire+Arms+Exeter+1923+WSL.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"502\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-DJ_YL1MWRCg\/UYV7Ka21UtI\/AAAAAAAAG1A\/DQ_4zPiprvo\/s640\/The+Devonshire+Arms+Exeter+1923+WSL.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe fascinating photograph \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E ©  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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-wo-AzWiu3JA\/UYWCwLrLe8I\/AAAAAAAAG1Q\/eQfQJnmyc98\/s1600\/Stephen+Street+aerial+1929.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-wo-AzWiu3JA\/UYWCwLrLe8I\/AAAAAAAAG1Q\/eQfQJnmyc98\/s1600\/Stephen+Street+aerial+1929.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EUnfortunately 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 \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E. 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003EExeter Blitz of 1942\u003C\/a\u003E. Between 1900 and 1942 nearby \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E had been largely rebuilt resulting in the loss of a number of ancient timber-framed houses.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-d8Z5Vpwr2mE\/UYWLNsyT1nI\/AAAAAAAAG1k\/s8LJ0MHFCaI\/s1600\/St+Stephen+House_Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-d8Z5Vpwr2mE\/UYWLNsyT1nI\/AAAAAAAAG1k\/s8LJ0MHFCaI\/s640\/St+Stephen+House_Exeter.jpg\" width=\"627\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/8648606129647673882\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=8648606129647673882","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/8648606129647673882"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/8648606129647673882"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/05\/the-destruction-of-stephen-street.html","title":"The Destruction of Stephen Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-T_N3J4rFxLc\/UYY-8TDkv6I\/AAAAAAAAG2s\/fOuPDB3ArQg\/s72-c\/St+Stephen+Street+1923+blog.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-8193062771874749697"},"published":{"$t":"2013-04-30T13:58:00.000+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-01T01:43:04.665+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Great Conduit, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-gwwDj4XctNQ\/UYBk-DOnAeI\/AAAAAAAAGy4\/xzCUgG5a3H4\/s1600\/Conduit_Ver.4.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"428\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-gwwDj4XctNQ\/UYBk-DOnAeI\/AAAAAAAAGy4\/xzCUgG5a3H4\/s640\/Conduit_Ver.4.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\"\u003ECaleb Hedgeland's early 19th century model\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/04\/the-destruction-of-high-street-before.html\"\u003EHigh Street\u003C\/a\u003E. The entrance into \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/06\/brief-history-of-south-street.html\"\u003ESouth Street\u003C\/a\u003E is just beyond the conduit to the right. The entrance into \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E is on the left.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ycR5D1eCgIo\/UX8F2jrjVfI\/AAAAAAAAGww\/YENkyQp-4Io\/s1600\/Great+Conduit_model.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ycR5D1eCgIo\/UX8F2jrjVfI\/AAAAAAAAGww\/YENkyQp-4Io\/s640\/Great+Conduit_model.jpg\" width=\"432\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFrom 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Ethe city walls\u003C\/a\u003E at Lions Holt in the suburb of St Sidwell's.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-81GSklkmwsU\/UX7jdZgqAMI\/AAAAAAAAGwQ\/th5Cf6CBU4A\/s1600\/Underground+Passages.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-81GSklkmwsU\/UX7jdZgqAMI\/AAAAAAAAGwQ\/th5Cf6CBU4A\/s1600\/Underground+Passages.JPG\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EBy the middle of the 14th century an improved method of delivering the water was initiated involving the creation of the underground passages \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/01\/st-lawrences-church-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Lawrence's Church\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-k6yHS_iCHAQ\/UX8HL2qIOUI\/AAAAAAAAGw8\/F2LB5pc3Ies\/s1600\/Great+Conduit+Hedgeland_Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-k6yHS_iCHAQ\/UX8HL2qIOUI\/AAAAAAAAGw8\/F2LB5pc3Ies\/s1600\/Great+Conduit+Hedgeland_Exeter.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe detail \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/medieval-college-of-vicars-choral-at.html\"\u003EHall of the Vicars Choral\u003C\/a\u003E in South Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-jP7iRUhfW4c\/UX8OcbiFS8I\/AAAAAAAAGxk\/NPwtWbY4CU0\/s1600\/Great+Conduit_Jenkins+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-jP7iRUhfW4c\/UX8OcbiFS8I\/AAAAAAAAGxk\/NPwtWbY4CU0\/s1600\/Great+Conduit_Jenkins+Exeter.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EFortunately for us in 1806 Alexander Jenkins left a rather fanciful illustration of the Great Conduit \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJenkins 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.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-eTuE7zqX85E\/UX-aeY0zcgI\/AAAAAAAAGx4\/2WHKH7UewBI\/s1600\/Exeter_1587+Great+Conduit.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-eTuE7zqX85E\/UX-aeY0zcgI\/AAAAAAAAGx4\/2WHKH7UewBI\/s1600\/Exeter_1587+Great+Conduit.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E shows a detail from a map of Exeter based on Hooker's 1587 plan of the city. The Great Conduit is in the centre.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt seems likely that it was designed and built by masons employed at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003Ethe cathedral\u003C\/a\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Acp22VIkT_I\/UX-yrUlBPPI\/AAAAAAAAGyI\/c231ccP2a94\/s1600\/Great+Conduit_detail.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"470\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Acp22VIkT_I\/UX-yrUlBPPI\/AAAAAAAAGyI\/c231ccP2a94\/s640\/Great+Conduit_detail.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/8193062771874749697\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=8193062771874749697","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/8193062771874749697"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/8193062771874749697"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/04\/the-great-conduit-high-street.html","title":"The Great Conduit, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-gwwDj4XctNQ\/UYBk-DOnAeI\/AAAAAAAAGy4\/xzCUgG5a3H4\/s72-c\/Conduit_Ver.4.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-6295826499922649387"},"published":{"$t":"2013-04-28T23:38:00.001+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-29T00:17:52.366+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inns and Taverns"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Walls and Gates"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Little Stile: A Mutineer \u0026 A Medieval Gatehouse"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-K3E9PDNIonc\/UX2XcAyyZWI\/AAAAAAAAGuo\/_MxsTRkESV8\/s1600\/Stile+PS+03_Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-K3E9PDNIonc\/UX2XcAyyZWI\/AAAAAAAAGuo\/_MxsTRkESV8\/s1600\/Stile+PS+03_Exeter.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EOn 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html\"\u003Ethe murder of the precentor Walter Lechlade\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELittle Stile was located at the top of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/06\/brief-history-of-south-street.html\"\u003ESouth Street\u003C\/a\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E shows the narrowness of Little Stile c1900 looking from the Cathedral Yard towards South Street. The side of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/11\/globe-inn-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003Ethe Globe inn\u003C\/a\u003E 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-CIHz-Ik4WIU\/UX09pU0RHVI\/AAAAAAAAGtw\/jtnyBWriP4o\/s1600\/Little+Stile+overlay.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-CIHz-Ik4WIU\/UX09pU0RHVI\/AAAAAAAAGtw\/jtnyBWriP4o\/s1600\/Little+Stile+overlay.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003EExeter Blitz\u003C\/a\u003E. Nos. 1 \u0026amp; 2 Little Stile and St Mary Major, all highlighted in yellow, survived only to be demolished during the post-war reconstruction. Nos. 3, 4 \u0026amp; 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/01\/st-georges-church-south-street.html\"\u003EChurch of St George\u003C\/a\u003E 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-pVkko-oEvVc\/UXrI7lBAobI\/AAAAAAAAGqQ\/gdqh-W_kNgU\/s1600\/Little+Stile+Hedgeland.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-pVkko-oEvVc\/UXrI7lBAobI\/AAAAAAAAGqQ\/gdqh-W_kNgU\/s1600\/Little+Stile+Hedgeland.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe detail from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\"\u003EHedgeland's model of Exeter in 1769\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003ESt Mary Major\u003C\/a\u003E until it was demolished and rebuilt in the 1860s. The towers and west front of the cathedral are at the bottom of the photo.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/broad-gate-at-broadgate_16.html\"\u003EBroad Gate\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-eXkGhh24Le4\/UX1crJ517VI\/AAAAAAAAGuY\/3iedtkOU-Eg\/s1600\/Little+Stile+2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"434\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-eXkGhh24Le4\/UX1crJ517VI\/AAAAAAAAGuY\/3iedtkOU-Eg\/s640\/Little+Stile+2.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eabove \u003C\/i\u003Eshows 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 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 \u0026amp; Chapter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-yYQW4ul1bCE\/UXsJStJOTnI\/AAAAAAAAGqg\/RUZI9BLofYI\/s1600\/py5441.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-yYQW4ul1bCE\/UXsJStJOTnI\/AAAAAAAAGqg\/RUZI9BLofYI\/s640\/py5441.jpg\" width=\"404\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ERichard 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EProbably 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WN1cPnj-D6s\/UXvl3lw507I\/AAAAAAAAGrc\/Ierc0cP4DV0\/s1600\/Holman,_Cape_St_Vincent.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WN1cPnj-D6s\/UXvl3lw507I\/AAAAAAAAGrc\/Ierc0cP4DV0\/s1600\/Holman,_Cape_St_Vincent.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E 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\". \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnyway, 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow \u003C\/i\u003Eis 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/04\/the-destruction-of-high-street-before.html\"\u003EHigh Street\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/04\/st-petrocks-church-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Petrock's\u003C\/a\u003E can also be seen, its north wall obscured by properties on the High Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-OiwB4_WJ_MU\/UXvymLsPmrI\/AAAAAAAAGrw\/S23k_uR-vI8\/s1600\/Little+Stile+Hedgeland+2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"430\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-OiwB4_WJ_MU\/UXvymLsPmrI\/AAAAAAAAGrw\/S23k_uR-vI8\/s640\/Little+Stile+Hedgeland+2.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Lgldj688Cwg\/UXv9IqQXkII\/AAAAAAAAGsA\/QRXLJQt7-FE\/s1600\/The+Three+Gables.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Lgldj688Cwg\/UXv9IqQXkII\/AAAAAAAAGsA\/QRXLJQt7-FE\/s640\/The+Three+Gables.jpg\" width=\"482\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe photo \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E shows Nos. 3, 4 \u0026amp; 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThey 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMany 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. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/04\/parliament-street-no-195-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 195 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-zSGebngfFrQ\/UXwFyOZTkCI\/AAAAAAAAGsQ\/ssm9TNHYDeY\/s1600\/Little+Stile+post-war.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-zSGebngfFrQ\/UXwFyOZTkCI\/AAAAAAAAGsQ\/ssm9TNHYDeY\/s1600\/Little+Stile+post-war.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ENos. 3, 4 \u0026amp; 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 \u0026amp; 2 Little Stile both survived the Exeter Blitz unscathed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photo \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E 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\u0026nbsp; background. The 'Three Gables' are highlighted in purple. Nos. 1 \u0026amp; 2 Little Stile are highlighted in red.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs 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 \u003Ci\u003Etop\u003C\/i\u003E of this post. For some bizarre reason Nos. 1 \u0026amp; 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E shows the dense concentration of housing which surrounded Little Stile prior to 1942.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-CEEM6OuCnbQ\/UXwx0gN3GWI\/AAAAAAAAGso\/KdohyqIAHtA\/s1600\/Little+Stile+Pre-War.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-CEEM6OuCnbQ\/UXwx0gN3GWI\/AAAAAAAAGso\/KdohyqIAHtA\/s1600\/Little+Stile+Pre-War.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EI 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHowever the map also included a grading for the remaining buildings. Some of these were rated as 'outworn', such as everything in Coombe Street and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/frog-street-west-quarter.html\"\u003EFrog Street\u003C\/a\u003E, and others were rated as having 'architectural value', like the surviving terraces in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/brief-history-of-southernhay_16.html\"\u003ESouthernhay\u003C\/a\u003E 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, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/03\/brief-history-of-waterbeer-street.html\"\u003EWaterbeer Street\u003C\/a\u003E, Holloway Street, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html\"\u003EMagdalen Street\u003C\/a\u003E, 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/no-67-south-street.html\"\u003ENo. 67 South Street\u003C\/a\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-m8Zw3e0GFJg\/UXwyqtXNbkI\/AAAAAAAAGsw\/7a1LMVqJBl0\/s1600\/Little+Stile+Post_War+Ugly.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-m8Zw3e0GFJg\/UXwyqtXNbkI\/AAAAAAAAGsw\/7a1LMVqJBl0\/s640\/Little+Stile+Post_War+Ugly.jpg\" width=\"476\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIt 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhichever, 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. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/07\/nos-206-207-high-street.html\"\u003E206 \u0026amp; 207 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/nos-212-to-219-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 212 to 219 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/wanton-demolition.html\"\u003Ecorner of the High Street and Queen Street\u003C\/a\u003E were all demolished in the 1970s and were all areas highlighted by Sharp as having no architectural value. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/nos-50-to-52-high-street-exchange-lane.html\"\u003ENos. 50 to 52 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u0026amp; 2 Little Stile and so they were demolished.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPerhaps 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-S9P-EvqYHb8\/UXw23i-R0NI\/AAAAAAAAGtA\/xiBsWCMNeP0\/s1600\/PA241411.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"488\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-S9P-EvqYHb8\/UXw23i-R0NI\/AAAAAAAAGtA\/xiBsWCMNeP0\/s640\/PA241411.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe demolition of No. 1 \u0026amp; 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\u003Cb\u003E.\u003C\/b\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDrag the slider on the image \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E 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'. \u003C\/b\u003EThe 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.\u003Cb\u003E \u003C\/b\u003EThe less said about the structure which was partially built over the site of the Globe inn the better.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv id=\"container07\"\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"before\" height=\"438\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-HuLOYab22qM\/UX1apEPny4I\/AAAAAAAAGuI\/wwcOz1HcwSo\/s1600\/Little+Stile+Before.jpg\" width=\"630\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"after\" height=\"438\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-LAmmFAI9xQ0\/UX1ahSlEh0I\/AAAAAAAAGuA\/uwy38QogWEQ\/s1600\/Little+Stile+After.jpg\" width=\"630\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6295826499922649387\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=6295826499922649387","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6295826499922649387"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6295826499922649387"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/04\/little-stile-mutineer-medieval-gatehouse.html","title":"Little Stile: A Mutineer \u0026 A Medieval Gatehouse"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-K3E9PDNIonc\/UX2XcAyyZWI\/AAAAAAAAGuo\/_MxsTRkESV8\/s72-c\/Stile+PS+03_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-8035564683573441135"},"published":{"$t":"2013-04-26T01:13:00.002+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-30T23:15:51.436+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Destruction of the High Street After 1942"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-EhejNk5LmJo\/UXmtfSp2XYI\/AAAAAAAAGn4\/zA4xctOOJG4\/s1600\/Post+war+High+Street+c1970.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"490\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-EhejNk5LmJo\/UXmtfSp2XYI\/AAAAAAAAGn4\/zA4xctOOJG4\/s640\/Post+war+High+Street+c1970.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe destruction of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/04\/the-destruction-of-high-street-in-1942.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E50% of the High Street during the Exeter Blitz\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/06\/brief-history-of-south-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESouth Street\u003C\/a\u003E almost as far as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESt Stephen's Church\u003C\/a\u003E and included some of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/07\/probably-best-preserved-group-of-late.html\"\u003Ethe High Street's oldest domestic houses\u003C\/a\u003E (most of which still fortunately survive). The postcard \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E is of the view up the High Street c1968. Most the buildings shown, apart from The Guildhall, were demolished in the 1970s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-divTVknj-BU\/UXVfFG_JuUI\/AAAAAAAAGi4\/P_XFKp17xKw\/s1600\/High+Street_Exeter+demolition+post-war.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-divTVknj-BU\/UXVfFG_JuUI\/AAAAAAAAGi4\/P_XFKp17xKw\/s640\/High+Street_Exeter+demolition+post-war.jpg\" width=\"454\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/10\/no-74-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 74 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/10\/lost-history-of-no-72-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 72 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E was inexplicably demolished at the same time.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZDkac8a9o3s\/UXfLizwvs1I\/AAAAAAAAGkw\/s6xu8WuDbH8\/s1600\/37+HighStreet+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZDkac8a9o3s\/UXfLizwvs1I\/AAAAAAAAGkw\/s6xu8WuDbH8\/s1600\/37+HighStreet+Exeter.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 1950s also saw the demolition of the remains of No. 36 High Street, as well as Nos. 37 \u0026amp; 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).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENext to No. 36 was \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/no-37-high-street-demolished-after-400.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 37 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ci\u003E, \u003C\/i\u003Eshown\u003Ci\u003E left \u003C\/i\u003Ec1955. 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/nos-41-42-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 41 \u0026amp; 42 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E. 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 \u0026amp; 42 High Street and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/no-67-south-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 67 South Street\u003C\/a\u003E.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-JvjQnynelJI\/UXcnIiD-PiI\/AAAAAAAAGkc\/79R6ohkenp4\/s1600\/High_Street_Exeter_1925.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-JvjQnynelJI\/UXcnIiD-PiI\/AAAAAAAAGkc\/79R6ohkenp4\/s640\/High_Street_Exeter_1925.jpg\" width=\"428\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENo. 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 \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E c1925. No. 38 High Street was also bizarrely demolished in the 1950s and replaced with yet another drab, red brick block.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe buildings opposite Nos. 36, 37 \u0026amp; 38 High Street fared little better. The carved, mid 17th century wooden facade of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/07\/no-227-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 227 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-vR2skbA1UgQ\/UXkYu-BcBcI\/AAAAAAAAGlY\/KzWCqxn64dM\/s1600\/397.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-vR2skbA1UgQ\/UXkYu-BcBcI\/AAAAAAAAGlY\/KzWCqxn64dM\/s1600\/397.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E(The photo \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E 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.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe same fate awaited the adjacent \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/nos-223-225-high-st-mock-tudor-exeter.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 226 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E. 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 \u0026amp; 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-5wzgReAdz9k\/UXklHKxSjEI\/AAAAAAAAGlo\/HctWLv-KTHg\/s1600\/exeter_high+st.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-5wzgReAdz9k\/UXklHKxSjEI\/AAAAAAAAGlo\/HctWLv-KTHg\/s640\/exeter_high+st.jpg\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EReferring to the treatment of Nos. 226 \u0026amp; 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt'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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-po4NAa_ttZs\/UXkmSqyIlxI\/AAAAAAAAGl0\/RO08hSbluJ4\/s1600\/boots+exeter+queen+street+high+street.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-po4NAa_ttZs\/UXkmSqyIlxI\/AAAAAAAAGl0\/RO08hSbluJ4\/s1600\/boots+exeter+queen+street+high+street.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAlthough the facades of Nos. 226 \u0026amp; 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 \u003Cbr \/\u003Ehad 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDuring 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/--iyR_dbyE4U\/UXkoUIFFrbI\/AAAAAAAAGmI\/2zbFj_c8GZA\/s1600\/High+St+Queen+St+Corner.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/--iyR_dbyE4U\/UXkoUIFFrbI\/AAAAAAAAGmI\/2zbFj_c8GZA\/s1600\/High+St+Queen+St+Corner.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOn the west side of Nos. 225\/226 \u0026amp; 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe neo-Classical building next to No. 224, which curved around the corner from the High Street into Queen Street, was part of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/wanton-demolition.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ea terrace of nine early Victorian townhouses\u003C\/a\u003E, 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E. The photo \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E shows what replaced the pre-war buildings in 1971. Even the artfully placed tree can't disguise the structure's hideousness.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-hFmwX5CmdS4\/UXlmgRytmvI\/AAAAAAAAGmg\/w527-kYM32U\/s1600\/High+Street+Queen+Street+corner.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-hFmwX5CmdS4\/UXlmgRytmvI\/AAAAAAAAGmg\/w527-kYM32U\/s1600\/High+Street+Queen+Street+corner.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u0026amp; Spencer building (a structure variously described as \"wretched\", \"an inept lump\" and \"a dog's dinner\").\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMost of the demolished buildings i.e. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/nos-212-to-219-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 212 to 219 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-K8N9dGz_1eE\/UXmND9vMKVI\/AAAAAAAAGm4\/78LxzrY-PEI\/s1600\/206+High+Street.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-K8N9dGz_1eE\/UXmND9vMKVI\/AAAAAAAAGm4\/78LxzrY-PEI\/s640\/206+High+Street.jpg\" width=\"439\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/07\/nos-206-207-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 206 \u0026amp; 207 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E stood on the western corner of the High Street and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESlightly further down on the other side of the street stood \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/nos-50-to-52-high-street-exchange-lane.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 50 to 52 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn the corner of the High Street and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/broad-gate-at-broadgate_16.html\"\u003EBroadgate\u003C\/a\u003E were three Grade II listed buildings, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/no-63-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 61, 62 \u0026amp; 63 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-GHJ5k4ewuHQ\/UXmY_wtpAMI\/AAAAAAAAGnI\/hoC1WzUKWbs\/s1600\/Exeter+High+St+c1965.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-GHJ5k4ewuHQ\/UXmY_wtpAMI\/AAAAAAAAGnI\/hoC1WzUKWbs\/s1600\/Exeter+High+St+c1965.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAlmost opposite the entrance into Broadgate stood Nos. 196, 197 \u0026amp; 198 High Street, shown\u003Ci\u003E left\u003C\/i\u003E highlighted in red c1965. At the core of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/11\/no-196-high-street-elizabethan.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 196 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENos. 197 \u0026amp; 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/03\/brief-history-of-waterbeer-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EWaterbeer Street\u003C\/a\u003E which they fronted as Nos. 21 \u0026amp; 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 \u0026amp; 198 High Street were all demolished in 1973 to create a pedestrianised entrance into the new Guildhall shopping centre. Nos. 21 \u0026amp; 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 \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-GzWbiZU3NsU\/UXmg1Yh8i_I\/AAAAAAAAGnY\/TwRPNtPoyp0\/s1600\/img032.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"130\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-GzWbiZU3NsU\/UXmg1Yh8i_I\/AAAAAAAAGnY\/TwRPNtPoyp0\/s640\/img032.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E shows part of the High Street that survived the Exeter Blitz intact. The buildings highlighted in red was Nos. 61, 62 \u0026amp; 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/06\/no-202-high-street-turks-head.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ETurk's Head\u003C\/a\u003E. This would've resulted in the destruction of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/04\/nos-192-193-194-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 192, 193 \u0026amp; 194 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/04\/parliament-street-no-195-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 195 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/04\/nos-199-200-201-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 199 \u0026amp; 200 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe postcard view \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E c1985 shows the gutted timber-framed facades of Nos. 226 \u0026amp; 227 High Street surrounded by a sea of insipid post-war redevelopment. The building to the far right, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/11\/no-229-high-street-ii.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 229 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, only dates to 1930 and was partially damaged by fire in 1942. (It was built on the site of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/no-229-high-street.html\"\u003Ethe birthplace of Sir Thomas Bodley\u003C\/a\u003E, the founder of the Bodleian Library at Oxford). One of its magnificent Jacobean windows were salvaged from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/11\/nos-19-20-north-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 20 North Street\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--n7vmAN1Alg\/UXnA_4omPAI\/AAAAAAAAGoI\/WeHlytThr9s\/s1600\/post-war+High+Street+2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"451\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--n7vmAN1Alg\/UXnA_4omPAI\/AAAAAAAAGoI\/WeHlytThr9s\/s640\/post-war+High+Street+2.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E, in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EMagdalen Street and Holloway Street\u003C\/a\u003E, Cowick Street and Alphington Street not to mention the pre-war demolition of the West Quarter, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EPaul Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/frog-street-west-quarter.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EFrog Street\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/st-edmunds-church-exe-bridge_30.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EEdmund Street\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPerhaps 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe Blitz of 1942\u003C\/a\u003E, repaired and\/or reconstructed the Georgian splendour of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/southernhay-west-southernhay.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESouthernhay\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/dixs-field-southernhay-east.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EDix's Field\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E, 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..\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-1RN6yP7iO9s\/UXmqocpVX4I\/AAAAAAAAGno\/nsMnk462KmY\/s1600\/High+Street_Exeter+demolition+1942_2013.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"601\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-1RN6yP7iO9s\/UXmqocpVX4I\/AAAAAAAAGno\/nsMnk462KmY\/s640\/High+Street_Exeter+demolition+1942_2013.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/8035564683573441135\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=8035564683573441135","title":"5 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/8035564683573441135"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/8035564683573441135"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/04\/the-destruction-of-high-street-after.html","title":"The Destruction of the High Street After 1942"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-EhejNk5LmJo\/UXmtfSp2XYI\/AAAAAAAAGn4\/zA4xctOOJG4\/s72-c\/Post+war+High+Street+c1970.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"5"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-3659834314472902537"},"published":{"$t":"2013-04-14T13:57:00.000+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-26T16:51:14.614+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"20th Century"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Victorian Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Destruction of the High Street in 1942"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-vZOit7i75ME\/UXLhaOH0LlI\/AAAAAAAAGig\/hRZsG8qxCDg\/s1600\/High_Street_Exeter_1925.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"412\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-vZOit7i75ME\/UXLhaOH0LlI\/AAAAAAAAGig\/hRZsG8qxCDg\/s640\/High_Street_Exeter_1925.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis is a follow-up to an earlier post, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/04\/the-destruction-of-high-street-before.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E'The Destruction of the High Street Before 1942'\u003C\/a\u003E, and a brief summary of the Exeter Blitz can be found \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/nos-223-225-high-st-mock-tudor-exeter.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 226 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/07\/no-227-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 227 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESt Stephen's Church\u003C\/a\u003E (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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-fanpftWVvUY\/UXpZ5gKyAJI\/AAAAAAAAGok\/P2RjoRAKku0\/s1600\/High+St+c1906+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-fanpftWVvUY\/UXpZ5gKyAJI\/AAAAAAAAGok\/P2RjoRAKku0\/s1600\/High+St+c1906+Exeter.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENot 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 (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/no-37-high-street-demolished-after-400.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 37 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E) were demolished in the 1950s. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/no-229-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 229 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPevsner 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/preston-street-demolished.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EPreston Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/smythen-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESmythen Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/frog-street-west-quarter.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EFrog Street\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/slum-clearance-of-stepcote-hill.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EStepcote Hill\u003C\/a\u003E, to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EPaul Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/mary-arches-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EMary Arches Street\u003C\/a\u003E and parts of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KCzA5o5_fMQ\/UXFmHm97ptI\/AAAAAAAAGhw\/oORV8uGkxD4\/s1600\/High+St+c1930+edit.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KCzA5o5_fMQ\/UXFmHm97ptI\/AAAAAAAAGhw\/oORV8uGkxD4\/s1600\/High+St+c1930+edit.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBut 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, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECathedral\u003C\/a\u003E and Guildhall, and in the survival of many of the medieval tenement plots, all of which were encircled by the majority of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Emedieval city walls\u003C\/a\u003E. And there were almost certainly many medieval and early post medieval buildings hidden behind altered facades and embedded in later structures.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately 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. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/01\/george-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EGeorge Street\u003C\/a\u003E, Bampfylde Street, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/milk-street-west-quarter.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EMilk Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/03\/st-pancras-church-pancras-lane.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EPancras Lane\u003C\/a\u003E, Little Stile, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/02\/destruction-of-sun-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESun Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/09\/one-thousand-years-in-egypt-lane.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EChapel Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/08\/destruction-of-guinea-street_20.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EGuinea Street\u003C\/a\u003E, Coombe Street, James Street, Catherine Street, Frog Street, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/st-edmunds-church-exe-bridge_30.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EEdmund Street\u003C\/a\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/--UImEzqp7yo\/UW1SvsFX1pI\/AAAAAAAAGhQ\/WH5im9vyZhU\/s1600\/High+Street_Exeter+demolition+1942.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E.\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/--UImEzqp7yo\/UW1SvsFX1pI\/AAAAAAAAGhQ\/WH5im9vyZhU\/s640\/High+Street_Exeter+demolition+1942.jpg\" width=\"504\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E The image \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EEast Gate\u003C\/a\u003E. The two most westerly pre-war buildings now surviving on the High Street are highlighted in purple: on the north side \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/11\/no-229-high-street-ii.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 229 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E built in 1930, and on the south side \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESt Stephen's Church\u003C\/a\u003E. 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E is easily visible to the south of the High Street.\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDrag the slider in the centre of the photographs \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E to see before and after images (or click on 'Show only then' or 'Show only now'). \u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv id=\"container01\"\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"before\" height=\"386\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-_F8IHN9ya4k\/UWrupuZuyxI\/AAAAAAAAGfo\/lVGLnsx_Y9c\/s1600\/High07.jpg\" width=\"630\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"after\" height=\"386\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-rjUDyFrDYls\/UWruyLWk-BI\/AAAAAAAAGfw\/Nj6eO_w3QG8\/s1600\/High08.jpg\" width=\"630\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photo \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E is from c1910 looking down the High Street towards the west. The brick entrance into the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/02\/eastgate-arcade-and-coffee-tavern.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EEastgate Arcade\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/11\/new-london-inn-new-london-inn-square.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELondon Inn Square\u003C\/a\u003E (now the site of 'Waterstones').\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv id=\"container02\"\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"before\" height=\"459\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-2zI7VCgObU4\/UWqmk1jkrJI\/AAAAAAAAGeY\/xOgkhP5pXrQ\/s1600\/High01.jpg\" width=\"630\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"after\" height=\"459\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-dnn8uGP3uAQ\/UWqnVuaJslI\/AAAAAAAAGeo\/ZQ08r58Gi_g\/s1600\/High02.jpg\" width=\"630\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photo \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/09\/debenhams-nos-1-to-11-sidwell-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 1 to 11 Sidwell Street\u003C\/a\u003E). 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 \u0026amp; 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/01\/apothecaries-hall-no-246-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 246 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp; Next door to No. 265 is the Georgian facade of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/02\/nos-266-267-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 266 \u0026amp; 266 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv id=\"container03\"\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"before\" height=\"459\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-swGtqwDvffk\/UWrXdTUcaSI\/AAAAAAAAGfA\/rhWd5XpM5xo\/s1600\/High03.jpg\" width=\"630\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"after\" height=\"459\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-3qSM6bN_6W0\/UWrXboYiT1I\/AAAAAAAAGe4\/bR6cYuQA6i4\/s1600\/High04.jpg\" width=\"630\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photo \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/bampfylde-house-elizabethan-mansion-in.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBampfylde House\u003C\/a\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv id=\"container04\"\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"before\" height=\"438\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-7zBdwtHQ_BE\/UWrhdEzX77I\/AAAAAAAAGfQ\/zjW8RjGL3Us\/s1600\/High05.jpg\" width=\"630\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"after\" height=\"438\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-4OQCGkTuK5E\/UWrhfdjnqKI\/AAAAAAAAGfY\/N1XmnzZiPH4\/s1600\/High06.jpg\" width=\"630\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photo \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv id=\"container05\"\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"before\" height=\"438\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-E61USP_OSqo\/UWsMX1ClCTI\/AAAAAAAAGgA\/cDfHec4WfGY\/s1600\/High09.jpg\" width=\"630\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"after\" height=\"438\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-0mooHp89WLQ\/UWsM8II-pFI\/AAAAAAAAGgI\/cLD2eu0xsow\/s1600\/High10.jpg\" width=\"630\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photo \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E is taken from about the same place as the previous one but looking in the opposite direction c1910. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/01\/st-lawrences-church-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESt Lawrence's Church\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/half-moon-inn-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EHalf Moon inn\u003C\/a\u003E at the entrance into Bedford Street. By 1942 the Half Moon had been replaced with Deller's Cafe (see photo \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv id=\"container06\"\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"before\" height=\"438\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-tPpmXttnPnQ\/UW1AKd9f-RI\/AAAAAAAAGg4\/KqWO0h_rhfE\/s1600\/High13.jpg\" width=\"630\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"after\" height=\"438\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-pFGQyrrYWx8\/UW1AGm1YOOI\/AAAAAAAAGgw\/85cE5nAykNM\/s1600\/High14.jpg\" width=\"630\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photo \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E c1930 shows the most attractive ensemble of buildings destroyed in the High Street in 1942. The sign for \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/07\/dellers-cafe-bedford-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EDeller's Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/nos-25-26-high-street-new-inn.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 25 \u0026amp; 26 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E. 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/no-241-high-street-town-house-of-earls.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 241 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/01\/west-of-england-fire-and-life-insurance.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 237 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E. 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.\u0026nbsp; 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 \u003Ci\u003Ehated\u003C\/i\u003E their lack of authenticity but I think they made a very attractive addition to the High Street's general appearance.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-JP48RcbOwbo\/UXqhDN7x-0I\/AAAAAAAAGpw\/qCDEHJbHRnU\/s1600\/View+of+High+St+1942+WCSL.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"522\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-JP48RcbOwbo\/UXqhDN7x-0I\/AAAAAAAAGpw\/qCDEHJbHRnU\/s640\/View+of+High+St+1942+WCSL.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe photo \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E (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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photo \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Pk0jZQ8E55I\/UXG83oOvo6I\/AAAAAAAAGiQ\/a7lW1x9Hh-U\/s1600\/High+Street_1950s.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"414\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Pk0jZQ8E55I\/UXG83oOvo6I\/AAAAAAAAGiQ\/a7lW1x9Hh-U\/s640\/High+Street_1950s.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/04\/the-destruction-of-high-street-after.html\"\u003Edemolitions between 1950 and 1980\u003C\/a\u003E will be the subject of part three of this series of posts.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;Sources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/3659834314472902537\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=3659834314472902537","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3659834314472902537"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3659834314472902537"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/04\/the-destruction-of-high-street-in-1942.html","title":"The Destruction of the High Street in 1942"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-vZOit7i75ME\/UXLhaOH0LlI\/AAAAAAAAGig\/hRZsG8qxCDg\/s72-c\/High_Street_Exeter_1925.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-8756737513776731049"},"published":{"$t":"2013-04-13T23:04:00.000+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2014-11-15T15:42:40.003+00:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Roman Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Saxon Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Victorian Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Destruction of the High Street Before 1942"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-NHITI67FRV4\/UWlKRz6nGPI\/AAAAAAAAGaI\/u7KZkXGnnTA\/s1600\/High_Street+c1875.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-NHITI67FRV4\/UWlKRz6nGPI\/AAAAAAAAGaI\/u7KZkXGnnTA\/s640\/High_Street+c1875.jpg\" height=\"442\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E\"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.\"\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Tourist's Guide to Devonshire' 1880\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E  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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/06\/no-202-high-street-turks-head.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ETurk's Head\u003C\/a\u003E inn. From this perspective at least, the High Street looks almost unchanged from the 17th century. The photo \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E shows the same view c1910. As can be seen, the High Street's \"aspect of antiquity\" was already vanishing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-l2rn7cJJmfk\/UWlPISkVubI\/AAAAAAAAGaY\/EewyOn-zbSQ\/s1600\/Guildhall+1905.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-l2rn7cJJmfk\/UWlPISkVubI\/AAAAAAAAGaY\/EewyOn-zbSQ\/s1600\/Guildhall+1905.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFor 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-8PnQ1u2uQBI\/UWldn6JxGII\/AAAAAAAAGbQ\/-WqXHa8Re-w\/s1600\/High+Street+before+the+Blitz.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-8PnQ1u2uQBI\/UWldn6JxGII\/AAAAAAAAGbQ\/-WqXHa8Re-w\/s1600\/High+Street+before+the+Blitz.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EExeter Blitz\u003C\/a\u003E on the High Street in isolation (the buildings \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFrom 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's a great theory and  perfectly  plausible but as far as I know there's no direct archaeological   evidence for it. There\u003Ci\u003E were\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-BBDo3htM_U4\/UWlbABNSWNI\/AAAAAAAAGbA\/s220ytQC8qw\/s1600\/Benjamin_Donn+1765_Exeter+resize.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-BBDo3htM_U4\/UWlbABNSWNI\/AAAAAAAAGbA\/s220ytQC8qw\/s1600\/Benjamin_Donn+1765_Exeter+resize.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENearly 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 1765 map \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E is by Benjamin Donn. It shows the old city surrounded by \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe city walls\u003C\/a\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-lDWidkt6Oa8\/UWlTkls9XyI\/AAAAAAAAGao\/fqUcjb_xqiA\/s1600\/Braun+and+Hogenburg+Exeter_1587+High+Street.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-lDWidkt6Oa8\/UWlTkls9XyI\/AAAAAAAAGao\/fqUcjb_xqiA\/s1600\/Braun+and+Hogenburg+Exeter_1587+High+Street.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E The image \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/broad-gate-at-broadgate_16.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBroad Gate\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/06\/brief-history-of-south-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESouth Street\u003C\/a\u003E and Fore Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy 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. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/04\/st-petrocks-church-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESt Petrock's Church\u003C\/a\u003E, 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESt Stephen's Church\u003C\/a\u003E. On the north side and closer to the East Gate was \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/01\/st-lawrences-church-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESt Lawrence's Church\u003C\/a\u003E (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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-faegtwqqtIQ\/UWmhycqSAYI\/AAAAAAAAGbo\/PMBkk1ErPBM\/s1600\/Nos.+41+and+42+High+Street.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-faegtwqqtIQ\/UWmhycqSAYI\/AAAAAAAAGbo\/PMBkk1ErPBM\/s640\/Nos.+41+and+42+High+Street.jpg\" height=\"640\" width=\"406\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAs might be expected, there were numerous inns and taverns in the High Street. The 15th century \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/nos-25-26-high-street-new-inn.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENew Inn\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u0026amp; Crown and the Eagle. Prior to the East Gate's demolition, the Salutation was located in the gatehouse's huge drum towers.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUntil 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. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/nos-41-42-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 41 \u0026amp; 42 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/07\/nos-46-47-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 46 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ci\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/i\u003E. 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/higher-market-queen-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EHigher Market\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/lower-market-fore-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELower Market\u003C\/a\u003E in the 1830s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lgcsNXLewoY\/UWm1w9xHIvI\/AAAAAAAAGcA\/CgHepDXDT5E\/s1600\/Exeter+High+Street+c1900.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lgcsNXLewoY\/UWm1w9xHIvI\/AAAAAAAAGcA\/CgHepDXDT5E\/s640\/Exeter+High+Street+c1900.jpg\" height=\"640\" width=\"404\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Emuch\u003C\/i\u003E narrower than they are today. Curling away from the main routes was a network of even narrower streets, like \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E, Gandy Street and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EPaul Street\u003C\/a\u003E, or \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/preston-street-demolished.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EPreston Street\u003C\/a\u003E,  \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/smythen-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESmythen Street\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/slum-clearance-of-stepcote-hill.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EStepcote Hill\u003C\/a\u003E in the West Quarter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAreas 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/nos-50-to-52-high-street-exchange-lane.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EExchange Lane\u003C\/a\u003E, 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-QEMVQccYFtQ\/UWmzMa3k5pI\/AAAAAAAAGb4\/L654RtE14fo\/s1600\/John+White+Abbott+1797.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-QEMVQccYFtQ\/UWmzMa3k5pI\/AAAAAAAAGb4\/L654RtE14fo\/s640\/John+White+Abbott+1797.jpg\" height=\"539\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe painting by John Abbot White \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/07\/nos-43-44-and-45-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 45 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/09\/nos-211-212-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 211 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, one of a pair of 17th century houses. Next to it is \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/no-210-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 210\u003C\/a\u003E, built over the chancel of Allhallows Church. Then there's the narrow entrance into \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/04\/nos-199-200-201-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 200 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E with a semi-circular window set high into the gable end. Fortunately The Guildhall is still standing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E shows a detail from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EHedgeland's model of the city as it appeared in 1769\u003C\/a\u003E. 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eprecinct's medieval gatehouses\u003C\/a\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-OTTxnPV2GTQ\/UWm6FrcX-gI\/AAAAAAAAGcI\/knwVn9GVUKE\/s1600\/High+Street_Hedgeland.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-OTTxnPV2GTQ\/UWm6FrcX-gI\/AAAAAAAAGcI\/knwVn9GVUKE\/s640\/High+Street_Hedgeland.jpg\" height=\"346\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-4keTgKAeNAk\/UWnCeYHLvlI\/AAAAAAAAGcQ\/7eCiw6omxNY\/s1600\/Burgage+plots+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-4keTgKAeNAk\/UWnCeYHLvlI\/AAAAAAAAGcQ\/7eCiw6omxNY\/s1600\/Burgage+plots+Exeter.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIn 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPeople 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u0026amp; Spencer').\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-UB_kp2icsWI\/UWmgxcBqYAI\/AAAAAAAAGbk\/NZddvdlr2Mo\/s1600\/East+Gate_model+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-UB_kp2icsWI\/UWmgxcBqYAI\/AAAAAAAAGbk\/NZddvdlr2Mo\/s400\/East+Gate_model+Exeter.jpg\" height=\"400\" width=\"321\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EGiven 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/bedford-house-and-dominican-friary.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBedford House\u003C\/a\u003E, \"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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/medieval-college-of-vicars-choral-at.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECollege of the Vicars Choral\u003C\/a\u003E). The vast and beautiful late medieval \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EEast Gate\u003C\/a\u003E in the High Street \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-EzADF-xpBfs\/UWnIX1xG-zI\/AAAAAAAAGcY\/-xzKP0dzfz4\/s1600\/194+\u0026amp;+195+High+Street.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-EzADF-xpBfs\/UWnIX1xG-zI\/AAAAAAAAGcY\/-xzKP0dzfz4\/s640\/194+\u0026amp;+195+High+Street.JPG\" height=\"640\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThroughout 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne such example which still exists is \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/04\/parliament-street-no-195-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 195 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E standing on the corner of Parliament Street and the High Street (the pale pink building \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E). 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-f5ZgtUJWmOM\/UWnKugQqbiI\/AAAAAAAAGcg\/91R6aba6g8Q\/s1600\/Exeter+High+Street+c1905+b\u0026amp;w.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-f5ZgtUJWmOM\/UWnKugQqbiI\/AAAAAAAAGcg\/91R6aba6g8Q\/s1600\/Exeter+High+Street+c1905+b\u0026amp;w.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EUnfortunately 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor example, the photo \u003Ci\u003Eright \u003C\/i\u003Eshows 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/bampfylde-house-elizabethan-mansion-in.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBampfylde House\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Lh8-mvtOR7A\/UWnOAx0JAHI\/AAAAAAAAGcw\/V8LZm9p0OnY\/s1600\/Rose+and+Crown+Shapter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Lh8-mvtOR7A\/UWnOAx0JAHI\/AAAAAAAAGcw\/V8LZm9p0OnY\/s1600\/Rose+and+Crown+Shapter.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAnyway, 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/02\/devon-and-exeter-subscription-rooms.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EDevon and Exeter Subscription Rooms\u003C\/a\u003E resulted in the demolition of part of the city wall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Rose and Crown inn at Nos. 256-258 High Street (near 'Boots') \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E 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). \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/07\/nos-206-207-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 206 \u0026amp; 207 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E were both rebuilt c1830. The late medieval house of Thomas Elyot at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/10\/thomas-elyots-house-no-73-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 73 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E was demolised in 1845.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-9_09QC7TmZE\/UWnNmaINmBI\/AAAAAAAAGco\/QEjH_UktTuA\/s1600\/St+John%27s+Hospital+School.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-9_09QC7TmZE\/UWnNmaINmBI\/AAAAAAAAGco\/QEjH_UktTuA\/s1600\/St+John%27s+Hospital+School.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESt 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 \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E 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. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/02\/eastgate-arcade-and-coffee-tavern.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThe Eastgate Arcade\u003C\/a\u003E, which opened in 1881, was also built on part of the former school. The Arcade and Post Office were both destroyed in 1942.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E 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).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-S0fzL-YOEEA\/UWnO08TBkBI\/AAAAAAAAGc4\/Qpdz5rNnsJA\/s1600\/Townsend+Nos+263-267+High+Street+image.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-S0fzL-YOEEA\/UWnO08TBkBI\/AAAAAAAAGc4\/Qpdz5rNnsJA\/s1600\/Townsend+Nos+263-267+High+Street+image.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E is based on a sketch of c1860 by George Townsend. It shows, from left to right, Nos.\u0026nbsp; 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. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/02\/nos-266-267-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 266 and 267 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe peculiar little early 17th century house at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/no-210-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 210 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/nos-212-to-219-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 212-219 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, conspicuous in the albumen print at the \u003Ci\u003Etop\u003C\/i\u003E of this post, were gradually removed at the corner of Queen Street and the High Street between c1880 and 1900. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/nos-55-56-and-no-57-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 55, 56 \u0026amp; 57 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, including the Eagle tavern which dated to the 15th century, were all destroyed by a major fire in October 1881. The timber-framed \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/01\/apothecaries-hall-no-246-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EApothecaries' Hall\u003C\/a\u003E at No. 246 High Street, which dated to the 17th century or earlier, was demolished in 1893 \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-zjILlm-UtqY\/UWnRCjXiqWI\/AAAAAAAAGdA\/Fu5sISSTB0Q\/s1600\/Hgh+Street+North+Street+corner.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-zjILlm-UtqY\/UWnRCjXiqWI\/AAAAAAAAGdA\/Fu5sISSTB0Q\/s400\/Hgh+Street+North+Street+corner.jpg\" height=\"400\" width=\"318\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EBy 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA\u003Ci\u003E \u003C\/i\u003Enumber of other unfortunate demolitions and alterations took place  between 1900 and the 1930s. The corner of North Street and the High  Street\u003Ci\u003E right\u003C\/i\u003E, where 'Athena' is today, was rebuilt by the start of the 20th century. Who knows what lay behind the Georgianised facades. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/11\/allhallows-church-goldsmith-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EAllhallows Church\u003C\/a\u003E was demolished for road-widening in 1906.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAccording 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. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/09\/nos-70-71-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 70 \u0026amp; 71 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/10\/lost-history-of-no-72-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 72 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xw1cFAj0eo8\/UWnR6wOn78I\/AAAAAAAAGdI\/xxq7rPHtxaY\/s1600\/Half+Moon_Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xw1cFAj0eo8\/UWnR6wOn78I\/AAAAAAAAGdI\/xxq7rPHtxaY\/s400\/Half+Moon_Exeter.jpg\" height=\"400\" width=\"314\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/09\/nos-65-67-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 65 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Half Moon inn \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E, 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/07\/dellers-cafe-bedford-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EDeller's Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E which opened in 1916 before being badly damaged in 1942. Nos. 23 \u0026amp; 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-yqfIAgFMxCQ\/UWnTsVCTh_I\/AAAAAAAAGdQ\/Ss6ot8hSd0A\/s1600\/229+House+High+St.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-yqfIAgFMxCQ\/UWnTsVCTh_I\/AAAAAAAAGdQ\/Ss6ot8hSd0A\/s400\/229+House+High+St.jpg\" height=\"400\" width=\"332\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIn 1925 the red brick late 17th century front of No. 234 High Street was replaced. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/no-59-60-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 59 \u0026amp; 60 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPerhaps most shocking of all was the demolition of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/no-229-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 229 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003Edescribed as \"a modern intrusive shop\". \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-JYU-7Okv3Bo\/UZ037okgLNI\/AAAAAAAAHKk\/GMl3jYB1Zt8\/s1600\/high+street+guildhall.gif\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-JYU-7Okv3Bo\/UZ037okgLNI\/AAAAAAAAHKk\/GMl3jYB1Zt8\/s400\/high+street+guildhall.gif\" height=\"400\" width=\"365\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E is an animated early stereoscopic photograph of the High Street from c1885.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI'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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMost 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. \u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPart Two of this series of posts, 'The Destruction of the High Street in 1942' can be found \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/04\/the-destruction-of-high-street-in-1942.html\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E. Part Three, 'Destruction of the High Street After 1942', can be found \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/04\/the-destruction-of-high-street-after.html\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EBelow\u003C\/i\u003E are some colourised photographs of the High Street from c1900 to c1910.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/--zr1FMjJ9TI\/UWnVtdT_BaI\/AAAAAAAAGdk\/q1uumxiAP5M\/s1600\/High+Street+c1900+02.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/--zr1FMjJ9TI\/UWnVtdT_BaI\/AAAAAAAAGdk\/q1uumxiAP5M\/s640\/High+Street+c1900+02.jpg\" height=\"400\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-s6uOE-X6GIo\/UWnVuBODC1I\/AAAAAAAAGd0\/zUjdrAaYymI\/s1600\/High+Street+c1900.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-s6uOE-X6GIo\/UWnVuBODC1I\/AAAAAAAAGd0\/zUjdrAaYymI\/s640\/High+Street+c1900.jpg\" height=\"406\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-CHulf20PfTk\/UWnVtuc55nI\/AAAAAAAAGdo\/vxZx20Lq0l0\/s1600\/High+Street+c1900+03.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-CHulf20PfTk\/UWnVtuc55nI\/AAAAAAAAGdo\/vxZx20Lq0l0\/s640\/High+Street+c1900+03.jpg\" height=\"414\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Am0HwX5kJdU\/UWnVtZg0FrI\/AAAAAAAAGdg\/Wh0-riEC1Q0\/s1600\/High+Street+c1900+04.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Am0HwX5kJdU\/UWnVtZg0FrI\/AAAAAAAAGdg\/Wh0-riEC1Q0\/s640\/High+Street+c1900+04.jpg\" height=\"364\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/8756737513776731049\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=8756737513776731049","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/8756737513776731049"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/8756737513776731049"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/04\/the-destruction-of-high-street-before.html","title":"The Destruction of the High Street Before 1942"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-NHITI67FRV4\/UWlKRz6nGPI\/AAAAAAAAGaI\/u7KZkXGnnTA\/s72-c\/High_Street+c1875.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-930565876292200953"},"published":{"$t":"2013-03-30T13:44:00.002+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-08T11:28:18.746+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exe Bridge"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exe Island"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inner Bypass"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"West Quarter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"St Edmund's Church, Exe Bridge"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-vO5GLM03kao\/UVTjEhbBPjI\/AAAAAAAAGCk\/qTl6n4zAsfk\/s1600\/ExeBridge_c1880.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-vO5GLM03kao\/UVTjEhbBPjI\/AAAAAAAAGCk\/qTl6n4zAsfk\/s1600\/ExeBridge_c1880.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ESt Edmund's Church is, or was, another of the city's ancient parish churches. It is shown \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELike \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/06\/holy-trinity-church-south-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EHoly Trinity\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESt Mary Major\u003C\/a\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9PEUd2sOeFY\/UVXZaK__giI\/AAAAAAAAGC0\/qc7_Bu0WANA\/s1600\/St+Edmunds_Plan_1905_Exeter+numbered.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9PEUd2sOeFY\/UVXZaK__giI\/AAAAAAAAGC0\/qc7_Bu0WANA\/s1600\/St+Edmunds_Plan_1905_Exeter+numbered.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EA 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E shows a modern aerial view of the church overlaid onto which is the 1905 street plan of the city: remains of St Edmund's (\u003Cb\u003E1\u003C\/b\u003E), the remains of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/the-medieval-exe-bridge.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Emedieval Exe Bridge\u003C\/a\u003E (\u003Cb\u003E2\u003C\/b\u003E), the site of the lower leat (\u003Cb\u003E3\u003C\/b\u003E), the site of the higher leat (\u003Cb\u003E4\u003C\/b\u003E), the site of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/west-gate-west-quarter.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EWest Gate\u003C\/a\u003E (\u003Cb\u003E5\u003C\/b\u003E), the original location of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/house-that-moved-west-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThe House That Moved\u003C\/a\u003E (\u003Cb\u003E6\u003C\/b\u003E), the so-called 'Tudor House' in Tudor Street (\u003Cb\u003E7\u003C\/b\u003E). The houses, factories and warehouses highlighted in red were demolished when the inner bypass was created in the 1960s and 1970s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-DHG3vood7OU\/UVXqiA3N1kI\/AAAAAAAAGDA\/XXVJuc_3nJ0\/s1600\/St+Edmund_Street_+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-DHG3vood7OU\/UVXqiA3N1kI\/AAAAAAAAGDA\/XXVJuc_3nJ0\/s640\/St+Edmund_Street_+Exeter.jpg\" width=\"491\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E The drawing \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-7nfVln7Br_Q\/UVYVrDNQjBI\/AAAAAAAAGDQ\/cApdUOg5rmg\/s1600\/St+Edmunds+c1830_Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"490\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-7nfVln7Br_Q\/UVYVrDNQjBI\/AAAAAAAAGDQ\/cApdUOg5rmg\/s640\/St+Edmunds+c1830_Exeter.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp;The drawing \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-HS3No4cq1iU\/UVYmafHVZ5I\/AAAAAAAAGDU\/JC2O4BqTIO8\/s1600\/St+Edmunds+Undercroft+Pillars+Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-HS3No4cq1iU\/UVYmafHVZ5I\/AAAAAAAAGDU\/JC2O4BqTIO8\/s640\/St+Edmunds+Undercroft+Pillars+Exeter.jpg\" width=\"468\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAlexander 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photo \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-jHEwV6GOZsI\/UVYrWH6KsBI\/AAAAAAAAGDg\/qKJAst3BeQ8\/s1600\/St+Edmund+BC.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-jHEwV6GOZsI\/UVYrWH6KsBI\/AAAAAAAAGDg\/qKJAst3BeQ8\/s640\/St+Edmund+BC.JPG\" width=\"507\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBy 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBeatrix 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E had the look of Exeter's other remaining medieval parish churches, even if it had been stripped of nearly all of its historical fabric.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--bs36z-fuM8\/UVYwzHKQH5I\/AAAAAAAAGDw\/c9SO6OhMPD0\/s1600\/St+Edmund+Street.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"410\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--bs36z-fuM8\/UVYwzHKQH5I\/AAAAAAAAGDw\/c9SO6OhMPD0\/s640\/St+Edmund+Street.JPG\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe postcard view \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe aerial photograph \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eoutside the South Gate\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-XdCW6ma4st8\/UVZIcBSBiwI\/AAAAAAAAGEY\/Fx3oeNpDYdo\/s1600\/Exe+Island+aerial+c1930.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"424\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-XdCW6ma4st8\/UVZIcBSBiwI\/AAAAAAAAGEY\/Fx3oeNpDYdo\/s640\/Exe+Island+aerial+c1930.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe new church was designed by the local architects of Cornish \u0026amp; 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\".\u0026nbsp; 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-urcuyvqUblI\/UVYzW1RxhKI\/AAAAAAAAGEA\/7x4_gTMczj4\/s1600\/St+Edmunds+Church+Exeter+2012.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-urcuyvqUblI\/UVYzW1RxhKI\/AAAAAAAAGEA\/7x4_gTMczj4\/s640\/St+Edmunds+Church+Exeter+2012.jpg\" width=\"494\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAccording 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 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 \u003Ci\u003Etop\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/no-210-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 210 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, an early 17th century house that was next to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/11\/allhallows-church-goldsmith-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EAllhallows Church\u003C\/a\u003E in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E, and had paid for repairs on the church's newly-exposed wall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-J4NL6A26yKk\/UVY7oX1mGyI\/AAAAAAAAGEM\/XGE1YIdSst8\/s1600\/St+Edmunds+Church+Tower+Exeter+2012.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-J4NL6A26yKk\/UVY7oX1mGyI\/AAAAAAAAGEM\/XGE1YIdSst8\/s640\/St+Edmunds+Church+Tower+Exeter+2012.jpg\" width=\"473\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBut 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E with the entrance doorway, dates to the rebuilding of 1833. The photo \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E shows the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/01\/edwardian-exe-bridge.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EEdwardian Exe Bridge\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-CRA0M-jFGL0\/UVbolPTRuVI\/AAAAAAAAGEw\/8fGuILLf9nM\/s1600\/New_Bridge_Street_Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"452\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-CRA0M-jFGL0\/UVbolPTRuVI\/AAAAAAAAGEw\/8fGuILLf9nM\/s640\/New_Bridge_Street_Exeter.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe church probably started to go downhill after the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/11\/georgian-exe-bridge.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EGeorgian Exe Bridge\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u0026amp; Cherry).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-MZxBFrQ5QMk\/UVbrjgsTmRI\/AAAAAAAAGE4\/k9SnMadSTp0\/s1600\/Exe+Bridge+and+St+Edmunds_Exeter+2012.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"542\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-MZxBFrQ5QMk\/UVbrjgsTmRI\/AAAAAAAAGE4\/k9SnMadSTp0\/s640\/Exe+Bridge+and+St+Edmunds_Exeter+2012.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/930565876292200953\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=930565876292200953","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/930565876292200953"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/930565876292200953"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/03\/st-edmunds-church-exe-bridge_30.html","title":"St Edmund's Church, Exe Bridge"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-vO5GLM03kao\/UVTjEhbBPjI\/AAAAAAAAGCk\/qTl6n4zAsfk\/s72-c\/ExeBridge_c1880.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-2193484924450247137"},"published":{"$t":"2013-03-28T01:13:00.000+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-22T22:30:03.897+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exe Bridge"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exe Island"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inner Bypass"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Medieval Exe Bridge"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z_A3x9u_gw0\/UVCIJVAG7HI\/AAAAAAAAF-Y\/3UBQofzDgfQ\/s1600\/Medieval_Exe_Bridge_Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"377\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z_A3x9u_gw0\/UVCIJVAG7HI\/AAAAAAAAF-Y\/3UBQofzDgfQ\/s640\/Medieval_Exe_Bridge_Exeter.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe remains of the medieval bridge that once spanned the river Exe at Exeter is one of the earliest structures of its kind in England \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E. 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ecathedral\u003C\/a\u003E, castle and the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ecity walls\u003C\/a\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-X736lPvqfKc\/UVDoEYYH0cI\/AAAAAAAAF-o\/ijcTxbGVAII\/s1600\/Exe+Bridge+arch.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-X736lPvqfKc\/UVDoEYYH0cI\/AAAAAAAAF-o\/ijcTxbGVAII\/s640\/Exe+Bridge+arch.jpg\" width=\"460\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAnyway, 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-DPxwVtiXcoo\/UVDrWVb2CaI\/AAAAAAAAF-s\/MeSgBvSPMYs\/s1600\/Exe+Bridge+aerial.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"355\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-DPxwVtiXcoo\/UVDrWVb2CaI\/AAAAAAAAF-s\/MeSgBvSPMYs\/s400\/Exe+Bridge+aerial.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E 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 (\u003Cb\u003E1\u003C\/b\u003E), \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/st-edmunds-church-exe-bridge_30.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESt Edmund's Church\u003C\/a\u003E (\u003Cb\u003E2\u003C\/b\u003E), St Mary's Chantry Chapel (\u003Cb\u003E3\u003C\/b\u003E), the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/west-gate-west-quarter.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EWest Gate\u003C\/a\u003E (\u003Cb\u003E4\u003C\/b\u003E), \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/slum-clearance-of-stepcote-hill.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EStepcote Hill\u003C\/a\u003E (\u003Cb\u003E5\u003C\/b\u003E). The perimeter of the city wall is highlighted in purple.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-CQKZutzmrjQ\/UVDymijt7oI\/AAAAAAAAF_A\/zy60UtKkICA\/s1600\/Seal+of+Exe+Bridge_Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-CQKZutzmrjQ\/UVDymijt7oI\/AAAAAAAAF_A\/zy60UtKkICA\/s640\/Seal+of+Exe+Bridge_Exeter.jpg\" width=\"471\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy 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.) \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 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, \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E. A mid 13th century document is the earliest to survive still bearing a wax impression of the seal. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-MY35RlnfFxs\/UVD2V36-UNI\/AAAAAAAAF_I\/Ff6RDkPc1h8\/s1600\/Braun+and+Hogenburg+Exeter_1587+Exe+Bridge.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-MY35RlnfFxs\/UVD2V36-UNI\/AAAAAAAAF_I\/Ff6RDkPc1h8\/s1600\/Braun+and+Hogenburg+Exeter_1587+Exe+Bridge.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ENo-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). \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnyone 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, \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-rfp3jvje8VQ\/UVMs_Yqt00I\/AAAAAAAAGBo\/tmLFlRhQAOk\/s1600\/St+Edmund_Jenkins_Exeter.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"340\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-rfp3jvje8VQ\/UVMs_Yqt00I\/AAAAAAAAGBo\/tmLFlRhQAOk\/s640\/St+Edmund_Jenkins_Exeter.JPG\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/frog-street-west-quarter.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EFrog Street\u003C\/a\u003E (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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-omI0PQbW-AQ\/UXu05PDYe6I\/AAAAAAAAGqw\/Mas0xTOjaeA\/s1600\/Exe+Bridge+stuck+1723.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-omI0PQbW-AQ\/UXu05PDYe6I\/AAAAAAAAGqw\/Mas0xTOjaeA\/s640\/Exe+Bridge+stuck+1723.jpg\" width=\"484\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u0026nbsp;The 1727 drawing \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlmost 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Gw1EGBbKbgs\/UVI60YiA-FI\/AAAAAAAAGAI\/Ie7dls1tnOQ\/s1600\/Toisa%2527s_Cross+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Gw1EGBbKbgs\/UVI60YiA-FI\/AAAAAAAAGAI\/Ie7dls1tnOQ\/s640\/Toisa%2527s_Cross+Exeter.jpg\" width=\"451\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EBy 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/03\/bear-inn-on-south-street-abbots-of.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eresidence of Abbots of Tavistock in South Street\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EStone 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/no-229-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 229 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E. In 1911 the 10th century shaft was moved to the grounds of the surviving priory buildings, \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E, and in 1991 it was finally placed in the city's museum where it can still be seen today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-sLLYacpsrkw\/UVJKyhdzhzI\/AAAAAAAAGAY\/qq_Gj7e8XjY\/s1600\/Benjamin_Donn+1765_Exeter+Exe+Bridge.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-sLLYacpsrkw\/UVJKyhdzhzI\/AAAAAAAAGAY\/qq_Gj7e8XjY\/s1600\/Benjamin_Donn+1765_Exeter+Exe+Bridge.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAfter 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/11\/georgian-exe-bridge.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E. 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\". \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA detail from Benjamin Donn's 1765 map of Exeter \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ekvP8MaqCKk\/UZ04k77BRwI\/AAAAAAAAHKs\/xHO4PHOAkO4\/s1600\/exe+bridge.gif\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ekvP8MaqCKk\/UZ04k77BRwI\/AAAAAAAAHKs\/xHO4PHOAkO4\/s400\/exe+bridge.gif\" width=\"363\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-7x__DBvo5M4\/UVMpxf4XzPI\/AAAAAAAAGBc\/jhJnVn3KAxA\/s1600\/St+Edmund_Street_+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-7x__DBvo5M4\/UVMpxf4XzPI\/AAAAAAAAGBc\/jhJnVn3KAxA\/s400\/St+Edmund_Street_+Exeter.jpg\" width=\"321\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIt 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe illustration \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Fu2D7gmqA4k\/UVMmZzb-Y1I\/AAAAAAAAGBU\/jY0QX06fsFg\/s1600\/Erfurt+bridge_Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Fu2D7gmqA4k\/UVMmZzb-Y1I\/AAAAAAAAGBU\/jY0QX06fsFg\/s640\/Erfurt+bridge_Exeter.jpg\" width=\"492\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EMembers 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELike 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-xXlKlBeGeD4\/UWHzshsC9mI\/AAAAAAAAGOk\/BsRyJ98IHRY\/s1600\/St+Edmund+ruin.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-xXlKlBeGeD4\/UWHzshsC9mI\/AAAAAAAAGOk\/BsRyJ98IHRY\/s400\/St+Edmund+ruin.jpg\" width=\"297\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBy 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDuring 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E. Pevesner \u0026amp; 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Q0pYK0Z5ktw\/UVOPZApBD2I\/AAAAAAAAGCA\/LzZ4slIBT-I\/s1600\/Round+Arch+Medieval+Exe+Bridge+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Q0pYK0Z5ktw\/UVOPZApBD2I\/AAAAAAAAGCA\/LzZ4slIBT-I\/s640\/Round+Arch+Medieval+Exe+Bridge+Exeter.jpg\" width=\"488\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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, \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-C5lxXDeS5D8\/UVOQ9pRHTDI\/AAAAAAAAGCE\/mNJ9pFGig1Y\/s1600\/Pointed+arch_Exe+Bridge.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-C5lxXDeS5D8\/UVOQ9pRHTDI\/AAAAAAAAGCE\/mNJ9pFGig1Y\/s640\/Pointed+arch_Exe+Bridge.jpg\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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, \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-wFVPgr0dI8w\/UVORpY6x_ZI\/AAAAAAAAGCM\/6V77ngPWxxo\/s1600\/Cutwaters+Exe+Bridge_Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"516\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-wFVPgr0dI8w\/UVORpY6x_ZI\/AAAAAAAAGCM\/6V77ngPWxxo\/s640\/Cutwaters+Exe+Bridge_Exeter.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2193484924450247137\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=2193484924450247137","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2193484924450247137"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2193484924450247137"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/03\/the-medieval-exe-bridge.html","title":"The Medieval Exe Bridge"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z_A3x9u_gw0\/UVCIJVAG7HI\/AAAAAAAAF-Y\/3UBQofzDgfQ\/s72-c\/Medieval_Exe_Bridge_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-7297066321143181518"},"published":{"$t":"2013-03-24T23:14:00.002+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-03T16:46:35.214+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inner Bypass"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Other Streets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Old Larkbeare House \u0026 The Shitbrook Valley"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-GbM-3YVAMQI\/UU5RsEBbtCI\/AAAAAAAAF8Q\/aWunBudtiK4\/s1600\/Larkbeare+House_door.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-GbM-3YVAMQI\/UU5RsEBbtCI\/AAAAAAAAF8Q\/aWunBudtiK4\/s640\/Larkbeare+House_door.jpg\" width=\"460\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EStaying 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/07\/the-south-gate-south-street_27.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESouth Gate\u003C\/a\u003E, try and cross the multi-lane ring road and walk down \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe remnant of Holloway Street that survived the creation of the inner bypass\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WZQjNI3d9Wc\/UU5W1bBRupI\/AAAAAAAAF8Y\/x-CzsExvAfw\/s1600\/Site+of+the+Shitbrook.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WZQjNI3d9Wc\/UU5W1bBRupI\/AAAAAAAAF8Y\/x-CzsExvAfw\/s640\/Site+of+the+Shitbrook.jpg\" width=\"473\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ERunning 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.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-DDFlughtSpU\/UU7mkSHlxxI\/AAAAAAAAF8k\/OuouuyzMU70\/s1600\/Larkbeare+Bridge+arch+c+DevArchSoc.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-DDFlughtSpU\/UU7mkSHlxxI\/AAAAAAAAF8k\/OuouuyzMU70\/s1600\/Larkbeare+Bridge+arch+c+DevArchSoc.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E© \u003C\/span\u003EDevon Archaeological Society.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-fImxRJaG07M\/UU74UPqyZ3I\/AAAAAAAAF88\/QnoK2U0kI9Y\/s1600\/Braun+and+Hogenburg+Exeter_1587+Larkbeare+House.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-fImxRJaG07M\/UU74UPqyZ3I\/AAAAAAAAF88\/QnoK2U0kI9Y\/s1600\/Braun+and+Hogenburg+Exeter_1587+Larkbeare+House.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAnyway, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-7Y7LcAK7AtA\/UU8l9_TwSDI\/AAAAAAAAF9Q\/9c6oafYOKxg\/s1600\/Larkbeare+House_fragment+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-7Y7LcAK7AtA\/UU8l9_TwSDI\/AAAAAAAAF9Q\/9c6oafYOKxg\/s640\/Larkbeare+House_fragment+Exeter.jpg\" width=\"465\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIt 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 \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E. 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBuilt 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-SUsn1MoALdc\/UU905aF9LyI\/AAAAAAAAF9c\/9sXvlhV2xN0\/s1600\/DSCF1227.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-SUsn1MoALdc\/UU905aF9LyI\/AAAAAAAAF9c\/9sXvlhV2xN0\/s400\/DSCF1227.jpg\" width=\"315\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIn 1737 Larkbeare House was bought by another Exeter merchant, John Baring, who was then residing at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/a-brief-history-of-palace-gate-and-its.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EPalace Gate\u003C\/a\u003E. 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.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E shows a watercolour of the northern end wall of the remodelled property c1850. The image \u003Ci\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E©\u003C\/span\u003E Devon County Council.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SNXXGwkdeYs\/UU92WUL6m8I\/AAAAAAAAF9k\/XYf-hSTHg8U\/s1600\/DSCF1226.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"355\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SNXXGwkdeYs\/UU92WUL6m8I\/AAAAAAAAF9k\/XYf-hSTHg8U\/s400\/DSCF1226.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIn 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis 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\u0026nbsp; 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--7IMG5jYCmw\/UU9-B8sowjI\/AAAAAAAAF9w\/6KWKdo0rxjk\/s1600\/Larkbeare+Lintel+Exeter.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"483\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--7IMG5jYCmw\/UU9-B8sowjI\/AAAAAAAAF9w\/6KWKdo0rxjk\/s640\/Larkbeare+Lintel+Exeter.JPG\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAn 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 \u003Ci\u003Etop\u003C\/i\u003E 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, \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E. I'm not sure what the animals mean. Maybe they had some heraldic significance.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-gqXUNbpgQCU\/UU-DF5xh7II\/AAAAAAAAF98\/pBliGqOE8eI\/s1600\/Larkbeare+house+exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"316\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-gqXUNbpgQCU\/UU-DF5xh7II\/AAAAAAAAF98\/pBliGqOE8eI\/s400\/Larkbeare+house+exeter.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photo \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E shows what old Larkbeare House would might look like from Holloway Street had it not been demolished in 1889.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-X1BRXZJ7v0c\/UYPbxbX_T7I\/AAAAAAAAGz8\/MoQXloe-eZg\/s1600\/Old+Larkbeare+PS.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"516\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-X1BRXZJ7v0c\/UYPbxbX_T7I\/AAAAAAAAGz8\/MoQXloe-eZg\/s640\/Old+Larkbeare+PS.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/7297066321143181518\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=7297066321143181518","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7297066321143181518"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7297066321143181518"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/03\/old-larkbeare-house-shitbrook.html","title":"Old Larkbeare House \u0026 The Shitbrook Valley"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-GbM-3YVAMQI\/UU5RsEBbtCI\/AAAAAAAAF8Q\/aWunBudtiK4\/s72-c\/Larkbeare+House_door.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4671223525919696126"},"published":{"$t":"2013-03-23T16:21:00.000+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-01T00:06:07.311+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inner Bypass"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Magdalen House: Nos. 39 \u0026 40 Magdalen Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VFsFRmECNvg\/UU2w-ZQ1JoI\/AAAAAAAAF7c\/EyUvExOsvvs\/s1600\/Magdalen+St+20.12.1960+Express+and+Echo.jpeg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"481\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VFsFRmECNvg\/UU2w-ZQ1JoI\/AAAAAAAAF7c\/EyUvExOsvvs\/s640\/Magdalen+St+20.12.1960+Express+and+Echo.jpeg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EMagdalen House at Nos. 39 \u0026amp; 40 Magdalen Street was another pointless casualty of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe post-war inner bypass at South Gate\u003C\/a\u003E. 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E©\u003C\/span\u003E Express \u0026amp; Echo.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-fGHImrbXBbs\/UU2yLAPPfVI\/AAAAAAAAF7k\/JjfZSo6R2lc\/s1600\/Michael+Dicker+by+Thomas+Hudson+RDAE.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-fGHImrbXBbs\/UU2yLAPPfVI\/AAAAAAAAF7k\/JjfZSo6R2lc\/s640\/Michael+Dicker+by+Thomas+Hudson+RDAE.jpg\" width=\"467\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EMichael 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMichael Dicker died in 1752, bequeathing a fine three-quarter length portrait of himself by Devon-born artist Thomas Hudson to the hospital. The portrait, \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E©\u003C\/span\u003E Royal Devon \u0026amp; 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 \u0026amp; 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-L7r539E9pEc\/UU212X8chPI\/AAAAAAAAF7s\/7k28IjyeHXQ\/s1600\/South+Gate+aerial+demolition+1905.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-L7r539E9pEc\/UU212X8chPI\/AAAAAAAAF7s\/7k28IjyeHXQ\/s1600\/South+Gate+aerial+demolition+1905.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EMagdalen 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe aerial view \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/44-46-magdalen-street-house-of-john.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E1659 mansion of John Matthew\u003C\/a\u003E at Nos. 44-46 was scandalously destroyed at the same time.) Trinity Street, which ran behind Magdalen House next to the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ecity wall\u003C\/a\u003E, 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-7td2ncmoIWw\/UU3Q7axptyI\/AAAAAAAAF8A\/RMIWL0w0o9Y\/s1600\/Magdalen+St+South+Gate_Exeter_2013.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"512\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-7td2ncmoIWw\/UU3Q7axptyI\/AAAAAAAAF8A\/RMIWL0w0o9Y\/s640\/Magdalen+St+South+Gate_Exeter_2013.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EWhatever 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen large-scale developments did take place, as in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/brief-history-of-southernhay_16.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESouthernhay\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/higher-market-queen-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EHigher Market\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/lower-market-fore-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELower Market\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EExeter Blitz of 1942\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/destruction-of-exeter-in-20th-century.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eonly around 25% of the inner city's pre-1900 buildings have remained standing\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESources \u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4671223525919696126\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4671223525919696126","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4671223525919696126"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4671223525919696126"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/03\/magdalen-house-nos-39-40-magdalen-street.html","title":"Magdalen House: Nos. 39 \u0026 40 Magdalen Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VFsFRmECNvg\/UU2w-ZQ1JoI\/AAAAAAAAF7c\/EyUvExOsvvs\/s72-c\/Magdalen+St+20.12.1960+Express+and+Echo.jpeg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-6092646613698152821"},"published":{"$t":"2013-03-22T14:44:00.000+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-03T16:38:54.482+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inner Bypass"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Other Streets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"44-46 Magdalen Street: The House of John Matthew"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-OpC03-bJeUc\/UUus-J_buII\/AAAAAAAAF54\/Ka-AB2WzGpg\/s1600\/40-46+Magdalen+Street.+23.12.1975++EandE.jpeg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"488\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-OpC03-bJeUc\/UUus-J_buII\/AAAAAAAAF54\/Ka-AB2WzGpg\/s640\/40-46+Magdalen+Street.+23.12.1975++EandE.jpeg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EIn 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/09\/medieval-merchants-at-no-36-north.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENos. 36\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/11\/no-38-north-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E38 North Street\u003C\/a\u003E in 1972.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe photograph \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E©\u003C\/span\u003E Express \u0026amp; 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E, 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.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-q70ZtkNUD0c\/UUxOnLtK_qI\/AAAAAAAAF6I\/QACLPdalfwk\/s1600\/South+Gate+aerial+demolition+John+Matthew_House+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-q70ZtkNUD0c\/UUxOnLtK_qI\/AAAAAAAAF6I\/QACLPdalfwk\/s400\/South+Gate+aerial+demolition+John+Matthew_House+Exeter.jpg\" width=\"326\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/brief-history-of-southernhay_16.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESouthernhay\u003C\/a\u003E. The photo \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E shows the grassy verge where the listed buildings once stood.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe property had received Grade II listed status on 18 June 1974, along with Nos. 42 \u0026amp; 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\". \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe city council purchased the buildings as part of the inner bypass construction and then wilfully neglected them. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAccording 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.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-efZGAFdpQu0\/UUxSn5ig1iI\/AAAAAAAAF6U\/papr5vPNBIY\/s1600\/44-46+Magdalen+Street+GE.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"496\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-efZGAFdpQu0\/UUxSn5ig1iI\/AAAAAAAAF6U\/papr5vPNBIY\/s640\/44-46+Magdalen+Street+GE.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EIn 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.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EFollowing 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.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-fmq8vLz6vzk\/UUxafb5ZWDI\/AAAAAAAAF6s\/XiEvnBwjwnk\/s1600\/Notaries_House_Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"331\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-fmq8vLz6vzk\/UUxafb5ZWDI\/AAAAAAAAF6s\/XiEvnBwjwnk\/s400\/Notaries_House_Exeter.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/09\/notaries-house-no-8-cathedral-close.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThe Notaries' House\u003C\/a\u003E in Cathedral Yard \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E, which was probably built c1692 and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/07\/no-40-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 40 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/i\u003E. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/01\/paragon-house-no-75-south-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EParagon House\u003C\/a\u003E at 75 South Street was a late 17th century brick house but it was destroyed during the Exeter Blitz, \u003Ci\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/i\u003E. Another large brick-built property was Holloway House of c1700 but it was demolished by the city council in 1980.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-KbefxQjgM30\/UUxZSkNFqII\/AAAAAAAAF6k\/Mq_LWXH6AH8\/s1600\/Pinbrook+House.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"350\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-KbefxQjgM30\/UUxZSkNFqII\/AAAAAAAAF6k\/Mq_LWXH6AH8\/s400\/Pinbrook+House.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAlthough 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.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-or31_uc0mTM\/UUxpDim7mJI\/AAAAAAAAF60\/x70uzEGDlb8\/s1600\/Paragon+House.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-or31_uc0mTM\/UUxpDim7mJI\/AAAAAAAAF60\/x70uzEGDlb8\/s400\/Paragon+House.jpg\" width=\"285\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EDuring 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.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAround 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.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5LPHpZYQ27Q\/UUxqRUoEezI\/AAAAAAAAF7E\/-fpEJ-LQUF0\/s1600\/BrickHouse1.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5LPHpZYQ27Q\/UUxqRUoEezI\/AAAAAAAAF7E\/-fpEJ-LQUF0\/s1600\/BrickHouse1.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EUntil 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E shows what Nos. 42-46 Magdalen Street might've looked like today if they had been restored rather than destroyed.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-9yuPiNUtfOc\/UYPZ5KdSdFI\/AAAAAAAAGzw\/qGnwUwGfqz8\/s1600\/Magdalen+Houses+Restored.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"470\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-9yuPiNUtfOc\/UYPZ5KdSdFI\/AAAAAAAAGzw\/qGnwUwGfqz8\/s640\/Magdalen+Houses+Restored.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6092646613698152821\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=6092646613698152821","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6092646613698152821"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6092646613698152821"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/03\/44-46-magdalen-street-house-of-john.html","title":"44-46 Magdalen Street: The House of John Matthew"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-OpC03-bJeUc\/UUus-J_buII\/AAAAAAAAF54\/Ka-AB2WzGpg\/s72-c\/40-46+Magdalen+Street.+23.12.1975++EandE.jpeg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-7162307838740200299"},"published":{"$t":"2013-03-21T00:11:00.000+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T23:58:52.566+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"20th Century"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inner Bypass"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inns and Taverns"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"South Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"West Quarter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Demolition at Magdalen Street \u0026 Holloway Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-mtbGJNgq72U\/UUc0gbwMEwI\/AAAAAAAAF2Q\/Ri4xrMDPkpI\/s1600\/Demolition%252C+Magdalen+Street.+31.3.1964+EandE.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"306\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-mtbGJNgq72U\/UUc0gbwMEwI\/AAAAAAAAF2Q\/Ri4xrMDPkpI\/s400\/Demolition%252C+Magdalen+Street.+31.3.1964+EandE.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E shows late Regency houses being demolished in Magdalen Street in 1964 \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E©\u003C\/span\u003E Express \u0026amp; Echo.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAt 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ml26-BqbtGA\/UUjwBD6waFI\/AAAAAAAAF2g\/V_BBfM16yUA\/s1600\/Magdalen+St+20.12.1960+Express+and+Echo.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"481\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ml26-BqbtGA\/UUjwBD6waFI\/AAAAAAAAF2g\/V_BBfM16yUA\/s640\/Magdalen+St+20.12.1960+Express+and+Echo.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/01\/edwardian-exe-bridge.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EEdwardian Exe Bridge\u003C\/a\u003E, Alphington Street and Cowick Street fared little better.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhat 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EExeter Blitz of 1942\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E shows the view into Magdalen Street from the bottom of South Street in 1960 \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E©\u003C\/span\u003E Express \u0026amp; Echo. Nearly all of the houses shown dated from between c1659 and c1720, some with later mid 19th century facades. The photograph \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E shows the same view today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-tlpwEyQaAg4\/UUpHbcXeylI\/AAAAAAAAF5c\/lCAoKldzzoU\/s1600\/Magdalen+Street+2012+Exeter.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"480\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-tlpwEyQaAg4\/UUpHbcXeylI\/AAAAAAAAF5c\/lCAoKldzzoU\/s640\/Magdalen+Street+2012+Exeter.JPG\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAs 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/06\/brief-history-of-south-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESouth Street\u003C\/a\u003E, Holloway Street and Magdalen Street where they met outside the great \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/07\/the-south-gate-south-street_27.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESouth Gate\u003C\/a\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ctZq1nDYTXg\/UUj3mfQl5VI\/AAAAAAAAF2w\/innPisepB4w\/s1600\/Roman+Roads+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"504\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ctZq1nDYTXg\/UUj3mfQl5VI\/AAAAAAAAF2w\/innPisepB4w\/s640\/Roman+Roads+Exeter.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EMagdalen 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EEast Gate\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E attempts to show how the Roman roads converged on Exeter in the 3rd century AD. The perimeter of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ERoman city walls\u003C\/a\u003E 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 (\u003Cb\u003E2\u003C\/b\u003E), is highlighted in purple. The spur that forked at what is now Livery Dole (\u003Cb\u003E3\u003C\/b\u003E), which comprised Magdalen Road and Magdalen Street, and which terminated at the South Gate (\u003Cb\u003E1\u003C\/b\u003E) 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z4uGN6aUYK0\/UUj854ML28I\/AAAAAAAAF3E\/jJs7uSgYiAU\/s1600\/South+Gate_Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z4uGN6aUYK0\/UUj854ML28I\/AAAAAAAAF3E\/jJs7uSgYiAU\/s400\/South+Gate_Exeter.jpg\" width=\"286\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-sP0XpFyTkBg\/UUj_7AMYDNI\/AAAAAAAAF3Q\/oGqKAzJvdyo\/s1600\/Braun+and+Hogenburg+Exeter_1587+Southgate.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-sP0XpFyTkBg\/UUj_7AMYDNI\/AAAAAAAAF3Q\/oGqKAzJvdyo\/s1600\/Braun+and+Hogenburg+Exeter_1587+Southgate.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 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.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-90P09f8nrjA\/UUkFPvO6EvI\/AAAAAAAAF3U\/OGrQH3dt5OU\/s1600\/Benjamin_Donn+1765_Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-90P09f8nrjA\/UUkFPvO6EvI\/AAAAAAAAF3U\/OGrQH3dt5OU\/s400\/Benjamin_Donn+1765_Exeter.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EBy 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 \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBenjamin Donn's 1765 map of the city \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E©\u003C\/span\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-kuLwf5mRPcU\/UUowyYemULI\/AAAAAAAAF4k\/ybJZR4Fl7NE\/s1600\/South+Gate_Exeter+Richard_Parker.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"428\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-kuLwf5mRPcU\/UUowyYemULI\/AAAAAAAAF4k\/ybJZR4Fl7NE\/s640\/South+Gate_Exeter+Richard_Parker.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EExeter 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-9fbTI3R_cpU\/UUkLJB-6V6I\/AAAAAAAAF3s\/o8Ag-zWJ8JQ\/s1600\/Exe+Aerial+overlay+with+numbering+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"587\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-9fbTI3R_cpU\/UUkLJB-6V6I\/AAAAAAAAF3s\/o8Ag-zWJ8JQ\/s640\/Exe+Aerial+overlay+with+numbering+Exeter.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/07\/the-south-gate-south-street_27.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESite of the South Gate\u003C\/a\u003E, 2 Quay Lane, 3 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/magdalen-house-nos-39-40-magdalen-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EMagdalen House\u003C\/a\u003E, 4 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/44-46-magdalen-street-house-of-john.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E42-46 Magdalen Street\u003C\/a\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-xTY0nkNhw8w\/UUkHjxhXwoI\/AAAAAAAAF3c\/3OYgMG19zoA\/s1600\/South+gate+pre-war+aerial.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"270\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-xTY0nkNhw8w\/UUkHjxhXwoI\/AAAAAAAAF3c\/3OYgMG19zoA\/s400\/South+gate+pre-war+aerial.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E The pre-war aerial view \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u0026nbsp; 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-sBaK2TJlSJM\/UUkPaHWNsgI\/AAAAAAAAF38\/i6Pw4R0_MUI\/s1600\/Holloway+Street+pre-war.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"475\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-sBaK2TJlSJM\/UUkPaHWNsgI\/AAAAAAAAF38\/i6Pw4R0_MUI\/s640\/Holloway+Street+pre-war.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E© Express \u0026amp; Echo \u003C\/span\u003Eshows Magdalen Street in the early 1960s when demolition had started in Holloway Street (in the background). The Valiant Soldier inn had already been bulldozed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ecL458NBCYQ\/UUkRdSvVwNI\/AAAAAAAAF4I\/yqr0YBpVu_0\/s1600\/Magdalen+Street%252C+Exeter.+19.12.1961+WMT.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"484\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ecL458NBCYQ\/UUkRdSvVwNI\/AAAAAAAAF4I\/yqr0YBpVu_0\/s640\/Magdalen+Street%252C+Exeter.+19.12.1961+WMT.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E 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.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-AA9yzKKpTs4\/UUkOrmDdGWI\/AAAAAAAAF30\/bsbX3JjPk6s\/s1600\/40-46+Magdalen+Street.+23.12.1975++EandE.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"473\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-AA9yzKKpTs4\/UUkOrmDdGWI\/AAAAAAAAF30\/bsbX3JjPk6s\/s640\/40-46+Magdalen+Street.+23.12.1975++EandE.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E The photograph \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-hxs61gZ19s4\/UUo3qVHmrHI\/AAAAAAAAF4s\/XdIUPvuaw9E\/s1600\/Holloway+Fragment_exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"496\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-hxs61gZ19s4\/UUo3qVHmrHI\/AAAAAAAAF4s\/XdIUPvuaw9E\/s640\/Holloway+Fragment_exeter.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAs 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove \u003C\/i\u003Eand as \u003Cb\u003E8\u003C\/b\u003E on the Ordnance Survey aerial view.) The east side fared little better with 'only' around 200 metres of pre-war frontages being demolished. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-RYSCRMGSSbU\/UUkWJfWOCgI\/AAAAAAAAF4Q\/F9hno8K5QRE\/s1600\/IMGP0314.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"473\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-RYSCRMGSSbU\/UUkWJfWOCgI\/AAAAAAAAF4Q\/F9hno8K5QRE\/s640\/IMGP0314.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ENot 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/02\/eastgate-arcade-and-coffee-tavern.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EEastgate\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove \u003C\/i\u003Eshows the large section of the city wall that was demolished to accomodate the inner bypass, now spanned by a pedestrian footbridge. The photograph \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E shows the view towards the Magdalen Street-Holloway Street junction today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-3-8lUW3V0gg\/UUo9mzJ98DI\/AAAAAAAAF48\/FLbgYGPWlAc\/s1600\/Holloway+Street+2012.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"480\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-3-8lUW3V0gg\/UUo9mzJ98DI\/AAAAAAAAF48\/FLbgYGPWlAc\/s640\/Holloway+Street+2012.JPG\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EChanges 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EPaul Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/frog-street-west-quarter.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EFrog Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/smythen-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESmythen Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/12\/preston-street-demolished.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EPreston Street\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/slum-clearance-of-stepcote-hill.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EStepcote Hill\u003C\/a\u003E, the bombing in 1942 of the High Street, South Street, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/03\/brief-history-of-waterbeer-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EWaterbeer Street\u003C\/a\u003E has resulted in the wholesale destruction of Exeter as a visually historic city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-P6G2LIPESMc\/UUo-xC5lOTI\/AAAAAAAAF5E\/0NArlACaKpQ\/s1600\/Grim+Exeter.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"480\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-P6G2LIPESMc\/UUo-xC5lOTI\/AAAAAAAAF5E\/0NArlACaKpQ\/s640\/Grim+Exeter.JPG\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEven 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/higher-market-queen-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EHigher Market\u003C\/a\u003E in Queen Street, the late Regency houses in Bartholomew West, and the 16th and 17th century houses at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/nos-223-225-high-st-mock-tudor-exeter.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 226\u003C\/a\u003E and No. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/07\/no-227-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E227 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E. (The Higher Market was partially demolished anyway and Nos. 226 and 227 only exist today as shallow facades, their ground floors completely gutted.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-3GA1AJtOjYY\/UUpEZifQqzI\/AAAAAAAAF5Q\/Fdxe8K53eYg\/s1600\/Inner+bypass.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"504\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-3GA1AJtOjYY\/UUpEZifQqzI\/AAAAAAAAF5Q\/Fdxe8K53eYg\/s640\/Inner+bypass.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIn 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/house-that-moved-west-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E'House That Moved'\u003C\/a\u003E (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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-jIAoEMUzQyU\/UUpHDyXcYbI\/AAAAAAAAF5Y\/OEhE1j0_mLo\/s1600\/Ugly+Exeter+inner+bypass.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"491\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-jIAoEMUzQyU\/UUpHDyXcYbI\/AAAAAAAAF5Y\/OEhE1j0_mLo\/s640\/Ugly+Exeter+inner+bypass.JPG\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ETwo 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-QzetZC8bFTw\/UUpJvbtGNrI\/AAAAAAAAF5k\/OxrjKVp3bkA\/s1600\/South+Gate+aerial+view.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"444\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-QzetZC8bFTw\/UUpJvbtGNrI\/AAAAAAAAF5k\/OxrjKVp3bkA\/s640\/South+Gate+aerial+view.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/7162307838740200299\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=7162307838740200299","title":"10 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7162307838740200299"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7162307838740200299"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/03\/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html","title":"Demolition at Magdalen Street \u0026 Holloway Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-mtbGJNgq72U\/UUc0gbwMEwI\/AAAAAAAAF2Q\/Ri4xrMDPkpI\/s72-c\/Demolition%252C+Magdalen+Street.+31.3.1964+EandE.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"10"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-3281471427202372020"},"published":{"$t":"2013-03-17T15:53:00.000+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T23:48:05.000+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Palace Gate"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Saxon Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"A Brief History of Palace Gate and its Buildings"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-lGrWZSM1h4g\/UUULKlQ-_RI\/AAAAAAAAF0U\/TmxcK4M5N4s\/s1600\/Palace+Gate+Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-lGrWZSM1h4g\/UUULKlQ-_RI\/AAAAAAAAF0U\/TmxcK4M5N4s\/s640\/Palace+Gate+Exeter.jpg\" width=\"469\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EA small fragment of pre-war central Exeter survives at Palace Gate \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E. 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/06\/brief-history-of-south-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESouth Street\u003C\/a\u003E up to the west front of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EExeter Cathedral\u003C\/a\u003E, taking in a small area known as Deanery Square or Deanery Place.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESt Mary Major\u003C\/a\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/the-bishops-palace-palace-gate_12.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBishop's Palace\u003C\/a\u003E, was in existence by the end of the 9th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-MTuQuzd1Nw4\/UUUP8GqZ1nI\/AAAAAAAAF0c\/9jJSDB9O1XQ\/s1600\/Palace+Gate+Hedgeland+titles.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"524\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-MTuQuzd1Nw4\/UUUP8GqZ1nI\/AAAAAAAAF0c\/9jJSDB9O1XQ\/s640\/Palace+Gate+Hedgeland+titles.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E Based on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EHedgeland's great model of Exeter in 1769\u003C\/a\u003E, detail \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E: 1 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/the-archdeacon-of-exeters-house-palace.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EArchdeacon of Exeter's House\u003C\/a\u003E, 2 Palace Gate, 3 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/gatehouse-of-bishops-palace-palace-gate.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBishop's Palace Gatehouse\u003C\/a\u003E, 4 Deanery Place, 5 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/03\/chantry-deanery-place.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThe Chantry\u003C\/a\u003E, 6 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/03\/bear-street-bear-gate-bear-tower.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBear Gate\u003C\/a\u003E, 7 The Deanery, 8 Nos. 1 \u0026amp; 2 The Cloisters, 9 Site of St James's Church\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-fmTbR8dDZbo\/UUUV5GO-ZQI\/AAAAAAAAF0s\/8tqzcW_zmeQ\/s1600\/Palace+Gate+corner.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-fmTbR8dDZbo\/UUUV5GO-ZQI\/AAAAAAAAF0s\/8tqzcW_zmeQ\/s1600\/Palace+Gate+corner.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAnyway, 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/06\/holy-trinity-church-south-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EHoly Trinity\u003C\/a\u003E, further down South Street towards the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/07\/the-south-gate-south-street_27.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESouth Gate\u003C\/a\u003E, and little more is heard of it. And then in 1878 Kennaway's wine merchants, located in Palace Gate, decide to extend their cellars.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ufJuXFhYA_I\/UUUY1m0c5QI\/AAAAAAAAF08\/lkcc-eJNHOs\/s1600\/Palace+Gate+c1800+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ufJuXFhYA_I\/UUUY1m0c5QI\/AAAAAAAAF08\/lkcc-eJNHOs\/s640\/Palace+Gate+c1800+Exeter.jpg\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EUntil 1956 the site of the church was occupied by a timber-framed building from c1650. Unfortunately, despite surviving the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EExeter Blitz of 1942\u003C\/a\u003E, the property was demolished by the City Council for road-widening and an ugly structure was built on the site, \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E. 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFortunately 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 \u0026amp; 9 Palace Gate, three handsome Grade II listed red-brick Georgian townhouses from c1800 with string courses, modillion cornices and sash windows \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E. 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-F2506cUmnrU\/UUUZqk6gmbI\/AAAAAAAAF1E\/4hjpmvhCc8U\/s1600\/Palace+Gate+post+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-F2506cUmnrU\/UUUZqk6gmbI\/AAAAAAAAF1E\/4hjpmvhCc8U\/s400\/Palace+Gate+post+Exeter.jpg\" width=\"310\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EOutside No.9 Palace Gate is a short stone post engraved with the words \"Palace Gate Removed 1812\" \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E. A matching post once stood on the opposite side of the road but it has now disappeared. The post commemorates Palace Gate, one of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ea series of ancient gates\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-O_Jou9PYCfA\/UUXk1hOwEnI\/AAAAAAAAF10\/BNlzffQkuJk\/s1600\/Arch.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"535\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-O_Jou9PYCfA\/UUXk1hOwEnI\/AAAAAAAAF10\/BNlzffQkuJk\/s640\/Arch.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOpposite 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo. 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-plDb6wxfQ08\/UUXWpED6UEI\/AAAAAAAAF1g\/xgKuMVCnEjw\/s1600\/Palace+Gate+GE_2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-plDb6wxfQ08\/UUXWpED6UEI\/AAAAAAAAF1g\/xgKuMVCnEjw\/s400\/Palace+Gate+GE_2.jpg\" width=\"382\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EA little further up still and on the left is the hulking brick mass of The Chantry \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/03\/bear-inn-on-south-street-abbots-of.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBear Inn\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-H1nQZKkpkWw\/UUXbHU8ygaI\/AAAAAAAAF1o\/vmOpnTHEaZ8\/s1600\/1+The+Cloisters.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-H1nQZKkpkWw\/UUXbHU8ygaI\/AAAAAAAAF1o\/vmOpnTHEaZ8\/s640\/1+The+Cloisters.JPG\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENos. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E. It's likely that the pale stone work came from the cathedral's late 14th century cloisters.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis 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, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/southernhay-west-southernhay.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESouthernhay\u003C\/a\u003E, The Quay, The Mint and Queen Street, demonstrate why Exeter was once regarded as perhaps the most picturesque city in southern England.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-v_FNQNVmQ68\/UUXmHS1v9LI\/AAAAAAAAF18\/jn8FNTucm2I\/s1600\/Palace+Gate+GE_3.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"444\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-v_FNQNVmQ68\/UUXmHS1v9LI\/AAAAAAAAF18\/jn8FNTucm2I\/s640\/Palace+Gate+GE_3.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/3281471427202372020\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=3281471427202372020","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3281471427202372020"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3281471427202372020"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/03\/a-brief-history-of-palace-gate-and-its.html","title":"A Brief History of Palace Gate and its Buildings"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-lGrWZSM1h4g\/UUULKlQ-_RI\/AAAAAAAAF0U\/TmxcK4M5N4s\/s72-c\/Palace+Gate+Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-536891876663881937"},"published":{"$t":"2013-03-16T01:08:00.002+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T23:43:00.790+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Cathedral"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Other Streets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Palace Gate"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Archdeacon of Exeter's House, Palace Gate"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-jIgRyeuNvac\/UVD7kKh9LJI\/AAAAAAAAF_c\/CnLG1FIs0-o\/s1600\/Archdeacon+of+Exeter%27s+House+roof+Exeter+Archaeology.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-jIgRyeuNvac\/UVD7kKh9LJI\/AAAAAAAAF_c\/CnLG1FIs0-o\/s640\/Archdeacon+of+Exeter%27s+House+roof+Exeter+Archaeology.jpg\" width=\"412\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt 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 \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E in 1995 © Exeter Archaeology.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/the-bishops-palace-palace-gate_12.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBishop's Palace\u003C\/a\u003E and almost adjacent to the palace's gatehouse.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-KmBjN04qU4Y\/UUOwmo58QJI\/AAAAAAAAFzQ\/flhBv63b6Fc\/s1600\/archdeacon+of+exeter+house+c1560+titles.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-KmBjN04qU4Y\/UUOwmo58QJI\/AAAAAAAAFzQ\/flhBv63b6Fc\/s640\/archdeacon+of+exeter+house+c1560+titles.jpg\" width=\"483\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAlthough 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne 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 \u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003Erefers to \"the great Hall which Walter, Archdeacon of Cornwall constructed\".\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EBy 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/03\/bear-inn-on-south-street-abbots-of.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EAbbots of Tavistock\u003C\/a\u003E, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/town-house-of-abbots-of-buckfast.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EAbbots of Buckfast Abbey\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/02\/black-lions-inn-no-78-south-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EPriors of Plympton Priory\u003C\/a\u003E as well \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/03\/chantry-deanery-place.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe Chantry\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/01\/chancellors-house-cathedral-close.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe Chancellor's House\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WIX0h4qDXJQ\/UUOz6oouvSI\/AAAAAAAAFzU\/9JLYje_fD9o\/s1600\/Hedgeland+Exeter+Archdeacon+of+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WIX0h4qDXJQ\/UUOz6oouvSI\/AAAAAAAAFzU\/9JLYje_fD9o\/s1600\/Hedgeland+Exeter+Archdeacon+of+Exeter.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EThe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/06\/brief-history-of-south-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESouth Street\u003C\/a\u003E drawn by John Hooker in the mid 16th century, \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E. The 'Great Hall' is still essentially the building painted a sort of salmon pink in the photo \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E, though much altered.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EThe 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe gatehouse range was perhaps the first part of the residence to be demolished and it doesn't appear on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECaleb Hedgeland's early 19th century model of Exeter in 1769\u003C\/a\u003E. In a detail from the model \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Egated entrances into the cathedral precinct\u003C\/a\u003E, 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.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-QzTOBR3j3gE\/UUOudLfevpI\/AAAAAAAAFzE\/9rEk9w2hwGQ\/s1600\/Former+Convent+School+Palace+Gate+Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"475\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-QzTOBR3j3gE\/UUOudLfevpI\/AAAAAAAAFzE\/9rEk9w2hwGQ\/s640\/Former+Convent+School+Palace+Gate+Exeter.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-CpB4j1foCQQ\/UUO675_UA6I\/AAAAAAAAFzc\/G917GRJdnT0\/s1600\/Arch.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-t3iadZUQkKM\/UUO8OIICT0I\/AAAAAAAAFzk\/Wi2juCY0sSw\/s1600\/bowhill.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-t3iadZUQkKM\/UUO8OIICT0I\/AAAAAAAAFzk\/Wi2juCY0sSw\/s1600\/bowhill.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EDespite 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/gatehouse-of-bishops-palace-palace-gate.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe gatehouse of the Bishop's Palace\u003C\/a\u003E) is also late medieval in origin and part of the original roof survives.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHowever 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-eyIRC0X-iL4\/UUO9uYn7hAI\/AAAAAAAAFz0\/QSnV9yo8Gz0\/s1600\/Guildhall_interior_east+exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-eyIRC0X-iL4\/UUO9uYn7hAI\/AAAAAAAAFz0\/QSnV9yo8Gz0\/s640\/Guildhall_interior_east+exeter.jpg\" width=\"464\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe structure therefore forms part of a local group of outstanding medieval roofs around Exeter which includes two roofs at Bowhill \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E just beyond the city walls, and one each at the Guildhall \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E, at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/09\/law-library-no-8-cathedral-close.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe Law Library\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-5ENR_KZzu9s\/UUPCiDfp9UI\/AAAAAAAAF0E\/wrciV3sWxMw\/s1600\/Law_Library+3.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-5ENR_KZzu9s\/UUPCiDfp9UI\/AAAAAAAAF0E\/wrciV3sWxMw\/s640\/Law_Library+3.jpg\" width=\"441\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIt'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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECathedral\u003C\/a\u003E, the recently rebuilt Guildhall, numerous small parish churches, a sprawl of spectacular ecclesiastical residences, a Benedictine monastery, a Dominican friary, medieval gatehouses within \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe city wall\u003C\/a\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E*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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/536891876663881937\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=536891876663881937","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/536891876663881937"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/536891876663881937"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/03\/the-archdeacon-of-exeters-house-palace.html","title":"The Archdeacon of Exeter's House, Palace Gate"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-jIgRyeuNvac\/UVD7kKh9LJI\/AAAAAAAAF_c\/CnLG1FIs0-o\/s72-c\/Archdeacon+of+Exeter%27s+House+roof+Exeter+Archaeology.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-2974597673458453790"},"published":{"$t":"2013-03-13T00:06:00.000+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T23:38:22.365+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Palace Gate"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Walls and Gates"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Gatehouse of the Bishop's Palace, Palace Gate"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003C!--[if gte mso 9]\u003E\u003Cxml\u003E \u003Cw:WordDocument\u003E  \u003Cw:View\u003ENormal\u003C\/w:View\u003E  \u003Cw:Zoom\u003E0\u003C\/w:Zoom\u003E  \u003Cw:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser\/\u003E \u003C\/w:WordDocument\u003E\u003C\/xml\u003E\u003C![endif]--\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-U3abqqy5eAQ\/UT-_idvJ2qI\/AAAAAAAAFys\/MYJH60eJ1Qc\/s1600\/Gatehouse+Bishop%27s+Palace+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"529\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-U3abqqy5eAQ\/UT-_idvJ2qI\/AAAAAAAAFys\/MYJH60eJ1Qc\/s640\/Gatehouse+Bishop%27s+Palace+Exeter.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe gatehouse of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/the-bishops-palace-palace-gate_12.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBishop’s Palace\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003EThe 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 unfortunate addition.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-U1MXrf4FdU0\/UT_A_ktmz5I\/AAAAAAAAFy0\/oeMdur1Ty1U\/s1600\/Ceiling+Palace+Gate.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-U1MXrf4FdU0\/UT_A_ktmz5I\/AAAAAAAAFy0\/oeMdur1Ty1U\/s400\/Ceiling+Palace+Gate.jpg\" width=\"304\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EIt 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 \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E © 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/01\/lost-jacobean-plasterwork-ceilings-i.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eplasterwork ceiling\u003C\/a\u003E 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\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C!--[if gte mso 9]\u003E\u003Cxml\u003E \u003Cw:WordDocument\u003E  \u003Cw:View\u003ENormal\u003C\/w:View\u003E  \u003Cw:Zoom\u003E0\u003C\/w:Zoom\u003E  \u003Cw:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser\/\u003E \u003C\/w:WordDocument\u003E\u003C\/xml\u003E\u003C![endif]--\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2974597673458453790\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=2974597673458453790","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2974597673458453790"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2974597673458453790"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/03\/gatehouse-of-bishops-palace-palace-gate.html","title":"Gatehouse of the Bishop's Palace, Palace Gate"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-U3abqqy5eAQ\/UT-_idvJ2qI\/AAAAAAAAFys\/MYJH60eJ1Qc\/s72-c\/Gatehouse+Bishop%27s+Palace+Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5535315972649281621"},"published":{"$t":"2013-03-12T16:53:00.000+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-22T22:35:28.180+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Cathedral"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Palace Gate"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Bishop's Palace, Palace Gate"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003C!--[if gte mso 9]\u003E\u003Cxml\u003E  \u003Cw:WordDocument\u003E   \u003Cw:View\u003ENormal\u003C\/w:View\u003E   \u003Cw:Zoom\u003E0\u003C\/w:Zoom\u003E   \u003Cw:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser\/\u003E  \u003C\/w:WordDocument\u003E \u003C\/xml\u003E\u003C![endif]--\u003E  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-k_YwwBugn7s\/UT5udQMRQqI\/AAAAAAAAFwM\/jJlyA9Cnyl0\/s1600\/Bishops+Palace+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-k_YwwBugn7s\/UT5udQMRQqI\/AAAAAAAAFwM\/jJlyA9Cnyl0\/s640\/Bishops+Palace+Exeter.jpg\" width=\"441\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EConstructed on a vast scale during the Middle Ages, by the end of the 15th century the Bishop's Palace at Exeter \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAbandoned 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.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EToday’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\u003Csup\u003E \u003C\/sup\u003Ecentury 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.)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003ENot 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EExeter’s city walls\u003C\/a\u003E, dwarfing even such extensive properties as the Deanery, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/03\/chantry-deanery-place.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe Chantry\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/01\/treasurers-house-cathedral-close.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe Treasurer's House\u003C\/a\u003E. (The largest private house ever built within the walls was probably the post-Reformation \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/09\/bedford-house-and-dominican-friary.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBedford House\u003C\/a\u003E fashioned out of the dissolved Dominican Friary by Lord John Russell in the mid 16th century.)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-cLfwAPR6Pd8\/UT5xZMUTtmI\/AAAAAAAAFwc\/0SEDVwFDMPw\/s1600\/Braun+and+Hogenburg+Exeter_1563.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-cLfwAPR6Pd8\/UT5xZMUTtmI\/AAAAAAAAFwc\/0SEDVwFDMPw\/s400\/Braun+and+Hogenburg+Exeter_1563.jpg\" width=\"295\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe detail from Braun and Hogenberg's map of Exeter \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E shows the Bishop's Palace in the late 16th century. The \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/gatehouse-of-bishops-palace-palace-gate.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Egatehouse at Palace Gate\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAccording 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.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-THrSRjMJ9hU\/UT5zjrvw0PI\/AAAAAAAAFwk\/1XInyq67zOs\/s1600\/BP+doorway+porch.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-THrSRjMJ9hU\/UT5zjrvw0PI\/AAAAAAAAFwk\/1XInyq67zOs\/s400\/BP+doorway+porch.jpg\" width=\"280\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe South Porch and Inner Doorway \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EOne 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 \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E 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. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-eAfGHuFvWTw\/UT54E_YnqiI\/AAAAAAAAFws\/YPZqm6qw0VY\/s1600\/service+access.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-eAfGHuFvWTw\/UT54E_YnqiI\/AAAAAAAAFws\/YPZqm6qw0VY\/s400\/service+access.jpg\" width=\"267\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe Great Hall\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe 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.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe hall was perhaps modelled on slightly earlier examples at Leicester Castle and the Bishop’s Palace at Hereford. The photograph \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E 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. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ErXhGo6NIgY\/UT55S_2l0jI\/AAAAAAAAFw8\/dqysJyWWGiI\/s1600\/exon+bishop+palace+c1250.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ErXhGo6NIgY\/UT55S_2l0jI\/AAAAAAAAFw8\/dqysJyWWGiI\/s400\/exon+bishop+palace+c1250.jpg\" width=\"310\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe Chapel of St Faith\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAnother 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”.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe 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.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ku7Xn3ZQ1VA\/UT59iv-_CFI\/AAAAAAAAFxM\/KSrmdp6gKYc\/s1600\/exon+bishop+palace+expanded.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ku7Xn3ZQ1VA\/UT59iv-_CFI\/AAAAAAAAFxM\/KSrmdp6gKYc\/s400\/exon+bishop+palace+expanded.jpg\" width=\"305\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E 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.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E The projected wall lines on both images are based on plans by John Chanter. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EEdward 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.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E 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.\"\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-dSnnFQkqZU0\/UT5_5Rlp0aI\/AAAAAAAAFxU\/OdtX2KAV60s\/s1600\/Lioness+boss+bishop%27s+palace+exeter+14th+century.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-dSnnFQkqZU0\/UT5_5Rlp0aI\/AAAAAAAAFxU\/OdtX2KAV60s\/s640\/Lioness+boss+bishop%27s+palace+exeter+14th+century.jpg\" width=\"436\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003ESomething 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.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EOne of these bosses, depicting a lioness, is shown \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E © 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EExeter Cathedral\u003C\/a\u003E 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”.)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-4CAVfdfM1bQ\/UT6Bh0zpcRI\/AAAAAAAAFxc\/bUb0IaLmOX4\/s1600\/courtenay+overmantel+exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-4CAVfdfM1bQ\/UT6Bh0zpcRI\/AAAAAAAAFxc\/bUb0IaLmOX4\/s400\/courtenay+overmantel+exeter.jpg\" width=\"315\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAnother 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 \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E. 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. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/02\/john-coombe-fireplace-formerly-in.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe John Coombe fireplace\u003C\/a\u003E place formerly in the Chantry. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EDespite 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EEast Gate\u003C\/a\u003E 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).\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-eTW2im-F8Wo\/UT6DQxaLx9I\/AAAAAAAAFxk\/OW-pT0qQq80\/s1600\/1819+engraving+bishops+palace+exeter+west+wing.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-eTW2im-F8Wo\/UT6DQxaLx9I\/AAAAAAAAFxk\/OW-pT0qQq80\/s1600\/1819+engraving+bishops+palace+exeter+west+wing.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe engraving \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/i\u003E shows the same view after the palace was rebuilt in the mid 19th century.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe 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.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-oeZk6vSxRP4\/UT8iB1oagJI\/AAAAAAAAFx4\/XqGp4NWyTCg\/s1600\/Cornell+University+Library+Exeter+Bishop+Palace.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-oeZk6vSxRP4\/UT8iB1oagJI\/AAAAAAAAFx4\/XqGp4NWyTCg\/s400\/Cornell+University+Library+Exeter+Bishop+Palace.jpg\" width=\"302\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe palace underwent further extensive modifications in the 18th century during the reign of Bishop Keppel.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E 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).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EUnfortunately 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.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-gxHCoqslDWY\/UT9N7ndl07I\/AAAAAAAAFyE\/F0tBKN-gg2o\/s1600\/Exeter_1709_map.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-gxHCoqslDWY\/UT9N7ndl07I\/AAAAAAAAFyE\/F0tBKN-gg2o\/s400\/Exeter_1709_map.jpg\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C!--[if gte mso 9]\u003E\u003Cxml\u003E \u003Cw:WordDocument\u003E  \u003Cw:View\u003ENormal\u003C\/w:View\u003E  \u003Cw:Zoom\u003E0\u003C\/w:Zoom\u003E  \u003Cw:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser\/\u003E \u003C\/w:WordDocument\u003E\u003C\/xml\u003E\u003C![endif]--\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAccording 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.\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"\u003E (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.)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"\u003EDespite Pevsner and Cherry's claim, it seems that the service wing was demolished well before 1812. A 1709 map of the city, detail \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E, shows the Bishop's Palace with an already greatly truncated eastern range \u003C\/span\u003EGeorge 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.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-G9fQGO924hA\/UT9OyE90qSI\/AAAAAAAAFyM\/3BFDIYHckik\/s1600\/1823+engraving.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-G9fQGO924hA\/UT9OyE90qSI\/AAAAAAAAFyM\/3BFDIYHckik\/s1600\/1823+engraving.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EDisaster 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/10\/thomas-elyots-house-no-73-high-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENo. 73 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, was cut down, rearranged and inserted into the south wall.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe engraving \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E 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 \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E illustrates the extent of the Victorian alterations. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-wNwSHCyfNF0\/UZ057zzE0SI\/AAAAAAAAHK8\/LXV9Qn6QBy0\/s1600\/palace.gif\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-wNwSHCyfNF0\/UZ057zzE0SI\/AAAAAAAAHK8\/LXV9Qn6QBy0\/s400\/palace.gif\" width=\"364\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E is an animated early stereoscopic view of the palace c1870 with the South Tower of the cathedral in the background. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EDespite 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.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EIn 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. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EPerhaps 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. \u003C\/span\u003EThe palace grounds can be visited as part of the city’s Red Coat guided tours. The palace itself remains closed to the public.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-nwGPBnG_GnY\/UT9at29wqzI\/AAAAAAAAFyc\/gvRX11nhYOc\/s1600\/3825736128_760bd43cc3_b.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"413\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-nwGPBnG_GnY\/UT9at29wqzI\/AAAAAAAAFyc\/gvRX11nhYOc\/s640\/3825736128_760bd43cc3_b.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003ESources\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5535315972649281621\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5535315972649281621","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5535315972649281621"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5535315972649281621"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2013\/03\/the-bishops-palace-palace-gate_12.html","title":"The Bishop's Palace, Palace Gate"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-k_YwwBugn7s\/UT5udQMRQqI\/AAAAAAAAFwM\/jJlyA9Cnyl0\/s72-c\/Bishops+Palace+Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-9100737897002968197"},"published":{"$t":"2012-07-27T00:06:00.004+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T23:33:56.265+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inner Bypass"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Roman Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Saxon Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"South Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Walls and Gates"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The South Gate, South Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WMJktCTdT-E\/UAHFLvyOvoI\/AAAAAAAAFnc\/8TlJAI08udU\/s1600\/South%2BGate%2BExeter_2012.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765105803607326338\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WMJktCTdT-E\/UAHFLvyOvoI\/AAAAAAAAFnc\/8TlJAI08udU\/s640\/South%2BGate%2BExeter_2012.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"487\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E  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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/06\/brief-history-of-south-street.html\"\u003ESouth Street\u003C\/a\u003E,  the South Gate was the main entrance into the city for nearly 1700  years.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBuilt 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-gp6xxwIFnP8\/UAHGD6gQrjI\/AAAAAAAAFns\/48dJYWzwNk0\/s1600\/City%2BWall_Exeter%2Bnumbers.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765106768557420082\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-gp6xxwIFnP8\/UAHGD6gQrjI\/AAAAAAAAFns\/48dJYWzwNk0\/s400\/City%2BWall_Exeter%2Bnumbers.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 322px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe aerial view of Exeter \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the circuit of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Ethe Roman and medieval city walls\u003C\/a\u003E  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, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E and the High Street at the ancient crossroad known as the Carfoix.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe  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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-R8_btWxUkBo\/UAICwptS21I\/AAAAAAAAFn4\/9TdRadXH9v8\/s1600\/Braun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_1587%2BSouth%2BGate.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765173507840465746\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-R8_btWxUkBo\/UAICwptS21I\/AAAAAAAAFn4\/9TdRadXH9v8\/s400\/Braun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_1587%2BSouth%2BGate.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 313px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E(The late medieval South Gate is shown in Hogenburg's 1587 map of Exeter \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E.  The crenellated wall with an archway is presumably the priest's house  projecting over the street from the tower of Holy Trinity church.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EChristopher  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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ax_EotdI2IM\/UBLJPkHlHRI\/AAAAAAAAFvk\/gOuw_drneek\/s1600\/South%2BGate%2B1803.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"452\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769895341845716242\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ax_EotdI2IM\/UBLJPkHlHRI\/AAAAAAAAFvk\/gOuw_drneek\/s640\/South%2BGate%2B1803.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EA  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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\"\u003EEast Gate\u003C\/a\u003E was perhaps larger.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlexander  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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-5eCsuZLJu7I\/UBG06SVUVhI\/AAAAAAAAFtg\/cM2W9NTGUOI\/s1600\/Exeter%2BSouth%2BGate%2Bnorth%2Bwall.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"531\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769591511084979730\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-5eCsuZLJu7I\/UBG06SVUVhI\/AAAAAAAAFtg\/cM2W9NTGUOI\/s640\/Exeter%2BSouth%2BGate%2Bnorth%2Bwall.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E  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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-edV5Cmyr0OM\/UBG4aww0SwI\/AAAAAAAAFtw\/wfyiCA9d9Go\/s1600\/South%2BGate_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769595367544081154\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-edV5Cmyr0OM\/UBG4aww0SwI\/AAAAAAAAFtw\/wfyiCA9d9Go\/s1600\/South%2BGate_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe  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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003Ewrote that \"it is possible that the round\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003Earch \u003Ci\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E that is shown on the inside of the South Gate in early nineteenth century prints was a Roman \u003Ci\u003E\u003C\/i\u003Esurvival\u003C\/span\u003E\".  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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-LL3ZznsJG5s\/UBG418XPapI\/AAAAAAAAFt8\/iV7l7Tw3cio\/s1600\/Rougemont%2BCastle%2BGatehouse%2BArches_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769595834514500242\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-LL3ZznsJG5s\/UBG418XPapI\/AAAAAAAAFt8\/iV7l7Tw3cio\/s640\/Rougemont%2BCastle%2BGatehouse%2BArches_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"447\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EChris  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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt 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 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E.   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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-uZMhSotK1e4\/UBG5z3C2KgI\/AAAAAAAAFuI\/W2K-zq-EBRk\/s1600\/Holy%2BTrinity%2Bchurch%2Bc1800.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769596898238671362\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-uZMhSotK1e4\/UBG5z3C2KgI\/AAAAAAAAFuI\/W2K-zq-EBRk\/s1600\/Holy%2BTrinity%2Bchurch%2Bc1800.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAnother uncertainty surrounding the architecture of the South Gate was the close proximity of the house used by the priest of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/06\/holy-trinity-church-south-street.html\"\u003EHoly Trinity church\u003C\/a\u003E.  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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis structure, with a pointed gable roof, is shown in the drawing \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E.  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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Y3D075kx2yQ\/UBG65gpzMXI\/AAAAAAAAFuU\/CfiJxC3kCKE\/s1600\/South%2BGate%2BPriests%2BHouse_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769598094818881906\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Y3D075kx2yQ\/UBG65gpzMXI\/AAAAAAAAFuU\/CfiJxC3kCKE\/s400\/South%2BGate%2BPriests%2BHouse_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 311px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe South Gate and the priest's house were accurately depicted by Caleb Hedgeland on his \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\"\u003Eearly 19th century model of the city\u003C\/a\u003E, a detail of which is shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E.  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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn  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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-YfLJBSgl2k8\/UBG9I_tbvOI\/AAAAAAAAFug\/saKA8hiTyaI\/s1600\/South_Gate_Prison.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769600559876914402\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-YfLJBSgl2k8\/UBG9I_tbvOI\/AAAAAAAAFug\/saKA8hiTyaI\/s400\/South_Gate_Prison.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 281px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAccording  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 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-lZHTN6KG8OA\/UBG-xOtP_zI\/AAAAAAAAFus\/A_k5qKx5OLo\/s1600\/South%2BGate%2BPlaque.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769602350609071922\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-lZHTN6KG8OA\/UBG-xOtP_zI\/AAAAAAAAFus\/A_k5qKx5OLo\/s640\/South%2BGate%2BPlaque.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"494\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe  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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/brief-history-of-southernhay_16.html\"\u003ESouthernhay\u003C\/a\u003E  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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-oJA6VfkEq5U\/UBG_JTTJNVI\/AAAAAAAAFu4\/S7R_aekmiHY\/s1600\/South%2BGate%2Bsale%2Bof%2Bmaterials%2B1819%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769602764158612818\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-oJA6VfkEq5U\/UBG_JTTJNVI\/AAAAAAAAFu4\/S7R_aekmiHY\/s400\/South%2BGate%2Bsale%2Bof%2Bmaterials%2B1819%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 316px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAll  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 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E  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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-PnzTkCTMYNA\/UBHCADmJ82I\/AAAAAAAAFvI\/5_lYNA_f6Yw\/s1600\/South%2BGate%2Baerial.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769605903859446626\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-PnzTkCTMYNA\/UBHCADmJ82I\/AAAAAAAAFvI\/5_lYNA_f6Yw\/s400\/South%2BGate%2Baerial.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"326\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAs  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).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E.  Unfortunately the approach to the gate, an area that survived the  \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003EExeter Blitz\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-4q3ln7IBiHQ\/UBHEbCdRk5I\/AAAAAAAAFvU\/tbdr7G_N72g\/s1600\/South%2BGate%2BExeter%2B2012.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"426\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5769608566433485714\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-4q3ln7IBiHQ\/UBHEbCdRk5I\/AAAAAAAAFvU\/tbdr7G_N72g\/s640\/South%2BGate%2BExeter%2B2012.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/9100737897002968197\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=9100737897002968197","title":"6 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/9100737897002968197"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/9100737897002968197"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/07\/the-south-gate-south-street_27.html","title":"The South Gate, South Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WMJktCTdT-E\/UAHFLvyOvoI\/AAAAAAAAFnc\/8TlJAI08udU\/s72-c\/South%2BGate%2BExeter_2012.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"6"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-6196311310669471389"},"published":{"$t":"2012-07-21T00:12:00.042+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T23:29:28.253+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Out of Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Medieval Stained Glass at Doddiscombsleigh"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-rV1JJRzcuGg\/UAnpeO48njI\/AAAAAAAAFoI\/Nu01KiAyq_8\/s1600\/Dodd%2B7Sacrament%2Bi.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5767397503426928178\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-rV1JJRzcuGg\/UAnpeO48njI\/AAAAAAAAFoI\/Nu01KiAyq_8\/s640\/Dodd%2B7Sacrament%2Bi.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"486\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERemarkably, apart from that in the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/02\/great-east-window-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003EGreat East Window\u003C\/a\u003E of Exeter Cathedral, the parish church at Doddiscombsleigh contains the greatest collection of medieval stained glass to be found in situ anywhere in Devon.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOf 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-xU_hq4FMZiY\/UAnzuSRZEHI\/AAAAAAAAFpA\/921HkL57JVA\/s1600\/Dodd%2Bglass%2Bi%2Bexeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5767408774328946802\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-xU_hq4FMZiY\/UAnzuSRZEHI\/AAAAAAAAFpA\/921HkL57JVA\/s640\/Dodd%2Bglass%2Bi%2Bexeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"465\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAlthough 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-zl0h-52DVE4\/UArf-j2lmEI\/AAAAAAAAFpQ\/ak-UBp9-kWQ\/s1600\/Dodd%2Bglass%2Bdetail.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5767668538670422082\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-zl0h-52DVE4\/UArf-j2lmEI\/AAAAAAAAFpQ\/ak-UBp9-kWQ\/s400\/Dodd%2Bglass%2Bdetail.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"315\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe 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 \u0026amp; 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo 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!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAccording 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 \u0026amp; Bell. The head of the Christ child being carried by St Christopher is also a Victorian addition, as is the head of St Paul.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FF6sGTvpjUc\/UAs185VguLI\/AAAAAAAAFpg\/ifklO_qSywk\/s1600\/Edward%2Bthe%2BConfessor%2BDoddiscombsleigh.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5767763068077521074\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FF6sGTvpjUc\/UAs185VguLI\/AAAAAAAAFpg\/ifklO_qSywk\/s640\/Edward%2Bthe%2BConfessor%2BDoddiscombsleigh.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"490\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe 19th century figure of St Edward the Confessor is particularly impressive, the head \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E being slightly reminscent of Robert Lyen's work on the East Window at Exeter Cathedral at the end of the 14th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlthough 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOf 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 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E, second from top), St Andrew and St James the Great, his cloak ornamented with sea shells. (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/vidimus.org\/issues\/issue-10\/feature\/\"\u003EThis page\u003C\/a\u003E at the Vidimus website has more detailed information on the reshuffling of the panels and their restoration.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-f8j6ZC2Upvw\/UAtKO82vMvI\/AAAAAAAAFqA\/xx-ztczZ0nc\/s1600\/Seven%2BSacraments%2BWindow%2BDoddiscombsleigh.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5767785368492389106\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-f8j6ZC2Upvw\/UAtKO82vMvI\/AAAAAAAAFqA\/xx-ztczZ0nc\/s640\/Seven%2BSacraments%2BWindow%2BDoddiscombsleigh.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"492\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe fifth window \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately 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 \u0026amp; 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 \u0026amp; 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-83fdPC8iUsI\/UAtPLjbx19I\/AAAAAAAAFqw\/qsYqvILjsdk\/s1600\/Dodd%2B7Sacrament%2Biii%2BBaptism.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5767790807686961106\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-83fdPC8iUsI\/UAtPLjbx19I\/AAAAAAAAFqw\/qsYqvILjsdk\/s640\/Dodd%2B7Sacrament%2Biii%2BBaptism.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"493\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBelow 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\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E above\u003C\/span\u003E, the third photo from the top).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post). Beneath is the Sacrament of Baptism\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E, \u003C\/span\u003Ethe infant being held over a Gothic font and surrounded by a priest and four adults, probably the parents and godparents, \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-bJNV9BsG0AI\/UAtMun0KnlI\/AAAAAAAAFqo\/_8rFXqxIlAg\/s1600\/Dodd%2B7Sacrament%2Biv.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5767788111623528018\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-bJNV9BsG0AI\/UAtMun0KnlI\/AAAAAAAAFqo\/_8rFXqxIlAg\/s640\/Dodd%2B7Sacrament%2Biv.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"484\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe seventh panel shows the Sacrament of Extreme Unction \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen Clayton \u0026amp; 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 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Hr-vT_MLinU\/UAwVttTOfrI\/AAAAAAAAFrQ\/9eIeIOaLyQw\/s1600\/Doddiscombsleigh%2BWindow%2B1.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5768009097753296562\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Hr-vT_MLinU\/UAwVttTOfrI\/AAAAAAAAFrQ\/9eIeIOaLyQw\/s200\/Doddiscombsleigh%2BWindow%2B1.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 200px; width: 150px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-OG4VuhSgBf4\/UAwVt3sywSI\/AAAAAAAAFrc\/FAEaClpujhY\/s1600\/Doddiscombsleigh%2BWindow%2B2.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5768009100544885026\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-OG4VuhSgBf4\/UAwVt3sywSI\/AAAAAAAAFrc\/FAEaClpujhY\/s200\/Doddiscombsleigh%2BWindow%2B2.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 200px; width: 152px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ePzj5FU2HF0\/UAwVuQhqduI\/AAAAAAAAFro\/KncZzqN7vgI\/s1600\/Doddiscombsleigh%2BWindow%2B3.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5768009107209090786\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ePzj5FU2HF0\/UAwVuQhqduI\/AAAAAAAAFro\/KncZzqN7vgI\/s200\/Doddiscombsleigh%2BWindow%2B3.jpg\" style=\"height: 200px; width: 142px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-A3QbKBtvxS4\/UAwVuhIgKmI\/AAAAAAAAFr0\/w2sTHXDXJZM\/s1600\/Doddiscombsleigh%2BWindow%2B4.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5768009111666960994\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-A3QbKBtvxS4\/UAwVuhIgKmI\/AAAAAAAAFr0\/w2sTHXDXJZM\/s200\/Doddiscombsleigh%2BWindow%2B4.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 200px; width: 144px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-xmisr28EsuU\/UAx-obO-BgI\/AAAAAAAAFsQ\/o82vUMJHaD4\/s1600\/St%2BMichael%2BDoddiscombsleigh.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"539\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5768124455725172226\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-xmisr28EsuU\/UAx-obO-BgI\/AAAAAAAAFsQ\/o82vUMJHaD4\/s640\/St%2BMichael%2BDoddiscombsleigh.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6196311310669471389\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=6196311310669471389","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6196311310669471389"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6196311310669471389"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/07\/medieval-stained-glass-at.html","title":"Medieval Stained Glass at Doddiscombsleigh"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-rV1JJRzcuGg\/UAnpeO48njI\/AAAAAAAAFoI\/Nu01KiAyq_8\/s72-c\/Dodd%2B7Sacrament%2Bi.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-2984267311395627616"},"published":{"$t":"2012-07-03T16:34:00.041+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-01-22T23:28:53.955+00:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Imminent Sale of Exeter's Church Plate"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-5IkPyUhP8V8\/T_WHX2zpn2I\/AAAAAAAAFlk\/HBuWlHlU6w8\/s1600\/St%2BKerrian%2Bcommunion%2Bcup%2BJohn%2BJohn%2Bc1570.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5761660142209310562\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-5IkPyUhP8V8\/T_WHX2zpn2I\/AAAAAAAAFlk\/HBuWlHlU6w8\/s400\/St%2BKerrian%2Bcommunion%2Bcup%2BJohn%2BJohn%2Bc1570.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 296px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EExeter has lost a number of its central medieval parish churches. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/01\/st-georges-church-south-street.html\"\u003ESt George's\u003C\/a\u003E and St Kerrian's were demolished in the 19th century. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/11\/allhallows-church-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EAllhallows\u003C\/a\u003E, 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003Ethe Exeter Blitz of 1942\u003C\/a\u003E and subsequently demolished. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003ESt Mary Major's\u003C\/a\u003E was demolished in the 1970s. The churches of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/04\/st-petrocks-church-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Petrock's\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/12\/st-mary-steps-church-west-street.html\"\u003ESt Mary Steps\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/03\/st-pancras-church-pancras-lane.html\"\u003ESt Pancras's\u003C\/a\u003E, St Olave's, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/12\/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Stephen's\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-arches-mary-arches.html\"\u003ESt Mary Arches's\u003C\/a\u003E and St Martin's still survive.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAll 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 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ein perpetuity\u003C\/span\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-oIR_ncCvipo\/T_WOswIqi_I\/AAAAAAAAFl0\/E_0FJotBIoU\/s1600\/RAMM%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5761668197777050610\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-oIR_ncCvipo\/T_WOswIqi_I\/AAAAAAAAFl0\/E_0FJotBIoU\/s400\/RAMM%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 303px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe 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 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E. 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 \u0026amp; Littlewood auctioneers in Exeter on 11 July \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe first item is a silver communion cup made c1575 by Exeter's most celebrated Elizabethan goldsmith, John Jones. (This item is shown at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E 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\". \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/02\/st-kerrians-north-street.html\"\u003ESt Kerrian's church\u003C\/a\u003E on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E 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\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-QkwR-5cOVTQ\/T_WQDNy2bTI\/AAAAAAAAFmA\/PTj4gTJVXX8\/s1600\/St%2BPaul%2527s%2Bcommunion%2Bcup%2BJohn%2BJohn%2Bc1570.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5761669683207367986\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-QkwR-5cOVTQ\/T_WQDNy2bTI\/AAAAAAAAFmA\/PTj4gTJVXX8\/s400\/St%2BPaul%2527s%2Bcommunion%2Bcup%2BJohn%2BJohn%2Bc1570.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 314px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe second item is another Elizabethan silver communion cup with cover also by John Jones c1575 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. This cup is inscribed \"St Paul's, Exon, 1758\". Like St Kerrian's, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/parish-and-church-of-st-paul_21.html\"\u003Ethe church of St Paul\u003C\/a\u003E on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html\"\u003EPaul Street\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOther 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/01\/st-lawrences-church-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Lawrence\u003C\/a\u003E, inscribed \"St Lawrence, 1690\"  is in the auction, shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebottom\u003C\/span\u003E. 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-K7RI_rLVqQs\/T_WRzZ7TvfI\/AAAAAAAAFmM\/V73r00X1pOU\/s1600\/229%2BExeter%2BHouse%2BHigh%2BSt.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5761671610609417714\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-K7RI_rLVqQs\/T_WRzZ7TvfI\/AAAAAAAAFmM\/V73r00X1pOU\/s400\/229%2BExeter%2BHouse%2BHigh%2BSt.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 334px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/09\/no-229-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 229 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA small story about the sale appeared in the Express \u0026amp; 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 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eanything\u003C\/span\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5iG2gMSTMRk\/T_WYZ6DruzI\/AAAAAAAAFmc\/9vXdasrjmPo\/s1600\/Commonwealth%2Bsilver%2Bpaten%2BSt%2BLawrence.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5761678869139274546\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5iG2gMSTMRk\/T_WYZ6DruzI\/AAAAAAAAFmc\/9vXdasrjmPo\/s400\/Commonwealth%2Bsilver%2Bpaten%2BSt%2BLawrence.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 335px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2984267311395627616\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=2984267311395627616","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2984267311395627616"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2984267311395627616"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/07\/sale-of-exeters-church-plate.html","title":"The Imminent Sale of Exeter's Church Plate"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-5IkPyUhP8V8\/T_WHX2zpn2I\/AAAAAAAAFlk\/HBuWlHlU6w8\/s72-c\/St%2BKerrian%2Bcommunion%2Bcup%2BJohn%2BJohn%2Bc1570.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4146234804567465203"},"published":{"$t":"2012-06-29T16:05:00.063+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T23:25:02.342+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"South Street"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Holy Trinity Church, South Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-IyLT7kU1byA\/T-3sMAV5rDI\/AAAAAAAAFiU\/xWAgFQRJscU\/s1600\/Holy%2BTrinity%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5759519189471177778\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-IyLT7kU1byA\/T-3sMAV5rDI\/AAAAAAAAFiU\/xWAgFQRJscU\/s1600\/Holy%2BTrinity%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn 1908 Beatrix Cresswell claimed that the church of Holy  Trinity on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/06\/brief-history-of-south-street.html\"\u003ESouth Street\u003C\/a\u003E \"has been almost the worst architectural  sufferer in the city\". The candidate for that title, over a century later, is much longer than it was even in Cresswell's day but the complete demolition and rebuilding of the ancient church in 1820 was certainly unfortunate.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBuilt mostly from red Heavitree breccia, Holy Trinity stood just inside \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Ethe city walls\u003C\/a\u003E, almost adjacent to the South Gate. The church and the gatehouse were so close to each other that, from a distance, it appeared as if they were two parts of the same structure. Something of this effect can be seen in the drawing \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. It shows the view at the bottom of South Street looking out of the city via the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/07\/the-south-gate-south-street_27.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESouth Gate\u003C\/a\u003E. Only the north-west tower of Holy Trinity is visible to the left, projecting out into the street. The main body of the church lies out of sight behind the timber-framed house, at a right-angle to the street and parallel with the city wall. A narrow passageway ran between the side of the church and the house shown to the immediate left of the tower.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-_GizpDfiows\/T-8hhnftFSI\/AAAAAAAAFik\/Vq8eCKnb1_A\/s1600\/Holy%2BTrinity%2BHedgeland.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5759859309851514146\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-_GizpDfiows\/T-8hhnftFSI\/AAAAAAAAFik\/Vq8eCKnb1_A\/s640\/Holy%2BTrinity%2BHedgeland.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"500\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photo \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E, a detail from  \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\"\u003EHedgeland's early 19th century model of Exeter\u003C\/a\u003E, gives a clearer idea of  the relationship between Holy Trinity and the South Gate. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/06\/georges-meeting-south-street.html\"\u003EGeorge's Meeting\u003C\/a\u003E, further up South Street, James Street and the city wall can also be seen.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAll of the city's medieval gatehouses had parish churches or chapels associated with them. St Cuthbert's was either close to or inside the North Gate. St Bartholomew's was almost certainly in an upper chamber inside \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\"\u003Ethe East Gate\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/12\/st-mary-steps-church-west-street.html\"\u003ESt Mary Steps\u003C\/a\u003E was just through \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/12\/west-gate-west-quarter.html\"\u003Ethe West Gate\u003C\/a\u003E. I doubt it was a coincidence that places of worship and sanctuary grew up at what have been the main entrances into Exeter since the 2nd century AD.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHoly Trinity on South Street was in existence by 1200 although the exact date of its foundation is unknown. It's mentioned by Peter de Palerna at the beginning of the 13th century along with another chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity in Musgrave Alley, close to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/01\/st-lawrences-church-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Lawrence's church\u003C\/a\u003E on the High Street. Given the great antiquity of the South Gate it's easy to imagine that a chapel of some sort was on the site before the Norman Conquest but there is no evidence for it. By the end of the 18th century the majority of the parish of Holy Trinity lay beyond the city walls and was described in 1806 as \"extensive and populous\". It included nearly all of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/brief-history-of-southernhay_16.html\"\u003ESouthernhay\u003C\/a\u003E and the Quay as well as Magdalen Street and part of Holloway Street. The Trinity Burial Ground, now under the Southgate Hotel and car park, was established close to Holy Trinity church in 1664.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-vMEpY1EFjNY\/T_IvjkLt2qI\/AAAAAAAAFi0\/t8eD65qNTiM\/s1600\/Braun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_Holy%2BTrinity.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760719161415031458\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-vMEpY1EFjNY\/T_IvjkLt2qI\/AAAAAAAAFi0\/t8eD65qNTiM\/s1600\/Braun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_Holy%2BTrinity.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EA detail from Hooker's 1587 map of Exeter is shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E with both the tower of Holy Trinity and the South Gate clearly visible. The gatehouse to the Bishop's Palace can be seen in the background.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlexander Jenkins visited the medieval church in 1806, describing it as \"a handsome Gothic edifice, kept in good repair\". The tower contained \"four small untunable bells, and a clock and dial\". Both the gatehouse and the tower of Holy Trinity caused a significant narrowing of South Street as the thoroughfare passed under the South Gate. Jenkins mentions \"an arched building adjoining the tower, once the habitation of the Priest,  but now of the Sexton\". The priest's house was located \"over the king's high way\" i.e. over South Street itself. In the early 17th century it was known as the Parsonage House and was entered from South Street via a Gothic doorway. According to Jenkins the interior of the church consisted of \"a chancel, nave and one aisle\". The aisle was separated from the nave by \"six clustered pillars\", and there were also two galleries. Jenkins also describes \"a neat monument\" on the north side of the chancel in memory of John Wyse, a merchant who died in 1686.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-J9hHSQaibZ8\/T_IwwTKhAII\/AAAAAAAAFjA\/uD-7tNykDjw\/s1600\/Benjamin_Donn%2B1765_Exeter%2BHoly%2BTrinity.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760720479696519298\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-J9hHSQaibZ8\/T_IwwTKhAII\/AAAAAAAAFjA\/uD-7tNykDjw\/s1600\/Benjamin_Donn%2B1765_Exeter%2BHoly%2BTrinity.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E is a detail from Benjamin Donn's 1765 map of Exeter showing the location of Holy Trinity just inside the city walls.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELittle else would be known about the medieval building if it wasn't for the remarkable survival of one particular document. It was written in 1452 when Bishop Lacy held the See of Exeter and refers to an enquiry ordered by the Bishop following a request by Simon Chudleigh, then Rector of Holy Trinity. The enquiry revolved around the issue of when the church was first dedicated. The document reveals that the church was already so old and decayed by the beginning of the 15th century that some major rebuilding was necessary. The building works were carried out under a previous rector, John Govys, who assumed the position from 1402 until 1416. The repairs were extensive and it appears that the church was closed for a considerable period of time. The roof was replaced and the south and west walls were rebuilt. The north wall remained intact apart from some timber additions to the upper part to help support the roof. It's possible that these repairs deliberately coincided with a major rebuilding of the South Gate between 1410 and 1420. (Bishop Stafford held the See of Exeter between 1395 and 1419. A detail from his alabaster effigy in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003EExeter Cathedral\u003C\/a\u003E, covered in post-Reformation graffiti, is shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WiBQaJQYmqs\/T_IzR7385-I\/AAAAAAAAFjQ\/0b58CanMJJ8\/s1600\/Bishop%2BStafford%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760723256583448546\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WiBQaJQYmqs\/T_IzR7385-I\/AAAAAAAAFjQ\/0b58CanMJJ8\/s400\/Bishop%2BStafford%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 318px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt was customary to celebrate annually the date when a church was originally consecrated. The problem at Holy Trinity lay in the fact that the church was closed for so long during the repairs that by 1452 no-one could be quite sure when the feast of dedication should take place or whether the church had been desecrated during the renovations. This is why the rector Simon Chudleigh approached Bishop Lacy and Lacy's enquiry attempted to rediscover the date of the consecration.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe enquiry took place in the church itself on 23 August. It was led by the Archdeacon of Exeter and nine of the oldest inhabitants of the parish were interviewed as witnesses. The witnesses included Ralph Ferrant, a blacksmith aged around seventy-six or more who had lived in Exeter for over sixty years; John Whytton, who was 80-years-old; Nicholas Bishop, a tucker who worked in the city's cloth industry and was aged over seventy-four, and Simon Riggeway who was over seventy. These people would've been regarded as exceptionally ancient given that the average lifespan was between 30 and 40!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-_q-eZJT69O8\/T_QOBvSC29I\/AAAAAAAAFkk\/j70zoQhBI_Q\/s1600\/Holy%2BTrinity%2BHooker.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5761245246348516306\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-_q-eZJT69O8\/T_QOBvSC29I\/AAAAAAAAFkk\/j70zoQhBI_Q\/s400\/Holy%2BTrinity%2BHooker.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 307px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENone of the nine witnesses could remember when or by whom the church was first dedicated because their memories did not extend back that far but they all seemed to agree that the church's feast day was the 30 September, the feast day of St Jerome. They also declared that they had seen the church prior to the renovations and it had retained the signs of dedication. These 'signs' were twelves crosses which had been painted on the walls of the church prior to the feast of dedication (three on each of the four interior walls). Above each cross a nail was driven into the wall from which was suspended a candle that was lit as part of the annual dedication ceremony. The witnesses also swore that the church hadn't been desecrated during the building works over thirty years before.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows Holy Trinity and the two arched passageways of the South Gate as drawn by John Hooker c1555.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs well as relating the information about the earlier rebuilding of the walls and the roof, the witnesses also revealed that the church had contained \"a soler\" i.e. a gallery or loft from which members of the congregation could witness the service. There was also a high altar made of stone in the chancel and outside the chancel were three other stone altars. The central altar of the three was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Another was dedicated to St Giles and featured a wooden statue of the saint set within a niche or tabernacle in the wall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-MGlnJDhPLQM\/T_QOjlyDBVI\/AAAAAAAAFkw\/VkrvMlKf2oY\/s1600\/Cadaver_Tomb%2BExeter%2BCathedral.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5761245827913942354\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-MGlnJDhPLQM\/T_QOjlyDBVI\/AAAAAAAAFkw\/VkrvMlKf2oY\/s400\/Cadaver_Tomb%2BExeter%2BCathedral.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 297px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENear the stone baptismal font was an effigy of the corpse of John de Susseter who had been made Rector of Holy Trinity in 1349. The nature of this effigy is a slight mystery. It sounds like a cadaver tomb which usually depict a sculpted decomposing corpse, or transi. Two examples of this macabre type of monument can still be seen in Exeter Cathedral, detail \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Elef\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Et\u003C\/span\u003E.  They didn't become widespread in England until c1420 onwards by which time John de Susseter was long dead. (The two examples in Exeter Cathedral are from the 16th century.) It's possible that Susseter's monument was a very early example or perhaps it was something quite different entirely. Unfortunately no further details about the effigy are given and its fate is unknown. The witnesses also testified to the fact that the place of John de Susseter's burial could be seen as the ground had sunk following the decomposition of the body. The enquiry concluded that the feast of dedication was indeed on 30 September and that the church hadn't been desecrated during the repairs. The document remained in the parish chest at Holy Trinity for centuries until it was framed, hanging on the wall of the vestry of the post-1820 structure. Today it is presumably either in the cathedral archives or the Devon Records Office.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-EN-sgnxvEE0\/T_QPLJaoSlI\/AAAAAAAAFk8\/_ifm1eB-yi8\/s1600\/Holy%2BTrinity%2B2012.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5761246507494296146\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-EN-sgnxvEE0\/T_QPLJaoSlI\/AAAAAAAAFk8\/_ifm1eB-yi8\/s640\/Holy%2BTrinity%2B2012.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"466\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe composite image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E gives some idea of how the medieval church and the South Gate would appear today in South Street if they had both avoided demolition.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn 18 May 1529 the mayor granted the church a piece of land for a new aisle (presumably the aisle mentioned by Jenkins in 1806). Before this date the church probably consisted solely of a nave and chancel, as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/03\/st-pancras-church-pancras-lane.html\"\u003ESt Pancras' church\u003C\/a\u003E still does today. A Corporation Act states that the aisle was to be 12ft wide, extending out \"from the churche wall of the Trinity aforesaid, towards the wall of the Citie, and 32 fote of length\". The church was to pay the city 2s every year in perpetuity for the use of the land. In 1656, during the Commonwealth that followed the English Civil War, the number of parish churches in Exeter was reduced to just four. On 19 June 1658 Holy Trinity was sold to its parishioners for £100. The parish was restored following the Restoration in 1660. Apart from the addition of the aisle in the 1520s, the fabric of the church appears to have remained largely unchanged from the early 15th century until Jenkins visited in 1806.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-GYQGu9cxrH8\/T_QP6gFcS1I\/AAAAAAAAFlM\/MlLSch1krSk\/s1600\/HT%2Bch%2B17%2BDec%2B1818%2BTFP.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5761247321033296722\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-GYQGu9cxrH8\/T_QP6gFcS1I\/AAAAAAAAFlM\/MlLSch1krSk\/s400\/HT%2Bch%2B17%2BDec%2B1818%2BTFP.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 265px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EPlans for the demolition of Holy Trinity had surfaced by 1817.  On 31 July both the church and the tower were described in a letter sent to the 'Exeter Flying Post' as \"decayed and delapidated\" and \"a great and dangerous public nuisance...long and universally complained of.\" The tower blocking part of South Street seems to have been a particular source of irritation. It seems that not everyone agreed with the proposed demolition and rebuilding of Holy Trinity. One parishioner, calling himself 'Trinitarian', smelt a rat in the fact that the church had been declared unsound at what he called a \"convenient time\". It does seem strange that just ten years earlier Jenkins had claimed that the church was \"kept in good repair\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESpace was also an issue. The medieval church could only sit around 400 worshippers whereas there were approximately 1900 in the extensive parish of Holy Trinity. The two options were either to repair and enlarge the church or to demolish it completely and build a new one. On 03 December 1818 a parish meeting voted on a proposition brought forward by Samuel Milford. The proposal included \"taking down entirely the present Church and rebuilding it of dimensions adequate to the population of the parish\". The motion was carried unanimously and the church was demolished in the spring of 1819. The South Gate followed soon after.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-KhDqh6KufYg\/T_QRHIuPzzI\/AAAAAAAAFlU\/T7VvaX9qiTo\/s1600\/White%2BEnsign%2BClub.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"505\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5761248637611921202\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-KhDqh6KufYg\/T_QRHIuPzzI\/AAAAAAAAFlU\/T7VvaX9qiTo\/s640\/White%2BEnsign%2BClub.JPG\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt's unfortunate that the old church wasn't repaired and retained. Cresswell said that \"nothing could check the all-devouring monster of 'street improvement'\", which had \"assimilated one old building in the city after another\". Cresswell also refers to the \"architectural deformities\" of the replacement church, designed and built by Robert Cornish and his son, local architects, and constructed at a cost of £7000 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E. Brick-built with a stucco exterior, the new church was opened on Christmas Eve 1820 and no-one seems to have a good word to say about it. Just a year after its completion it was described by George Oliver as \"inelegant\" and Robert Dymond called it \"singular\". More recently, Hugh Mellor described the building as \"shabby\" and wonders whether its destruction during the Blitz wouldn't have been \"a merciful release\". It doesn't help that post-war demolition of the surrounding area has left the building standing in such a prominent position, stripped of its context within a larger historical landscape. The church was deconsecrated in the 1970s and in 1977 was taken over by the White Ensign Club who divided it horizontally into two separate floors. No ecclesiastical fixtures survive, although one window contains a late 19th century nativity scene in stained glass. The White Ensign Club, as it is now known, is Grade II listed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows the former Holy Trinity church on the right with South Street receding into the distance. The location of what was once one of the South Gate's huge round towers is picked out in brick on the pavement to the left.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Y0GPPFZsFhE\/T_NZlh61III\/AAAAAAAAFkU\/tNCqmT5MTJc\/s1600\/GE_Holy%2BTrinity_Exeter%2BSouth%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"389\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5761046849632149634\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Y0GPPFZsFhE\/T_NZlh61III\/AAAAAAAAFkU\/tNCqmT5MTJc\/s640\/GE_Holy%2BTrinity_Exeter%2BSouth%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4146234804567465203\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4146234804567465203","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4146234804567465203"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4146234804567465203"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/06\/holy-trinity-church-south-street.html","title":"Holy Trinity Church, South Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-IyLT7kU1byA\/T-3sMAV5rDI\/AAAAAAAAFiU\/xWAgFQRJscU\/s72-c\/Holy%2BTrinity%2BExeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-1916118918995596742"},"published":{"$t":"2012-06-26T00:13:00.025+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T23:22:13.371+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"South Street"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"George's Meeting, South Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-d4kenT3aYeg\/T-2MQVYm3QI\/AAAAAAAAFho\/VeWezeosG74\/s1600\/George%2527s%2BMeeting%2BExeter%2BSouth_Street.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5759413710722882818\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-d4kenT3aYeg\/T-2MQVYm3QI\/AAAAAAAAFho\/VeWezeosG74\/s640\/George%2527s%2BMeeting%2BExeter%2BSouth_Street.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"488\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EGeorge's Meeting on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/06\/brief-history-of-south-street.html\"\u003ESouth Street\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E is a real cracker. It has survived both the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003EExeter Blitz\u003C\/a\u003E and post-war reconstruction and is now one of Exeter's Grade I listed buildings. Only 2.5% of all listed buildings in England fall into this category, reserved for structures of exceptional interest.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorge's Meeting was built as a Unitarian chapel in 1760, the year in which George III acceded to the throne. According to Allan Brockett, \"it was named George's Chapel in remembrance of the benefits that English Protestantism, and the Dissenters in particular, had gained from the Hannoverian Succession\". The south west of Britain has a long history of Nonconformism. Dissenting congregations i.e. those who had broken away from the established Church of England, were only able to worship freely without fear of interference in their own meeting houses following the Declaration of Indulgence in 1687 and the Toleration Act of 1689. One of the first of these meeting houses was James's Meeting, named after King James II, built by the Exeter Presbyterians in 1687. It was located in James Street, a narrow street almost opposite George's Meeting and close to the South Gate. (The original James's Meeting of 1687 was converted into houses in 1760 and survived until it was demolished by the city council in the 1960s.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZK33xSa3IKY\/T-2Ma1h_bAI\/AAAAAAAAFh0\/TVZi5EU8D50\/s1600\/George%2527s%2BMeeting%2BHouse_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"540\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5759413891150867458\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZK33xSa3IKY\/T-2Ma1h_bAI\/AAAAAAAAFh0\/TVZi5EU8D50\/s640\/George%2527s%2BMeeting%2BHouse_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ETwo other early Dissenting meeting houses emerged in Exeter at the end of the 17th century. One was the Bow Meeting, probably located in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/smythen-street.html\"\u003ESmythen Street\u003C\/a\u003E within the parish of St John's Bow on Fore Street. The other was Little Meeting located in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/03\/brief-history-of-waterbeer-street.html\"\u003EWaterbeer Street\u003C\/a\u003E. James's Meeting, Bow Meeting and Little Meeting were collectively known as the Three United Congregations of Presbyterian Protestant Dissenters.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorge's Meeting in South Street was constructed as a replacement for the earlier James's Meeting. In the words of Hugh Mellor, the new meeting house was \"built on a scale unsurpassed by any other [Dissenting] chapel in the south west\". Funds for the new building were raised partly through the sale of both the old James's Meeting house in James Street and the Little Meeting house in Waterbeer Street. £400 was borrowed from a fund and the rest was raised through subscription, paid for by members of a congregation described as \"large and genteel\" by Jenkins in 1806. Some of those who donated money were members of the Kennaway family, one of Exeter's wealthiest families by the end of the 18th century. (John Kennaway was raised to the Baronetcy of Hyderabad in the East Indies by George III in 1791. The family still live on their 18th century estate at Escot, some 12 miles from Exeter.) Allan Brockett has surmised that the total amount available for building George's Meeting was around £2500 to £3000.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-OzWVl5CG6lg\/T-zWyQXgBYI\/AAAAAAAAFg8\/_aVdgBX6JsI\/s1600\/George%2527s%2BMeeting%2BExeter%2Baerial.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5759214182375359874\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-OzWVl5CG6lg\/T-zWyQXgBYI\/AAAAAAAAFg8\/_aVdgBX6JsI\/s640\/George%2527s%2BMeeting%2BExeter%2Baerial.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"526\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe building was never intended to be seen as it appears today. Prior to the 1960s George's Meeting was set back from South Street, surrounded by other properties which hemmed it in on either side.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe aerial view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows George's Meeting highlighted in purple. Bomb damage from 1942 is highlighted in red. The area affected by post-war redevelopment is highlighted in yellow. The adjacent buildings were demolished in the late 1950s for road-widening leaving George's Meeting exposed on all sides. Today the structure looks like a huge barn, pierced on the sides with arched windows. Only the neo-Classical front was originally designed for public display.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe meeting house is built from the beautiful locally-fired, burnt-red bricks that were once a common sight throughout the Georgian city (e.g. at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/dixs-field-southernhay-east.html\"\u003EDix's Field\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/southernhay-west-southernhay.html\"\u003ESouthernhay West\u003C\/a\u003E). The restrained street frontage has a number of neo-Classical details e.g. the pedimented porch supported on a pair of stone Tuscan columns, the brackets supporting the arched windows, the rendered quoins at each corner and the modillion cornice which runs along the roof line with a high curved parapet above. The parapet serves to disguise the large hipped roof from street level. (When the New Theatre was constructed in Bedford Street in 1787 it took a form that was similar to George's Meeting in South Street, including the red-brick walls, hipped roof, distinctive curved parapet, etc. The New Theatre was destroyed by fire in 1820.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-4sTv_Yy60Mc\/T-zZA8-I_lI\/AAAAAAAAFhI\/dU3ICnwVs7k\/s1600\/George%2527s%2BMeeting_interior.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5759216633890012754\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-4sTv_Yy60Mc\/T-zZA8-I_lI\/AAAAAAAAFhI\/dU3ICnwVs7k\/s1600\/George%2527s%2BMeeting_interior.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EPevsner and Cherry described the interior of George's Meeting as \"sombre and magnificent\". There are three galleries supported by square, fluted, Ionic piers\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E c1960 © Devon County Council. The west gallery includes a late 17th century clock, but the highlight is probably the enormous pulpit, carved with drapery, transferred from the original James's Meeting in James Street. In 1767 there were plans for a new mahogany pulpit but nothing seems to have come of this. Allan Brockett believed it was unlikely that any replacement would've equalled the one recycled from the old meeting house anyway. A vestry was added at the rear in 1781 and the ceiling was lowered by 3ft in 1809 to improve the acoustics, but the building has remained essentially unchanged since the middle of the 18th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is astonishing that the city's post-war townplanner, Thomas Sharp, regarded the meeting house as disposable, recommending its demolition as part of the redevelopment of Exeter following World War Two. If George's Meeting hadn't been set back from the street in 1760 it would probably have been demolished for road-widening. Fortunately the local authority rejected Sharp's proposal and George's Meeting received listed building status in 1953.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe meeting house fell into disuse in 1983 and is now a Weatherspoons pub. The bar has been constructed underneath the full length of one of the galleries. It's a pity that such an important building couldn't have been used as a venue, retaining the original space, but all of the historical fittings have been left intact, including the pulpit, and at least the building is being maintained. Its situation at the end of South Street, surrounded by post-war redevelopment and close to the city's inner ring road, means that George's Meeting probably doesn't get the full attention it deserves.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-TEhA3hjOmCE\/T-zbgfANEMI\/AAAAAAAAFhY\/iwgHXJFj0hI\/s1600\/Facade%2BGeorge%2527s%2BMeeting.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"468\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5759219374624673986\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-TEhA3hjOmCE\/T-zbgfANEMI\/AAAAAAAAFhY\/iwgHXJFj0hI\/s640\/Facade%2BGeorge%2527s%2BMeeting.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1916118918995596742\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=1916118918995596742","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1916118918995596742"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1916118918995596742"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/06\/georges-meeting-south-street.html","title":"George's Meeting, South Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-d4kenT3aYeg\/T-2MQVYm3QI\/AAAAAAAAFho\/VeWezeosG74\/s72-c\/George%2527s%2BMeeting%2BExeter%2BSouth_Street.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4637815908337565336"},"published":{"$t":"2012-06-18T13:18:00.072+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T23:18:00.111+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inner Bypass"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Roman Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"South Street"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"A Brief History of South Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-JvZVzK5NEic\/T98cx_ZbilI\/AAAAAAAAFaA\/aCMFxSjEZ7k\/s1600\/South%2BStreet%2Bwest%2Bside.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5755350493960047186\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-JvZVzK5NEic\/T98cx_ZbilI\/AAAAAAAAFaA\/aCMFxSjEZ7k\/s640\/South%2BStreet%2Bwest%2Bside.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"454\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows half of the west side of South Street looking up towards the High Street at the end of the 19th century. The entrance into Coombe Street is to the far left. A narrow passageway underneath one of the buildings in the foreground led to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/01\/paragon-house-no-75-south-street.html\"\u003EParagon House\u003C\/a\u003E, a large, brick-built property of c1700 constructed around a medieval core. Many of the buildings shown dated to the 17th and 18th centuries and not a single one still survives today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGiven its current underwhelming appearance, it's hard to believe that South Street was for centuries the ceremonial entrance into Exeter and the location of some of the city's most important historical structures. Many of Exeter's wealthiest medieval, Tudor and Stuart citizens had private houses in South Street and it was the site of three medieval parish churches. Here could also be found the prestigious townhouses of the Priors of Plympton Priory and the Abbots of Tavistock Abbey. The 14th century kitchen and refectory of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/12\/medieval-college-of-vicars-choral-at.html\"\u003Ethe College of the Vicars Choral\u003C\/a\u003E also backed onto the street and, perhaps above all else, it was the site of the great South Gate, with its two enormous drum towers, described by Hoskins as \"one of the most impressive things of its kind in England\" through which passed many of the kings of England. The fact that almost none of these buildings has made it into the 21st century illustrates the magnitude of the losses.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-9QP6ex6MxkA\/T98h-l8HLKI\/AAAAAAAAFaQ\/KB2qgMqBVL4\/s1600\/South%2BStreet%2Beast%2Bside.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5755356208022629538\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-9QP6ex6MxkA\/T98h-l8HLKI\/AAAAAAAAFaQ\/KB2qgMqBVL4\/s640\/South%2BStreet%2Beast%2Bside.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"500\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the east side of South Street from the same vantage point as the photograph above. The houses in the immediate foreground appear to date from c1700 or earlier. Of all the properties shown, only one survives today: the house built by Robert Russell in c1800 on part of the site of the Bear inn. Just the blank side wall of this property is visible in the photograph, about halfway up near the solitary dark figure in the road, just beyond the awning which stretches over the pavement.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe modern line of South Street doesn't follow its Roman predecessor. In the 2nd century AD, South Street ran slightly further to the west than it does today, skirting around the forum which occupied a large site in the centre of the city. Little is known about the development of Exeter in the four centuries following the end of the Roman administration but it seems likely that by the end of the 9th century the current line of South Street was established as a more direct route to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E and the North Gate on the opposite side of the city. This would make South Street part of Alfred the Great's grid-like street plan that was laid out c880 AD. (Other late Saxon streets included \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E and Gandy Street.) Before 1942, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/01\/george-street.html\"\u003EGeorge Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/08\/destruction-of-guinea-street_20.html\"\u003EGuinea Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/02\/destruction-of-sun-street.html\"\u003ESun Street\u003C\/a\u003E, Coombe Street and James Street all had entrances into South Street from the west, from which it was possible to access the streets and passageways of the sprawling West Quarter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-sRCpZrrhuxA\/T-IHK6BtUyI\/AAAAAAAAFag\/X5489xjDCb4\/s1600\/Holy%2BTrinity%2Bchurch%2Bc1800.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5756171157689422626\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-sRCpZrrhuxA\/T-IHK6BtUyI\/AAAAAAAAFag\/X5489xjDCb4\/s1600\/Holy%2BTrinity%2Bchurch%2Bc1800.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Roman South Gate that punctured the city wall at the end of South Street was modified by the Saxons before being remodelled in the 11th century and again between 1410 and 1420, when it achieved its vast late-medieval dimensions. (It's believed that the South Gate's Saxon archway  survived all the later rebuildings until the entire structure was tragically demolished in 1819.) Just inside the city wall and adajcent to the South Gate was \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/06\/holy-trinity-church-south-street.html\"\u003EHoly Trinity church\u003C\/a\u003E, possibly founded in the 11th century. The early 15th century structure (shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E c1800) was demolished at the same time as the South Gate itself and replaced with the mediocre building which stands near the site today. Further up, on the corner of South Street and Palace Gate, stood the short-lived church of St James. It was in existence by the end of the 12th century but its parish was merged with that of Holy Trinity and the church isn't heard of again after 1384. (Even today, beneath the post-war buildings, the ground is thick with the human remains of Exeter's medieval citizens close to the former site of the church.) \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/01\/st-georges-church-south-street.html\"\u003ESt George's church\u003C\/a\u003E was a Saxon foundation and stood on the corner of South Street and George Street. Although most of the medieval building was demolished for road-widening in 1843, part of the Saxon church was revealed following the blitz of 1942. Only a small part was salvaged before the rest collapsed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OTQx1qCs18s\/T-IVsYLlxdI\/AAAAAAAAFaw\/fywTaYeaqrM\/s1600\/King%2BJohn%2BTavern%2Bstair%2Bhall.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5756187125882406354\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OTQx1qCs18s\/T-IVsYLlxdI\/AAAAAAAAFaw\/fywTaYeaqrM\/s1600\/King%2BJohn%2BTavern%2Bstair%2Bhall.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENo. 100 South Street was also the site of one of the most remarkable private houses in Tudor Exeter, known as King John's Tavern. The connection between the property and that particular monarch is obscure, and almost certainly fanciful, but the house itself dated to c1500. It stood opposite Little Stile, what is now \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/10\/lost-history-of-no-72-high-street.html\"\u003Ethe wide, post-war entrance into the Cathedral Yard at the top of South Street\u003C\/a\u003E. The property was renowned for its opulent interior which included rich plasterwork ceilings with pendant mouldings, elaborately panelled rooms and a circular staircase, described in the early 19th century as \"singularly beautiful\" \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe jettied upper floors of the exterior were supported on carved corbels decorated with \"human and diabolic forms\" and the entrance porch was supported on large grotesque figures carved from oak. 15ft of frontage was removed in 1835 and the rest of the property was demolished later in the 19th century. The more spectacular carvings as well as the panelling were salvaged during the demolition and were purchased by the travel writer, Richard Ford, to adorn his property in Heavitree. Constructed around an Elizabethan farmhouse, Heavitree House was transformed by Ford into a Gothic-Moorish fantasy, reflecting his interest in the Iberian peninsula. It's no surprise that Heavitree House was demolished by the city council in 1949 but the fate of the carvings from King John's Tavern remains unknown.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EKing John's Tavern was just one of many inns that once existed on South Street. As well as the Bear inn and the Black Lions inn, there was the the Black Horse, the Seahorse, the Mitre, the Grape, the White Hart (which still exists), the Lamb and the Bell, to name just a few. The Bell tavern was a particularly early recorded example and is mentioned in documents from 1447 to 1449. Apart from the White Hart, not a trace remains of any of them. Something of the street's general architectural character in the 16th and 17th centuries can be seen in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/12\/no-67-south-street.html\"\u003ENo. 67 South Steet\u003C\/a\u003E and in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/12\/two-antique-buildings-and-south-street.html\"\u003Ethe two timber-framed houses\u003C\/a\u003E  which were demolished in 1855 to allow the rebuilding of the Baptist  Chapel. A vivid description of South Street in its late medieval  heyday can be found in the introduction of Ian Mortimer's book 'The  Time-traveller's Guide to Medieval England'.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-c0K-cfJM9R4\/T-IoAkXUu6I\/AAAAAAAAFbA\/wDi2sK6xKJw\/s1600\/Benjamin_Donn%2B1765_Exeter%2BSouth%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5756207263959530402\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-c0K-cfJM9R4\/T-IoAkXUu6I\/AAAAAAAAFbA\/wDi2sK6xKJw\/s1600\/Benjamin_Donn%2B1765_Exeter%2BSouth%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOne curiosity about South Street is that for centuries it was called something else! From the Middle Ages into the 19th century each part of the street had its own separate name. The stretch extending from the corner with the High Street as far as Little Stile was called Cook Row, perhaps a reference to stalls that once sold food to passers-by. From Little Stile to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/03\/bear-street-bear-gate-bear-tower.html\"\u003EBear Street\u003C\/a\u003E was known as Bell Hill Street. A lease of 1453 uses the name Bolehyllestrete and this must've been where the almost contemporary Bell tavern was located. From Bear Lane to the South Gate was called Southgate Street. These names were still being used well into the 1800s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 1660 the city's serge market was moved from the site of the cathedral's demolished cloisters to South Street. (Robert Lesyngham's late 14th century cloisters had been pulled down in 1656 following the English Civil War and the disbanding of the Dean and Chapter. An open cloth hall was built in place of the cloisters. Part of this mid-17th century hall still survives today.) Serge is simply a type of woven woollen cloth, the export of which made Exeter one of the richest cities in England until the trade collapsed following the Napoleonic Wars. The South Street serge market appears on Rocque's 1744 map of Exeter. Simply called 'The Large Market' it is shown occupying most of the area of Bell Hill. Donn's 1765 map, detail \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E, explicitly labels the area outside the Bear inn as the 'Serge Market'. The market was held every Friday. Celia Fiennes visited Exeter in 1698 and described a \"large market house set on stone pillars which runs a great length\" upon which the packs of serges were laid. The street would've been heaving with people, full of noise and colour and packed with the city's citizens, merchants from all across Europe and people who had just come to see the spectacle. In 1727 Defoe described the South Street serge market as second only to Leeds as \"the greatest in England\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-1j_UgICnkoc\/T-IqD7yLkII\/AAAAAAAAFbM\/rNpAPHA7vwI\/s1600\/shapt75.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5756209520809054338\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-1j_UgICnkoc\/T-IqD7yLkII\/AAAAAAAAFbM\/rNpAPHA7vwI\/s640\/shapt75.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn 1799 South Street became the location for one of the city's major water conduits. The magnificent Great Conduit, fed from natural springs via the city's underground passages, had stood near the Carfax (i.e. the crossroads at the junction of South Street, North Street, Fore Street and the High Street)  since 1461. Described by Jenkins as a \"very beautiful edifice\", the Great Conduit was demolished and moved close to a house near the entrance into North Street in 1770. This was in turn removed in 1799 and a completely new conduit was built up against the rear wall of the refectory of the Vicars Choral in South Street \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe South Street conduit was the prime water source for anyone living in the overcrowded West Quarter. Thomas Shapter, who documented the city's cholera epidemic of 1832, recalled that \"The conduit, situated in South Street, yielded a tolerably copious  and constant stream to those, who waited with their long brown  earthen-ware pitchers for their turn at the cock whence it was  delivered.\" Writing some 50 years later, James Cossins recalled that \"the supply at times was so limited that it would take half an hour to fill a bucket or pitcher\". It wasn't uncommon to see thirty or forty people waiting anything up to three or four hours to fill their pitchers or buckets. Fights and broken pitchers were sometimes the result when the conduit, fed from the natural springs at Lyon's Holt near Sidwell Street, ran dry in the summer.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-pmCgzDN3M0E\/T-Rql13eBdI\/AAAAAAAAFbc\/bz4pxKw1w1s\/s1600\/south%2Bstreet%2Blooking%2Btowards%2Bgate.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5756843422033774034\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-pmCgzDN3M0E\/T-Rql13eBdI\/AAAAAAAAFbc\/bz4pxKw1w1s\/s1600\/south%2Bstreet%2Blooking%2Btowards%2Bgate.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E(The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E was taken c1890 from a point about halfway down South Street looking south towards the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Ecity walls\u003C\/a\u003E. The entrance into Sun Street is just visible to the right. The then newly-built Catholic church, on the site of the townhouse of the Abbots of Tavistock, is to the left.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe South Street conduit, and the resulting crowd of users, proved to be an impediment to passing traffic and in 1835 the conduit was moved to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/milk-street-west-quarter.html\"\u003EMilk Street\u003C\/a\u003E, next to Charles Fowler's \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/lower-market-fore-street.html\"\u003ELower Market\u003C\/a\u003E. The new conduit was marked by a stone obelisk which remained until it was damaged by bombs in 1942 and subsequently cleared away. The stone balls on top of the South Street structure were moved following its demolition and relocated to the top of the tower of the church of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-arches-mary-arches.html\"\u003ESt Mary Arches\u003C\/a\u003E, where they can still be seen today. Cossins also left a description of South Street as it appeared in the 1830s: \"The conduit then extended some eight feet from the wall of the College Hall\" and Bell Hill was so narrow, and the jettied floors of the ancient properties oversailed the street so much, that \"the upper parts of some of the houses were just within shaking hands distance\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-fOwT89IZr8Y\/T-Y9UH1RX1I\/AAAAAAAAFcE\/1JEQeFxaiyo\/s1600\/South%2BGate_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5757356589548920658\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-fOwT89IZr8Y\/T-Y9UH1RX1I\/AAAAAAAAFcE\/1JEQeFxaiyo\/s1600\/South%2BGate_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThese must've been ancient houses indeed which had gradually been extended out into the carriageway over many centuries. It was said that a portion of Bell Hill was so constricted that it wasn't possible for two coaches to pass each other. On 29 March 1829 it was announced that \"the Commissioners of Improvement in this city have it in contemplation to widen South Street and abate the declivity of Bell Hill by removing the houses near the conduit\". Some of these houses can be seen in the background behind the conduit in the illustration shown above.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnlike North Street, which was widened in its entirety, only parts of South Street suffered the same fate. In 1830 many of the houses projecting out into the street were removed, or their depth was reduced and new frontages were added. In 1915 Ethel Lega-Weekes examined the properties on South Street that extended from the corner of Bear Street up as far as the College of the Vicars Choral at Kalendarhay. She reported that although the facades were 19th century the backs of the houses all contained much older material. She called them \"spliced houses\", part 19th century and part medieval, the rear walls forming the ancient boundary between the city and the church precinct. When these properties were destroyed in 1942 the thick stone walls at the back were left standing (although they were subsequently demolished).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-hitqRzhDMpA\/T-Y-KEvroVI\/AAAAAAAAFcQ\/27CHKPjiO_M\/s1600\/Black_Lions_Inn_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5757357516433105234\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-hitqRzhDMpA\/T-Y-KEvroVI\/AAAAAAAAFcQ\/27CHKPjiO_M\/s400\/Black_Lions_Inn_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 295px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EUnfortunately, even before 1942, much of street's historical character had already been eroded. The \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/07\/the-south-gate-south-street.html\"\u003ESouth Gate\u003C\/a\u003E and Holy Trinity church had been removed in 1819. (The medieval entrance into South Street via the South Gate is shown in the image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E. The three timber-framed houses to the left of the gatehouse were built following the English Civil War and survived until their demolition in the 1960s for the construction of the inner bypass.) St George's church followed in 1843.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe former \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/03\/bear-inn-on-south-street-abbots-of.html\"\u003Etownhouse of the Abbots of Tavistock Abbey\u003C\/a\u003E was partly rebuilt c1800 but was totally demolished in the mid-1880s and replaced with the Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart. At least part of the former townhouse of the Priors of Pympton Priory remained as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/02\/black-lions-inn-no-78-south-street.html\"\u003Ethe Black Lions inn\u003C\/a\u003E until it was destroyed by fire in 1873. Substantial medieval walls and windows survived the fire and were incorporated into the new building. (The 12th century stone capital shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left \u003C\/span\u003Ewas retrieved from inside the fire-damaged building.) The former medieval kitchen of the College of the Vicars Choral had also assumed the name of the Bear inn. The ancient structure was demolished in 1871 although Lega-Weekes claimed that parts of the old kitchen could still be seen in the cellars of the rebuilt premises. The south-east corner of South Street and Palace Gate was rebuilt in 1876, resulting in the demolition of several timber-framed properties. In 1912 oak panelling dating to the late 16th century was being levered from the walls at No. 3 South Street, probably prior to being installed at the neo-Tudor Gateacre Grange on the outskirts of Liverpool.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDespite the gradual modernisation of the facades in South Street, it's certain that many of the properties concealed much older cores. Alterations to No. 96 South Street in 1921 exposed timber-framing and very thick stone firewalls. The innocuous-looking house on the corner of South Street and Bear Lane concealed the remnants of a large 14th century stone tower. Until the 20th century, these \"spliced houses\" were common throughout Exeter, the ancient fabric hidden beneath later additions. If you scratched the surface then the past was everywhere, and South Street was no different.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr style=\"font-weight: bold;\" \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003EThe Destruction of South Street in 1942\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-dkALA29uCj4\/T-Y_MukfvTI\/AAAAAAAAFcc\/iZ5CUs1ikyk\/s1600\/South%2BStreet%2B1942.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5757358661531843890\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-dkALA29uCj4\/T-Y_MukfvTI\/AAAAAAAAFcc\/iZ5CUs1ikyk\/s400\/South%2BStreet%2B1942.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 324px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESouth Street was badly affected during \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003Ethe Exeter Blitz of 04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E, one of the so-called Baedeker Raids launched by Nazi Germany against some of England's most historic and picturesque cities. According to one eyewitness, D. P. Beckett, by the time the bombers left the city at around 2.50am, \"South Street was impassable above Guinea Street owing to large fires on both sides\". The prevailing wind was from the north-west causing the fires to spread down from the top of South Street, igniting one property after another. Beckett continued: \"it became obvious that the firemen were unable to prevent the flames from spreading, particularly in South Street where, owing to the inflammable nature of the premises (all lathe and plaster) the fires were creeping upwards against the wind. After a building had been on fire for a few minutes, the beams would give and it would burst asunder, the entire structure collapsing like a pack of cards amidst a shower of sparks, leaving just a big heap of embers right across the street\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-vEuc8vBhqoM\/T-ZBTITYVRI\/AAAAAAAAFco\/QP95NyBx1L4\/s1600\/South%2BStreet%2B1930s.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5757360970541847826\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-vEuc8vBhqoM\/T-ZBTITYVRI\/AAAAAAAAFco\/QP95NyBx1L4\/s400\/South%2BStreet%2B1930s.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 303px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E © Express \u0026amp; Echo shows the upper half of South Street soon after the Exeter Blitz. The ruins of the dining hall of the Vicars Choral can be seen in the centre. The aerial view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows pre-war South Street running diagonally from top left to bottom right. Of all of the buildings visible only those highlighted in purple still survive today. The rest have disappeared either as a consequence of 1942 or following the construction of the inner bypass in the 1960s. The photograph illustrates the densely built-up nature of the pre-war city centre.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOver sixty properties fronting onto South Street were completely destroyed during the air-raid. Approximately twelve were demolished for road-widening during the post-war reconstruction and just fourteen pre-war buildings now exist today. The two main architectural casualties were the medieval refectory of the Vicars Choral and Paragon House, but it's impossible to say what else was lost as nearly all of the buildings were destroyed without any record made of their construction or history. (Paragon House itself, one of Exeter's loveliest buildings, is only known from a handful of surviving drawings and a couple of snapshots.) The Church of the Sacred Heart was only saved because Bear Street and the thick stone walls of the Bear Tower acted as a firebreak. The presence of Coombe Street helped prevent the fires spreading as far as the White Hart inn. Strangely enough, according to Thomas Sharp's colour-coded map of the damage, the timber-framed house of c1700 which stood on the north-west corner of Coombe Street and South Street survived even though its neighbour, of a similar construction, perished. Unfortunately the former property must've been demolished during the rebuilding. (This property is visible to the extreme left in the photograph at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-IpW_oLN66Wo\/T-ZC37RRruI\/AAAAAAAAFdA\/FlrU2GWE4WM\/s1600\/Townsend%2BSouth%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5757362702210150114\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-IpW_oLN66Wo\/T-ZC37RRruI\/AAAAAAAAFdA\/FlrU2GWE4WM\/s1600\/Townsend%2BSouth%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe drawing \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council by George Townsend shows the picturesque north-east corner of South Street and Palace Gate in 1890, looking up towards the gatehouse of the Bishop's Palace in Palace Gate. This was the location of the church dedicated to St James which disappeared in the 14th century. The timber-framed property on the corner probably dated to the last half of the 17th century and survived the blitz unscathed. The late Georgian building, half of which is shown to the far left in Townsend's drawing, was damaged during the air-raid.  Aerial photographs reveal that both the timber-framed property and the remains of the brick house were still standing in the mid 1950s. Thomas Sharp, Exeter's post-war townplanner, recommended the restoration of the damaged building, thereby reinstating a row of characteristic pre-war buildings stretching from the corner of Palace Gate to Bear Street. Instead, the corner properties were all demolished for road-widening in 1956.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-X6EAEmfNbJU\/T-ZPfo52euI\/AAAAAAAAFdQ\/UKbd8CSoNFU\/s1600\/South%2BStreet%2Baerial.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5757376578614360802\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-X6EAEmfNbJU\/T-ZPfo52euI\/AAAAAAAAFdQ\/UKbd8CSoNFU\/s640\/South%2BStreet%2Baerial.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"497\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows a modern aerial view of South Street combined with a pre-war street plan of the city. Based on Sharp's own map, the war-damaged sites are highlighted in red. Sites highlighted in yellow represent buildings that were demolished by the local authority during post-war redevelopment.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 14th century Bear Tower and the medieval ruins of the townhouse of the Priors of Plympton, revealed for the first time since the fire of 1873, were swept away during post-war reconstruction as were several other surviving houses of a 17th century type. During the rebuilding of South Street the decision was taken to double the width of the pre-war carriageway. What were formerly narrow pavements, as can still be found in Fore Street, were extended to 15ft on both sides and the new shops were set back from the frontage line of their predecessors. The medieval street plan of Sun Street, George Street and Guinea Street was obliterated and a new, very wide entrance into Market Street from South Street was constructed, almost on the site of Paragon House.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-eVdbTIgQcOk\/T-ceW57iIbI\/AAAAAAAAFdg\/KIcrKZTIfeY\/s1600\/PB021875.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5757604027472945586\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-eVdbTIgQcOk\/T-ceW57iIbI\/AAAAAAAAFdg\/KIcrKZTIfeY\/s640\/PB021875.JPG\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe post-war architecture which replaced the destroyed buildings probably speaks for itself. It came from the desk of the city council's in-house architects and Hugh Mellor was being overly kind when he described it as 'drab'. Although they were designed to free up views of the nearby \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003Ecathedral\u003C\/a\u003E, several of the single-storey shacks are shockingly poor. (Pevsner and Cherry describe them as \"mean, low shops\".) Perhaps the grossest error of judgement came in the 1960s with the construction of Concord House (\u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E, as seen from the inner bypass). It's hard to imagine a less appropriate building for its location and it dwarfs all the other post-war structures. The council's own conservation report calls the post-war structures \"mediocre\" and \"nondescript\" but quite rightly adds that later developments, including Concord House, \"are worse\". Having widened the street so drastically after the war to cater for wider pavements, more traffic and on-street parking, the city council has recently made South Street a one-way road.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-QR7JdDP0-nc\/T-eUUcl8foI\/AAAAAAAAFdw\/6xOWPYuEcKM\/s1600\/PA241371.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5757733727610109570\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-QR7JdDP0-nc\/T-eUUcl8foI\/AAAAAAAAFdw\/6xOWPYuEcKM\/s400\/PA241371.JPG\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe destruction of so much of South Street's architectural heritage in 1942 combined with the poor replacement architecture, the removal of the ancient street plan and the widening of the thoroughfare itself has resulted in the complete loss of the street's historical character. It has frankly been a total disaster. A few fragments do remain. On the east side, the Church of the Sacred Heart and the Grade I listed Unitarian \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/06\/georges-meeting-south-street.html\"\u003EGeorge's Meeting\u003C\/a\u003E of 1760 can still be seen \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. The west side contains Nos. 58 to 68, a small collection of pre-war survivors all of which are Grade II listed \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E. These include the White Hart inn, built around the core of what was probably William Wynard's 15th century townhouse, and No. 67 South Street, a fine 17th century timber-framed property with important internal features. There are also several other buildings in this group, most of which are late Georgian with brick or stucco facades. It's perhaps symptomatic of the general post-war mentality that Thomas Sharp regarded the entire group as expendable and advocated their removal. Fortunately this plan was never carried through, although the properties are now isolated between Concord House and the post-war rebuilding of South Street on one side and the convergence of ten lanes of traffic at the site of the old South Gate on the other.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EViews of modern South Street are shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/--hOTTZoBUaM\/T-eU6eAlN-I\/AAAAAAAAFd8\/TDbEuOgrhG8\/s1600\/P1263283.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5757734380825294818\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/--hOTTZoBUaM\/T-eU6eAlN-I\/AAAAAAAAFd8\/TDbEuOgrhG8\/s640\/P1263283.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-sHy3qtZa3Ww\/T-eVh_RNY1I\/AAAAAAAAFeI\/mW_EcsxN9xo\/s1600\/P1263276.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5757735059768304466\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-sHy3qtZa3Ww\/T-eVh_RNY1I\/AAAAAAAAFeI\/mW_EcsxN9xo\/s640\/P1263276.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ub4wZQVKyA8\/T-eVzH4nLII\/AAAAAAAAFeU\/W6iXoFecQWs\/s1600\/IMGP0087.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5757735354138832002\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ub4wZQVKyA8\/T-eVzH4nLII\/AAAAAAAAFeU\/W6iXoFecQWs\/s640\/IMGP0087.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-crO9JaT5CkI\/T-eV-r5nX7I\/AAAAAAAAFeg\/pGCdJprNgrA\/s1600\/IMGP0088.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5757735552785276850\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-crO9JaT5CkI\/T-eV-r5nX7I\/AAAAAAAAFeg\/pGCdJprNgrA\/s640\/IMGP0088.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-hSBX1jp8gCc\/T-eWLx_9_7I\/AAAAAAAAFes\/4jyV0bV_6X8\/s1600\/P9232855.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5757735777760837554\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-hSBX1jp8gCc\/T-eWLx_9_7I\/AAAAAAAAFes\/4jyV0bV_6X8\/s640\/P9232855.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-awQjgGiAho8\/T-eWhm8TNoI\/AAAAAAAAFfE\/2QE_x3LwUGM\/s1600\/P1263284.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5757736152749782658\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-awQjgGiAho8\/T-eWhm8TNoI\/AAAAAAAAFfE\/2QE_x3LwUGM\/s640\/P1263284.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-lrhqgNH6sUU\/T-hed3uIrAI\/AAAAAAAAFfw\/GDTH3Hg95EE\/s1600\/GE_South%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"426\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5757955990859852802\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-lrhqgNH6sUU\/T-hed3uIrAI\/AAAAAAAAFfw\/GDTH3Hg95EE\/s640\/GE_South%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-2KQMIF0nG88\/T-eWWB3HqaI\/AAAAAAAAFe4\/2f1hL90IlZ4\/s1600\/P1263294.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5757735953817381282\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-2KQMIF0nG88\/T-eWWB3HqaI\/AAAAAAAAFe4\/2f1hL90IlZ4\/s640\/P1263294.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-T5y-03WZrrk\/T-eW0OmnccI\/AAAAAAAAFfQ\/sjzYnWdd8FM\/s1600\/PB021763.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5757736472633897410\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-T5y-03WZrrk\/T-eW0OmnccI\/AAAAAAAAFfQ\/sjzYnWdd8FM\/s640\/PB021763.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-T4tMGNU77gk\/T-egP4VFGRI\/AAAAAAAAFfg\/q3zkG_sBmyc\/s1600\/PA181280.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5757746843295750418\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-T4tMGNU77gk\/T-egP4VFGRI\/AAAAAAAAFfg\/q3zkG_sBmyc\/s640\/PA181280.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4637815908337565336\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4637815908337565336","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4637815908337565336"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4637815908337565336"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/06\/brief-history-of-south-street.html","title":"A Brief History of South Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-JvZVzK5NEic\/T98cx_ZbilI\/AAAAAAAAFaA\/aCMFxSjEZ7k\/s72-c\/South%2BStreet%2Bwest%2Bside.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-8350848162736836723"},"published":{"$t":"2012-06-16T14:16:00.020+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-22T22:33:04.747+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Cathedral"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Medieval Chancel of St Mary Major"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VvnevQhhYT0\/T9yPmph4bcI\/AAAAAAAAFYw\/nEMDun-g5mE\/s1600\/Cathedral%2Bwest%2Bfront%2Bc1860.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"514\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5754632318018416066\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VvnevQhhYT0\/T9yPmph4bcI\/AAAAAAAAFYw\/nEMDun-g5mE\/s640\/Cathedral%2Bwest%2Bfront%2Bc1860.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E shows one of the most familiar sights in the southwest of England: \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/05\/exeter-cathedral-evolution-of-the-west.html\"\u003Ethe 14th century west front\u003C\/a\u003E and image screen of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003EExeter Cathedral\u003C\/a\u003E. It's a view that would be recognisable to anyone who has visited the city over the last 650 years. Even today it's probably the most frequently photographed vista in Exeter. But this image is slightly different and the presence of one particular feature makes it amongst the rarest and most unusual surviving photographs ever taken in the old city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-a2gombmY2Lg\/T9ySk7G0ZCI\/AAAAAAAAFZA\/ksskvG_jHss\/s1600\/SMM%2Bchancel.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5754635586911888418\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-a2gombmY2Lg\/T9ySk7G0ZCI\/AAAAAAAAFZA\/ksskvG_jHss\/s640\/SMM%2Bchancel.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"464\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ETo the right of the cathedral can be seen the medieval chancel of the church of St Mary Major. Although only part of the church is shown this is one of the very few surviving photographic records of the church before it was rebuilt, detail \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. The medieval church of St Mary Major was demolished in 1865 and subsequently rebuilt so the image, an albumen print, dates to before the demolition. Very few images of the city exist from such an early date.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003Elong history of St Mary Major\u003C\/a\u003E is covered in an earlier post, but the church stood on the site of Exeter's Saxon minister, the abbey church of a monastery founded in the 7th century. The existence of the minster predated the creation of the See of Exeter in 1050. In other words, there was a building on this exact site centuries before the current Gothic cathedral was built. The minster was used as Exeter's first cathedral until a new cathedral was built slightly to the east in the early 12th century. This explains the close proximity between St Mary Major and the west front of the cathedral, as shown in the image. Following the consecration of the Norman cathedral, St Mary Major was downgraded, modified, and in 1222 became a parish church in its own right.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-O7SEbh2cYqs\/T9yisJDBNRI\/AAAAAAAAFZQ\/z8l3IgNl4ug\/s1600\/chancel%2Bdetail.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5754653303099176210\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-O7SEbh2cYqs\/T9yisJDBNRI\/AAAAAAAAFZQ\/z8l3IgNl4ug\/s640\/chancel%2Bdetail.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"474\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EJenkins visited the church in 1806 and left the following description of the chancel as it still appeared in the mid-19th century photograph: \"At the east end, through a loft gothic arch, it opens into a large chancel, which is of a different construction, and appears of a more ancient date than the body of the church; it has a separate entrance from the yard, and over the north window is a small tablet, representing St Lawrence in a state of martyrdom on a gridiron; and on the angles of this and the other windows cherubims supporting gridirons are represented in bass-relievo\". Jenkins added that \"tradition informs us that this chancel was a chapel, dedicated to St Lawrence, unconnected with the church\". (A medieval \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/01\/st-lawrences-church-high-street.html\"\u003Eparish church dedicated to St Lawrence\u003C\/a\u003E existed in the High Street until it was badly damaged in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E1942\u003C\/a\u003E and subsequently demolished.) The church was built of stone which was covered in lime render and then whitewashed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-BpMQGAFvVHo\/UZ05Rkh8UII\/AAAAAAAAHK0\/62vytFkZKCQ\/s1600\/west+front.gif\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-BpMQGAFvVHo\/UZ05Rkh8UII\/AAAAAAAAHK0\/62vytFkZKCQ\/s400\/west+front.gif\" width=\"363\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E is an animated stereoscopic view of the west front of the cathedral originally taken in the early 1860s. The chancel of St Mary Major can just be seen on the far right.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorge Oliver claimed that the chancel dated to the reign of Edward III primarily on the style of the windows and the fact that the high altar was rededicated by Bishop Grandisson in 1336. Oliver also believed that the representation of St Lawrence had been inset above the north door during 1700s or early 1800s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe much-weathered sculpted vignette of St Lawrence inset above the crenellated north porch is visible in the detail \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E. The stone tablet still exists and is one of the few remaining fragments of the medieval structure, \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E. When the church was demolished in 1865 it was rebuilt further west, away from the front of the cathedral. The replacement was in turn demolished in 1971.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe area today is just an expanse of grass. It's now impossible to say if the chancel really was \"of more ancient date\" than the rest of the church, as Jenkins believed. It's also a pity that the photographer didn't turn their camera and capture an image of the entire building or take more high quality images of other parts of Exeter. In the mid 19th century many of the city's streets still contained a large number of impressive medieval and post-medieval structures which have since disappeared. Although several drawings exist of the church as it appeared prior to its demolition, to have even part of it recorded in a photograph is an exciting discovery.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-2z53zABARb0\/T9zxKVC5KwI\/AAAAAAAAFZw\/VhqEf_OidCA\/s1600\/St%2BLawrence.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"567\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5754739583622916866\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-2z53zABARb0\/T9zxKVC5KwI\/AAAAAAAAFZw\/VhqEf_OidCA\/s640\/St%2BLawrence.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/8350848162736836723\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=8350848162736836723","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/8350848162736836723"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/8350848162736836723"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/06\/chancel-of-st-mary-major.html","title":"The Medieval Chancel of St Mary Major"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VvnevQhhYT0\/T9yPmph4bcI\/AAAAAAAAFYw\/nEMDun-g5mE\/s72-c\/Cathedral%2Bwest%2Bfront%2Bc1860.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-327254159273693077"},"published":{"$t":"2012-03-21T17:02:00.031+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T23:10:05.028+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Other Streets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Palace Gate"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"South Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Walls and Gates"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bear Street, Bear Gate \u0026 Bear Tower"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-_gA8uJhpE30\/T2N7_HajCpI\/AAAAAAAAFR8\/QLU1MMZUWwE\/s1600\/Bear%2BStreet%2B2010.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720552275943033490\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-_gA8uJhpE30\/T2N7_HajCpI\/AAAAAAAAFR8\/QLU1MMZUWwE\/s640\/Bear%2BStreet%2B2010.JPG\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EToday  Bear Street hardly exists. The north side is nothing but a car park  hidden behind a modern wall and the south side is completely dominated  by the side wall of a late 19th century church \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. But the area is thick with history and Bear Street, just 180ft (56m) long,  was the site of several structures of significant historical interest.  Traces of its medieval past remained until 1966 and yet none of it now  survives. So what went wrong?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe site of Bear Street is ancient, lying within the boundaries of the mid-1st century Roman fortress. In 1953 part of a Roman drain or conduit was found in Bear Street. The drain carried waste water away from the public baths which stood near the Deanery's garden c180 AD. There is some archaeological  evidence that Bear Street was first laid  out on its current alignment as early as the 9th  century. It might've once connected South Street  with the Anglo-Saxon  minster which stood just west of the present  \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003EGothic cathedral\u003C\/a\u003E. According to this theory, Saxon  Bear Street would've been much longer than it is  today, extending  across the city as far as what is now Princesshay. The  street was  considerably shortened in length when the boundaries of the cathedral  precinct were established and by the end of the 13th century it only led  to Deanery Place and Palace Gate, as it still does today. In 1286,  following \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/12\/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html\"\u003Ethe murder of the precentor Walter Lechlade\u003C\/a\u003E, the Dean and  Chapter received a royal licence from Edward I to encircle the cathedral  precinct with a wall and gatehouses, and one of these gatehouses was  situated in Bear Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003EThe Bear Gate\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-_D414nUGIzs\/T2PHHeP0YFI\/AAAAAAAAFSI\/V7VlCzq6f-I\/s1600\/Braun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_Bear%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720634882883084370\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-_D414nUGIzs\/T2PHHeP0YFI\/AAAAAAAAFSI\/V7VlCzq6f-I\/s1600\/Braun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_Bear%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EA document relating to the circumvallation gives quite precise  details about the location of the gate, later known as Bear Gate. It was located at the top of Bear Street and consisted of one gate 8ft wide for  pack-horses leading into \"the lane between the house of the Dean of  Exeter and the house now of Roger de Derteford\". The gate had wooden  doors that were locked every evening at the curfew. It must've been a  relatively simple structure, especially in comparison with the great  \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/12\/broad-gate-at-broadgate_16.html\"\u003EBroad Gate\u003C\/a\u003E on the High Street. Hooker's 16th century plan of South  Street shows Bear Gate with a simple pitched roof. On the Braun and  Hogenburg map of 1587 the gate consists of just a stone archway \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E. The range of buildings on the right side of the street formed the north wall of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/03\/bear-inn-on-south-street-abbots-of.html\"\u003Ethe Bear Inn\u003C\/a\u003E, the former townhouse of the Abbots of Tavistock Abbey.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere's  some evidence that by 1584 the gate had a chamber above it as a Mr  Barcombe was required to pay two pence every year in consideration of  \"his new building over the gate going into the churchyard by the said  Bear Gate\". The Bear Gate was demolished in the Spring of 1813.  According to Michael Fodor in his booklet 'Gates of the Close', the  materials were salvaged by Thomas Matthews for £10.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003EThe Bear Tower\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-trfL0H2P0C4\/T2vEYX96EDI\/AAAAAAAAFVg\/GwlzCU7ODhw\/s1600\/Bear%2BGate%2BGendall.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722883674533924914\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-trfL0H2P0C4\/T2vEYX96EDI\/AAAAAAAAFVg\/GwlzCU7ODhw\/s400\/Bear%2BGate%2BGendall.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 280px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOf almost equal interest was the Bear Tower. It was embedded within a later property, close to the junction with South Street and opposite the side wall of the Bear Inn. It dated at least to the 14th century and was built from blocks of purple volcanic trap. A blocked Gothic doorway in the south wall of the tower once gave access directly onto Bear Street. There was also a very large blocked archway in the east wall, almost like the chancel arch of a church. The tower was perhaps 20ft high and approximately 15ft square at the base. Jenkins saw it in 1806: \"The opposite corner of Bear Lane bears evident marks of antiquity. According to tradition it was a Nunnery\". Lega-Weekes also recalled seeing the property in 1915: \"The ancient side wall of the house at one corner of Bear Lane shews traces in its masonry of a large arched window or doorway at first floor level, and a smaller stopped window above that; and this, like other old masonry in the house is about three feet thick\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe drawing \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council is by local artist John Gendall and dates to c1840. It shows the interior of the Bear Tower. The partially open door which once exited onto Bear Street is visible in the centre. A stone spiral staircase can be seen rising through the centre of the tower. (The staircase was removed c1860.) No-one knows the function of the Bear Tower. Jenkins believed it was related to an Augustinian nunnery which was possibly on this site. It's also possible that it was connected to an earlier phase of the townhouse of the Abbots of Tavistock, on the other side of the street. The townhouse was reputedly rebuilt in 1481 and perhaps the Bear Tower was part of the earlier townhouse. The Bear Gate always seems to have been located at the other end of Bear Street so it's unlikely that the Bear Tower was related to that. The purpose of the tower remains a mystery. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E shows Bear Street as it appears on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\"\u003EHedgeland's early 19th century model of Exeter\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-kyMSW_EfDaM\/T2yc-WujaXI\/AAAAAAAAFVs\/iRaDqTfUA94\/s1600\/Hedgeland%2BBear%2BStreet%2Bnames.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723121821547719026\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-kyMSW_EfDaM\/T2yc-WujaXI\/AAAAAAAAFVs\/iRaDqTfUA94\/s640\/Hedgeland%2BBear%2BStreet%2Bnames.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"492\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EDuring the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003EExeter Blitz\u003C\/a\u003E of 1942 the early 19th century house which had been built around the Bear Tower was destroyed by fire. But the fire was no match for the tower's thick masonry and a significant amount of the 14th century structure remained standing (much like the Gothic windows and medieval walls at the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/02\/black-lions-inn-no-78-south-street.html\"\u003EBlack Lions Inn\u003C\/a\u003E on the other side of South Street). The Bear Tower stood on the corner of Bear Street and South Street for a further 24 years.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDespite being listed as one of Exeter's ancient monuments in the 1950s, in December 1965 the city council obtained permission from the Minister of Public Works to demolish the tower completely. In an act of either gross stupidity or pig ignorance, the remains of the 14th century building were destroyed in January 1966. It's not surprising that some people believe the philistine post-war city council merely finished what the Germans had already started in 1942. The government had stipulated that the foundations be left preserved and exposed. Naturally, this didn't happen and today the site of the Bear Tower is a flower bed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003ENos. 2 to 8, Bear Street\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-j-szW7bouOk\/T2ydOhHfozI\/AAAAAAAAFV8\/X3LqLPDuN2Q\/s1600\/Bear%2BStreet%2B2011%2B1905.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723122099214590770\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-j-szW7bouOk\/T2ydOhHfozI\/AAAAAAAAFV8\/X3LqLPDuN2Q\/s640\/Bear%2BStreet%2B2011%2B1905.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"498\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows a detail from the 1905 OS map of Exeter overlaid onto an aerial view of the same area. Properties demolished since 1905 are highlighted in red.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Bear Tower wasn't the only historical structure on Bear Street which managed to stagger into the 20th century. Nos. 2 to 8 Bear Street occupied almost the entire north side of the street, facing out onto the side wall of the Bear Inn (and later the Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart). An auction annoucement in 1809 stated that several of these houses, \"situate adjoining Bear Gate, and fronting Bear Lane\" were held \"by lease under the Dean of Exeter\". In fact all of these properties on the north side of the street were owned by the Dean and Chapter and were part of the boundary between the city and the cathedral precinct.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the summer of 1871 the 'Exeter Flying Post' carried a report that the Dean, in conjunction with the city council, had decided to authorise the widening of Bear Street \"on the north side by fifteen feet throughout, from the junction with Palace Street to the last house fronting South Street\". The fronts of the houses on the north side of Bear Street were all apparently set back to allow the road to be widened. I'm not convinced that this actually happened to the extent suggested in the newspaper report. Either way, the rears of Nos. 2 to 8 Bear Street were much older than the street facades. Arthur Everett examined the row of properties in the 1930s and discovered that the back walls and roofs dated to c1500. The great age of the buildings was of little consequence as the entire lot was demolished in 1938. It never seems to have occurred to the local authority that Exeter's stock of medieval housing was a finite resource. It's a sobering thought that more medieval and early post-medieval buildings were probably demolished in Exeter between 1900 and 1939 than were ever destroyed during World War Two.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe location of the ancient houses today is a car park partially hidden behind a shabby wall. There's now no sign above ground of the Bear Gate or the Bear Tower, the ancient houses or the old Bear Inn. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows the site of the Bear Tower, the foundations lying somewhere beneath the flowerbed to the right of the remarkably poor flat-roofed post-war shack on South Street. The entrance into Bear Street is visible to the far right.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-U2Bau312KIw\/T2z_7cCpYMI\/AAAAAAAAFWE\/aNVI4oh-E9E\/s1600\/Site%2Bof%2Bthe%2BBear%2BTower_South%2BStreet%2BExeter.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"403\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723230623085715650\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-U2Bau312KIw\/T2z_7cCpYMI\/AAAAAAAAFWE\/aNVI4oh-E9E\/s640\/Site%2Bof%2Bthe%2BBear%2BTower_South%2BStreet%2BExeter.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/327254159273693077\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=327254159273693077","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/327254159273693077"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/327254159273693077"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/03\/bear-street-bear-gate-bear-tower.html","title":"Bear Street, Bear Gate \u0026 Bear Tower"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-_gA8uJhpE30\/T2N7_HajCpI\/AAAAAAAAFR8\/QLU1MMZUWwE\/s72-c\/Bear%2BStreet%2B2010.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-3778433853538642498"},"published":{"$t":"2012-03-18T12:11:00.040+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-01T01:22:24.780+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inns and Taverns"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"South Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Bear Inn on South Street \u0026 the Abbots of Tavistock"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-5_my41fbBbY\/T2XSOcurbII\/AAAAAAAAFSs\/SB7dt0fDoNY\/s1600\/Bear%2BInn%2Broof%2Btile.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721210047316061314\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-5_my41fbBbY\/T2XSOcurbII\/AAAAAAAAFSs\/SB7dt0fDoNY\/s640\/Bear%2BInn%2Broof%2Btile.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"489\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ETavistock lies about 30 miles west of Exeter, town and city separated by the wild granite upland of the Dartmoor National Park. The abbey at Tavistock was founded in 974 by Ordulf, an Anglo-Saxon Ealdorman of Devon, and received its Royal Charter from King Ethelred II in 981.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOrdulf, reputedly a giant of enormous stature, has some connection with Exeter. A story recounted by William of Malmesbury in the 12th century states how Ordulf broke open the doors of the city's \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\"\u003EEast Gate\u003C\/a\u003E using just his foot.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESwelled by endowments of land and property across Devon and Cornwall, the abbey grew throughout the Middle Ages to become the wealthiest monastic foundation in the south-west of England. Medieval Exeter was the pre-eminent religious, cultural and economic centre of Devon and Cornwall. Priors and abbots from across the region had residences within the city for their own private use. These included the Abbots of Torre, Hartland, Dunkeswell, Buckfast and Newenham. The Abbots of Tavistock Abbey had property in the city at a very early date. The Domesday Book of 1086 records that the abbey possessed a house in Exeter obtained from lending money to a burgess, one of Exeter's citizens, and receiving the house as a sort of bond or pledge in return.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ukIFEhYdg-Y\/T2ZKUWmjsUI\/AAAAAAAAFTE\/LRYDEEOnOA0\/s1600\/Domesday%2BTavistock.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"384\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721342090145935682\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ukIFEhYdg-Y\/T2ZKUWmjsUI\/AAAAAAAAFTE\/LRYDEEOnOA0\/s640\/Domesday%2BTavistock.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E shows the original entries from the Domesday Book relating to the monastery's Exeter property. \"Terra Eccle de Tavestock\" refers to the ecclesiastical lands owned by the abbey. Included in the list of lands owned by the abbey is the lower extract. It refers directly to Exeter \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E(\"In civitate Exonia\") and \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003Ethe house (\"una domu\") of a burgess. The property generated 8d in customs to the king\u003C\/span\u003E. \u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EWas this Saxo-Norman property the seed from which the opulent townhouse on South Street later flowered? It is impossible to say as its location is unknown but it remains an exciting possibility.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZxA49cXvO2I\/T2Z37r2TE-I\/AAAAAAAAFTQ\/MvrKJ3wy-u0\/s1600\/Ecclesiastical%2Bresidences%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721392243887248354\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZxA49cXvO2I\/T2Z37r2TE-I\/AAAAAAAAFTQ\/MvrKJ3wy-u0\/s640\/Ecclesiastical%2Bresidences%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"495\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EIt is certain though that the Abbots of Tavistock did have a townhouse in Exeter and it was located on the corner of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/03\/bear-street-bear-gate-bear-tower.html\"\u003EBear Street\u003C\/a\u003E and South Street. It formed part of a remarkable collection of properties from the Late Middle Ages which clustered around the south side of Exeter Cathedral \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EThese included the Deanery, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/the-bishops-palace-palace-gate_12.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBishop's Palace\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/03\/chantry-deanery-place.html\"\u003Ethe Chantry\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/the-archdeacon-of-exeters-house-palace.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EArchdeacon of Exeter's House\u003C\/a\u003E. On the other side of South Street, almost opposite the Abbot of Tavistock's residence, was the townhouse of the Prior of Plympton Priory, later \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/02\/black-lions-inn-no-78-south-street.html\"\u003Ethe Black Lions Inn\u003C\/a\u003E. It's worth remembering that, along with the cathedral itself, there were also over thirty chapels and churches, a Benedictine priory, a Dominican friary and numerous canons' houses, all contained within the 93 acres of the medieval \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Ewalled city\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's not known how frequently the abbots stayed at their Exeter townhouse or when it was first used as an inn. By the 16th century at least it was being rented out to citizens of the city. \u003C\/span\u003EIn 1535  \"Le Bere Inn alias Bere\" situated in \"vico Australi\" i.e. South Street, was leased by the last abbot, John Peryn, to Edward Bridgeman and his wife,  Jane. This Edward Bridgeman was probably the Warden of Exebridge. Only a citizen of significant wealth could've afforded to take on the tenancy of the abbots' residence. Tavistock Abbey was engulfed by the Dissolution of the Monasteries and in 1539 the abbey was surrendered to the king.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Fu--mOH2bmA\/T2aEcLLKRLI\/AAAAAAAAFTc\/K-Sohj3X0As\/s1600\/Henry%2BVIII_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721405996191597746\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Fu--mOH2bmA\/T2aEcLLKRLI\/AAAAAAAAFTc\/K-Sohj3X0As\/s400\/Henry%2BVIII_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"293\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe abbey buildings were demolished and its lands scattered, many of them falling into the hands of John Russell, the 1st Earl of Bedford and owner of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/09\/bedford-house-and-dominican-friary.html\"\u003EBedford House\u003C\/a\u003E in Exeter. (The eldest son of the Duke of Bedford still holds the title of Marquess of Tavistock.) In 1546 William Abbot was sold the lease of \"the Beare Inn at Exeter, late of the monastery of Tavestock\" by Henry VIII for £20. (This was presumably the same William Abbot, \u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003ESergeant of the Wine Cellar at Hampton Court\u003C\/span\u003E, who also received the buildings at Hartland Abbey in North Devon.) Abbot sold the premises just two years later to Griffin Ameridith and John Fortescue. In 1566 the city's former mayor, William Bucknam, endowed \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/02\/grendons-almshouses-preston-street.html\"\u003EGrendon's Almshouses\u003C\/a\u003E in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/12\/preston-street-demolished.html\"\u003EPreston Street\u003C\/a\u003E with the Bear Inn, and the site remained in the possession of the trustees of the Grendon charity until the 1880s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPrecise details of the abbots' townhouse remain elusive. The most intriguing source for the property's medieval appearance is Alexander Jenkins' description of 1806: \"Great part of the old buildings, particularly the Chapel, was standing a  few years since; they were built from freestone, of excellent Gothic  workmanship, decorated with fretwork panels, mutilated inscriptions,  and different sculptures were seen, and over the cornice even with the  battlements was a cabossed statue of a Bear, holding a ragged staff  between its paws\". Another brief description from 1701 mentions that the coat of arms of  Tavistock Abbey and its founder were to be seen in painted  glass in the great window of the dining room along with the figure of a man standing on a bridge (a reference to the above-mentioned Edward Bridgeman who must've had that particular detail installed in the 1530s).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-QpmeKsRDLos\/T2fCYPbmlTI\/AAAAAAAAFT0\/S2FLvo9Tpfg\/s1600\/Hooker%2Bbear%2Binn%2BHogenberg%2Bc.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721755573312460082\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-QpmeKsRDLos\/T2fCYPbmlTI\/AAAAAAAAFT0\/S2FLvo9Tpfg\/s400\/Hooker%2Bbear%2Binn%2BHogenberg%2Bc.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 311px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe crenellated building mentioned by Jenkins probably functioned as a  gatehouse with a central passageway leading from South Street into an  inner courtyard, around which might've been grouped the dining hall,  chapel, private chambers and service rooms. The exact layout is unknown and it's impossible to say what alterations were made to the property once it entered lay ownership in the 16th century. It must've all been built on a lavish scale commensurate with the wealth of the abbey itself and should perhaps be regarded as one of Exeter's most significant medieval houses. The embattled front of the Bear Inn, undoubtedly an impressive sight in its own right, seems to feature on both the 1587  Braun and Hogenberg map of Exeter (based on a plan by John Hooker) and  also on Hooker's own 16th century plan of South Street, both \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThroughout the 17th and 18th centuries the Bear Inn was a focus for Exeter's lucrative woollen cloth trade. The inn's close proximity to the Serge Market on South Street resulted in it becoming a centre of commerce in its own right. According to Hoskins, \"thousands of pounds changed hands\" at the inn on market days as dealers met within the extensive premises to trade with each other. The Serge Market had been moved to South Street by the late 1600s. When Daniel Defoe visited Exeter in 1727 he described the market as \"well worth a Stranger's seeing\" and believed it to be the \"greatest in England\" after the market in Leeds. He was also told that the market could generate up to £100,000 in transactions every week. The Bear Inn was also one of the places in the city where Charles II was proclaimed as King of England following the Restoration in 1660.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThroughout the 1600s and 1700s, the Bear Inn was an important centre for carrier services (the equivalent today would be something like the Royal Mail's Parcelforce, TNT or Fedex). The carrier service involved the transportation of goods rather than people and used enormous 'flying wagons' stacked high with various merchandise. By c1798, one of these carrier companies, headed by Robert Russell, was operating from the Bear Inn. In 1800, having taken out a lease on the premises, he set about rebuilding it. Jenkins reported in 1806 that \"This venerable pile of buildings being in a ruinous state, was pulled down, and a dwelling house, offices, etc. erected on the site, by Mr. Robert Russell\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-8xLR2mIvDMU\/T2fPqnsMW5I\/AAAAAAAAFUM\/6M5Sb_jCHSE\/s1600\/Bear%2BInn%2B1876%2Band%2B2012%2Baot.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721770182713301906\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-8xLR2mIvDMU\/T2fPqnsMW5I\/AAAAAAAAFUM\/6M5Sb_jCHSE\/s640\/Bear%2BInn%2B1876%2Band%2B2012%2Baot.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"495\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt's difficult to know the exact nature of Russell's alterations but it's clear that significant portions of the old Bear Inn survived the remodelling.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the extent of Russell's premises as they appear on the 1876 Ordnance Survey map overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area. The premises have been highlighted to show three quite distinct elements. The building highlighted in purple still survives as No. 25 South Street. This was probably the newly-constructed \"dwelling house\" mentioned by Jenkins and was a product of the c1800 rebuilding. The house was used by Russell as his own private residence. The property is now known as The Presbytery and is associated with the Church of the Sacred Heart. The large area highlighted in red was also part of the early 19th century alterations, although it's possible that bits of the Bear Inn remained embedded within the later construction. These were the business's offices and warehouses. The entrance from South Street was through large arched openings leading into a spacious courtyard around which were grouped warehouses, a granary, stables, blacksmiths' and wheelers' workshops and a counting house. The openings in the front of the building allowed the wagons to enter the premises directly from the street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe most interesting part of the premises is highlighted in yellow. According to the 1876 map, this long, narrow plot was the 'Abbot's Town House (Tavistock)'. It was certainly a large fragment of it, probably the north range which extended from South Street all the way along the south side of Bear Street as far as the boundary wall of the Chantry in Deanery Place. This was to become the house and\/or offices of Russell's Exeter manager and business partner, Robert Thomas. I believe that the entirety of Russell's premises shown on the 1876 OS map retained at least the approximate footprint of the abbot's 15th century townhouse, possibly including the central courtyard. Comparison with cars and vans shown in the aerial photograph gives some indication of its enormous size.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-_wrEjWRVIT0\/T2iAk8vjmEI\/AAAAAAAAFUk\/ZMYfyHRUjfk\/s1600\/Bear%2BInn%2B1881.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721964698843453506\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-_wrEjWRVIT0\/T2iAk8vjmEI\/AAAAAAAAFUk\/ZMYfyHRUjfk\/s640\/Bear%2BInn%2B1881.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"467\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe sketch of 1881 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E, which I've crudely coloured, depicts the South Street facades which made up Russell's wagon offices and warehouse. It is the only known image of these structures in existence. The brick building to the far right, Russell's own house, is the still-surviving No. 25 South Street. Next to it are the four arched openings which led into the courtyard behind. This central part probably replaced the embattled gatehouse structure mentioned by Jenkins and depicted in the 16th century by Hooker and Hogenberg.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETo the left, coloured yellow and standing on the corner of South Street and Bear Street, is the property labelled as the 'Abbot's Town House' on the 1876 map. It is quite clearly of an earlier date compared with the other buildings. It's difficult to be sure but the side wall at least, disappearing down Bear Street, was almost certainly made of thick stone walling. The single bay, three-storey facade under a hipped roof was probably timber-framed and post-dated the Reformation. According to Lega-Weekes, a forge stood further up Bear Lane at the rear of the Bear Inn where the horses that pulled Russell's wagons were shod. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E shows the site of the Abbot of Tavistock's townhouse today. Russell's residence at No. 25 South Street is to the right. The rest of the buildings shown in the 1881 sketch are on the site of the Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-FzUtVicZQRQ\/T2ijZfHa7RI\/AAAAAAAAFUw\/8gfiHs5Dw4o\/s1600\/Site%2Bof%2Bthe%2BBear%2BInn_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722002984818896146\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-FzUtVicZQRQ\/T2ijZfHa7RI\/AAAAAAAAFUw\/8gfiHs5Dw4o\/s640\/Site%2Bof%2Bthe%2BBear%2BInn_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"476\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Bear Inn continued in operation in some form as an inn even after Russell's alterations of c1800 which, according to Jenkins, saw the \"venerable pile\" demolished (although something of it clearly survived).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAn announcement in the 'Exeter Flying Post' dated 03 December 1801 stated that John Holman had taken on the Bear Inn which \"is lately fitted up neat and convenient\". This version of the inn probably occupied just the building on the corner of Bear Street and South Street, the rest having disappeared under Russell's alterations. (Without a detailed plan of the 17th and 18th century buildings it's impossible to say if all of the abbot's townhouse was used as an inn or whether part of it had been divided to provide private accommodation and a self-contained house.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother announcement in the 'Exeter Flying Post' on 10 October 1805 stated that the inn was to be let, \"with immediate possession given\", and that seems to be the last we hear of the Bear Inn. The lease of the smaller, post-1800 version of the Bear Inn was probably  purchased by Russell which is when it became the house of manager  Robert Thomas. (Another Bear Inn emerged further up South Street in the 19th century. Also known as the College Kitchen, it was located in the medieval kitchen of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2011\/12\/medieval-college-of-vicars-choral-at.html\"\u003ECollege of the Vicars Choral\u003C\/a\u003E until it was unfortunately demolished in 1871.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-B1VgsZ1T66w\/T2jBN28nvCI\/AAAAAAAAFU8\/RH-mNHSgqqE\/s1600\/Bear%2BInn_Hedgeland.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722035770406452258\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-B1VgsZ1T66w\/T2jBN28nvCI\/AAAAAAAAFU8\/RH-mNHSgqqE\/s640\/Bear%2BInn_Hedgeland.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"488\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe detail from Hedgeland's model \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows the approximate extent of the Bear Inn, highlighted in red, prior to Russell's alterations. Unfortunately the form and layout of the individual buildings aren't modelled realistically and there is no sign of Jenkins' \"battlements\" which Hedgeland would surely have seen for himself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERussell retired in 1816 but the business continued as a consortium until 1852 when the premises were used by the railway carriers, Messrs Haycock and Gillard. An 1878 directory for Devon shows that the three distinct parts of Russell's premises had been divided into three separate properties. The surviving part of the abbot's townhouse was listed as No. 23 South Street, the dwelling of Misses Louisa and Mary Tole, dressmakers. No. 24 South Street, with the open courtyard behind, was the premises of auctioneer Musgrave Bickford, whose surname can just be made out above the arches on the 1881 drawing. No. 25 South Street, formerly the house of Robert Russell himself, was occupied by Mrs Harriet Norris. All of these properties were still being leased from the Grendon charity over 300 years after the site had first come into the trustees' possession. In the early 1880s the site was purchased from the trustees for a new Roman Catholic church and all of the structures, including the remnants of the abbots' townhouse, were demolished. It was the end of a building which had one of the longest and richest histories of any property in Exeter. The foundation stone for the new church was laid in the Spring of 1883 and, following the completion of the church, the site has remained largely unchanged ever since.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-omjYhM5HE9Y\/T2kYe5mLsKI\/AAAAAAAAFVU\/s29LlMxeh-I\/s1600\/Bear%2BStreet%2BBear%2BInn.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722131720687038626\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-omjYhM5HE9Y\/T2kYe5mLsKI\/AAAAAAAAFVU\/s29LlMxeh-I\/s640\/Bear%2BStreet%2BBear%2BInn.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"475\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the view towards Bear Street and what would've been the side wall of the Bear Inn, now replaced with the north wall of the Sacred Heart church.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhy was it called the Bear Inn? It's not known whether the inn lent its name to Bear Street or whether the street, and its precinct gate, lent its name to the Bear Inn. There have been several theories though. Jenkins mentioned a sculpted bear holding a ragged staff that once adorned the battlements, an emblem usually associated with the Earls of Warwick. But this could've easily have been a consequence of the name rather than its origin, added to the front of the inn at any point between the 1400s and 1700s. Lega-Weekes suggested that there might've been a connection between Bear Street and an ancient lych way where coffins placed on biers once stood, although she dismissed the theory on etymological grounds. Michael Fodor traced the name to Bere, a peninsula between the estuaries of the rivers Tamar and Tavy close to the border between Devon and Cornwall. The Abbots of Tavistock \"administered the silver mines there for Edward I\", but the precise origin of the name remains uncertain.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ff2Un-UQj34\/T2kT_LLEAqI\/AAAAAAAAFVI\/KWG_3H3Q6PI\/s1600\/weird%2Bcreature%2BBear%2BInn%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722126777602802338\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ff2Un-UQj34\/T2kT_LLEAqI\/AAAAAAAAFVI\/KWG_3H3Q6PI\/s400\/weird%2Bcreature%2BBear%2BInn%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 314px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EWhen the foundations for the tower of the Roman Catholic church were being excavated in 1883 a remarkable find was made at a \"considerable depth\" below the ground. It was described by antiquarians at the time as \"an ancient jug\" in the form \"of a grotesque animal\" and was dated to the 12th century. Made of earthenware, it wasn't a jug at all but an ornamental roof tile or finial of a type once found all across the city. This medieval pottery beast is now in the local museum and a photograph of it appears at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post and \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. It would've perched on the apex of a gable looking out across South Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAccording to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, the animal \"was made in one of the potteries which used the sands of streams running off Dartmoor, perhaps that at Bridgetown near Totnes.\" The museum describes the animal as a \"creature\" but I wonder if it's not supposed to be a bear. Robert Dymond claimed in 1880 that the Bear Inn had been rebuilt in 1481. Is it possible that the bear-like finial sat on the pre-1481 Bear Inn only to find its way into the ground when the property was reconstructed at the end of the 15th century? It would account for the \"considerable depth\" at which the tile had been found as well as its location close to the street. Could the pottery animal be the origin of the Bear Inn's name? \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/09\/chevalier-inn-fore-street-destroyed-in.html\"\u003EThe Chevalier Inn\u003C\/a\u003E on Fore Street received its name from a similar ridge tile in the form of a knight on horseback. Either way, this pottery animal and a single window alleged to have come from the Bear Inn and inserted into the Roman Catholic church are the only surviving pieces of the Exeter townhouse of the Abbots of Tavistock.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/3778433853538642498\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=3778433853538642498","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3778433853538642498"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3778433853538642498"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/03\/bear-inn-on-south-street-abbots-of.html","title":"The Bear Inn on South Street \u0026 the Abbots of Tavistock"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-5_my41fbBbY\/T2XSOcurbII\/AAAAAAAAFSs\/SB7dt0fDoNY\/s72-c\/Bear%2BInn%2Broof%2Btile.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-227540512304650713"},"published":{"$t":"2012-03-10T23:04:00.033+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T23:00:36.255+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Cathedral"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Other Streets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Palace Gate"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Chantry, Deanery Place"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-KkDFcYTZhCA\/T1viittOPeI\/AAAAAAAAFPs\/rTiA_l-6n3Y\/s1600\/Hedgeland%2Baerial%2B2010%2Bhighlighted.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718413237889678818\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-KkDFcYTZhCA\/T1viittOPeI\/AAAAAAAAFPs\/rTiA_l-6n3Y\/s1600\/Hedgeland%2Baerial%2B2010%2Bhighlighted.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe role of the precentor at Exeter has been established since at least  1154 when John the Chaunter is recorded as being the first holder of the post. The  title comes from the Latin '\u003Cspan class=\"foreign\"\u003Epraecantare', meaning  'to sing before', and it was the precentor's job to oversee music and  liturgy associated with masses held in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003EExeter Cathedral\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"foreign\"\u003EBy the end of the 13th century it had evolved into a very significant position and, along with the dean, treasurer and chancellor, was one of the four most senior roles associated with the cathedral's hierarchy. Each of these roles came with a significant property, and the Chantry in Deanery Place was the precentor's residence.\u003C\/span\u003EThe city's most ill-fated precentor was probably \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html\"\u003EWilliam Lechlade, murdered in 1283\u003C\/a\u003E  as he was returning to the Chantry. His death, in which the dean  himself was involved, led to the construction of a large wall dotted  with gatehouses around the perimeter of the cathedral precinct. The  Chantry stood on a plot of land within this enclosure, bounded by  Bear Street to the north and Palace Gate to the south, its front range overlooking a small open area known as Deanery Place. Unfortunately the property was completely demolished in the 1860s and only a handful of images exist which depict the structure prior to its destruction.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-efkptN_eZcQ\/T1vlHqwIX0I\/AAAAAAAAFP4\/daXIWjrPmdQ\/s1600\/precentor%2Barms.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718416071774986050\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-efkptN_eZcQ\/T1vlHqwIX0I\/AAAAAAAAFP4\/daXIWjrPmdQ\/s400\/precentor%2Barms.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 288px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E shows a detail from Hedgeland's model of Exeter overlaid onto a modern aerial view of Palace Gate. The long building at the top of the image with the red-tiled roof is the Deanery. The quadrangle of the now-demolished cathedral cloisters is to the right. The extent of the Chantry site as depicted by Hedgeland is highlighted in red, separated from the street by a wall. Alas, it seems that Hedgeland's modelling of the buildings is inaccurate in this instance.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAn almost contemporary description by Alexander Jenkins in 1806 stated that the Chantry was \"a very ancient and roomy  house, entirely surrounded by other buildings, and no part of it is to  be seen except the entrance, which has a modern frontispiece.\" Writing after the Chantry had been demolished, Lega-Weekes recorded in 1915 that \"I am told that the old mansion of the Precentor was hidden  from view by smaller houses, and was entered through a narrow passageway  between them\". Fortunately enough information about the building is known to say at least something about it. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E depicts the precentor's coat of arms: a blue saltire against a silver background with a gold fleur-de-lis in  the centre. It was in use by 1496 and was possibly used prior to 1477.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-EiDWzh0PCis\/T14JsWCXSBI\/AAAAAAAAFQc\/C3T8tsD4X8A\/s1600\/Chantry%2BHooker.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719019234241497106\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-EiDWzh0PCis\/T14JsWCXSBI\/AAAAAAAAFQc\/C3T8tsD4X8A\/s400\/Chantry%2BHooker.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 306px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EPerhaps the earliest depiction of the Chantry can be found on Hooker's plan of South Street c1560. It shows the Chantry as a sprawling complex of boundary walls, buildings and courtyards entered through a gatehouse in Deanery Place. Beyond the gatehouse is a large three storey building with an embattled parapet \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. Other than the gatehouse and the large embatttled structure, it's difficult to know exactly which of the buildings and courtyards shown by Hooker were associated with the Chantry but the plan does give some idea of the significant extent of the residence in the 16th century and its prominence in the overall cityscape.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe very early phases of the building's construction are a mystery but a  17th century document provides a good description of what was probably  the Chantry's late medieval form. Like other residences which belonged  to the Dean and Chapter, the Chantry was confiscated during the Commonweath which followed the execution of Charles I in 1649. A document surviving from the sale of the Chantry on 23 June 1655 contains  the following invaluable information. In 1655 the complex of buildings  measured 120ft (37m) from west to east and 92ft (28m) from north to  south. In the centre was a courtyard 40ft (12m) square. The  gatehouse had one room on the right and two rooms on the left with a  further four chambers above. In the courtyard, to the left, were  stables with a loft above and a woodhouse. On the right was a porch  leading to a \"faire hall\". The accommodation consisted of at least one  hall, two parlours, one kitchen, two butteries and nine chambers with  two further chambers in a third storey. Slate roofs covered the  buildings and behind the property was a large garden measuring 110ft  (34m) by 72ft (22m).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe description almost certainly records the Chantry's medieval plan. It  was a courtyard house constructed  around a central quadrangle with a  range of buildings on each side, not dissimilar to other examples that  once existed in the city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ctlku6tdYYA\/T14NSN6VISI\/AAAAAAAAFQo\/wSGzkl7oEBo\/s1600\/No%2B11%2BCathedral%2BClose.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"568\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719023183430230306\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ctlku6tdYYA\/T14NSN6VISI\/AAAAAAAAFQo\/wSGzkl7oEBo\/s640\/No%2B11%2BCathedral%2BClose.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese properties would've been amongst the most opulent domestic  buildings in the city, far exceeding the houses of all but the very  wealthiest of Exeter's merchants. It's unlikely that secular domestic buildings on the same scale existed within the city walls until after the Reformation and the construction of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/bampfylde-house-elizabethan-mansion-in.html\"\u003EBampfylde House\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/bedford-house-and-dominican-friary.html\"\u003EBedford House\u003C\/a\u003E in the 16th century. Based on  the 1655 dimensions, the medieval Chantry covered an area only slightly  smaller than the open ground within the former cloisters of the  cathedral. Something of the courtyard arrangement  at the Chantry can be seen in John Hooker's 16th century plan. Assuming that it had been remodelled in the 15th century the Chantry was almost certainly constructed from red Heavitree breccia. The exterior of the gatehouse range at least would've looked a little like some of the remaining canons' houses in the Cathedral Close e.g. No. 11 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E (the former gatehouse to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/town-house-of-abbots-of-buckfast.html\"\u003Ethe Abbot's Lodge\u003C\/a\u003E, No. 11 was completely rebuilt after almost total destruction in World War II).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-OqTrIcbH55Y\/T14QeEZZ1iI\/AAAAAAAAFQ0\/9sb9v9nQ5sY\/s1600\/the%2Bold%2Bhall%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bchantry%2Bnow%2Bthe%2Blaw%2Blibrary.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719026685569521186\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-OqTrIcbH55Y\/T14QeEZZ1iI\/AAAAAAAAFQ0\/9sb9v9nQ5sY\/s400\/the%2Bold%2Bhall%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bchantry%2Bnow%2Bthe%2Blaw%2Blibrary.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 318px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOnly one single image is known to exist showing anything of the interior of the Chantry prior to its demolition i.e. a photograph from c1868 of the much-modified \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/john-coombe-fireplace-formerly-in.html\"\u003EJohn Coombe fireplace\u003C\/a\u003E in the great hall. One other possible image is in the Westcountry Studies Library. Dated to c1840 it is a sketch by the Exeter artist, John Gendall. It is catalogued as 'The Old Hall of the Chantry, now the Law Library' \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council. The magnificent medieval hall known as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/law-library-no-8-cathedral-close.html\"\u003Ethe Law Library\u003C\/a\u003E is at No. 8 Cathedral Close and has a completely different roof structure to the one in the sketch so clearly it must show a different building. I've been told that the roof shown in the sketch isn't one which is still extant within the city but that the principal and intermediate roof trusses are characteristic of other high-status Exeter medieval roofs. I can find no record of the Chantry ever having been used as a Law Library but it's quite possible that this sketch does indeed show the \"faire hall\" of Exeter's medieval precentors.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-zbc_Iq7T8b0\/UVixVJIsC_I\/AAAAAAAAGHE\/23jANbo-05g\/s1600\/guest+hall+nicholas%27+priory.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-zbc_Iq7T8b0\/UVixVJIsC_I\/AAAAAAAAGHE\/23jANbo-05g\/s1600\/guest+hall+nicholas%27+priory.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe arch-braced principles with short curved ends and the very distinctive curving wind-braces shown in the sketch remind me of the  15th century timber roof in the guest hall at St Nicholas' Priory \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E, although the arrangement of the wind-braces is quite different at the priory. To the bottom left of the sketch can be seen a cross-section through the hall showing three doorways that led to the service rooms. Debris on the floor also suggests that the sketch was made at a time when the mystery room was undergoing either demolition or alteration. Either way, the guest hall at the priory gives another small insight into what the medieval Chantry was like.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFollowing the sale of the Chantry in 1655 it was possibly used as a hospital for soldiers incapacitated during the English Civil War. It was returned to the Dean and Chapter after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. It's difficult to know what state it was in by the end of the 17th century. The nearby Bishop's Palace was severely damaged during the Commonwealth when it was used as a sugar refinery. The only known 19th century illustration of the exterior of the Chantry, by George Townsend in 1867 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council, shows that the building had undergone major alterations in the 18th or early 19th centuries. The fact that the Chantry was no longer visible from the street in 1806 suggests that some of its ranges and the land on which it stood had been subsumed into later housing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-KO5jls5Aams\/T14cwrc1pxI\/AAAAAAAAFRM\/wBNu72JUB28\/s1600\/Chantry%2B1867%2BWCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719040199430088466\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-KO5jls5Aams\/T14cwrc1pxI\/AAAAAAAAFRM\/wBNu72JUB28\/s1600\/Chantry%2B1867%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ETownsend's drawing depicts a large, square, three-storey extension with a porch, probably added in the 18th century. Attached to one side is a long, low building which is probably one of the surviving medieval ranges of the main residence, possibly that which contained the great hall. All of these structures are absent from Hedgeland's model. The south tower of the cathedral can be seen in the background to the right.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorge Oliver lamented in 1860 that \"the residence of the precentors has been so altered and modernised as almost to defy description\". That may well have been the case but medieval elements from the earlier building must've remained embedded within the later alterations. It's highly likely that the \"faire hall\" mentioned in 1655 and possibly sketched by Gendall in the 1840s survived up until its destruction in the 1860s. An article in the 'Exeter Flying Post' from 1871 explicitly stated that the Chantry contained \"a fine dining hall with an open roof...which had long since been converted into bedrooms\". Clearly the hall had been divided horizontally at some point, as happened at the Deanery, with a first floor inserted but there's no reason to doubt that the medieval roof structure remained largely intact (as also happened at the Deanery).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-9G6WcVbQkl0\/T159Mu4g5nI\/AAAAAAAAFRk\/dDzVZqrwr6I\/s1600\/Chantry%2Baerial%2B2011.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719146234504078962\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-9G6WcVbQkl0\/T159Mu4g5nI\/AAAAAAAAFRk\/dDzVZqrwr6I\/s1600\/Chantry%2Baerial%2B2011.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EUnfortunately the entire site was razed to the ground in the 1860s. The only surviving piece of the former Chantry today is the John Coombe fireplace, now in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum. The site remained empty for some time before it was occupied by a new Chantry building.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDesigned by Ewan Christian, architect for the Ecclesiastical Commissioners from 1851, the property was completed in 1870 and it's hard to imagine a more stolid example of Victorian architecture. The diaper brickwork and stone door and window surrounds are small recompense for the loss of the old building. The modern aerial view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the extent of the 1870 Chantry, highlighted in red. The boundary wall is highlighted in purple. It still retains the pronounced curve to the north-east that is recorded both by Hooker in the 16th century and Hedgeland in the early 19th century. The former gardens are now all concrete and car parks.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe lack of a visually impressive front facade is particularly bizarre as each side looks as nondescript as the others. The overall appearance isn't helped by the fire escapes or the wire fencing which sits on top of part of the boundary wall. The demolition of the Chantry was criticised in a letter to the  'Exeter Flying Post' in 1894, in which it was described as one of the  \"priceless relics of the past\" destroyed by often unnecessary rebuilding. There have always been people in Exeter who have lamented the demolition of the city's historical buildings, or the sale of historical artifacts, but such opinions have only rarely altered the outcome. The Chantry is now a locally listed building but its boundary wall has Grade II listed status, the lower courses of purple volcanic trap and sandstone dating back at least to the 18th century. Apart from that, there's nothing of historical interest to be seen above ground. The Chantry is no longer the precentor's house but is used as part of the Exeter Cathedral School.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-8nDpeG0nqaw\/T16B9jFztCI\/AAAAAAAAFRw\/4S8XoLILR7A\/s1600\/PA241388.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"482\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719151471198712866\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-8nDpeG0nqaw\/T16B9jFztCI\/AAAAAAAAFRw\/4S8XoLILR7A\/s640\/PA241388.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/227540512304650713\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=227540512304650713","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/227540512304650713"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/227540512304650713"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/03\/chantry-deanery-place.html","title":"The Chantry, Deanery Place"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-KkDFcYTZhCA\/T1viittOPeI\/AAAAAAAAFPs\/rTiA_l-6n3Y\/s72-c\/Hedgeland%2Baerial%2B2010%2Bhighlighted.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-7544040672573844010"},"published":{"$t":"2012-03-09T00:07:00.033+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T22:53:53.621+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Guildhall Shopping Centre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Other Streets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Saxon Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"St Pancras Church \u0026 Pancras Lane"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Rb8EtiNJipI\/T1aYi9uvcpI\/AAAAAAAAFMU\/_tfTzOhxNIE\/s1600\/St%2BPancras_Exeter.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"479\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716924503447007890\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Rb8EtiNJipI\/T1aYi9uvcpI\/AAAAAAAAFMU\/_tfTzOhxNIE\/s640\/St%2BPancras_Exeter.JPG\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe small church dedicated to St Pancras is a remarkable survival. Narrowly escaping demolition, it now stands  within the 1970s' Guildhall Shopping Centre, stripped of all its  historical context and \"incongruously dished up on a platter of  municipal planting in the middle of a paved square\" (Pevsner and  Cherry). The medieval street plan which surrounded the church until the  mid-20th century suggested an ancient origin but this has unfortunately  been swept away. The foundation itself though is ancient, as is much of  the still-standing building, and it's possible that St Pancras church  occupies the earliest site of Christian worship in Exeter. There  has been some speculation that the church was founded by the  Romano-British Christian citizens of Isca Dumnoniorum, the Roman town which evolved out of the Second Augustan Legion's fortress in the first century AD.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WKa5QERKBus\/T1eBlYEB3kI\/AAAAAAAAFMg\/20TPFsOvA7Q\/s1600\/St%2BPancras%2BHedgeland.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717180731084627522\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WKa5QERKBus\/T1eBlYEB3kI\/AAAAAAAAFMg\/20TPFsOvA7Q\/s640\/St%2BPancras%2BHedgeland.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"494\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EChristianity had  been imported into the British Isles centuries before St Augustine  founded the Diocese of Canterbury in 597. The church at Exeter's patron saint was  probably St Pancras of Rome, a 14-year-old martyr who was allegedly killed on the  orders of the Emperor Diocletian in Rome c304 AD and who was one of the  first martyrs to be venerated by the early Christian church. Unfortunately,  apart from some bits of Roman tessellated pavement excavated from around the  church, there is little actual evidence to support the claim of a Roman foundation. The  theory seems to rest on an early 19th century tradition that the Roman  praetorium stood in the vicinity. Jenkins repeats the tradition in his  1806 history of the city and it had been repeated by numerous  commentators ever since. The Roman pavements were probably installed in  the corridors of private houses.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe church is referred to in  1191 but it's highly likely that the foundation is pre-Conquest in  origin even if it doesn't date back to the Romans. There is some  evidence that the remains of a Saxon doorway were found embedded in the  south wall of the chancel during restoration in the 19th century. The  Anglo-Saxons did have a number of churches in Exeter, including St  George, St Martin, St Olave and a monastery in what is now the cathedral  precinct. St Pancras was almost certainly another, very early  foundation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-2Hfc5aFb0A4\/T1eElgZmLFI\/AAAAAAAAFMs\/sIKGx7lEyjI\/s1600\/1905%2Bmap.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717184031857454162\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-2Hfc5aFb0A4\/T1eElgZmLFI\/AAAAAAAAFMs\/sIKGx7lEyjI\/s400\/1905%2Bmap.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFor over a thousand years the church stood on a narrow street called Pancras Lane. A detail from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\"\u003EHedgeland's early 19th century model of Exeter \u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E  gives a good idea of the medieval layout of the church and surrounding  street plan. It remained little altered from the Middle Ages until the  middle of the 20th century. The church is highlighted in purple. The  now-vanished buildings which fronted onto Pancras Lane are highlighted  in red. The street had a very noticeable dog leg in it, even more  exaggerated than a similar one formerly in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/mary-arches-street.html\"\u003EMary Arches Street\u003C\/a\u003E.  Quirks in an old street plan are always interesting. Maybe there was a  Saxon enclosure around which the street was forced to make a detour, as  is believed to have been the case at Mary Arches Street. Either way, the  church probably predated Pancras Lane itself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPancras Lane connected \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html\"\u003EPaul Street\u003C\/a\u003E with \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/03\/brief-history-of-waterbeer-street.html\"\u003EWaterbeer Street\u003C\/a\u003E.  Another route off Pancras Lane was Trichay Street. Until 1349 it was  possible to walk from Pancras Lane down Trichay Street and into \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E. Although blocked up in the 14th century by the rectory for \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/st-kerrians-north-street.html\"\u003ESt Kerrian's church\u003C\/a\u003E, Trichay Street survived as a route until the 1970s. It's interesting to compare the image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E  with the Hedgeland model. It shows a detail from the 1905 map of Exeter  overlaid onto a modern aerial photograph of the Guildhall Shopping  Centre. St Pancras church is highlighted again in purple. Pancras Lane is  shown running past the church from Waterbeer Street and exiting into  Paul Street at the top. The building plots highlighted in red have all  disappeared since 1905. The photograph also shows the vast expanse of  flat roofs and car parks of the Guildhall Shopping Centre which now  covers much of this part of Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lgSTAgYzANY\/T1fvHdyGxEI\/AAAAAAAAFNc\/NgGUrtLDUzw\/s1600\/Pancras%2BLane%2Btowards%2BPaul%2BStreet%2Bc1937.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717301163503043650\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lgSTAgYzANY\/T1fvHdyGxEI\/AAAAAAAAFNc\/NgGUrtLDUzw\/s1600\/Pancras%2BLane%2Btowards%2BPaul%2BStreet%2Bc1937.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E © Exeter City Council shows a rare view looking down Pancras Lane  towards Paul Street c1937. The photograph indicates that even in the  1930s the street still retained its built-up character with properties  lining both sides of the narrow thoroughfare. The buildings might've  been different but this had been the character of the street since the  Middle Ages. The covered passageway visible to the left of the car led  into Arthur's Buildings, a courtyard with properties on either side.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMost  of the buildings on Pancras Lane were deliberately removed between  c1937 and 1951 as part of the city's council's planned redevelopment of  the area behind the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/higher-market-queen-street.html\"\u003EHigher Market\u003C\/a\u003E.  This left most of the ancient street as little more than a large car  park. The alignment of the street had already been altered when the  police station on Waterbeer Street was constructed in 1887. The new  police station also resulted in the demolition of several houses to the  north-east of the church which, until then, had been \"hidden from public  view by the gradual accumulation of squalid tenements around it\". The  area was left unscathed by the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003EExeter Blitz\u003C\/a\u003E  but the church was threatened with demolition in the 1960s. Fortunately  it was spared, and although the surroundings are now bland and mediocre  the church itself is of genuine interest.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-WxhhaTeB16c\/T1fzUlz_MXI\/AAAAAAAAFNo\/uYPaeYs3q4U\/s1600\/Lancet%2BWindow%2BSt%2BPancras%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717305787043230066\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-WxhhaTeB16c\/T1fzUlz_MXI\/AAAAAAAAFNo\/uYPaeYs3q4U\/s640\/Lancet%2BWindow%2BSt%2BPancras%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"463\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe  plan is very simple, consisting of just a nave and a chancel with no  aisles or porches or towers. The layout and the extremely small  dimensions have been compared with the Anglo-Saxon church at Escomb in  County Durham. Although the oldest parts of St Pancras date to the 13th  century, the ground plan could well have remained unchanged since Saxon times. The walls have been patched over the centuries and the  church today is largely constructed from blocks of purple volcanic trap  with scattered blocks of sandstone, red Heavitree breccia and  white-veined volcanic trap from Pocombe. This gives the church a quite  different appearance to most of Exeter's surviving parish churches, many  of which were rebuilt in the 15th century from red Heavitree breccia  with dressed sandstone around the windows and doorways.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA number of descriptions of  the church state that it's built from friable red Heavitree breccia  but close examination of the walls show that this is clearly untrue. It seems likely that the church was rebuilt or overhauled in the 13th century. A two-light lancet window with Y tracery \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E  and a one-light lancet window, both in the north wall of the chancel,  date to the 1200s. A three-light (restored) east window, also with  distinctive Y tracery, is of a similar date. The insides of the chancel  windows have round-headed rere-arches. These are some of the oldest  surviving windows in any of Exeter's parish churches.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-X5dAO1r0MAM\/T1fzrL0kpnI\/AAAAAAAAFOA\/VC0mCACb-vg\/s1600\/Piscina%2BSt%2BPancras.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717306175203354226\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-X5dAO1r0MAM\/T1fzrL0kpnI\/AAAAAAAAFOA\/VC0mCACb-vg\/s640\/Piscina%2BSt%2BPancras.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe  three windows in the nave are of the mullion type and were probably  installed in the 16th century although the nave itself also dates to the  1200s. The exterior of the west wall has a relieving arch embedded in  it made of purple volcanic trap. I wonder if there was once a western  bell tower here with an internal opening into the nave.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 1587 Braun  and Hogenburg map of Exeter shows St Pancras church. No tower is  visible but there are two windows set into the west wall so perhaps the  relieving arch took a single large window.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInside the chancel is a piscina \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E,  used for washing the communion vessels. It has a three-foiled cusped  arch and also dates to the 13th century. It features a shallow bowl  carved in the shape of a quatrefoil. Above it is a strange little niche.  Cresswell believed it might've been an aumbry, used for storing  chalices and other vessels, but it does seem a bit small. Maybe it was  used to hold a small reliquary or the sacramental bread. The oldest visible feature in the church today is the 12th century circular font with a band of bead moulding around the top \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E.  According to Cresswell, the font was damaged by over-zealous restorers  in 1831 who \"scraped it until all traces of antiquity were well nigh  scraped away\". Compared with other Norman fonts in Devon, such as the  superb example at Stoke Canon near Exeter, it does seem rather plain but  it is also perhaps the oldest font in the city. (A more elaborately  carved Norman font also survives at the church of St Mary Steps.)  There's no reason to doubt that the font has been on the same site since  the 12th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-4JhzIappomo\/T1f0CUoAe9I\/AAAAAAAAFOM\/IQBmPw7Y3nM\/s1600\/St%2BPancras%2Bfont.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717306572703562706\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-4JhzIappomo\/T1f0CUoAe9I\/AAAAAAAAFOM\/IQBmPw7Y3nM\/s640\/St%2BPancras%2Bfont.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"466\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E  In 1658, during Cromwell's Commonwealth, the church was sold to  its parishioners for £50. The parish register for St Pancras also  records an earthquake which shook all the houses in Exeter on 19 July  1727: \"It was felt all over England, and in some places beyond the sea\".  Jenkins described the church in 1806, stating that it \"bears evident  marks of great antiquity\" and adding that \"it is a very small and plain  building, forty-six six inches in length, and sixteen feet in breadth.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe interior is dark and gloomy, consisting of a Nave and Chancel, the  latter only is seated; the pulpit and font are very old. As no use is  now made of this Church, excepting as a Cemetery for a few families, it  is consequently very much neglected, and may soon be desecrated\". The  church wasn't desecrated but was partially restored in the 1830s. The  church reopened in 1830 \"having been disused for a number of years\". The  'Exeter Flying Post' believed it hadn't been used \"either wholly or  partially since the execution of \"Archbishop Laud\"! Certainly untrue,  but it does appear that the church was badly neglected throughout much  of the 18th century. A 19th century sketch shows the church with a  gaping hole in the chancel roof and smashed glass in the 13th century  windows.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-m-NEbVWAZ1I\/T1f9_mG7kuI\/AAAAAAAAFOY\/ZK0o4fA8L1k\/s1600\/nave%2Broof%2BSt%2BPancras_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717317520973337314\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-m-NEbVWAZ1I\/T1f9_mG7kuI\/AAAAAAAAFOY\/ZK0o4fA8L1k\/s640\/nave%2Broof%2BSt%2BPancras_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe roof of the nave \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E, although restored, dates to the 15th century. It has a barrel vault, a type also found at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/st-mary-steps-church-west-street.html\"\u003ESt Mary Steps\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-arches-mary-arches.html\"\u003ESt Mary Arches\u003C\/a\u003E (roof destroyed in 1942), \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/st-lawrences-church-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Lawrence\u003C\/a\u003E  (destroyed in 1942), St Olave (sadly hidden beneath a later roof), at  St Martin and at Tucker's Hall in Fore Street (probably the finest of  all).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe entire roof structure is now visible at St Pancras but  in the 15th century the spaces between the ribs would've been covered in  plaster. I've recreated the effect of the plaster panels to give a  better idea of the roof's medieval appearance. Carved wooden bosses,  once brightly painted, cover the points where the ribs meet. The  church received a major restoration between 1887 and 1889, having been  closed again for 12 years.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe work was carried out under the  supervision of John Pearson, the Gothic Revival architect of Truro  Cathedral and the partially reconstructed cloisters at Exeter Cathedral.  For once, the Victorian 'restoration' was relatively sympathetic and  didn't involve the complete reconstruction of the entire building. The  chancel was in a particularly advanced state of decay and was rebuilt  stone for stone, reincorporating much of the original fabric and all of  the surviving 13th century features, such as the windows and the  piscina (although unfortunately not the remains of the Saxon doorway). The chancel roof was rotten, having been left open to the  elements for part of the 19th century, and so Pearson replaced it  entirely with a wagon roof similar to the surviving 15th century roof in  the nave.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-1JqTI4Q-ukI\/T1igD8vtTyI\/AAAAAAAAFOw\/wxeZ_6tln3Q\/s1600\/Chancel%2BSt%2BPancras.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717495716653125410\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-1JqTI4Q-ukI\/T1igD8vtTyI\/AAAAAAAAFOw\/wxeZ_6tln3Q\/s640\/Chancel%2BSt%2BPancras.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"460\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe  stonework of the 13th century east window was consolidated. Pearson  believed that the east window was an insertion added into a pre-existing  wall. Three carved fragments with Romanesque decoration were discovered  in the walls of the chancel. These have now been inserted into the  south wall of the chancel but they are so badly damaged that it's  difficult to see them as anything more than ragged bits of stone. They  appear to have been part of a corbel table, but whether they were  originally belonged to the church itself or were recycled from another building  in the city is unknown.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E  shows the view inside the church looking east towards the chancel. It's  clear to see how the apex of the nave roof and the apex of the chancel  roof don't line up. Both parts of the church are built on a slightly  different alignment suggesting two distinct phases of construction. The  pulpit, just visible to the left, dates to c1600 and came from the  church of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/allhallows-church-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EAllhallows\u003C\/a\u003E on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E  when it was demolished in 1906. Pearson's one major error was in  building a new chancel arch resting on corbels and using Bath stone, a  material completely at odds with the rest of the church. Pevsner and  Cherry called it \"unsympathetic\", and so it is. The arch had already  been replaced with brick in the 1830s. Following Pearson's restoration,  the church reopened on 02 June  1889. The lesson was read by the  Archdeacon of Exeter and the Bishop of  Exeter preached the sermon.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-tk1t1Am5Evs\/T1k7HJ2D9EI\/AAAAAAAAFO8\/ZKJ7CnHjUTw\/s1600\/St%2BPancras%2BRood%2BStair.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717666196011349058\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-tk1t1Am5Evs\/T1k7HJ2D9EI\/AAAAAAAAFO8\/ZKJ7CnHjUTw\/s640\/St%2BPancras%2BRood%2BStair.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"467\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe  church contains a few other interesting features. Pearson's work  involved stripping all of the plaster from the walls. This action  uncovered the arched doorway of the rood stair \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E,  probably added in the 14th century. Built into the thickness of the  wall was a stone staircase leading via an internal doorway at  first-floor level to the rood loft above the rood screen (the screen,  separating the nave from the chancel, was apparently removed c1800).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA  few of these steps still remain in situ and the blocked up doorway of the  rood loft can be seen as a scar high up on the north wall. The rood loft  provided access to the top of the screen so that the great rood, an  effigy of the crucified Christ, could be cleaned or decorated, or so  that candles could be lit. The church had a number of floor  slabs, the earliest of which dated to 1669 and commemorated the burial  of Benjamin Board, one of the city's merchants. Unfortunately these  slabs are now presumably covered by the modern flooring. The few wall  memorials all came from Allhallows on Goldsmith Street. One of them  records the death of Loveday, the daughter of Christopher Bellett. She  died of smallpox in 1711. Four of her sisters died from the same illness  in February and March 1717.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-HiMx3VVHudA\/T1vH-vxuPsI\/AAAAAAAAFPg\/Pc80QMF9AYs\/s1600\/St%2BPancras%2BExeter%2Bwest%2Bview.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718384032667811522\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-HiMx3VVHudA\/T1vH-vxuPsI\/AAAAAAAAFPg\/Pc80QMF9AYs\/s640\/St%2BPancras%2BExeter%2Bwest%2Bview.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"481\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows the interior of the church looking towards the west wall. The church also has a single medieval bell  hanging in a bell turret above the western wall. It was cast during the  15th century by the Exeter bellfounder, Robert Norton. It is inscribed,  in Latin, with the motto: \"I may be small but I am heard over a great distance\". I've lived in Exeter for nearly 40 years and I've never heard it  ring once.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe other particularly lovely addition is the fine late 19th century stained glass inserted into the east window \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E. It shows St Pancras of Rome, with Christ in the centre and St Boniface  to the right. St Boniface is believed to have studied at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003Ea Saxon monastery in Exeter\u003C\/a\u003E  and the site of the monastery was thought to be close to St Pancras'  church. (In reality the site of the monastery is almost certainly near  the west front of the cathedral. The remains of the Saxon minster there  were only excavated in the early 1970s.) The stained glass in the east  window was the gift of Bishop Tozer, the first Bishop of Zanzibar. Beautifully executed, I don't think it would look out of place in one of the side chapels of the cathedral.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESt Pancras church is well worth visiting for anyone who is in Exeter and hasn't  yet been inside. As Hugh Meller says in his book 'Exeter Architecture':  \"St Pancras has survived. Miraculously it retains an atmosphere of tranquillity which most other central Exeter parish churches have lost  and it serves as a constant reproach against the arid post-war  development in Exeter represented by the Precinct that surrounds it\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-mg7VEfbixGs\/T1nRnzpn7WI\/AAAAAAAAFPI\/phgCDcXM0Mc\/s1600\/SG%2BSP%2BEX.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"631\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717831683733450082\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-mg7VEfbixGs\/T1nRnzpn7WI\/AAAAAAAAFPI\/phgCDcXM0Mc\/s640\/SG%2BSP%2BEX.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/7544040672573844010\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=7544040672573844010","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7544040672573844010"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7544040672573844010"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/03\/st-pancras-church-pancras-lane.html","title":"St Pancras Church \u0026 Pancras Lane"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Rb8EtiNJipI\/T1aYi9uvcpI\/AAAAAAAAFMU\/_tfTzOhxNIE\/s72-c\/St%2BPancras_Exeter.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-3331182564366360561"},"published":{"$t":"2012-03-04T14:08:00.053+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T22:46:42.377+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Guildhall Shopping Centre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Other Streets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Roman Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"A Brief History of Waterbeer Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-wDCVIL9GUz4\/T1TZecnt5xI\/AAAAAAAAFIs\/aBXm1Uz6eZg\/s1600\/Waterbeer_Street_Police_Exeter_c1905.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716432944142083858\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-wDCVIL9GUz4\/T1TZecnt5xI\/AAAAAAAAFIs\/aBXm1Uz6eZg\/s1600\/Waterbeer_Street_Police_Exeter_c1905.JPG\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EWaterbeer Street, \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E c1905, is one of the oldest streets in Exeter. It runs parallel with the High Street, joining North Street to what was once Goldsmith Street. There is evidence that it formed part of the Roman civitas, possibly dating to the very early years of the town's formation between c70AD and 80AD. A large number of Roman finds, especially coins, have been unearthed in the street over the last two hundred years as well as several large fragments of tessellated pavements.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe modern name of the street is mentioned as early as 1253 when it appears on a deed as 'Waterberestrete' and again in 1327 as 'Waterber Strete'. According to most commentators the name is occupational, like Goldsmith Street, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/preston-street-demolished.html\"\u003EPreston Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/smythen-street.html\"\u003ESmythen Street\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/milk-street-west-quarter.html\"\u003EMilk Street\u003C\/a\u003E, and probably means 'the street of the water bearers'. Clean water was a valuable commodity in the Middle Ages and many people would've relied upon water sourced from wells and springs within \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Ethe city walls\u003C\/a\u003E. Fresh water wasn't piped into the city through the underground passages until c1200, and even then it was initially only for the use of the cathedral clergy and, from 1226, the monks at St Nicholas's Priory.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-DC1jFZDOLgU\/T1T0NZAKZKI\/AAAAAAAAFKM\/P8KRpSuQnaY\/s1600\/Braun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_1587.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716462337927046306\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-DC1jFZDOLgU\/T1T0NZAKZKI\/AAAAAAAAFKM\/P8KRpSuQnaY\/s1600\/Braun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_1587.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFor citizens without access to a private well the water sellers would've walked the streets of Exeter selling water from jugs carried on their back. If they congregated or lived in Waterbeer Street then that would explain the origins of the name. An alternative theory was suggested by Robert Dymond at the end of the 19th century. Dymond thought the name could refer to the ecclesiastical office of the 'bearer of Holy Water' although I think this is far-fetched. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows part of the 1587 Braun and Hogenburg map of Exeter. The houses on Waterbeer Street are highlighted in red.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EExeter's first purpose-built theatre opened on Waterbeer Street on 30 December 1734, although plays had been performed in the city since the Middle Ages (e.g. the mayor and chamber are known to have attended a play at the Dominican Friary near Bedford Street in 1409.) The new theatre is named on Donn's 1765 map of Exeter and appears to have been set back from the street and accessed through a passageway between properties on Waterbeer Street itself. It was located on the same site as the big flower bed now opposite the back of the Guildhall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OHTLlMkS41k\/T1TejBBEhwI\/AAAAAAAAFJc\/dfGfcZUuks8\/s1600\/Waterbeer%2BStreet_Hedgeland.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716438520189716226\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OHTLlMkS41k\/T1TejBBEhwI\/AAAAAAAAFJc\/dfGfcZUuks8\/s400\/Waterbeer%2BStreet_Hedgeland.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"307\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBaring-Gould tells a story that following a visit to the city by the Methodist preacher, John Wesley, in 1743 \"the local comedians were prosecuted as vagrants and forced to give up their theatre in Waterbeer Street\". The temporary closure of the theatre was probably the result of issues relating to the Licensing Act of 1737. Either way, the Methodists appear to have rented the building temporarily, using it as a chapel until the actors resumed occupation. The theatre continued in use until 1787. The presence of the theatre led to Waterbeer Street being called Theatre Lane until the theatre closed, at which point the street reverted back to its old name.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows a detail from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\"\u003ECaleb Hedgeland's early 19th century model of Exeter\u003C\/a\u003E now in the city museum. All of the houses which fronted onto Waterbeer Street are highlighted in red. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/st-kerrians-north-street.html\"\u003ESt Kerrian's church\u003C\/a\u003E on North Street, rendered and whitewashed and with a little bell turret on the roof, is visible at the bottom. The bulk of the Guildhall is visible at the top, the rear part of the hall set back from Waterbeer Street itself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-is3sGtriOgc\/T3SDqZVey0I\/AAAAAAAAFWc\/pRHfjEmToaM\/s1600\/Jenkins%2BWaterbeer%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725345790673472322\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-is3sGtriOgc\/T3SDqZVey0I\/AAAAAAAAFWc\/pRHfjEmToaM\/s1600\/Jenkins%2BWaterbeer%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOne particularly intriguing building is described by Jenkins in 1806: \"In Waterbeer-street...lately stood a very ancient building; it originally consisted of three semicircular arches, supporting an angular front, with an arched window in the centre: those arches or gateways led into a spacious hall, which (according to tradition) was the Praetorium or town-hall; while some respectable antiquarians judge it to be the remains of a religious edifice\". The praetorium was a sort of governor's house found in cities and towns across the Roman Empire which could also function as a court house. The building on Waterbeer Street was also believed to be the architectural forerunner of Exeter's Guildhall, which has been on the High Street since at least 1160. It was probably neither the Saxon\/early-Norman Guildhall or the Romans' Praetorium so what exactly was it?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZBuBUqba_gM\/T3SEhOWkccI\/AAAAAAAAFWo\/VbVfQCg7da0\/s1600\/Jenkins%2BHall%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725346732618052034\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZBuBUqba_gM\/T3SEhOWkccI\/AAAAAAAAFWo\/VbVfQCg7da0\/s400\/Jenkins%2BHall%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 301px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ETwo depictions of this building survive. One was drawn by Jenkins himself and shows the southern gable end, \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E. The other appears on Hedgeland's model \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E, shown as a hall-like structure with two arched windows in the north wall. Jenkins dismissed the idea of the structure being a church as there were \"no remains of a vaulted roof\" or any of those \"grotesque embellishments so common in the religious edifices of our Saxon ancestors\". According to Jenkins, the 18th century antiquarian Andrew Ducarel supported the theory that the building had a religious function and was \"the first stone building erected in this city\". This was also almost certainly incorrect too. The building was demolished in 1803, being \"of a very ruinous state\", and replaced with Kingdon's iron foundry. (Later known as Garton \u0026amp; King, foundry buildings of some sort remained on the site until they were demolished in 1963.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESome parts of the building were exposed during the demolition. Jenkins recorded that \"the back part appeared to be designed for a prison, under which were strong stone walls, surrounding a square vault, (in which were a privy and sewer) probably a dungeon.\" Several Roman coins were discovered and a silver groat from the reign of Henry VIII. Unfortunately nothing else is known about the building. It was presumably genuinely ancient and the round arches mentioned by Jenkins could've placed the building in the 11th or 12th centuries. It's true date and function will probably remain a mystery. Jenkins also describes \"a large ancient roomy house\", which was attached to the mystery building, and which was used as a boys' charity school.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-J529NmCPu44\/T3SEyUzRZmI\/AAAAAAAAFW0\/MD87yXixrfM\/s1600\/ExeterPolice%2BHQ.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"287\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725347026406827618\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-J529NmCPu44\/T3SEyUzRZmI\/AAAAAAAAFW0\/MD87yXixrfM\/s400\/ExeterPolice%2BHQ.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EMuch of the north side of the street was widened between 1876 and 1905 resulting in the loss of most the older properties on that side. One major late Victorian development was the construction of a new police headquarters complete with cells and courts \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. In 1887 houses on Waterbeer Street and in Pancras Lane were demolished to provide a site for the new buildings. The police station was sited almost opposite the rear entrance of the Guildhall, the same location occupied by the theatre 150 years earlier. As the foundations were being dug three large fragments of tessellated pavement decorted with a geometric design were unearthed about 2ft below the surface level. The fragments were lifted and relaid in the foyer of the police station along with a plan showing where they had been found.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-WchIfWykf1s\/T3SFEw6MiyI\/AAAAAAAAFXA\/yOsc1yLomn4\/s1600\/Sculpture%2BWaterbeer%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725347343189707554\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-WchIfWykf1s\/T3SFEw6MiyI\/AAAAAAAAFXA\/yOsc1yLomn4\/s400\/Sculpture%2BWaterbeer%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 289px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAileen Fox thought that this pavement was the same one recorded by the antiquarian William Stukeley in 1723, described by him as \"a great Roman pavement of little white square stones\". The pavement was probably a corridor mosaic installed in the private house of a Roman citizen. The new police station was an attractive structure in its own right. Constructed from red brick with dressed stone windows and door surrounds, its most distinctive feature was a large turret with a tall conical tile-hung roof which projected out from the corner of the building at the junction between Waterbeer Street and Pancras Lane. The turret had three tall traceried windows with a series of quatrefoils running beneath the roof line. The building cost £5000. Peter Thursby's 1977 bronze sculpture 'Looking Forward' \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E marks the site of the police station today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUntil the post-war period the south side of the street still contained an almost unbroken line of historically interesting buildings, most of which were timber-framed and dated to c1700 or earlier. Those which survive include: No. 14, now the Devon Camera Centre. Dating to the 17th century it has a hipped gable roof and a 19th century shop front. Nos. 15 and 16 is a three storey red-brick warehouse from c1800. Next to this is the rear of the Guildhall. This part of the Guildhall dates to 1838 and was built as a replacement for two cells used as a female prison since 1558. On the first floor is a jury room lined with 17th century panelling taken from St Katherine's Priory at Polsloe. Adajcent to the back of the Guildhall is what was formerly the rear of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/06\/no-202-high-street-turks-head.html\"\u003Ethe Turk's Head\u003C\/a\u003E on the High Street. Then there are Nos. 17a, 18 and 19. Each has a gable of a different size and it's likely that the core of these buildings are much older than the facades suggest. All of the buildings are Grade II listed and are shown in the photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-G62bKV0WsEc\/T3SFc0cH1YI\/AAAAAAAAFXM\/Igs4GtsYYio\/s1600\/South%2BSide%2BWaterbeer%2BStreet.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"523\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725347756454172034\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-G62bKV0WsEc\/T3SFc0cH1YI\/AAAAAAAAFXM\/Igs4GtsYYio\/s640\/South%2BSide%2BWaterbeer%2BStreet.JPG\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe street's late 19th century appearance remained little changed until the post-war period. This part of the city, including most of North Street, Waterbeer Street, Pancras Lane, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E, Queen Street and Paul Street survived the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003EExeter Blitz of 1942\u003C\/a\u003E completely unscathed. The Waterbeer Street police headquarters closed in 1959 when the city police moved to new premises in Heavitree. (The new police building was on the site of William Hooper's Higher Summerlands, a row of 11 large red-brick townhouses from c1804. All but one of these fine houses was damaged or destroyed in 1942 and the sole survivor was demolished in the 1950s). The police station and court rooms in Waterbeer Street was demolished soon afterwards. The Roman tessellated pavement in the foyer was lifted again and transferred to the  Royal Albert Memorial Museum where it was erroneously identified as a  fake by one of the curators and subsequently destroyed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-URYAOeI6ELs\/T3SFr9_eAHI\/AAAAAAAAFXY\/ya54wa6fH9U\/s1600\/wb_S%2Baerial.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725348016716382322\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-URYAOeI6ELs\/T3SFr9_eAHI\/AAAAAAAAFXY\/ya54wa6fH9U\/s640\/wb_S%2Baerial.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"504\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAs mentioned above, the foundry was demolished in 1963 and between 1972 and 1976, many of the remaining buildings on Waterbeer Street was bulldozed to create the Guildhall Shopping Centre.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows a detail from the 1905 map of Exeter overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area. Nearly all of the plots highlighted in red were demolished between 1960 and 1976 and none of them survive today leaving just a quarter of the pre-war street intact. All of the standing buildings on the north side, most of which were Victorian, were demolished and over half of the south side was also demolished.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis included the loss of at least four buildings of some antiquity. No. 21 Waterbeer Street was a Grade II listed property built on four floors. Cased in brick it was of timber-framed construction and probably dated to c1700 or earlier. The south end of the building fronted onto the High Street as No. 198 High Street. No. 21 Waterbeer Street was granted listed status in 1974 but was demolished soon after.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETo the right of No. 21 was No. 22 Waterbeer Street. It too was timber-framed with a hipped gable roof and also dated to c1700 or earlier. This formed part of No. 197 High Street. The Ordnance Survey map of 1951 shows that both No. 197 and No. 198 were two long medieval burgage plots probably created in the 15th century by the subdivision of a larger single tenement plot. Hoskins wrote about these two properties in his 1960 book 'Two Thousand Years in Exeter'. They were both part of a quirk in the parish boundary line of St Martin's church which saw the parish boundary leap across the High Street to include Nos. 197 and 198 High Street. According to Hoskins, the tenement plots of Nos. 197 and 198 High Street, \"both of which extend back into Waterbeer Street\" and which were \"two adjoining properties\", had been \"in St Martin's parish for nearly 750 years\". Like its neighbour at No. 21, No. 22 Waterbeer Street was demolished.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--2_k65lGC-8\/T3SGI6SzplI\/AAAAAAAAFXk\/RT9OwEit1YQ\/s1600\/Waterbeer%2BStreet%2Bnorth%2Bside.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725348513939957330\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--2_k65lGC-8\/T3SGI6SzplI\/AAAAAAAAFXk\/RT9OwEit1YQ\/s640\/Waterbeer%2BStreet%2Bnorth%2Bside.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENo. 23 Waterbeer Street was also built on four floors with a slate gable roof. It had a stucco facade inset into which were Georgian sash windows. It too dated to c1700 or earlier and was associated with the same burgage plot on which stood the remnants of the late 16th century townhouse at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/no-196-high-street-elizabethan.html\"\u003ENo. 196 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E. No. 196 High Street was demolished, along with Nos. 21, 22 and 23 Waterbeer Street partly to create a pedestrianised entrance into the shopping precinct from the High Street. The building at the back of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/parliament-street-no-195-high-street.html\"\u003ENo 195 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E which also contained 16th century elements was demolished at the same time.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove \u003C\/span\u003Eshows the north side of Waterbeer Street today. The police station stood to the far right of the image, beyond the end of the red brick wall. Another building razed to the ground c1974 was No. 20 Waterbeer Street, an attractive two storey brick-faced property with a stone string course dating to c1800, possibly hiding an older core. Snell's Buildings, a small terrace of 10 little houses at a right angle to Waterbeer Street and accessed through a covered passageway were also destroyed. The former New Market Inn on the corner of Goldsmith Street and Waterbeer Street dating to c1800 or earlier was another casualty, along with nearly every building on Goldsmith Street itself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-c4vSn7ypToA\/T3SGXwxdshI\/AAAAAAAAFXw\/L-0oxG7zl3E\/s1600\/Entrance%2Bfrom%2BNorth%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725348769082225170\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-c4vSn7ypToA\/T3SGXwxdshI\/AAAAAAAAFXw\/L-0oxG7zl3E\/s640\/Entrance%2Bfrom%2BNorth%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"460\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBizarrely, these buildings were all destroyed without any archaeological record being made so it's now almost impossible to say exactly what was lost. Only 25% of the Waterbeer Street buildings shown on the 1951 Ordnance Survey map of Exeter still survive today. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the view into Waterbeer Street from its junction with North Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's an ugly story, particularly in light of the destruction already wrought on other parts of the city by the slum clearances and the 1942 air-raid. Even uglier was the red-brick expanse of the shopping centre which took the place of the demolished buildings. In the words of Pevsner and Cherry, the precinct is \"a crushing disappointment\" full of \"banal commercial building\" in which \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/03\/st-pancras-church-pancras-lane.html\"\u003Ethe surviving medieval church of St Pancras\u003C\/a\u003E makes \"a pathetic and inappropriate centrepiece\" now \"deprived of its homely and historic setting of small streets\". But compared with the shopping centre's impact on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html\"\u003EPaul Street\u003C\/a\u003E, described as both \"disastrous\" and \"catastrophic\", the area around St Pancras church and in Waterbeer Street seems positively Arcadian.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere is little reminder today that Waterbeer Street was even once a separate street in its own right. The impression now is of a small group of surviving historical properties staring out onto an open public space tacked onto which is a pedestrian passageway with completely modern commercial structures on either side. The city council's own 2002 conservation report included the rebuilt Nos. 21, 22 and 23 Waterbeer Street and the whole of the Guildhall Shopping Centre as some of the buildings which \"make a negative contribution\" to the area but nearly 40 years later and the entire precinct now seems relatively subtle in comparison to the overbearing redevelopment of Princesshay.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lg-FOre2b5E\/T1UYI3I2xbI\/AAAAAAAAFLk\/lFaf8lx3ztY\/s1600\/Waterbeer%2BSt%2B2011.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"438\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716501842535826866\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lg-FOre2b5E\/T1UYI3I2xbI\/AAAAAAAAFLk\/lFaf8lx3ztY\/s640\/Waterbeer%2BSt%2B2011.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/3331182564366360561\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=3331182564366360561","title":"7 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3331182564366360561"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3331182564366360561"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/03\/brief-history-of-waterbeer-street.html","title":"A Brief History of Waterbeer Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-wDCVIL9GUz4\/T1TZecnt5xI\/AAAAAAAAFIs\/aBXm1Uz6eZg\/s72-c\/Waterbeer_Street_Police_Exeter_c1905.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"7"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-6111294152888359454"},"published":{"$t":"2012-03-03T15:17:00.014+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T22:41:44.059+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 2, 3 \u0026 4, Cathedral Close"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5ssn-1B8EOE\/T1I4TKhZjZI\/AAAAAAAAFIU\/L3s8OzPd8R0\/s1600\/2%2B3%2B4%2BCathedral%2BClose%2BExeter.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"578\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715692778979691922\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5ssn-1B8EOE\/T1I4TKhZjZI\/AAAAAAAAFIU\/L3s8OzPd8R0\/s640\/2%2B3%2B4%2BCathedral%2BClose%2BExeter.JPG\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThese three properties sit on part of the footprint of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/03\/no-5-cathedral-close-and-annuellars.html\"\u003ECollege of the Annuellars\u003C\/a\u003E. The College, built as a residence for the cathedral's chantry priests, was founded in the 1520s. It was disbanded just two decades later following Edward VI's Chantries Act of 1547. The College buildings appear to have been swiftly subdivided into separate tenements and these are now represented by the plots of Nos. 1 to 5 Cathedral Close.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENos 2 to 4 are bounded at one end by the well-known \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/no-1-cathedral-close-mols-coffee-house.html\"\u003E'Mol's Coffee House'\u003C\/a\u003E and at the other end by No. 5 Cathedral Close which still retains parts of the College's east range and refectory. All three houses date to the late 16th century, after the disbanding of the Annuellars' College in the 1540s, and all three are built of timber-framing. It's possible that fragments of the College remain within the fabric of the later construction but it must be assumed that the sites were largely rebuilt following the College's demise. According to Hugh Meller, \"not one of the interiors remains unscathed\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo. 2 (on the far left in the photograph) is Grade II* listed. It has two oriel windows on the first floor with another on the second floor. The second floor oriel window currently in the facade isn't the original. Until 1970 the aperture was filled with a Georgian sash window. The shop front on the ground floor was probably altered at the same time. For many years it was 'Hanson's' tea room but it is now the premises of 'Tea on the Green'. I'm not aware of any historical features that might remain inside. No. 3, in the centre of the photograph, is also Grade II* listed. It is of a similar date to No. 2 but the facade was replaced c1800 giving the building its current Georgian appearance. An egg and dart cornice runs along the top of the facade. Again I've no idea if any internal features of interest survive. No. 4 has a rusticated stucco facade which is now almost invisible beneath numerous coats of white paint. The frontage looks as though it was added c1700. Apparently there are a few features surviving internally including some restored late 16th century panelling. Like the other two properties, No. 4 is Grade II* listed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAll three buildings came close to destruction during the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003EExeter Blitz\u003C\/a\u003E. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E, taken from one of the towers of the cathedral, shows the properties within the context of the Cathedral Close with the reconstructed areas of the city stretching away to the north and east.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-lrDt37UDuG0\/T1KbZoWDQFI\/AAAAAAAAFIg\/PHJ3frULjCM\/s1600\/234%2BCathedral%2BClose%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"486\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715801741715521618\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-lrDt37UDuG0\/T1KbZoWDQFI\/AAAAAAAAFIg\/PHJ3frULjCM\/s640\/234%2BCathedral%2BClose%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6111294152888359454\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=6111294152888359454","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6111294152888359454"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6111294152888359454"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/03\/nos-2-3-4-cathedral-close.html","title":"Nos. 2, 3 \u0026 4, Cathedral Close"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5ssn-1B8EOE\/T1I4TKhZjZI\/AAAAAAAAFIU\/L3s8OzPd8R0\/s72-c\/2%2B3%2B4%2BCathedral%2BClose%2BExeter.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5054676884689752757"},"published":{"$t":"2012-03-02T12:54:00.040+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T22:40:41.440+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"No. 5 Cathedral Close and the Annuellars' College"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-70geTPUxoBc\/T1DEcj0azLI\/AAAAAAAAFGo\/N2cpjtyxN2w\/s1600\/5%2BCathedral%2BClose.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"565\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715283922063641778\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-70geTPUxoBc\/T1DEcj0azLI\/AAAAAAAAFGo\/N2cpjtyxN2w\/s640\/5%2BCathedral%2BClose.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENo. 5 Cathedral Close sits within the boundaries of the cathedral precinct, facing out  across the picturesque green and towards the north tower of the cathedral. One of only 22 Grade I listed buildings in Exeter, No 5 is everything you would hope to find in an old cathedral city. This is history as architecture. The beautiful brick facade exudes quiet confidence from every beautifully mortared joint but the property has ecclesiastical connections which extend back to before the Reformation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELike so many of Exeter's most interesting surviving historical buildings, No. 5 Cathedral Close retains some significant late medieval fragments. During the Middle Ages, if you were particularly rich, you could leave money for a priest to perform a mass on the anniversary of your death. This mass was called a 'missae annuellaria'. At Exeter these priests were called annuellars (or annivallars), their name derived from the same root as 'anniversary' and 'annual'. They were in effect chantry priests. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003EExeter Cathedral\u003C\/a\u003E had a number of chantry chapels, purpose-built shrines financed through the endowment of land and property by wealthy donors, where a chantry priest could perform the anniversary mass before a dedicated altar. The Oldham Chantry \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E, endowed by Bishop Oldham and constructed c1519, is particularly fine.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-6coiBgznC-g\/T1FXv17Or0I\/AAAAAAAAFHM\/Pd5DbPQGcqk\/s1600\/Oldham%2BChantry.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715445881550843714\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-6coiBgznC-g\/T1FXv17Or0I\/AAAAAAAAFHM\/Pd5DbPQGcqk\/s640\/Oldham%2BChantry.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"461\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe  Annuellars were active in Exeter at least by the end of the 13th century and by 1337 there were twenty one annuellar priests connected to the cathedral. Until the early 16th century it appears that the Annuellars lodged in various houses and rooms scattered across the Cathedral Close. Their ecclesiastical colleagues, the Vicars Choral, had resided together in a purpose-built complex of buildings on the other side of the Close since the end of the 14th century. Consisting of two rows of small houses, a gatehouse, kitchen and refectory hall, this complex was known as the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/medieval-college-of-vicars-choral-at.html\"\u003ECollege of the Vicars Choral\u003C\/a\u003E. No such arrangement was made for the Annuellars. According to Stanford Lehmberg, \"there had been talk of providing a home for the annuellars of Exeter as early as the 1380s\" (the same decade in which the College of the Vicars Choral was founded). Nothing seems to have come of these plans and the Annuellars continued to live independently of each other until the first quarter of the 16th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELega-Weekes cites a pre-Reformation document from c1525 which refers to \"the mansion place latly buylded for the Annylers\". This \"mansion place\" was the College of the Annuellars. Clearly the decision had been made to create a collegiate residence for Exeter's chantry priests where they could eat and live together in one location. The Annuellars' College was probably founded in 1528. It was to prove very short-lived. Regarded as overtly Popish, the chantries across England were abolished in 1547 by the Protestant King Edward VI. With no chantries there was no need for the chantry priests and so, just two decades after it had been founded, the College of the Annuellars was disbanded, the twenty-one annuellar priests pensioned off a year later in 1548.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OCsra2YClAo\/T1FX_yjk6GI\/AAAAAAAAFHY\/O7825y4N3jo\/s1600\/No%2B5%2BAerial%2BView_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715446155524237410\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OCsra2YClAo\/T1FX_yjk6GI\/AAAAAAAAFHY\/O7825y4N3jo\/s640\/No%2B5%2BAerial%2BView_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"483\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E was taken  from the north tower of the cathedral and shows the brick facade of No. 5  with the medieval ranges at the back. The bomb-damaged chapel of St  Catherine can be seen in the top right corner illustrating just how  close No. 5 came to destruction in 1942.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUntil recently it was widely believed that the Annuellars' College extended from the north-west corner of the Cathedral Close as far as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/st-catherines-almshouses-catherine.html\"\u003ESt Catherine's Almshouses\u003C\/a\u003E. The substantial remnants of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/canonry-catherine-street.html\"\u003Ethe canonry on Catherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E were also believed to have been subsumed into the college buildings. Writing in 1821, the historian George Oliver claimed that \"behind \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/no-1-cathedral-close-mols-coffee-house.html\"\u003EMoll's Coffee-house\u003C\/a\u003E, are considerable remains of the college of the annivellars, or annuellars, or chantry priests\". He then goes on to describe an arched doorway in the front wall of what was then the Country House Inn, formerly part of the extensive medieval canonry. The 1876 Ordnance Survey map of the city labels the canonry complex on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E as the \"College of Chantry Priests\". It is now thought that the College of the Annuellars and the canonry on Catherine Street remained two totally separate entities.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-R0MymyC2I_s\/T1FYbeG7tRI\/AAAAAAAAFHk\/iefgUGwtNIo\/s1600\/Entrance%2Binto%2BCourtyard%2BNo5%2BCathedral%2BClose%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715446631071724818\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-R0MymyC2I_s\/T1FYbeG7tRI\/AAAAAAAAFHk\/iefgUGwtNIo\/s640\/Entrance%2Binto%2BCourtyard%2BNo5%2BCathedral%2BClose%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"487\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt goes without saying that precise details of the College remain  frustratingly elusive. Unlike the College of the Vicars Choral which  survived largely intact until its almost total demolition between 1850  and 1893, the College of the Annuellars was quickly divided up and  converted into separate tenements which were then subsequently altered or rebuilt.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA lease of c1549 to Richard Weston  refers to \"the annuellars' house in the Close, whereyn divers  chantry-priests now or late did inhabit or dwell together\" and another  of 1585 mentions \"the tenement sometimes called the Annuellars' House, in  the Close, together with all edifices, buildings, courtlages, and  gardens belonging unto or reputed parts of the same\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMuch of the Annuellars' College has vanished beneath later alterations but one of the reasons that No. 5 Cathedral Close was awarded Grade I listed status in 1953 was because it retains a large remnant of the old College buildings. It is a property of two halves. The front part \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E, visible from the Cathedral Close, has a brick facade of c1700. A date of 1688 on the rainwater head is believed to commemorate the construction making it coeval with other early brick structures in the city, such as the Custom House, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/notaries-house-no-8-cathedral-close.html\"\u003ENotaries' House\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/no-40-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 40 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E and the now destroyed \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/paragon-house-no-75-south-street.html\"\u003EParagon House\u003C\/a\u003E near South Street. The facade is two storeys high with attic windows almost hidden behind a parapet, beneath which runs a modillion cornice. Each window is surrounded with a moulded architrave.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-db2ijkK-P5U\/T1Faqygo77I\/AAAAAAAAFHw\/6IY7l8o2wOo\/s1600\/Annuellars%2BCollege%2Bremains.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715449093269548978\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-db2ijkK-P5U\/T1Faqygo77I\/AAAAAAAAFHw\/6IY7l8o2wOo\/s640\/Annuellars%2BCollege%2Bremains.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThere is no front entrance. Access into the property is through a covered passageway \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E. In two of the late 17th century rooms are contemporary panelling as well as a staircase. The back wall of the 17th century range is constructed of stone and almost certainly belonged to the Annuellars' College.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe covered passageway exits into a small courtyard, enclosed on three sides \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. From here it's possible to see a large L-shaped building constructed of rough Heavitree breccia attached to the rear of the property. The northern range (with the late medieval arched doorway) is believed to be the College's dining hall from c1528. Although now divided horizontally into two separate floors, it retains a barrel-vaulted ceiling constructed from moulded timber ribs. The room below has a 15th century oak screen, imported from elsewhere, as well as a stone fireplace featuring angel corbels. The east range is also associated with the early 16th century College of the Annuellars.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-sSfEsel6BsY\/T1FbKEDm_BI\/AAAAAAAAFH8\/h_H7xXUW1B8\/s1600\/No%2B5%2Band%2BCollege%2Baerial.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715449630555569170\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-sSfEsel6BsY\/T1FbKEDm_BI\/AAAAAAAAFH8\/h_H7xXUW1B8\/s400\/No%2B5%2Band%2BCollege%2Baerial.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"318\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EA reconstruction of the College by Piran Bishop, formerly of Exeter Archaeology, suggests that the residence was built around a quadrangle. The documents mentioned above also imply that the \"mansion place\" was built as a unified project rather than cobbled together out of pre-existing houses. On Piran Bishop's reconstruction the entrance into the quadrangle in the 16th century is shown as being in the same place as the existing covered passageway at No. 5.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe former site of the Annuellars' College is shown on the the aerial view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright. \u003C\/span\u003EThe late 17th century range of No. 5 is highlighted in purple. The standing remains of the College are highlighted in green. Based on Bishop's reconstruction, I've highlighted the possible 16th century extent of the College in red. It's easy to see how the remaining fragments once formed part of four ranges surrounding a central quadrangle. The peculiar alignment of St Martin's church, founded in 1065, makes it difficult to know how the College might've abutted up to it so I've just guessed. According to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, \"a recent archaeological survey has shown that much of the college remains, embedded in later housing\". This later housing would include the current sites of Mol's Coffee House, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/03\/nos-2-3-4-cathedral-close.html\"\u003ENos. 2 to 4 Cathedral Close\u003C\/a\u003E as well as No. 5, all of which occupy the footprint of the college. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows Nos. 1 to 5 Cathedral Close today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-hzXaCu-DULU\/T1Fh4RUn-aI\/AAAAAAAAFII\/0A_kv_caYx4\/s1600\/Nos%2B1%2Bto%2B5%2BCathedral%2BClose.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"491\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715457021460347298\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-hzXaCu-DULU\/T1Fh4RUn-aI\/AAAAAAAAFII\/0A_kv_caYx4\/s640\/Nos%2B1%2Bto%2B5%2BCathedral%2BClose.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5054676884689752757\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5054676884689752757","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5054676884689752757"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5054676884689752757"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/03\/no-5-cathedral-close-and-annuellars.html","title":"No. 5 Cathedral Close and the Annuellars' College"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-70geTPUxoBc\/T1DEcj0azLI\/AAAAAAAAFGo\/N2cpjtyxN2w\/s72-c\/5%2BCathedral%2BClose.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-7332326139593223305"},"published":{"$t":"2012-03-01T15:51:00.020+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T22:37:11.026+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Subdeanery: No. 6 Cathedral Close"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-JrVh2BKFDBI\/T0_UFmjwc6I\/AAAAAAAAFFs\/Z8wqphHk0o8\/s1600\/Subdeanery.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715019644871406498\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-JrVh2BKFDBI\/T0_UFmjwc6I\/AAAAAAAAFFs\/Z8wqphHk0o8\/s640\/Subdeanery.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe former Subdeanery is part of a small group of picturesque and important buildings in Exeter's Cathedral Close. It's located at No. 6, sandwiched between part of the Annuellars' College at No. 5 and the Devon and Exeter Institution at No. 7. Most of the buildings now on the northern side of the Close have medieval origins, including the former Subdeanery.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Eir3pLlVn6c\/T0_8DTfL4_I\/AAAAAAAAFGE\/SPFiWdnpdAI\/s1600\/arch%2BSubdeanery.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715063585857332210\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Eir3pLlVn6c\/T0_8DTfL4_I\/AAAAAAAAFGE\/SPFiWdnpdAI\/s640\/arch%2BSubdeanery.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"476\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe position of the subdean of Exeter Cathedral was created in 1284 by Bishop Peter Quinil. According to Oliver, the first subdean was William de Bisiman who was installed on 07 July of that year and Lega-Weekes claimed that the subdean's residence has been on this site since at least 1458. Francis Godwin, later a Bishop of Hereford, was made the subdean in 1587. Godwin wrote 'The Man in the Moone'. Published anonymously in 1638, it is regarded as the first story involving space travel to be written in the English language.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFrom the outside at least the Subdeanery appears to date from the 18th century. It is five bays wide with a central doorway framed by a porch resting on Roman Doric columns. A modillion cornice runs across the width of the building above which can be seen three little dormer windows let into the roof. Hugh Meller says that \"the date on the downpipe is 1696\" but the two rainwater heads are usually covered by the vine which scrambles across the facade. Pevsner and Cherry state that the building was subject to alterations between 1770 and 1772 which is probably when the porch was added. Writing in 1915, Lega-Weekes described \"medieval fabric\" which survived \"internally and at the rear\" although I don't know the extent of these survivals.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne very interesting feature which can be seen from the outside is a large blocked medieval archway \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E. Located on the right side of the facade it's similar in style to a blocked arch in the garden wall at the nearby \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/chancellors-house-cathedral-close.html\"\u003EChancellor's House\u003C\/a\u003E. The arch at the Subdeanery is built of blocks of moulded purple volcanic trap. Some of the moulding is still visible as are some of the relieving blocks of Heavitree breccia above. The arch is a remarkable remnant of the medieval Subdeanery. It probably dates to the 15th century and a covered passageway must've once led through into a courtyard or stables at the rear of the property.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-9rAt9cG-0qo\/T0__l7XCCXI\/AAAAAAAAFGQ\/J384D135zl8\/s1600\/Subdeanery%2Bdetail.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715067479210985842\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-9rAt9cG-0qo\/T0__l7XCCXI\/AAAAAAAAFGQ\/J384D135zl8\/s640\/Subdeanery%2Bdetail.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"445\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFrom what I can gather the archway remained open until 1807. At this date the size of the Subdeanery was increased through the appropriation of part of the house next door at No. 7 Cathedral Close (now the Devon and Exeter Institution and a former townhouse of the Earls of Devonshire). Several rooms at No. 7, including a brewhouse and kitchen, were subsumed into the boundaries of No. 6 and subsequently demolished.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe archway was blocked up and the passageway was incorporated into living area within the house itself. The window opening which can be seen today was added at this time. Access was still needed to the rear of the property and so a second archway was created in part of the facade of No. 7. The rest of the windows were probably replaced at the same time (the pattern of unequal panes of glass is a particularly nice feature). Much of the front wall is probably medieval in origin. It is constructed from Heavitree breccia with much sandstone and a few blocks of purple volcanic trap.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne curiosity is the fact that some of the sandstone blocks seem to be inscribed with heavily-weathered decoration deeply scored into the surface. This can really only be seen during the winter and when the sun casts a shadow across the facade. Perhaps the front was once rendered and the stones scored to create a key for the render. A more exciting possibility is that they were reused from another building. It's likely that more of the medieval Subdeanery survives within the rest of the building although I don't know anything about the interior or the original medieval layout.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo longer used as the subdean's residence, the structure was granted Grade II* listed status in 1953. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows the very attractive front of the building. The replacement archway of 1807 which led to the rear of the property can be seen set into the facade of No. 7 Cathedral Close to the far right.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-XtiFvO9H7iw\/T1ADCPzAqfI\/AAAAAAAAFGc\/hPi8OHzdU5w\/s1600\/Subdeanery%2Band%2BNo%2B7%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"528\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715071264268265970\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-XtiFvO9H7iw\/T1ADCPzAqfI\/AAAAAAAAFGc\/hPi8OHzdU5w\/s640\/Subdeanery%2Band%2BNo%2B7%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/7332326139593223305\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=7332326139593223305","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7332326139593223305"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7332326139593223305"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/03\/subdeanery-no-6-cathedral-close.html","title":"The Subdeanery: No. 6 Cathedral Close"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-JrVh2BKFDBI\/T0_UFmjwc6I\/AAAAAAAAFFs\/Z8wqphHk0o8\/s72-c\/Subdeanery.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4304734145414357729"},"published":{"$t":"2012-02-21T17:22:00.105+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-01T16:18:13.500+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The John Coombe Fireplace, formerly in The Chantry"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-GoMjO0EzAMs\/T0PYqDM-8iI\/AAAAAAAAE9Q\/wrX8SZ5vo3Y\/s1600\/JC%2Bfireplace.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711646969361789474\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-GoMjO0EzAMs\/T0PYqDM-8iI\/AAAAAAAAE9Q\/wrX8SZ5vo3Y\/s1600\/JC%2Bfireplace.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe John Coombe fireplace, shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E © Exeter Archaeology, is widely regarded one of Exeter's most important surviving medieval artifacts. It now languishes in the store room at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Queen Street, detached from the building for which it was created.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's worth stating from the start that the fireplace is also one of the city's most enigmatic objects. A recent discovery in the archives of the Royal Academy in London has solved one of its mysteries but the discovery has inadvertently created many more.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe object of this post will be to give a short account of the known facts about the fireplace before discussing some of many unanswered questions which surrounded it. Along with the dean, treasurer and chancellor, the precentor was one of the cathedral's four senior ecclesiastical positions. As the lead chanter, the precentor was responsible for music and liturgy and, at Exeter at least, he was also acting president of the chapter in the dean's absence. The precentor had his own residence within the Cathedral Precinct. Located close to the Bishop's Palace in Palace Gate, it was known as the Chantry and the precentor at the close of the 15th century was John Coombe.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-_mxWnld4Vgo\/T0WF4aFgP4I\/AAAAAAAAE-w\/DbJHOuS-3G4\/s1600\/Courtenay%2Bfireplace%2Bdrawing.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712118906510917506\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-_mxWnld4Vgo\/T0WF4aFgP4I\/AAAAAAAAE-w\/DbJHOuS-3G4\/s640\/Courtenay%2Bfireplace%2Bdrawing.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"459\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt is believed that between 1496 and 1499 John Coombe commissioned a fireplace to be installed in the great hall of the Chantry. It wasn't without precendent. Elaborate fireplaces were installed within a number of Exeter's ecclesiasical residences in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. There was one in the refectory hall of the College of the Vicars Choral, at least four at the Deanery (some of which survive as fragments), one in the hall of the Annuellars in the Cathedral Close, one at the Archdeacon of Exeter's house in Palace Gate, another at the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/chancellors-house-cathedral-close.html\"\u003EChancellor's House\u003C\/a\u003E and, most spectacularly of all, a huge fireplace in the Bishop's Palace.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Courtenay fireplace at the Bishop's Palace \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E is one of the most extravagant things of its kind. It was commissioned by Bishop Peter Courtenay in c1486. Described by Pevsner and Cherry as \"exceedingly ostentatious\", its impact was such that Bishop Courtenay's example seems to have served as a model for Precentor Coombe's own fireplace.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Courtenay fireplace, originally positioned in the west wing of the Bishop's Palace, is studded with brightly painted heraldic shields, a number of which depict the Courtenay coat of arms. Another feature are the initials 'PC' and the letter 'T', believed to stand for 'Tau', the badge of the Hospital of St Anthony in London of which Bishop Courtenay was the Master. Perhaps most striking of all is the huge, ornately decorated ogee-headed canopy with rose-bush finials at either side. At the apex of the canopy, 12ft above the ground, is a large depiction of the Royal arms with the greyhound supporters associated with Henry VII. It is an extraordinary creation and must've been marvelled at by every member of the clergy who saw it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-kshwKjGQs6E\/T0WKe_LMF_I\/AAAAAAAAE-8\/BTUFZvsjhUI\/s1600\/Courtenay%2Bfireplace.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712123967348414450\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-kshwKjGQs6E\/T0WKe_LMF_I\/AAAAAAAAE-8\/BTUFZvsjhUI\/s640\/Courtenay%2Bfireplace.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"477\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EA close copy of the Courtenay fireplace \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003Ewas installed in the dining room of  Powderham Castle, the seat of the Earls of Devon, in the 19th century \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. The heraldic details are quite different, as are the finials, but it gives a good idea of the scale and splendour of Peter Courtenay's medieval original at the Bishop's Palace in Exeter (which isn't open to the public).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's almost certain that all of the lavish medieval fireplaces installed in Exeter were the work of local masons, probably those already being employed to work on the cathedral. The John Coombe fireplace in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum is largely made from the creamy-grey limestone quarried from Beer in East Devon.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs it exists today, the John Coombe fireplace has two side panels of blind Gothic arches with trefoil heads. At the top of each panel are the beautifully wrought initials of John Coombe himself. The way in which the 'J' and the 'C' intertwine and overlap with each other in Gothic lettering set against a quatrefoil background is particularly lovely, shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E © Royal Albert Memorial Museum. A similar effect in the same position was a feature of the large stone fireplace installed at the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/medieval-college-of-vicars-choral-at.html\"\u003Ehall of the Vicars Choral\u003C\/a\u003E c1519. There the initials were 'JR' and 'T' for 'John Ryse, Treasurer'. Unfortunately that magnificent example was almost completely destroyed during \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003Ethe Exeter Blitz of 1942\u003C\/a\u003E.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OF309sdMD9Q\/T0WUWM03c2I\/AAAAAAAAE_U\/T70O4nXuLyM\/s1600\/John%2BCoombe%2Binitials.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712134811510338402\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OF309sdMD9Q\/T0WUWM03c2I\/AAAAAAAAE_U\/T70O4nXuLyM\/s1600\/John%2BCoombe%2Binitials.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESpanning the two side panels of the John Coombe fireplace is the lintel. It is intricately carved with a star-shaped lattice pattern. There are two heraldic shields on the lintel: the left shield depicts the stag's head of the Dean of Exeter. The right shield possibly depicts the coat of arms of either Bishop Brewer or Bishop Stapledon, both Bishops of Exeter in the medieval period. Running around the top of the lintel are carved angels with outstretched wings. The fireplace is framed by a slender stone shaft which rises from the ground on each side and is capped with a short pinnacle. Between the pinnacles run a number of fleur-de-lis.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe fireplace remained in the Chantry until the building was demolished in 1870. According to Lega-Weekes, the fireplace was salvaged, placed inside a packing case and left in a stable until was it purchased by a stonemason. In c1900 the fireplace was installed in the Deanery by Dean Earle where it remained until the early 1970s. The present paint scheme seen on the fireplace is the handiwork of a later Dean's son who painted it in the 1960s. The Deanery underwent various modifications between 1971 and 1972 and during the course of the building works the cathedral's own surveyor, Peter Gundry, came to the conclusion that the fireplace was Victorian.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-UpcYHVHSRvA\/T0a312mWehI\/AAAAAAAAE_s\/jCbMaupm8SA\/s1600\/Entrance%2BDeanery.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712455313183373842\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-UpcYHVHSRvA\/T0a312mWehI\/AAAAAAAAE_s\/jCbMaupm8SA\/s400\/Entrance%2BDeanery.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 274px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EWhat happened next is the subject of some debate. It has been claimed that the fireplace was crow-barred from the wall and thrown out of the window where it fell onto a rockery and smashed into pieces. Alternatively, it has also been said that when the component parts of the fireplace were collected from Exeter University, where it was eventually taken, there was no sign of damage or even dirt. Some of those involved at the time can recall visiting the Deanery and seeing the fireplace sat in the garden seemingly undamaged.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInterestingly, when the fireplace was removed from the Deanery \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E, the remains of a second elaborate fireplace of Beer stone were discovered behind it. Professor Michael Swanton took the John Coombe fireplace to Exeter University in the hope of installing it there when the Dean and Chapter showed no interest in keeping it. The fireplace wasn't installed at the university, or at Bowhill on the outskirts of the city as had been suggested. Instead John Allan of Exeter Archaeology eventually secured the fireplace for the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Queen Street where, until recently, it has been on display to the general public.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat is not quite the end of the story however. In 1923 the antiquarian Ethel Lega-Weekes raised the possibility that there were in fact two ornate fireplaces installed in the Chantry at the end of the 15th century. One was the John Coombe fireplace now in the museum and the other was presumed to be missing, perhaps destroyed when the building was demolished in 1870. The idea of the missing fireplace has persisted to the present day. The museum's website still claims that the Chantry \"had two very elaborate late medieval fireplaces, one of which is now lost\", but the mystery of the missing fireplace can now be solved.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9LmS7_JwOuk\/T0a52IRsWRI\/AAAAAAAAE_4\/Be_5e_3QWWo\/s1600\/Precentors%2BHouse_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712457516951820562\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9LmS7_JwOuk\/T0a52IRsWRI\/AAAAAAAAE_4\/Be_5e_3QWWo\/s640\/Precentors%2BHouse_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"466\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe impetus behind the theory of the two fireplaces is a passage in George Oliver's 1861 book 'Lives of the Bishops of Exeter'. In the book he describes in some detail a \"stately mantelpiece\" in the great hall of the Chantry. The fireplace he describes is significantly different to the one which is now known as the John Coombe fireplace.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis disparity led Lega-Weekes and others to believe that a second fireplace must've once existed. According to Oliver, the 'missing' fireplace was modified between 1747 and 1762 by Precentor Milles who repainted it and \"surmounted it with the arms of his family\". Oliver describes ten complete armorial bearings on the fireplace whereas the John Coombe fireplace in the museum today only has two, only one of which remotely matches Oliver's description. Oliver also describes various \"mouldings\" which don't fit with the surviving Chantry fireplace. In fact, apart from Oliver mentioning the presence of John Coombe's initials, almost nothing in his description can be matched to the John Coombe fireplace as it exists today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe drawing \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E © Royal Academy, was recently discovered in the archives of the Royal Academy in London. It is labelled 'Chimney Piece in the Precentor's House at Exeter'. It was executed by Solomon Hart and is dated May 1833. The fireplace in the drawing is remarkably elaborate. There are three  shields on the lintel and it is topped  with a highly ornate ogee-headed  canopy with three ornate  finials. Inset into the canopy are three more shields, one of which is surmounted by a three-dimensional bishop's mitre. Above the lintel are a series of carved winged angels, framed by slender shafts which rise on each side. Its  kinship with the Courtenay fireplace at the Bishop's Palace  is striking. This drawing depicts the allegedly missing Chantry fireplace which was previously only known from George Oliver's description.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PA-YpoR9Ers\/T0mGof4LJ9I\/AAAAAAAAFBw\/vCjDETDDsKM\/s1600\/Precentors%2BHouse_Exeter_bearings.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713245632606185426\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PA-YpoR9Ers\/T0mGof4LJ9I\/AAAAAAAAFBw\/vCjDETDDsKM\/s400\/Precentors%2BHouse_Exeter_bearings.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 295px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe ten armorial bearings mentioned by Oliver can now be located precisely on the fireplace which he described in 1861 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. I've followed Oliver's convention of starting with the central shields on each tier and then describing them from right to left:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003E1\u003C\/span\u003E: \"1st - Of Canterbury, impaled with Potter's\". This matches the 1833 drawing exactly. Precentor Milles's father-in-law was Dr John Potter, the Archbishop of Canterbury between 1737 and 1747. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003E2\u003C\/span\u003E: \"The Precentor of Exeter's... Impaled with Milles's\". This bearing wasn't depicted in the 1833 drawing.\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003E 3\u003C\/span\u003E: \"Milles's impaled with Potter's\". This bearing also wasn't depicted in the 1833 drawing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENone of the details of the next four bearings were included in the 1833 sketch. At first glance it's difficult even to locate their position on the drawing but Oliver described the heraldry on the fireplace from top to bottom and these four were \"on the deep moulding\". The only place where the four coats of arms could've been located was between three of the winged angels on the lintel\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003E. 4\u003C\/span\u003E: \"Precentor's impaled with Roger Keys's\". \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003E5\u003C\/span\u003E: \"Bishop Grandisson's\". \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003E6\u003C\/span\u003E: \"Bishop Lacy's\". \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003E7\u003C\/span\u003E: \"Precentor's and John Coombe's\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe three shields on the main lintel, \"below the mouldings\", are the last to be described. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003E8\u003C\/span\u003E: \"In the centre. The arms of St. Edward, King and Confessor, as adopted by Richard II\". This bearing consists of five gold marlets surrounding a cross impaled with the arms of the Plantagenet Kings of England, exactly as drawn by Solomon Hart in 1833. Oliver gets the last two coats of arms mixed up. He describes \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003E9\u003C\/span\u003E as \"Dexter - The see of Exeter impaled with Courtenay\". This is actually the coat of arms to the far left at position No. 10. It matches the central armorial bearing on the Courtenay fireplace in the Bishop's Palace exactly. Oliver describes \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003E10\u003C\/span\u003E as \"three bends wavy\" and he believed it was supposed to represent either the heraldry of either Brewer or Stapledon, both medieval Bishops of Exeter. Its correct position was at No. 9, as drawn by Hart.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-OHhb0j14Eig\/T0taynctV8I\/AAAAAAAAFCs\/QvAbfNAx56c\/s1600\/Fireplace%2Bcomparison.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713760377878960066\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-OHhb0j14Eig\/T0taynctV8I\/AAAAAAAAFCs\/QvAbfNAx56c\/s1600\/Fireplace%2Bcomparison.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EEven more interesting is the fact that the drawing also proves that there never was a missing Chantry fireplace. The fireplace drawn by Solomon Hart in 1833, and described by George Oliver in 1861, and the John Coombe fireplace now in the museum are one and the same.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECompared with the photograph of the John Coombe fireplace at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post, the one in the drawing looks completely different. There's no sign of the huge ogee-headed canopy on the fireplace today and eight of Oliver's armorial bearings are missing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut there are numerous points of similiarity, two of which are shown in the image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E. In the drawing, the initials 'JC' are present in the corners above identical side panels in exactly the same form as they appear on the fireplace in the museum. The lattice decoration on the lintel is, in places, exactly the same. The winged angels at the top of the lintel are also very similar as are the two framing stone shafts.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 1833 drawing strongly suggests that at some point in its history the John Coombe fireplace was heavily modified and transformed from the fireplace drawn by Hart and described by Oliver into the now almost unrecognisible fireplace in the museum. But when did this occur? A photograph of the fireplace still in situ at the Chantry just prior to  the building's demolition in 1870 shows that the current arrangement of the fleur-de-lis and pinnacles  along the top was already present \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebefore\u003C\/span\u003E the fireplace was removed from  the Chantry. George Oliver's 'Lives of the Bishops of Exeter', which contains his description of the fireplace, was published in 1861, the same year that George Oliver died. It's possible that the description was made from notes taken some time before the book was published but it seems likely that the alterations took place between c1860 and 1870.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis is when the difficulties in interpreting the John Coombe fireplace as it exists today start to mount up with startling rapidity. To return to the 1833 drawing, it is simply not known whether it depicts the medieval form of the fireplace as it was installed by John Coombe in the Chantry between 1496 and 1499. The Chantry was sold in 1655 during the Commonwealth and possibly used as a hospital. Did the John Coombe fireplace sit in the great hall completely unaltered throughout this turbulent period? What condition was it in when the additions were made by Precentor Milles? Oliver states that Precentor Milles \"repainted it\" and added some of the heraldry between 1747 and 1762. Was pre-existing heraldry over-painted or were entirely new escutcheons added? The presence of the bishop's mitre sculpted above the coat of arms of Milles's archbishop father-in-law suggests that Milles made alterations to the fireplace which went beyond merely repainting some coats of arms.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-dY9YfiG17YA\/T0tbKrvvwqI\/AAAAAAAAFC4\/sftVCLKVwcY\/s1600\/Missing%2Bcarving_fireplace.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713760791349412514\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-dY9YfiG17YA\/T0tbKrvvwqI\/AAAAAAAAFC4\/sftVCLKVwcY\/s1600\/Missing%2Bcarving_fireplace.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt's possible that the entire florid canopy, i.e. everything above the lintel, is a mid 18th century invention. But then the overall form of the canopy could just as easily date to the end of the 15th century. Did the Victorians suspect that the canopy only dated to the 18th century which is why it was removed c1865 and the fleur-de-lis and pinnacles substituted in its place? Why would the canopy be removed at all? What happened c1865 which prompted such extensive alterations?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's tempting to assume that only the ogee-headed canopy shown on the 1833 drawing was altered and the rest of the fireplace remained intact, but this would be untrue. The image\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E right\u003C\/span\u003E shows the lintel as it appears on Hart's drawing and as it appears today in the museum. The locations of what I believe were four small armorial bearings described by Oliver are encircled in red on the 1833 drawing. There is certainly some sort of carved element there which is independent of the winged angels. Hart made an effort to indicate some shadow suggesting that whatever it was stood proud of the stone background. If these were four small shields then they were either added in plaster, perhaps by Precentor Milles, or they were carved in the late 15th century from the stone of the lintel itself. Today there is no sign that they ever existed. The stone between the winged angels on the lintel in the museum is completely smooth. Why would Precentor Milles bother adding four small plaster shields? But if the shields were carved in stone then their total disappearance is almost incomprehensible unless the lintel itself had been modified too.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe central shield on the lintel, showing the Royal arms of Richard II, is also now missing. Was this another plaster addition which was subsequently removed? Did the medieval lintel really only have two shields at either side? Why would the medieval masons leave the central panel blank? From an aesthetic perspective, three shields would surely be preferable such as appear on the Courtenay fireplace (or five shields as once existed on the fireplace at the hall of the Vicars Choral). However I have been informed that this arrangement, with no shield, is  an  original feature, as was revealed when the fireplace was assembled  for  display at the museum in the early 1980s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-tQn3KeIClY0\/T0tbfjF8YbI\/AAAAAAAAFDE\/f21UDMGb2Ms\/s1600\/Lintel%2Bcomparison.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713761149803848114\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-tQn3KeIClY0\/T0tbfjF8YbI\/AAAAAAAAFDE\/f21UDMGb2Ms\/s1600\/Lintel%2Bcomparison.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe winged angels drawn by Hart are out of alignment with the panels on the lintel when compared with the fireplace in the museum, but Hart made a series of drawings of architectural interiors in Italy which he hoped to publish in the 1840s so clearly he was an accomplished draughtsman.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEven more intriguingly, if the central shield as drawn by Hart was the exact same size as the two surviving shields then it doesn't seem possible that it would've fitted easily into the available space on the lintel as it exists today. Faint lines drawn around the central panel on the 1833 depiction suggest that prior to the alterations there was more room between the edge of the shield and the two little blind Gothic arches to the left and right. This can be seen on the image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. I've inverted the colours of the original drawing to make the faint lines and blind arches more visible. I've also added a central shield to the museum's fireplace and it's easy to see how the edge of the shield would be almost adjacent to the little cusped apertures. It's almost as though the lintel has shrunk. If Hart's drawing is remotely accurate and the central shield was indeed the same size as the remaining two then I believe that this is the most convincing piece of evidence in favour of the entire lintel having been radically remodelled in the 19th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne possibility suggested to me is that the width of the fireplace could've been reduced in size to fit a smaller aperture, an action which necessitated the removal of the central panel with the Royal arms of Richard II and the splicing together of the remaining sections. The 1870 photograph of the fireplace shows that at least the lower part of the wall to the left of the fireplace was constructed from 18th or 19th century bricks while the wall to the right was made of large stone blocks, probably a remnant of the medieval great hall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-N8MEo-cGAU0\/T09YcPQh38I\/AAAAAAAAFFg\/ikB8joF8Kvg\/s1600\/Fireplace%2Brestored%2Bform.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714883694311890882\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-N8MEo-cGAU0\/T09YcPQh38I\/AAAAAAAAFFg\/ikB8joF8Kvg\/s640\/Fireplace%2Brestored%2Bform.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"476\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EI believe the fireplace was indeed dismantled c1865 and the lintel reduced in width. In order to accomplish this the central shield was removed and the remaining two halves spliced together, retaining only the edges of the central panel's lattice decoration. Presumably the component with the winged angels was also cut around to make the angels sit over the top of the reordered panels. It seems that the fireplace was not a Victorian copy as believed by the cathedral's surveyor in the early 1970s but neither is it a wholly medieval fireplace.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI've cobbled together an impression of what was probably the medieval form of the fireplace prior to c1865\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E. All of the suspected Victorian changes have been reversed (although the 1960s paintwork remains). The lintel has been restored to what I believe were its medieval dimensions, complete with the four little bearings between each of the winged angels and the wider central panel carrying a central shield. The Victorian pinnacles and fleur-de-lis have been stripped away although the exact nature of the upper part of the medieval fireplace remains unknown. Either it had the ornate canopy shown in the 1833 drawing or, as is shown in the image, it just had a simple horizontal top as is found on similar examples in Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere's no question that the John Coombe fireplace came out of the Chantry in 1870 but between there are huge question marks surrounding the fireplace's medieval form and the numerous alterations which have obviously taken place between c1499 and 1870. The reasons for the alterations and much else relating to its history remain the subject of conjecture. The discovery of the drawing in the archives of the Royal Academy has perhaps solved one of the mysteries but there are numerous others, just some of which have been elaborated upon here.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately the John Coombe fireplace is no longer accessible to the general public. Following the recent refurbishment of the museum a lack of exhibition space has seen it relocated to the store room. Whatever its history might be, the fireplace remains an exceptionally fine piece of worksmanship. If it is not be displayed in the museum then perhaps it could be installed elsewhere in Exeter where it can be viewed and enjoyed by everyone. Detail of a winged angel \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E © Royal Albert Memorial Museum.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-iwsle5A8gVk\/T09XfF8YiFI\/AAAAAAAAFFU\/GO3YvVlkbOw\/s1600\/Angel%2BCoombe%2Bfireplace.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"489\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714882643839453266\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-iwsle5A8gVk\/T09XfF8YiFI\/AAAAAAAAFFU\/GO3YvVlkbOw\/s640\/Angel%2BCoombe%2Bfireplace.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4304734145414357729\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4304734145414357729","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4304734145414357729"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4304734145414357729"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/john-coombe-fireplace-formerly-in.html","title":"The John Coombe Fireplace, formerly in The Chantry"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-GoMjO0EzAMs\/T0PYqDM-8iI\/AAAAAAAAE9Q\/wrX8SZ5vo3Y\/s72-c\/JC%2Bfireplace.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-9105561881020527635"},"published":{"$t":"2012-02-17T23:20:00.016+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T22:34:38.559+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Grendon's Almshouses, Preston Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-3MgRpxA7vHM\/T0QV5wZmakI\/AAAAAAAAE9c\/23B6-8myC2w\/s1600\/Almshouses_Preston%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711714309401635394\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-3MgRpxA7vHM\/T0QV5wZmakI\/AAAAAAAAE9c\/23B6-8myC2w\/s1600\/Almshouses_Preston%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAlso known as the Ten Cells, Grendon's Almshouses stood in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/preston-street-demolished.html\"\u003EPreston Street\u003C\/a\u003E from the beginning of the 15th century until they were demolished in 1879. Simon Grendon was a thrice mayor of Exeter, in 1395, 1398 and 1405. In c1400 he endowed a complex of ten houses for use by the poor in the parish of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003ESt Mary Major\u003C\/a\u003E. The site chosen for the almshouses was in Preston Street, one of the main routes through Exeter's West Quarter. Perhaps remembered chiefly today as a notorious 19th century slum, the West Quarter was the mercantile hub of the city throughout the Middle Ages and early post-Medieval period.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGrendon gave his new almshouses the income from a field called Culverlands in the parish of St Sidwell. According to Izacke, Culverlands was located close to Scarlet's Cross, an ancient stone cross which formerly stood at the junction of Old Tiverton Road, Union Road and Mount Pleasant Road. The deed relating to the almshouses and the land is now lost but it was claimed to date to 1406. A number of other Exeter citizens endowed the almshouses in the subsequent centuries. In 1556 Alice Heath endowed the almshouses with land in East and West Teignmouth; William Herne, the parson at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/st-petrocks-church-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Petrock's\u003C\/a\u003E, arranged for the 12 pensioners to receive a penny per week in 1562; and in 1563 William Bucknam, a former mayor, gave the almshouses part ownership of the Bear Inn nearby in South Street. These are just three examples of many.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-16MtppGj9Nk\/T0VfEBeaYEI\/AAAAAAAAE90\/lMAUkrrczO8\/s1600\/Grendon%2BAlmshouses.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"525\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712076225109450818\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-16MtppGj9Nk\/T0VfEBeaYEI\/AAAAAAAAE90\/lMAUkrrczO8\/s640\/Grendon%2BAlmshouses.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe almshouses appear on Benjamin Donn's 1765 map of Exeter as the \"10 Cells\". The ubiquitous Jenkins described the almshouses in 1806: \"These houses  are not built quadrangular, as most of our ancient buildings of this  kind are, but in a direct line; each house having an upper and under  room, with a small garden behind; they are kept in good repair, and in  front they have a plain portico, or gallery, flagged with purbeck stone,  which runs the whole length of the building, and makes a dry and  comfortable communication of the aged inhabitants with each other\". According to Richard Izacke, by 1674 the almshouses were \"much decayed\" and this was the year when Robert Lant gave £100 towards their rebuilding. Whether they were totally rebuilt or merely refurbished is unknown. It seems more likely that the walls were retained but roofs and windows replaced. The covered walkway which ran across the entire length of the ground floor elevation probably dated to the late-17th century works.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Y19nR8_qBBI\/T0Vf1qGCnhI\/AAAAAAAAE-A\/I2FLxvGeVV4\/s1600\/Grendon%2BBuildings_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712077077826674194\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Y19nR8_qBBI\/T0Vf1qGCnhI\/AAAAAAAAE-A\/I2FLxvGeVV4\/s400\/Grendon%2BBuildings_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"308\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFortunately a few depictions of the building survive. One is shown at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post. It's a detail from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\"\u003EHedgeland's early 19th century model of Exeter\u003C\/a\u003E. Hedgeland's modelling of the almshouses is accurate and includes the little dormer windows in the roof, the pentice roof over the covered walkway and the small gardens stretching out behind each house. A pencil sketch \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council also shows the almshouses and gives a clearer view of the covered walkway. A similar walkway can still be seen on the very fine granite-built almshouses at Moretonhampstead in Devon.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe almshouses only appear rarely in the 19th century editions of the local newspaper, the 'Exeter Flying Post', but in March 1856 it was reported that \"a deformed man, named Corsey, was charged with stealing a quantity of lead from the roof of one of the ten cells at Preston-Street\". In the 1870s it was decided to demolish the almshouses completely and relocate the residents to new buildings far beyond the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Ecity walls\u003C\/a\u003E at Grendon Road which runs between Heavitree Road and Polsloe Road. The ancient buildings came down in 1879 and in November the following year it was reported that \"the site of the old Ten Cells Almshouses sold for £390, the late occupants (females) occupying the new ones built in Grendon Road, Heavitree\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-w4BdIGPySM8\/T0Vhex6TqdI\/AAAAAAAAE-M\/lsQrPGcMZxw\/s1600\/Grendon%2BBuildings%2B2011.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712078883811207634\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-w4BdIGPySM8\/T0Vhex6TqdI\/AAAAAAAAE-M\/lsQrPGcMZxw\/s400\/Grendon%2BBuildings%2B2011.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 300px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOn the site of the almshouses and gardens were built two opposing terraces of six houses, shown on the aerial view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E highlighted in purple. These are still known as Grendon Buildings. Dating to 1880, it is worth remembering that these twelve unremarkable small houses \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E are amongst the oldest standing structures in Exeter's entire West Quarter. Exeter's post-war town planner, Thomas Sharp, regarded them as 'outworn' and recommended their removal. The area suffered limited damage during \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003Ethe Exeter Blitz of 1942\u003C\/a\u003E but was systematically cleared of nearly all of its historically interesting properties through deliberate demolition in the immediate pre-war and post-war period. The last surviving 16th century building in Preston Street (a Grade II listed building at No. 15) was demolished in the 1970s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe new almshouses on Grendon Road \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E were designed by Robert Best and built by Sharland. They are now Grade II listed buildings. Constructed from purple volcanic trap, Best's almshouses are extremely attractive examples of Victorian Tudor Revival architecture and are still known as Grendon's Almshouses. Adjacent to the Grendon Almshouses on Grendon Road are the Atwill Almshouses. The style is almost identical although the Atwill Almshouses were built from red Heavitree breccia and weren't completed until 1892. Nothing remains of the original almshouses on Preston Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-uwOGUpxk9KU\/T0VjuZ6N9TI\/AAAAAAAAE-Y\/6dTdVLZOokY\/s1600\/Grendon%2BAlmshouses%2BVictorian.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712081351269545266\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-uwOGUpxk9KU\/T0VjuZ6N9TI\/AAAAAAAAE-Y\/6dTdVLZOokY\/s1600\/Grendon%2BAlmshouses%2BVictorian.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/9105561881020527635\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=9105561881020527635","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/9105561881020527635"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/9105561881020527635"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/grendons-almshouses-preston-street.html","title":"Grendon's Almshouses, Preston Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-3MgRpxA7vHM\/T0QV5wZmakI\/AAAAAAAAE9c\/23B6-8myC2w\/s72-c\/Almshouses_Preston%2BStreet.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-731363343191322795"},"published":{"$t":"2012-02-17T17:22:00.021+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T22:32:30.008+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Other Streets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"South Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"West Quarter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Destruction of Sun Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-O0GOGuC7svI\/T0J_ahskqaI\/AAAAAAAAE8I\/8618bCjBj8w\/s1600\/Sun%2BStreet_Hegeland.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711267371157858722\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-O0GOGuC7svI\/T0J_ahskqaI\/AAAAAAAAE8I\/8618bCjBj8w\/s400\/Sun%2BStreet_Hegeland.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"303\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAs far as I know not a single photograph or illustration exists which shows Sun Street prior to the destruction of its buildings in 1942. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E is a detail from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\"\u003EHedgeland's early 19th century model of Exeter\u003C\/a\u003E. The accuracy of the individual houses is questionable but at least it gives some idea of the character of the street c1800. The properties which fronted onto Sun Street are highlighted in red.  The continuation into \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/preston-street-demolished.html\"\u003EPreston Street\u003C\/a\u003E is at the top and the exit into South Street is at the bottom.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn reality Sun Street was little more than an extension of Preston Street. It exited into South Street at a point almost opposite Bear Street. Like Preston Street, Sun Street was probably late Anglo-Saxon in origin. The two streets formed a long route up into the city centre from West Street and the early industrial district beyond \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Ethe city walls\u003C\/a\u003E on Exe Island. At some point the upper 270ft (80m) of Preston Street became known as a named route in its own right and Sun Street was born. A deed of 1566 relating to Grendon's Almshouses refers to Sun Street as 'Bellewtere Gate' and Benjamin Donn's 1765 map of Exeter shows that Sun Street was formerly called Billiter Lane.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHoskins wrote that \"the meaning of Billiter is uncertain but it may derive from billet, \"a note\" - hence \"writers' lane\", where the medieval scriveners congregated\". I wonder if there wasn't another source for the unusual name. 'Belyetere' is a Middle English word for a bell founder. Excavations between 1977 and 1978 at Mermaid Yard, almost at the conjunction between Preston Street and Sun Street, uncovered a waste dump including \u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003Efragmentary clay-loam moulds in which bells were cast in the late medieval period. \u003C\/span\u003ENo structural evidence was found but it's possible that it was the site of Robert Norton's bell foundry. Norton was made a freeman of the city of Exeter in 1423 and he was still manufacturing bells in the 1440s. One of them hangs in the bell turret at the little church of St Pancras in the Guildhall Shopping Centre.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-MaChNVDBJbg\/T0LYvycp95I\/AAAAAAAAE8U\/1Vh4r6ZgCLw\/s1600\/Sun%2BStreet_2011.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711365592966625170\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-MaChNVDBJbg\/T0LYvycp95I\/AAAAAAAAE8U\/1Vh4r6ZgCLw\/s1600\/Sun%2BStreet_2011.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBy the 1830s 'Billiter Lane' had largely given way to 'Sun Street'. On the north side of Sun Street stood the Sun Inn, from which the street derived its new name. According to Hoskins the Sun Inn had been in existence since the 1690s although an advertisement from 1855 claimed that there had only been a successful business on the site since c1810. The inn had a bar, bar parlour, tap room, kitchen, club room, drawing room, five bedrooms and a large cellar. A very narrow passageway led down the side of the inn into \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/destruction-of-guinea-street_20.html\"\u003EGuinea Street\u003C\/a\u003E. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows a detail from 1905 map of Exeter overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area. The Sun Inn was the largest plot fronting onto the street, the passageway running north to Guinea Street clearly visible on the 1905 plan.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Sun Inn was the site of an early attempt to establish a trade union in Exeter. According to Hoskins again, on 15 January 1834 two men from London planned to hold a secret meeting at the Sun Inn. Around sixty Exeter workers, mostly bricklayers and masons, assembled at the inn where they were spied upon by a policeman who had bored a hole through a partition wall. Once the ceremony initiating new members had begun, the policeman ran to the Guildhall and alerted the rest of the police force. They descended \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Een masse\u003C\/span\u003E to the Sun Inn and, after much shoving against bolted doors, eventually arrested forty men. They were taken to the Guildhall where the mayor and an alderman were waiting for them. Eventually all but 15 were released and the rest were bound over and set free, a noticeable difference in comparison with the fate of the Tolpuddle Martyrs who, just seven years previously, had been deported to Australia for committing a similar 'crime'.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-o8tQ_7_sJ6I\/T0La92MDYEI\/AAAAAAAAE8g\/uA0iOyEoMgI\/s1600\/Entrance%2Binto%2BSun%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711368033512153154\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-o8tQ_7_sJ6I\/T0La92MDYEI\/AAAAAAAAE8g\/uA0iOyEoMgI\/s1600\/Entrance%2Binto%2BSun%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe detail from a postcard c1900 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E is the closest I've seen to anything depicting Sun Street. It actually shows the view looking down South Street but the entrance into Sun Street can be glimpsed disappearing off to the right. It appears that the corner property was removed in the 19th century perhaps to widen the entrance into Sun Street. The 1876 Ordnance Survey map clearly reveals that at least one of the corner plot buildings had been demolished. In the postcard view this plot is occupied by a single-storey shop adjacent to its jettied timber-framed neighbour.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith no surviving photographs, illustrations, archaeological reports or descriptions of its buildings, it is impossible to say what was lost when the entire street was destroyed during the bombing raid of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E. The Sun Inn had ceased to be a public house by 1917 although the building itself survived until 1942, but absence of evidence shouldn't be taken as evidence of absence. The more one reads about pre-war Exeter the more apparent it becomes that vast amounts of the medieval and early post-medieval city survived into the 20th century, often buried beneath later alterations. The \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/black-lions-inn-no-78-south-street.html\"\u003EBlack Lions Inn\u003C\/a\u003E on South Street, whose yard was formerly accessed via Sun Street, is one such example. A Georgian house from 1754 which stood behind houses on Sun Street is another. It was built upon medieval cellars and yet nothing is known about it as it too was destroyed in 1942 before it could be recorded.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELike \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/george-street.html\"\u003EGeorge Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/milk-street-west-quarter.html\"\u003EMilk Street\u003C\/a\u003E and part of Guinea Street, the route of Sun Street was obliterated during the reconstruction of the area in the 1950s. There is now no indication above ground that the street ever existed. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows South Street today. The entrance into Sun Street is somewhere beneath one of the shops to the far left.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-EFWY5g-lPQM\/T0LfOO5ahKI\/AAAAAAAAE8s\/ufXHPbsLCZM\/s1600\/South%2BStreet%2B2011.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"510\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711372713069282466\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-EFWY5g-lPQM\/T0LfOO5ahKI\/AAAAAAAAE8s\/ufXHPbsLCZM\/s640\/South%2BStreet%2B2011.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/731363343191322795\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=731363343191322795","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/731363343191322795"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/731363343191322795"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/destruction-of-sun-street.html","title":"The Destruction of Sun Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-O0GOGuC7svI\/T0J_ahskqaI\/AAAAAAAAE8I\/8618bCjBj8w\/s72-c\/Sun%2BStreet_Hegeland.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4672248982467245589"},"published":{"$t":"2012-02-14T22:58:00.020+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-30T15:37:18.334+00:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Rougemont"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Saxon Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Walls and Gates"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Anglo-Saxon Fortifications at Northernhay"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-eKsKA0NsTRA\/TzuTFfjKBII\/AAAAAAAAE60\/9Vj5mZvXdpI\/s1600\/Northernhay%2BWall.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709318675199820930\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-eKsKA0NsTRA\/TzuTFfjKBII\/AAAAAAAAE60\/9Vj5mZvXdpI\/s400\/Northernhay%2BWall.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 337px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe public gardens at Northernhay are the site of one of the most important surviving sections of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003EExeter's ancient city wall\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. What might at first glance appear to be little more than a random jumble of different stones actually tells a story which goes back to the 2nd century Roman town of Isca Dumnoniorum. The section of wall also contains one of the rarest of British archaeological survivals: evidence of stone Anglo-Saxon fortifications.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe section of wall is easily reached by walking under the early 12th century Athelstan's Tower, the eastern tower of Rougemont Castle, and into Northernhay Gardens. Walk down the slope and the section of wall is on the right. (One of the tower's turrets is just visible to the far right in the photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E.) This is the exterior face of the wall, the side which would've confronted anyone attacking the city from the north. The ground level here has been much-altered since the public gardens, the oldest in England, were first laid out in 1612 and again in 1664 following the restoration of Charles II.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-r7-8x-ZVAQY\/TzrylJffejI\/AAAAAAAAE6c\/tYuTAKQl9XU\/s1600\/Colour%2BWall.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709142197662612018\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-r7-8x-ZVAQY\/TzrylJffejI\/AAAAAAAAE6c\/tYuTAKQl9XU\/s400\/Colour%2BWall.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 293px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E has been colour coded to show the remarkable stratified layers contained within the wall. The area highlighted in purple is Roman masonry from c200AD, now partially buried by the later landscaping. The natural ground level is about 16ft (5m) below the level of the path. The extremely durable purple volcanic trap used by the Roman builders was probably quarried nearby in either Rougemont or in Northernhay itself. The section highlighted in yellow is Norman and dates to just after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is probably associated with the initial construction of Rougemont Castle in c1068. The two areas highlighted in green show where the wall has been patched and repaired in the medieval period. The repairs used the red Heavitree breccia quarried around Exeter from the mid 14th century onwards. The large section highlighted in blue is modern.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe section highlighted in red are the Anglo-Saxon crenellated fortifications. Sandwiched between the early Norman masonry above and the Roman masonry below, they are constructed from white Triassic sandstone probably quarried from East Devon. This is believed to be the only stretch of Saxon town wall to be seen anywhere in England. Relatively little is known about Exeter following the retreat of the Roman Empire from Britain in the early 5th century to the arrival of the Normans in 1066. Even less is known about the city wall itself which the Saxons inherited from their Roman predecessors. There is a tradition that King Athelstan overhauled the wall circuit around c920. The fortifications could date from then or perhaps they were a defensive reaction after the town was laid waste by the Danish King Sweyn in 1003. It is just sheer luck that they have been frozen in time by later additions.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-9so9jOi3_Gw\/TzuYocKc9OI\/AAAAAAAAE7A\/bZlBvuDUjw4\/s1600\/Saxon%2Bdefence%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"537\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709324773144458466\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-9so9jOi3_Gw\/TzuYocKc9OI\/AAAAAAAAE7A\/bZlBvuDUjw4\/s640\/Saxon%2Bdefence%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4672248982467245589\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4672248982467245589","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4672248982467245589"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4672248982467245589"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/anglo-saxon-defenses-at-northernhay.html","title":"Anglo-Saxon Fortifications at Northernhay"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-eKsKA0NsTRA\/TzuTFfjKBII\/AAAAAAAAE60\/9Vj5mZvXdpI\/s72-c\/Northernhay%2BWall.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-117035449974759659"},"published":{"$t":"2012-02-12T23:15:00.056+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-04T16:46:49.625+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inns and Taverns"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"South Street"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Black Lions Inn: No. 78, South Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-waPXHQcD_1I\/TzlChZTtArI\/AAAAAAAAE3Q\/UoXg4-fCKHc\/s1600\/NormanCapital.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708667144165458610\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-waPXHQcD_1I\/TzlChZTtArI\/AAAAAAAAE3Q\/UoXg4-fCKHc\/s400\/NormanCapital.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe old Black Lions inn which stood for centuries in South Street is another of Exeter's frustratingly elusive historical buildings. Since at least the beginning of the 19th century the inn was believed to be the former townhouse of the medieval Priors of Plympton Priory. Numerous priors, abbots and archdeacons in the south west of England had residences in Exeter. It had been the region's pre-eminent religious centre since \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003Ethe foundation of the cathedral in 1050\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Abbots of Buckfast Abbey owned a large property in the Cathedral Close known as the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/town-house-of-abbots-of-buckfast.html\"\u003EAbbot's Lodge\u003C\/a\u003E and the Abbots of Tavistock Abbey owned a house on the opposite side of South Street, later the Bear inn and now the site of the Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart. Nearly opposite the church stood the Black Lions inn. But was it really the Exeter residence of the Priors of Plympton Priory? The Augustinian Priory at Plympton, approximately 33 miles west of Exeter, had been refounded in 1121 by Exeter's bishop, William Warelwast, on the site of a pre-existing Saxon minster or college. Warelwast, the bishop who built Exeter's Romanesque cathedral, was an exceptionally generous benefactor to the Priory at Plympton.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy the time the Priory was dissolved during the Reformation in 1539 it had acquired numerous parcels of land in Exeter, including ground near the Bishop's Palace in Palace  Gate, a large house on the corner of Fore Street with Mary Arches  Street, another house almost opposite the Guildhall and a house and  garden in the parish of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003ESt Mary Major\u003C\/a\u003E. These properties were sometimes rented out and the money channelled back into  the Priory which grew to become one of the wealthiest monasteries in  Devon.  In the light of a 19th century discovery at the Black Lions inn, it is perhaps significant that most of these tenements in Exeter were gifted to the Priory in the 12th century. An impression from the Priory's seal is shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-fynMOgrxtFo\/Tzp_6SeR7-I\/AAAAAAAAE4M\/DFxrAh5w2Vs\/s1600\/Seal%2Bof%2BPlympton%2BPriory.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709016117013508066\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-fynMOgrxtFo\/Tzp_6SeR7-I\/AAAAAAAAE4M\/DFxrAh5w2Vs\/s400\/Seal%2Bof%2BPlympton%2BPriory.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 299px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe house and garden in the parish of St Mary Major is perhaps the most likely candidate for a link between the Plympton Priors and the Black Lions inn. The tenement was situated in \"Le Cokerewe\" i.e. Cook Row, an ancient name for the upper portion of South Street. Also located on South Street, not far from the site of the Black Lions inn and on the same side of the street, was \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/st-georges-church-south-street.html\"\u003ESt George's church\u003C\/a\u003E which until 1222 had been a daughter church belonging to the Plympton foundation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnlikely as it may seem today, South Street was one of the four most  important roads in medieval Exeter, the location of the city's most  impressive gatehouse and the ceremonial thoroughfare into the city from  the south east. It was once lined with a number of prestigious houses  belonging to some of Exeter's wealthiest citizens. A document records that a tenement on Cook Row which belonged to Plympton Priory was leased in 1524 to John Alyn for a period of 58 years, rather optimistically considering that the Priory itself was to survive for just another 16. The new occupier was possibly John Allen, who became the city's steward in 1536. Unfortunately there is no firm documentary evidence which proves that the Black Lions inn was either the property leased to John Alyn or that it had any connection with the Priors of Plympton Priory.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe name of the inn is something of a mystery. Robert Dymond suggested that \"it is just possible that the Black Lions may have been for a time the town residence of the Carew family, whose shield of arms bears \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ethree lions passant, sable\u003C\/span\u003E\". The Carews were one of Devon's most prominent families throughout the late Middle Ages and Tudor period. George Carew was in command of the Mary Rose when it sank in the Solent in 1545 and the 16th century Carew monuments in Exeter Cathedral are studded in heraldry depicting the three black lions passant.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-WsyrVDw8g1U\/TzqAcLn9JII\/AAAAAAAAE4Y\/iJrS4BuuJJ8\/s1600\/Carew%2BMonument%2BExeter_Cathedral.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709016699290592386\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-WsyrVDw8g1U\/TzqAcLn9JII\/AAAAAAAAE4Y\/iJrS4BuuJJ8\/s400\/Carew%2BMonument%2BExeter_Cathedral.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 282px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows one of the Carew monuments in Exeter Cathedral. The two-tiered tomb dates to 1589. The lower figure is Sir Peter Carew, depicted in an anachronistic medieval pose and carrying a shield emblazoned with the three black lions of his family's coat of arms. It's not unreasonable to believe that Dymond's theory is accurate but unfortunately there is no direct documentary evidence to support it either. Another source for the name were perhaps two carved lion heads which adorned part of the building. The two lions were drawn by W. G. Croump in his booklet 'Mural Monuments' of 1933 and are shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E. The Black Lions was in existence as an important tavern and carriers'  house by 1637 and in 1721 it was taken over by John Legg. The inn appears as the 'Black Lyon' on Benjamin  Donn's 1765 map of Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne of the first people to write about a connection between the Black Lions inn and medieval monasticism was Alexander Jenkins in his 1806 history of Exeter. Describing the inn, he wrote: it \"is a very ancient building, and from its appearance, seems to have been erected for monastic purposes, it occupies a large spot of ground; in the front, which was a few years since rebuilt, is an antique carving representing an angel holding a shield, on which is inscribed the date of 1421, in ancient characters\". In his history Jenkins confused the Abbots of Tavistock with the Priors of Plympton but at least he left behind an eyewitness account of the Black Lions inn itself and presumably he was merely recounting a widely-believed tradition regarding its history. It was a tradition which was repeated again and again throughout the 19th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-ITMTS2xbxtQ\/TzqGkKFK85I\/AAAAAAAAE4w\/N49g3ZIKyKY\/s1600\/Black%2BLions.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709023433384981394\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-ITMTS2xbxtQ\/TzqGkKFK85I\/AAAAAAAAE4w\/N49g3ZIKyKY\/s400\/Black%2BLions.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 293px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EWhat exactly was it about the inn's \"appearance\" which made Jenkins connect it with \"monastic purposes\"? What was the exterior like before it was reconstructed? What was the significance of the \"antique carving\" and the date 1421? The fact that the inn's facade had been rebuilt c1800 probably explains why there are no sketches or illustrations of the facade, despite the inn's evident antiquity.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAn advert \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left \u003C\/span\u003Eappeared in the 'Exeter Flying Post' in 1850 in which Richard Fletcher announced that he had taken over the running of \"that well-known and commodious house, the Black Lions Inn\". Fletcher was re-opening the inn on 15 April 1850 after numerous \"vast improvements\". As well as a new undercover skittle alley the inn could offer \"good sitting and smoking rooms, several excellent bedrooms, and some stabling attached\". The premises were described in 1873 as being \"very large and roomy\". In the centre of the premises was a cellar. The inn formerly had a large yard at the back which was used for carriers' vehicles and which was accessed via an entrance from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/destruction-of-sun-street.html\"\u003ESun Street\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--O4hVDdKpTs\/TzmuPrkklpI\/AAAAAAAAE4A\/aV9wJMkC-Lk\/s1600\/1850%2BBlack%2BLions%2BInn%2BAd.jpg\"\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAnother article in the same newspaper from 1855 repeated the claim that the inn was the \"ancient town residence of the opulent Priors of Plympton before the dissolution of religious houses by Henry VIII\". Fortunately the report also records some intriguing architectural details which help throw some light on the building's medieval origins. There were at least two Perpendicular Gothic windows on the first floor. One was blocked up. The other was described as being \"a fine specimen\" and \"of four lights, foliated as usual or cusped in the head, divided horizontally by a transom\". These windows were on the north side of the Black Lions and overlooked No. 79, the premises of Harvey's gunsmiths. A blocked medieval arched entrance also existed on the ground floor. The article's author believed that the stone tablet on the front, dating to 1421, commemorated the year when a portion of the structure was built.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QoCc07V47A0\/TzqHllqKHkI\/AAAAAAAAE48\/RtlePXTR1BY\/s1600\/1850%2BBlack%2BLions%2BInn%2BAd.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709024557479370306\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QoCc07V47A0\/TzqHllqKHkI\/AAAAAAAAE48\/RtlePXTR1BY\/s400\/1850%2BBlack%2BLions%2BInn%2BAd.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 270px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ETraces of the site's long history had already been unearthed earlier in the 19th century when a portion of a tessellated Roman pavement was discovered at the rear of the inn and in July 1834 a \"curious brass religious tablet\" was found \"underneath the foundation\". According to a contemporary report, the \"tablet\" was very small, approximately 5cms square, and could've been worn as a locket (although Dymond speculated that it might've been a seal for documents). On one side was a representation of Christ sat in some clouds with the Virgin Mary beneath accompanied by two saints.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Black Lions inn was largely destroyed in a major fire in September 1873. The story appeared in Trewman's 'Exeter Flying Post'. William Carter and Frederick Baker were walking down South Street at around 2am on a Sunday morning when they saw smoke issuing from the roof of the Black Lions. They watched it for several minutes thinking it was a chimney fire before heading down a passageway at the side of the inn where Carter lifted Baker up so he could peer through a fanlight. Seeing light reflected from a window they found a policeman and told him that they believed there \"was a fire at the Black Lions\".  Some time \"elapsed before the flames were visible - first through the fan-light, then gradually from one window and another until the whole front was enveloped in one mass of flame\" and when the fire engines arrived \"the fire had a strong hold on the premises and was burning furiously\" with \"dense volumes of black smoke issuing from every window\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAt about 3am \"the front of the inn fell into the street in a burning mass and exhibited the interior, which glowed like a furnace\". The air rushed inside fanning the flames \"into still larger proportions\" until the \"roof and almost the entire building speedily sank bodily to the foundation, casting myriads of sparks towards the heavens and a lurid glare over the city.\" There were five people in the Black Lions at the time of  the fire: Richard Fletcher, the publican; Maria Hepper, Fletcher's elderly mother-in-law; Mrs Sanders, the housekeeper; John Clarke, who worked for Fletcher, and Clarke's nine-year-old sister, Emily. Only Richard Fletcher and John Clarke survived. The inquest recorded a verdict of accidental death on the others.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OQR_TCSSBgk\/TzqH_z7TaRI\/AAAAAAAAE5I\/2DRRat5LzMQ\/s1600\/Hedgeland%2BBlack%2BLions%2BInn_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709025007985977618\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OQR_TCSSBgk\/TzqH_z7TaRI\/AAAAAAAAE5I\/2DRRat5LzMQ\/s400\/Hedgeland%2BBlack%2BLions%2BInn_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 315px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe surrounding buildings were also affected by the fire. Part of the gunsmith's shop at No. 79 South Street, immediately adjacent to the Black Lions, exploded and destroyed a portion of the north wall but the fire also revealed the extent of the surviving medieval masonry. At least the two side walls were left standing including \"a great part\" of the north wall with its fine Gothic window intact. The south wall had also survived where \"traces of deeply-mullioned Gothic windows\" could also be seen. The walls were about 3ft (1m) thick and were built of the \"red sandstone of the neighbourhood\", presumably red Heavitree breccia. The tablet bearing the date 1421 and mentioned by Jenkins was lost in the fire, despite hopes that it could be retrieved. \"Several ardent antiquaries\" visited the scene following the blaze and they had \"expressed a hope that means would be taken to preserve the fine old window on the north side\". The detail from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\"\u003EHedgeland's early 19th century model of the city\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E isn't particularly helpful and probably can't be regarded as an accurate depiction of the Black Lions inn. The portion of the model which corresponds with the extent of the inn as it appears on the 1876 Ordnance Survey map is highlighted in red.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne remarkable find was recovered from the ruins of the Black Lions inn in 1873 as the site was being cleared: the capital of a free standing column made from either white limestone or sandstone. Beautifully carved into each of its four sides is the face of man wearing a cap or helmet and with a huge pointed moustache. It is clearly Romanesque work of the late 12th century and is contemporary with the acquisition of various properties in Exeter by the Priors of Plympton Priory. It was an intriguing discovery but striped of its architectural or archaeological context it has lost much of its diagnostic value.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-bMHA7wrWmJQ\/TzsBQiGu6MI\/AAAAAAAAE6o\/_3bvyquJMAc\/s1600\/NormanCapital.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709158336166815938\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-bMHA7wrWmJQ\/TzsBQiGu6MI\/AAAAAAAAE6o\/_3bvyquJMAc\/s400\/NormanCapital.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 301px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EWas it part of the original fabric of the building? Where in the building had it come from? Could it really have remained in situ since the 12th century? Or was it brought in much later as a piece of decoration from another medieval site in the city, such as St Nicholas's Priory or even the Romanesque cathedral itself, as probably happened at the so-called \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/medieval-open-hall-king-st.html\"\u003ENorman House\u003C\/a\u003E in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/preston-street-demolished.html\"\u003EPreston Street\u003C\/a\u003E? Either way, its presence at the Black Lions inn combined with the tradition of the Priors at Plympton Priory can't easily be dismissed. The capital was on display at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum but since the museum's refurbishment it appears to have disappeared into the stock room. A photograph of the Romanesque capital is shown at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post. A detail is shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe fire in 1873 would appear to have been the end of the Black Lions inn but the story has an extraordinary coda. The site of the inn was rebuilt as it was for sale again in 1892 and was still in use as an inn in 1919. During \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003Ethe air-raid of 04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E the building was again destroyed by fire. The following morning, stood amongst the ruins for the second time in 70 years, were the same medieval walls and Gothic windows which had first been revealed in 1873. The Victorian antiquarians had clearly succeeded in preserving the medieval remains and they must've been incorporated into the new premises when the Black Lions was rebuilt following the 1873 fire.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFortunately a local architectural historian, Arthur Everett, recorded what he saw soon after the air-raid. According to Everett, the air-raid had revealed \"the greater part of the Black Lions inn in South Street\". The site measured approximately 23ft wide by 63ft long. Built of red Heavitree breccia, the walls were three stories tall although only the west wall and the north wall now survived (Everett doesn't mention the south wall). Four windows remained in the north wall at ground floor level with a further three windows on the first floor including one which was \"of two lights and rather ornate\". Everett believed that the first floor was the \"principal apartment\" of what was once clearly a very extensive medieval property. Everett also reported that there was a \"large Georgian house\" with the date 1754 on a rainwater head that stood at the back of properties on Sun Street to the north. According to Everett, this house was built over a basement which was medieval in origin and which had a 15th century doorway in it. (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/paragon-house-no-75-south-street.html\"\u003EParagon House\u003C\/a\u003E, an earlier brick-built property on South Street which stood just to the south of the Black Lions inn until 1942 had also retained medieval elements.) The mid-18th century house was destroyed during the air-raid of 1942 along with its cellar so there is no way of investigating further, but Everett suggested the intriguing possibility that this property and the Black Lions inn formed the north and south ranges of a quadrangular residence.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-9yzE4TdrOFE\/TzqMchn7sAI\/AAAAAAAAE5g\/OCG4taQEOMo\/s1600\/Black%2BLions%2BInn%2BExeter%2B2011.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709029899335610370\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-9yzE4TdrOFE\/TzqMchn7sAI\/AAAAAAAAE5g\/OCG4taQEOMo\/s400\/Black%2BLions%2BInn%2BExeter%2B2011.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 314px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows part of the 1905 map of Exeter overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area. The Black Lions inn is highlighted in red. The \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/two-antique-buildings-and-south-street.html\"\u003ESouth Street Baptist Chapel\u003C\/a\u003E and the Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart are on the opposite side of the street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe evidence for the Black Lions inn being at least part of the Exeter residence of the Priors of Plympton Priory is compelling. The medieval building was a substantial structure and there are several precedents in Exeter for large ecclesiastical houses being constructed around a quadrangle. A single range from one such building, the courtyard house of the medieval Archdeacons of Exeter, still remains in nearby Palace Gate and there are several others in the Cathedral Close but it was a layout which was never anything but rare in the city and nearly always associated with ecclesiastical dwellings. The South Street building had high status Gothic windows which are at least suggestive of an ecclesiastical origin. If the Priors of Plympton did have a townhouse directly on South Street then it was almost certainly on the site of the Black Lions inn.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's also possible to theorise about the history of the building's construction. The Romanesque capital found in 1873 could conceivably have been part of a 12th century version of the property but the Perpendicular windows are a big clue that the complex was substantially rebuilt in the 15th century. It seems that the vast majority of the walls were constructed from red Heavitree breccia, a stone which wasn't quarried in any great quantity in Exeter until the middle of the 14th century. Perhaps the date of 1421 recorded the completion of the modifications. A number of similar buildings in Exeter were also reconstructed at around the same time along with many of the city's parish churches. If it was indeed built around a quadrangle then there was probably a gatehouse range to the east which gave access into the courtyard via South Street with perhaps a service range to the north. To the west a further range possibly consisted of a hall for dining and entertaining. Everett's \"principal apartment\" was in the south range and might've contained the private chambers used by the Priors of Plympton when they resided in Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-YndLsfwGwVg\/TzqPj9ytvSI\/AAAAAAAAE5s\/VjjBhQvit88\/s1600\/Black%2BLions%2BInn%2BExeter%2B2011%2BQuadrangle.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709033325690993954\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-YndLsfwGwVg\/TzqPj9ytvSI\/AAAAAAAAE5s\/VjjBhQvit88\/s400\/Black%2BLions%2BInn%2BExeter%2B2011%2BQuadrangle.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 314px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows the Black Lions inn highlighted in red. What might've been the north range described by Everett was possibly on the site of a group of buildings called Victoria Place, although the exact location of his Georgian house of 1754 is uncertain. The projected north range is highlighted in purple. Also highlighted are what might've been the sites of the east and west ranges, the four ranges creating a four-sided courtyard house.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWas evidence of the quadrangular arrangement of the buildings still apparent when Jenkins described it in 1806 and is that what he meant when he referred to the inn's \"appearance\" revealing its \"monastic purposes\"? The fact that there were Gothic windows on the sides of the Black Lions inn meant that they must've looked out onto an open area when first installed in the 15th century. A courtyard at the side of the inn is noted in the 1873 report of the fire and traces of it are still visible on the 1905 map. No mention of a western hall is made by 19th century antiquarians so presumably, if it had ever existed, it was demolished by c1850 at the latest. The same probably applies to the eastern gatehouse range although it's possible that traces of it remained in the buildings fronting onto South Street as late as 1942. Perhaps the northern service range was replaced with the Georgian house of 1754 as seen by Everett although it apparently retained its medieval cellars. The southern range alone survived, altered over the centuries and evolving  into the Black Lions inn whose walls remained standing in South  Street following the air-raid of 1942. This is all supposition. It sounds plausible but much depends on the medieval building being quadrangular in its plan and with all of the buildings now destroyed there's no way of testing the theory.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHaving survived the fire of 1873 and the bombing of 1942 the extensive medieval walls and Perpendicular windows of the Black Lions inn were, in the words of Arthur Everett, \"wantonly destroyed, after the raid\" by Exeter City Council as part of the post-war reconstruction of South Street. Today there is no sign above ground that the inn or the medieval townhouse ever existed and only the Romanesque capital survives as a fragment of one of Exeter's most historically interesting buildings\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003EThe shop on the corner of South Street and the post-war entrance into Market Street \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E now stands on the site of the Black Lions inn.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-2EwRPnokhIk\/TzqTVTS1-zI\/AAAAAAAAE54\/DFsHmedBSJE\/s1600\/Site%2Bof%2Bthe%2BBlack%2BLions%2BInn%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"551\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709037471811369778\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-2EwRPnokhIk\/TzqTVTS1-zI\/AAAAAAAAE54\/DFsHmedBSJE\/s640\/Site%2Bof%2Bthe%2BBlack%2BLions%2BInn%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/117035449974759659\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=117035449974759659","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/117035449974759659"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/117035449974759659"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/black-lions-inn-no-78-south-street.html","title":"The Black Lions Inn: No. 78, South Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-waPXHQcD_1I\/TzlChZTtArI\/AAAAAAAAE3Q\/UoXg4-fCKHc\/s72-c\/NormanCapital.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-1425406715368137677"},"published":{"$t":"2012-02-06T00:10:00.139+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T22:29:02.657+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Cathedral"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Great East Window, Exeter Cathedral"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WoTJc-jh408\/TzWBp-Ly-UI\/AAAAAAAAE0o\/rvMtQ9NEBtg\/s1600\/East%2BWindow%2B_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707610660829067586\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WoTJc-jh408\/TzWBp-Ly-UI\/AAAAAAAAE0o\/rvMtQ9NEBtg\/s640\/East%2BWindow%2B_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"448\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Great East Window \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E is one of the treasures of the cathedral. Compared with York Minster, Wells, Canterbury and many others, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003EExeter Cathedral\u003C\/a\u003E isn't rich in pre-Reformation glass and few complete or nearly complete medieval windows survive anywhere in Devon. Two of the exceptions are the beautiful late 15th century panels in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/07\/medieval-stained-glass-at.html\"\u003ESt Michael's at Doddiscombsleigh\u003C\/a\u003E, some five miles from Exeter, and the Great East Window at Exeter Cathedral which contains the largest assemblage of medieval glass still surviving in any church in the county.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe history of the Great East Window is very complex as both the window and the stained glass have gone through numerous phases of development. The following account is little more than a summary. The cathedral archive is fortunate in possessing a very large number of fabric rolls. These rolls, actually written on vellum, are the medieval accounts which recorded work carried out on the cathedral's fabric. They are a major source of information relating to the Gothic rebuilding of the present cathedral between c1275 and the 1340s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-YwKxd20_9ys\/TzWCdTn9g1I\/AAAAAAAAE00\/ge6S6aKs07g\/s1600\/Isaiah%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707611542757671762\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-YwKxd20_9ys\/TzWCdTn9g1I\/AAAAAAAAE00\/ge6S6aKs07g\/s640\/Isaiah%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"425\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn 1304 an artisan called \"Master Walter the Glazier\" was paid £4 10s for \"setting the glass of the high gable and 8 high windows and 6 windows in the aisles of the New Work\". The \"New Work\" was the presbytery, including the choir and choir aisles. The \"high windows\" were in the clerestory and the ambulatory but the \"high gable\", the \"summi gabuli\", is believed to refer to the Great East Window itself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EExtensive research outlined by Chris Brooks and David Evans in their 1989 book 'The Great East Window of Exeter Cathedral' has completely rewritten the window's history. Much of the information contained in this post is derived from the book. Prior to their work it was widely believed that the 1304 stained glass in the window was imported from the French city of Rouen by the cathedral authorities and that Master Walter merely fitted the panels himself. However Brooks and Evans have argued that Master Walter was not only part of a local workshop, or atelier, which designed, painted and fitted all of the stained glass in the presbytery, choir, choir aisles and the Great East Window itself, but that the buyers of the glass \"were not the cathedral authorities but the independent atelier engaged in glazing the New Work\". Four other panels associated with this workshop but by a different hand to the panels in the Great East Window still exist in one of the clerestory windows.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-K0PyMLSuWLA\/TzWDqDffN-I\/AAAAAAAAE1A\/uZ18SKgw95M\/s1600\/Moses%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707612861277091810\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-K0PyMLSuWLA\/TzWDqDffN-I\/AAAAAAAAE1A\/uZ18SKgw95M\/s1600\/Moses%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe window which was glazed in 1304 was divided vertically into nine lights, much like the lower tier of the window today. Into each of these nine lights Master Walter set nine different figures. Other figures were installed in the upper openings of the window. Among the panels fitted by Master Walter were three apostles: St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew; three female saints: St Margaret, St Catherine and St Mary Magdalene; and three prophets: Moses, Abraham \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E and Isaiah. The figure of Isaiah in particular \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E is regarded as one of the finest early 14th century examples of stained glass in the country. The nine figures in the lower tier were set within a tall decorative framework. The elaborate canopy of flying buttresses and pinnacles which rose above the heads of each figure was an important part of the overall design and a relatively common feature in glass from c1300.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese panels are the earliest pieces of medieval glass in Britain for which it is possible to assign a known glazier. Even allowing for restoration, it seems remarkable that nine of the  panels created and installed by Master Walter over seven hundred years  ago should still exist in the building for which they were made,  especially when so much of the surrounding medieval city has been  destroyed, including the original masonry of the window itself! Master Walter was still working at the cathedral in 1311 when the fabric rolls record him fitting a window in the clerestory with the help of two young apprentices. His glazing scheme in the Great East Window was to remain intact for less than 90 years.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-dAf2aqCrQHg\/TzWKvOYUNJI\/AAAAAAAAE1k\/qrkp9GR-_us\/s1600\/Edmund%2Bthe%2BMartyr.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707620646680540306\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-dAf2aqCrQHg\/TzWKvOYUNJI\/AAAAAAAAE1k\/qrkp9GR-_us\/s640\/Edmund%2Bthe%2BMartyr.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"444\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EDuring the 1380s it was becoming obvious that the masonry of the window was badly deteriorating, probably the result of poor quality ironwork used in the original construction. Master Walter's glass was removed and the window was dismantled. Its replacement was designed in the Perpendicular style by the cathedral's master mason, Robert Lesyngham. According to the fabric rolls, Lesyngham drew the design on a skin of parchment which was purchased especially for 2d. Like its predecessor, the new window had nine main lights. It was also divided into three tiers with a row of panels containing figures in each tier. Four central mullions extended from the bottom of the sill to the top of the arch with transoms dividing the window into regimented sections. Such rigid linearity was the antithesis of almost every other window in the cathedral, most of which were designed in the Decorated Gothic style.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA new window needed new glass. On 28 April 1391 an Exeter citizen called Robert Lyen was sworn in as the cathedral's glazier and a few weeks later he signed an agreement to glaze the rebuilt east window. But Robert Lyen wasn't just contracted to insert new glass. The agreement makes it clear that the Dean and Chapter wanted Master Walter's earlier glass of 1304 reinserted. For fitting the old glass panels Lyen was paid 3s 4d (40 pence) per week and his assistant was paid 2s (24 pence). Lyen was to receive 20d per foot for the new glass which was required to fill Lesyngham's newly-designed pattern of tracery.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-IYffPRBRhqo\/TzWK3WpeTKI\/AAAAAAAAE1w\/lJl1_05XY6Y\/s1600\/Edward%2Bthe%2BConfessor.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707620786338942114\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-IYffPRBRhqo\/TzWK3WpeTKI\/AAAAAAAAE1w\/lJl1_05XY6Y\/s400\/Edward%2Bthe%2BConfessor.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 297px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESo what exactly was Lyen's contribution to the window in 1391? The first tier of nine large lights were refitted with Master Walter's panels featuring various figures beneath their tall canopies. Some of the early 14th century glass was also reused in the three smaller openings on the third tier at the top of the window. That left a second tier of seven openings into which Robert Lyen installed his own work. Of Lyen's seven panels only four, the two outer panels on each side of the second tier, now survive.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELyen's surviving panels all depict saints: St Sidwella (an 8th century local saint martyred outside the city walls), St Helen, St Edward the Confessor, and St Edmund the Martyr \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E holding two arrows, the symbol of his martyrdom. It's interesting to compare Lyen's figures with those executed by Master Walter nearly a century earlier. Fashion and technology had changed dramatically. The faces are now three-dimensional, naturalistic and delicately detailed (the head of St Edward the Confessor \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E is particularly accomplished) but the robes are less well-defined. Lyen also used yellow stain (silver oxide) and flashed glass in his panels, innovations which were unavailable to Master Walter at the beginning of the 14th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-o17unggtOOY\/TzWQVm5pyAI\/AAAAAAAAE18\/P1l1ELGxt8I\/s1600\/Archangel%2BEast%2BWindow%2BExeter%2BCathedral.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707626803655985154\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-o17unggtOOY\/TzWQVm5pyAI\/AAAAAAAAE18\/P1l1ELGxt8I\/s640\/Archangel%2BEast%2BWindow%2BExeter%2BCathedral.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"453\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe glass in the Great East Window survived as a combination of the 14th century work of both Master Walter and Robert Lyen until the Reformation in the 1530s. Regarded as idolatrous, three of Master Walter's panels in the centre of the lower tier were damaged. The figures were destroyed although the ornate canopies survived and were later restored. Three of Robert Lyen's panels in the centre of the second tier were also destroyed. More destruction occurred during the Commonwealth over a century later. The damage caused to these six panels resulted in the eventual introduction of six more panels of medieval glass.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 1750 the Dean and Chapter decided to restore the Great East Window and instructed the cathedral surveyor \"to take such painted glass as can be spared from several imperfect Windows in the church in order to Compleat and Repair the East Window\". The main focus of these repairs was to be the six panels which had been damaged during the Reformation. The six panels which were installed in 1751 were quarried from a partially damaged or \"imperfect\" window in the Chapter House.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-JTWIQFwU3SI\/TzWRI60ufFI\/AAAAAAAAE2I\/h7lhCDb7wWE\/s1600\/St%2BMichael%2BEast%2BWindow%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707627685177359442\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-JTWIQFwU3SI\/TzWRI60ufFI\/AAAAAAAAE2I\/h7lhCDb7wWE\/s640\/St%2BMichael%2BEast%2BWindow%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"451\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Chapter House glass had been made between 1460 and 1470 in the same workshop as the above-mentioned windows at Doddiscombsleigh. Almost certainly based in Exeter, the 'Doddiscombsleigh workshop' has recently been recognised as a distinctive local school creating stained glass in the late Middle Ages.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs well as at Exeter Cathedral and Doddiscombsleigh, examples of the workshop's output can still be seen at Ashton in Devon and at Winscombe, Pitcombe and Langport in Somerset. The Dean and Chapter possibly commissioned the window from the Doddiscombsleigh workshop as part of the rebuilding of the Chapter House following a serious fire earlier in the 15th century. One glazier seems to have been chiefly responsible for the window. His identity is unknown but Brooks and Evans named him the 'Exeter Cathedral Master'.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe surviving six main panels of what was once the Chapter House window depict an archangel wearing a suit of feathers and carrying a banner \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E; the Archangel Michael wearing a blue robe over a suit of feathers and slaying a red dragon at his feet \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E; and St Catherine holding a sword and the wheel associated with her martyrdom \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-uMafLgD3ZGQ\/TzWR3j3lCAI\/AAAAAAAAE2U\/dYzqDYvFTKQ\/s1600\/St%2BCatherine%2BEast%2BWindow%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707628486469158914\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-uMafLgD3ZGQ\/TzWR3j3lCAI\/AAAAAAAAE2U\/dYzqDYvFTKQ\/s640\/St%2BCatherine%2BEast%2BWindow%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"451\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThere is also a panel depicting St Barbara holding a feather in one hand and a small version of the tower in which she was imprisoned in the other, detail \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E. The Virgin and Child is the tallest of the six panels. Mary is shown wearing a blue robe trimmed with ermine under which is a gold bodice. The final panel shows St Martin depicted as a bishop, wearing a mitre and holding a crozier in his left hand. Although restored and altered, I think these six panels of 15th century stained  glass are some of the most beguilingly lovely and charming works of art  in the entire cathedral.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen most of the Chapter House window was dismembered in 1751 the figures of the archangel, St Michael and St Catherine  were placed in the centre three openings of the second tier where three  of Robert Lyen's 1391 panels had once been. The figures of St Barbara,  the Virgin and Child and St Martin were placed in the three openings of  the lower tier where three of Master Walter's 1304 panels had once been.  Although now much restored, Master Walter's ornate canopies survive in  the centre three lights of the lower tier. Bits of the same window, including a superbly drawn fragment of the Crucifixion and the head of an angel, are scattered throughout the cathedral. When first installed in the Chapter House, the panels seem to have  formed part of a donor window.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-HpSy38Ldtks\/TzWYmLcHoiI\/AAAAAAAAE2g\/J6FdLBmtIdY\/s1600\/St%2BBarbara%2Bdetail.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707635884435153442\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-HpSy38Ldtks\/TzWYmLcHoiI\/AAAAAAAAE2g\/J6FdLBmtIdY\/s400\/St%2BBarbara%2Bdetail.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 292px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThere were once at least four small  accompanying donor panels showing the kneeling figure of a canon. Two of these exist along with a third which is a composite of two others. Another large panel, very similar in appearance to the one depicting the archangel in the suit of feathers, and by the same hand, came onto the market in 1999 and was purchased by the Royal Albert Memorial Museum. The donor canon panels are now together in the Chapel of St John the Evangelist. The Crucifixion and angel's head are in the Chapel of St Gabriel.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe history of the Great East Window from the mid-18th century onwards is largely one of restoration and reorganisation. The glass underwent a major restoration by Frederick Drake between 1884 and 1896. He removed the decorative glass added in the 18th century and much of the heraldry was either restored, moved or replaced. Drake replaced some of Robert Lyen's canopies and bases which had survived since the end of the 14th century. Many of the leaf motif borders surrounding the figures were added, and the dragon, shield and parts of the wings of the 15th century St Michael were restored. All of the faces of Master Walter's 1304 figures on the lower tier were also replaced and replaced yet again in a further restoration between 1985 and 1986.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-CcWl-s51ncI\/TzWnGB65D3I\/AAAAAAAAE2s\/Pi7HVUwPVVA\/s1600\/East%2BWindow%2B_Exeter%2Bkey.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707651824798470002\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-CcWl-s51ncI\/TzWnGB65D3I\/AAAAAAAAE2s\/Pi7HVUwPVVA\/s400\/East%2BWindow%2B_Exeter%2Bkey.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 295px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn fact the list of post-18th century alterations is enormous. Brooks and Evans' book goes into great detail about the later history of the window for anyone interested. At the outbreak of World War Two the glass was removed from the window and stored at Sydenham Manor. The cathedral received a direct hit from a high-explosive bomb in 1942 and, if it had still been in the building, the glass would've been destroyed. It was reinstalled in 1948 and cleaned, repaired and releaded between 1982 and 1986.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows a colour-coded photograph of the Great East Window based on a similar diagram in Pevsner and Cherry's architectural guide to the county. Master Walter's nine surviving figures from 1304, six with tall canopies, are highlighted in red. His three much-restored canopies in the centre of the lower tier are also highlighted in red. Robert Lyen's four surviving panels from 1391 are highlighted in purple. The six 'Doddiscombsleigh workshop' panels of c1470, which were formerly in the Chapter House, are highlighted in green. Other decorative elements of the former Chapter House window are highlighted in yellow and act as the bases to eight of the lower tier panels.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAll of the figures have  undergone some restoration or alteration but they have all retain their medieval  integrity to some extent. The original iconography has also been lost (for example, there are now two depictions of St Catherine in the same window) but the Great East Window remains an important collection of pre-Reformaton stained glass.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-P-oX5cK4nWI\/TzY_X2U2isI\/AAAAAAAAE3E\/eJT1lB646ls\/s1600\/Untitled.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707819256691198658\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-P-oX5cK4nWI\/TzY_X2U2isI\/AAAAAAAAE3E\/eJT1lB646ls\/s640\/Untitled.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"612\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1425406715368137677\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=1425406715368137677","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1425406715368137677"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1425406715368137677"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/great-east-window-exeter-cathedral.html","title":"The Great East Window, Exeter Cathedral"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WoTJc-jh408\/TzWBp-Ly-UI\/AAAAAAAAE0o\/rvMtQ9NEBtg\/s72-c\/East%2BWindow%2B_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-7892476033601126481"},"published":{"$t":"2012-02-02T15:56:00.083+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-21T01:09:03.039+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Cathedral"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"A Brief History of Exeter Cathedral"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-h7qLHKC5EBA\/TyvEtyl1MxI\/AAAAAAAAEjA\/CWxjvmJoAck\/s1600\/Vaulting%2BExeter%2Bii.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704869643948471058\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-h7qLHKC5EBA\/TyvEtyl1MxI\/AAAAAAAAEjA\/CWxjvmJoAck\/s640\/Vaulting%2BExeter%2Bii.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EExeter Cathedral is not only the city's finest building. It is also the most celebrated example of Decorated Gothic architecture in England and one of the most lovely medieval structures in Europe.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe interior, in particular, is of remarkable beauty and successfully pulls off the difficult trick of being both intimate and spectacular. In many ways the cathedral \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eis\u003C\/span\u003E Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is impossible to imagine the city without it. As a former chancellor once said: \"Nowhere is there a cathedral of greater originality, of more complete harmony, of more obvious and striking unity\". Although it is probably overshadowed in the popular imagination by other English cathedrals which are significantly larger or older or taller or more immediately impressive, in its own way Exeter Cathedral is incomparable. It is filled with wonderful things. The 300ft unbroken stretch of tierceron rib vaulting has been called \"the longest and probably finest Gothic vista in the world\". The cathedral has the oldest existing set of misericords in the country, an image screen of 14th century sculpture which is amongst the most complete in England and a vast early-14th century bishop's throne described as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/05\/exeter-cathedral-bishops-throne.html\"\u003E\"the most exquisite piece of woodwork of its date in England and perhaps in Europe\"\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-zo1M7JYlgbI\/TyvlmMw4wCI\/AAAAAAAAEjY\/24NqgcgrRfs\/s1600\/Nave%2Bbosses.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704905797418926114\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-zo1M7JYlgbI\/TyvlmMw4wCI\/AAAAAAAAEjY\/24NqgcgrRfs\/s640\/Nave%2Bbosses.JPG\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt has the 'Exon Domesday' of 1068 and the 'Exeter Book', donated by the cathedral's first bishop and which is the largest single collection of Anglo-Saxon literature in existence. Until the construction of Liverpool's Anglican cathedral in the 20th century, the south tower had the heaviest peal of bells in the world. There is a late-15th century astronomical clock, a \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/great-east-window-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003Egreat east window\u003C\/a\u003E of 14th and 15th century stained glass and two enormous Norman towers which stand above the transepts in an arrangement which is unique in any cathedral in Britain.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMuch of the beauty is in the detail, in the harmonious arrangement of pillars and arches, in the subtle use of coloured stone and in over 400 medieval bosses carved with breathtaking virtuosity depicting dogs and dragons, mermaids, pelicans, owls, lions, cats and calfs, rabbits, kings, queens, knights and bishops, and foliage and flowers of incredible botanical naturalism. And it is set within the Cathedral Close with its medieval canons houses which, together with the cathedral itself, comprise one of England's most  charming and picturesque townscapes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-LXhC0yOan0Q\/Tywc7mg1SNI\/AAAAAAAAEk4\/2REXMBDqelY\/s1600\/Tomb_angel.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704966638247692498\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-LXhC0yOan0Q\/Tywc7mg1SNI\/AAAAAAAAEk4\/2REXMBDqelY\/s640\/Tomb_angel.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"459\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EUnlike many English cathedrals, the vast bulk of the building has remained essentially unchanged since it was completed in c1342. There have been no collapses of towers, or damaging fires, or reconstructions of west fronts by over-enthusiastic restorers, although the Nazis tried and failed to obliterate it in 1942.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlthough it is a complex building, the history of its construction is relatively straightforward. The site of the Cathedral Precinct has been occupied for nearly 2000 years. In c50AD it was part of a 42 acre fortress built by the Second Augustan Legion. The extensive remains of the bath house built and used by the Roman soldiers still lies under the steps leading to the cathedral's west front. (The bath house was one of the largest and most elaborate ever to be built in early Roman Britain). By c200AD the site of the bath house had been incorporated into a basilica. There would've been a shrine here dedicated to a pagan deity. At the end of the 5th century the basilica complex was being used for pre-Saxon Christian burials. It's possible that the basilica itself had been converted into a centre for Christian worship prior to the withdrawal of the Empire from the British Isles in the early 400s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-WERqszGYisI\/TywRkYj3RTI\/AAAAAAAAEkU\/B1qLRWNmngk\/s1600\/Location%2Bof%2BSaxon%2BMinster_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704954144737412402\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-WERqszGYisI\/TywRkYj3RTI\/AAAAAAAAEkU\/B1qLRWNmngk\/s640\/Location%2Bof%2BSaxon%2BMinster_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"485\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EA monastery had been founded on a site just west of the present cathedral before c690AD, in the same location as the pre-existing 5th century cemetery and old Roman basilica. It was probably at Abbot Wulfhard's monastery that St Boniface, the patron saint of Germany, began his education at the end of the 7th century. It seems that the monastery was refounded as a Benedictine establishment dedicated to St Peter and St Mary by the Anglo-Saxon King Athelstan in c932, by which time Exeter was about the sixth most prosperous settlement in Britain.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe monastery was rebuilt by Cnut in 1018 after the Anglo-Saxon town was devastated by the Danish king, Sweyn Forkbeard, in 1003 possibly as revenge for the death of his sister during the St Brice's Day Massacre. The raid also probably destroyed numerous documents relating to the earlier monastery making it difficult to be precise about various dates and facts. The detail from Hedgeland's model of Exeter \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E shows part of the Cathedral Precinct as it appeared towards the end of the 18th century. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003EThe church of St Mary Major\u003C\/a\u003E, highlighted in red, was on the site of the late Saxon minster which became Exeter's first cathedral. Although the church had been altered in the late Middle Ages, it's highly likely that some fabric from the minster remained within the church walls until it was demolished in 1865.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Rp9MnmSAu7k\/TywUkz4S1WI\/AAAAAAAAEks\/WHOt-AOqPKw\/s1600\/saxon%2Bseal.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704957450605745506\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Rp9MnmSAu7k\/TywUkz4S1WI\/AAAAAAAAEks\/WHOt-AOqPKw\/s400\/saxon%2Bseal.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 360px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 327px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn 1050 the Bishop of Crediton, Leofric, received papal approval to move the See from Crediton to the more secure town of Exeter, still surrounded as it was by much of its 800-year-old Roman \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Edefensive wall\u003C\/a\u003E. The Diocese of Crediton had been created in 909 to cover the two counties of Devon and Cornwall. With the relocation of Leofric's throne (or 'cathedra') Exeter became a cathedral city. Leofric didn't even need to build a new church as the active Benedictine monastery at Exeter already had a fully-functioning minster.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis minster, approximately 75ft west of the present cathedral, was Exeter's first cathedral and it was here, probably on St Peter's Day in 1050, that Leofric was enthroned as the first Bishop of Exeter in the presence of Edward the Confessor himself. The monks at the monastery became the first canons of the new cathedral. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E is a  drawing of the first seal which was used by the Cathedral Chapter. Its  earliest surviving appearance is on a document from 1133. The seal  probably depicts the Saxon cathedral where Leofric was enthroned in 1050. Unfortunately it's not possible to gauge the architectural accuracy of the illustration. It is known that Leofric's minster had a very simple layout with no aisles but with an eastern apse, a chapel or porch and probably a crypt where Leofric was interred in 1072. It certainly had a bell tower as well. When Leofric arrived in 1050 he found seven bells already installed. It was also probably built largely from materials reclaimed from the ruined public buildings of the Roman city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-8Lwhxo82Kpw\/Ty1qldFQscI\/AAAAAAAAElo\/B-QTFcYFSwg\/s1600\/south_tower%2Bexeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705333494642684354\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-8Lwhxo82Kpw\/Ty1qldFQscI\/AAAAAAAAElo\/B-QTFcYFSwg\/s640\/south_tower%2Bexeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"492\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe continuity of occupation and the sheer depth of the history spanning almost exactly an entire millennium is extraordinary: Roman military bath house and civilian basilica to early-Christian cemetery, Saxon monastery to late Anglo-Saxon cathedral, and the Battle of Hastings is still 16 years in the future.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's worth remembering that the old minster functioned as Exeter's first cathedral for 83 long years. It was still being used, and Leofric was still the bishop, when William the Conqueror turned up outside the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\"\u003EEast Gate\u003C\/a\u003E and laid siege to the city in 1068, and it was still being used in the 1110s when William Warelwast, the third Bishop of Exeter and allegedly the Conqueror's nephew, decided to replace the Saxon cathedral with a new Romanesque building. Work began in 1112 on a new site slightly to the east of the Saxon cathedral, although the minster continued to be used for cathedral services until 1133. The new cathedral was predominantly built from a pale sandstone quarried at Salcombe Regis in East Devon with an inner rubble core of purple volcanic trap quarried from sites around Exeter. Compared with its Saxon predecessor, the Romanesque cathedral was gigantic. It was the same width as the current cathedral and extended for approximately 270ft (82m) from the west front seen today as far as the second bay of the choir. The eastern end had a five-sided main apse.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-scJD6pNAxj8\/TyyAAW5hFkI\/AAAAAAAAElc\/5-TYEU8WLRA\/s1600\/P1263307.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705075571606754882\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-scJD6pNAxj8\/TyyAAW5hFkI\/AAAAAAAAElc\/5-TYEU8WLRA\/s400\/P1263307.JPG\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 300px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe first part to be completed was the eastern arm which was consecrated in 1133 although the minster church was retained and used as the parish church of St Mary Major for over 730 years. The two tremendous transept towers, both of which survive today, were built in stages between c1120 and c1170 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E. Each tower is over 140ft (44m) high and ornamented with dog-tooth decoration, blind arcading and (on the south tower\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E left\u003C\/span\u003E) blind occuli. Each tower is slightly different although both were originally capped with a squat, four-sided spire.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is not known why the Norman cathedral was given transeptal towers instead of a central crossing tower. Such an arrangement has few parallels anywhere in Europe, although the abbey church of Cluny III has been proposed as a model. It has also been speculated that the collapse of the central tower at Winchester Cathedral at the beginning of the 12th century might've dissuaded Warelwast from repeating the design at Exeter. When completed in c1170, the Romanesque cathedral at Exeter would've been overwhelmingly larger than anything else ever built in the southwest peninsula of England up to that point, an expression of political and military power as much as it was a building for spiritual enlightenment. More like a castle than a cathedral, it is difficult to imagine the impression it must've made on Exeter's population. Work continued even after the main bulk of the building had been completed. The chapter house was added by Bishop Brewer in c1225, the misericords were carved between 1230 and 1270 and various tombs were installed, including one for Leofric whose remains were transferred from the former minster.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-LZC-3DDMWvg\/Ty5kAWyKSAI\/AAAAAAAAEm8\/G7fSojJR0G4\/s1600\/Exeter%2BCathedral_West%2BFront.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705607735203743746\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-LZC-3DDMWvg\/Ty5kAWyKSAI\/AAAAAAAAEm8\/G7fSojJR0G4\/s640\/Exeter%2BCathedral_West%2BFront.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"466\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Norman cathedral was less than a century old when Exeter's bishop, Walter Bronescombe, attended the consecration of Salisbury's newly-built cathedral in 1258. The Early English Gothic architecture at Salisbury, with its lavish use of pointed arches and large window openings, is believed to have inspired Bronescombe to plan rebuilding the cathedral at Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBetween c1275 and c1342 the entire cathedral was rebuilt, except for the two 12th century transept towers. It is this version of the cathedral which can still be seen today. The architectural style was to be the newly-emerging Decorated Gothic, especially in its geometric form, a style characterised by an increasing elaboration of the vaulting and window tracery and by a proliferation of flowing and naturalistic carving.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPreparations had probably begun by c1270 and construction work by c1275. The eastern arm of the Romanesque cathedral was demolished and much of the rubble was used to level the ground to the east. This created a level platform on which the Lady Chapel and ambulatory could be built, approximately 100ft beyond the end of the Romanesque building. The flanking chapels of St James and St Andrew were ready for glazing in 1279 although the Lady Chapel was only at window sill level in 1280 when Bishop Bronescombe died. The interior walls of the north and south towers were thrown down in 1286 and work on the choir went on throughout the 1280s and 1290s. The retention of the two Norman towers dictated the height of the vaulting to some extent, which remains low in comparison with many others.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-SzpE5kfsZVY\/Ty2rbHOn5QI\/AAAAAAAAEmA\/dyNCiLc6FKQ\/s1600\/Exeter%2BPillar.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705404785233487106\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-SzpE5kfsZVY\/Ty2rbHOn5QI\/AAAAAAAAEmA\/dyNCiLc6FKQ\/s400\/Exeter%2BPillar.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 313px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThere are some stylistic differences in the earlier phases of the rebuilding but in c1290, during the construction of the choir, the second master mason involved in the overall design of the building discovered one of the architectural keys which would unlock the entire building: the Exeter pillar\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003EThis pillar \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E appears for the first time in the cathedral behind the High Altar, after the construction of the Lady Chapel and other eastern chapels. It consists of 16 shafts of Purbeck marble grouped together into a single column, possibly inspired by similar clustered shafts at Old St. Paul's in London. From this point onwards the Exeter pillar was used as the template for nearly all of the other supporting pillars in the cathedral. The pattern of the tierceron vaulting was established at the same time. Using more tiercerons than anywhere else, the master mason conceived of a vault which was more opulent than anything else in England at the time. This mason, known as the Exeter Master, didn't create a new style. He simply used a pre-existing style and took it beyond anything that anyone had attempted before.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z3Y4EWStfAo\/Ty23efnStyI\/AAAAAAAAEmM\/x0l_P3UFPo0\/s1600\/Choir%2Bwall.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705418037458548514\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z3Y4EWStfAo\/Ty23efnStyI\/AAAAAAAAEmM\/x0l_P3UFPo0\/s640\/Choir%2Bwall.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"461\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EConstruction continued westwards. A succession of different bishops were enthroned and at least six master masons, including the unknown Exeter Master responsible for most of the overall design, came and went, but the template remained the same. It is this general uniformity of style, and the inspired quality of its execution, which makes Exeter Cathedral the epitome of Decorated Gothic architecture.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe entire eastern arm, including the choir \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E, was structurally complete by c1310 and the High Altar was dedicated in 1328. The nave was then demolished down to the current level of the window sills and the western arm rebuilt in the same style as the rest of the cathedral \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E. Despite the decades which had passed since the design was initiated, the master masons who supervised the rebuilding generally respected the stylistic direction of their predecessor's work. The only major exception would be the installation by Thomas of Witney  of the triforium in the already completed presbytery c1315. As Pevsner and Cherry state, \"evolution can only be seen in the details\", particularly in the carving of the ceiling bosses as the work progressed from east to west.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe west gable was completed in 1342 and this is probably when the main  works ceased, although the lower two tiers of the image screen on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/05\/exeter-cathedral-evolution-of-the-west.html\"\u003Ethe  west front\u003C\/a\u003E and the Minstrels' Gallery in the nave were added  between c1342 and c1360. The cloisters were rebuilt c1377 and one of the last projects of the Middle Ages was the rebuilding of the roof of the Chapter House between 1465 and 1478 which had been damaged by fire earlier in the 15th century. (More about the areas above the vault can be found \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/above-cathedral-vault-i.html\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z1rmZz0Hxp0\/Ty3DqMw5TqI\/AAAAAAAAEmY\/IDqZeJhz5kg\/s1600\/Nave%2Blooking%2Bwest.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705431432696516258\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z1rmZz0Hxp0\/Ty3DqMw5TqI\/AAAAAAAAEmY\/IDqZeJhz5kg\/s640\/Nave%2Blooking%2Bwest.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"469\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt's difficult to comprehend the number of people who must've laboured their lives away on the cathedral, or the busy hands that spent years carving stone and wood, or the sheer physical effort involved in hauling the building out of the ground, but as a unified architectural vision Exeter Cathedral is stupendous, a testament to the imagination and determination of its medieval creators.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELike most other cathedrals in England, Exeter Cathedral has experienced its share of vicissitudes since it was completed. The altars were dismantled during the Reformation. Bishop Stapledon's silver retable and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/05\/exeter-cathedral-bishop-stapledons-lost.html\"\u003Ecolossal stone reredos\u003C\/a\u003E, bristling with up to forty-eight statues, were destroyed. Worse occurred during the Commonwealth when the cloisters were demolished in 1657 and the space used as a cloth market. Much of the stained glass was also destroyed and some of the iconography was defaced, although fortunately the 14th century image screen mostly survived intact. The medieval choir stalls were also demolished in order to accommodate pews for the Presbyterians (part of the choir stalls were installed in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/st-lawrences-church-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Lawrence's church\u003C\/a\u003E before they were destroyed in 1942.) The medieval cathedral was saturated with colour and much of this has been lost in the subsequent centuries. A major restoration was carried out under George Gilbert Scott between 1870 and 1877 but this was relatively sympathetic e.g. Scott refused to destroy the pulpitum of 1324 as some of his critics had demanded. Scott replaced the post-Restoration choir stalls but reused the 13th century misericords which had been carved for the Romanesque cathedral.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-DsQBMn5QJKQ\/Ty3MnqNpMqI\/AAAAAAAAEmk\/PkCb1pT3S48\/s1600\/Cathedral%2Baerial%2Bplan.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705441284666765986\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-DsQBMn5QJKQ\/Ty3MnqNpMqI\/AAAAAAAAEmk\/PkCb1pT3S48\/s640\/Cathedral%2Baerial%2Bplan.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"474\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn 1939 the Bishop's Throne was dismantled and, along with the medieval glass from the east window, the misericords and the superb effigy of Bishop Bronescombe, was removed from the cathedral for safe-keeping. It seems unlikely that Exeter would've been targeted during World War Two if it hadn't been for the cathedral. Its complete destruction was the ultimate aim of the devastating air-raid of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E. The late 13th century St James's chapel was completely destroyed by a high-explosive bomb. Many of the memorials were shattered along with the medieval side-screen, and much of the Victorian and  Edwardian stained glass throughout the cathedral was blown out but the damage was repaired between 1945 and 1953.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA perhaps unfortunate attempt was made in the early 1970s to repaint some of the ceiling bosses in the nave but this was abandoned in favour of a more sensitive cleaning operation which revealed traces of the original paintwork. Although most people experience the cathedral via its west front, the finest view of the exterior is probably from the east and the grounds of the Bishop's Palace, which aren't frequently open to the public \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E. (A Red Coat guided tour does include them though for anyone interested.) From there the bulk of the cathedral and its two flanking towers rises from behind the Lady Chapel in a beautiful series of diminishing pinnacles and flying buttresses.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E shows an aerial view of the cathedral with some of the key areas numbered as follows: \u003Cb\u003E1\u003C\/b\u003E Nave; \u003Cb\u003E2\u003C\/b\u003E Choir; \u003Cb\u003E3\u003C\/b\u003E Lady Chapel; \u003Cb\u003E4\u003C\/b\u003E North Tower; \u003Cb\u003E5\u003C\/b\u003E South Tower; \u003Cb\u003E6\u003C\/b\u003E St Gabriel's Chapel; \u003Cb\u003E7\u003C\/b\u003E St John the Evangelist's Chapel; \u003Cb\u003E8\u003C\/b\u003E Oldham Chantry; \u003Cb\u003E9\u003C\/b\u003E Speke Chantry; \u003Cb\u003E10\u003C\/b\u003E St James' Chapel; \u003Cb\u003E11\u003C\/b\u003E St Andrew's Chapel; \u003Cb\u003E12\u003C\/b\u003E St John the Baptist's Chapel; \u003Cb\u003E13\u003C\/b\u003E St Paul's Chapel; \u003Cb\u003E14\u003C\/b\u003E North Porch; \u003Cb\u003E15\u003C\/b\u003E St Edmund's Chapel; \u003Cb\u003E16\u003C\/b\u003E St Radegund's Chapel; \u003Cb\u003E17\u003C\/b\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/05\/exeter-cathedral-evolution-of-the-west.html\"\u003EWest Front\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/05\/exeter-cathedral-image-screen.html\"\u003EImage Screen\u003C\/a\u003E; \u003Cb\u003E18\u003C\/b\u003E Chapter House; \u003Cb\u003E19\u003C\/b\u003E Cloisters; \u003Cb\u003E20\u003C\/b\u003E Bishop's Palace.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Rm9-omed_iI\/T14GYnFOTBI\/AAAAAAAAFQQ\/0mfQstqs6ls\/s1600\/Cathedral%2Beast%2Bview.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"509\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719015596684626962\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Rm9-omed_iI\/T14GYnFOTBI\/AAAAAAAAFQQ\/0mfQstqs6ls\/s640\/Cathedral%2Beast%2Bview.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/7892476033601126481\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=7892476033601126481","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7892476033601126481"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7892476033601126481"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html","title":"A Brief History of Exeter Cathedral"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-h7qLHKC5EBA\/TyvEtyl1MxI\/AAAAAAAAEjA\/CWxjvmJoAck\/s72-c\/Vaulting%2BExeter%2Bii.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-2565258493101084588"},"published":{"$t":"2012-01-31T22:33:00.046+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T22:16:46.753+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"South Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Paragon House: No. 75, South Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-bRcHTELCx4Y\/TyhvR6Jo8nI\/AAAAAAAAEgw\/sOY17aTeh8M\/s1600\/Paragon_House_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703931281522881138\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-bRcHTELCx4Y\/TyhvR6Jo8nI\/AAAAAAAAEgw\/sOY17aTeh8M\/s1600\/Paragon_House_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThat Paragon House in South Street was destroyed before it could be investigated makes it one of the city's most frustrating and tragic architectural losses. Surviving records indicate that it was a complex building of medieval origin, a remarkable palimpsest to which centuries of history had adhered like barnacles. There are so many questions and so few answers but it's possible to provide a basic description of the building as it existed prior to its destruction in 1942.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EParagon House wasn't actually located on South Street at all but was set well back from the street, hidden behind other buildings. It seems that access into the house was from two sources. One entrance was via a narrow covered passageway which ran underneath No. 74 South Street. This pedestrian passageway exited into a small paved courtyard and directly ahead would've been the facade of Paragon House, as shown in the drawing\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E above left\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council. The second entrance was via Coombe Street which ran to the south of the property. Paragon House was of sufficient importance to be individually labelled on the 1876 Ordnance Survey map. This same map shows that a much wider passageway, probably suitable for carriages, ran underneath one of the buildings on Coombe Street and into a courtyard near Paragon House.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-HhVaPetZISg\/Tyh6NU7lqJI\/AAAAAAAAEg8\/cs1qwxH1wXc\/s1600\/Paragon%2BHouse_2011_1905.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703943297440262290\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-HhVaPetZISg\/Tyh6NU7lqJI\/AAAAAAAAEg8\/cs1qwxH1wXc\/s400\/Paragon%2BHouse_2011_1905.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 328px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows a detail from the map of 1905 overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area. Paragon House is highlighted in red. The pedestrian passageway from South Street leading to the small courtyard in front of Paragon House is highlighted in purple. The wider passageway from Coombe Street is highlighted in green. The White Hart inn is just visible in the bottom right corner. Both the 1876 and 1905 maps show a large garden existing behind the house.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe name of the house was connected with two terraces built in the 1820s and described in 1892 as being \"18 very  convenient and substantial brick-built dwelling houses known as Paragon  Place.\" These five-roomed houses are also visible on the map. Paragon Place was accessed through yet another covered passageway off South Street and the lane which ran through Paragon Place passed the side wall and part of the garden of Paragon House. Presumably the terraces were named after the house and not the other way around although I don't know why or when Paragon House first acquired its name.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-6TvBZMkbo1o\/TyiHcofLOCI\/AAAAAAAAEhI\/M5IjeIYV3u8\/s1600\/Paragon%2BHouse%2BSouth%2BSt%2B1942%2BWCSL%2Bc1890.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703957854038997026\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-6TvBZMkbo1o\/TyiHcofLOCI\/AAAAAAAAEhI\/M5IjeIYV3u8\/s400\/Paragon%2BHouse%2BSouth%2BSt%2B1942%2BWCSL%2Bc1890.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 295px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe name only appears once in the 'Exeter Flying Post' throughout the entire 19th century but it is almost certainly the property which was advertised for rental on a five-year lease in 1851, 1852 and again in 1856. It seems that Paragon House was being let with a number of buildings  formerly belonging to a prosperous wine merchant called William Drewe. The 1851 advertisement describes the property as possessing \"ample accommodation for a genteel family\" having undergone \"extensive alterations and improvements\" during \"the last few years\". In 1856 the property, Lot 1, was listed as a \"desirable and spacious family house...situate in South Street and Coombe Street\". At the rear was a \"coach house and stables, and large courtlage, with entrance from Coombe Street\" as well as \"an ornamented walled garden, occupying an area of about a quarter of an acre\". It seems highly likely that this was Paragon House as it was the only property in the vicinity with a significant private garden. The aerial view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E from c1930 shows the crowded roof tops of houses on South Street. The large brick block of Paragon House, some distance from the other frontages on South Street, is highlighted in red. The photograph doesn't show much detail of the house but it does reveal its scale in comparison with many of the surrounding properties.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-mCdDKHTxvLQ\/Tyl4lZOop9I\/AAAAAAAAEhU\/K-cuYa1tAb4\/s1600\/Paragon%2BHouse%2Baerial.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704222986864207826\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-mCdDKHTxvLQ\/Tyl4lZOop9I\/AAAAAAAAEhU\/K-cuYa1tAb4\/s400\/Paragon%2BHouse%2Baerial.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 300px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBy the 1870s Paragon House was occupied by John Gullett Geare, one of the solicitors who dealt with letting the property in the 1850s. John Geare sat on the board of directors for the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/west-of-england-fire-and-life-insurance.html\"\u003EWest  of England Fire and Life  Insurance Company\u003C\/a\u003E, for which he also acted as  president. He was  the vice-president for the Institution for the  Blind as well as being a  board member for the West of England Eye  Infirmary. An 1879 directory shows that No. 74 South Street, the building with the narrow passageway off South Street which led to Paragon House, was a wine merchant's. Also included in the details for No. 74, but not given its own street number, is \"Geare Mr. John, Paragon House\", although Paragon House is listed as \"No. 75 South Street\" in the 1881 census. When John Geare died in 1894 his obituary in the 'Exeter Flying Post' stated that he was \"formerly of Paragon House\". At the time of his death he was resident in a large detached house at \"No. 1 Fair Park\" (i.e. Fairpark Road in St Leonard's. The house still exists and is now a complementary health centre). Few records survive of Paragon House. There are a series of at least five tantalising drawings of the property in the Westcountry Studies Library, four  of the interior and one of the exterior, all labelled \"Paragon House,  South Street, Exeter\", all dated to approximately 1890 and all  \"presented by the executor of the late Mrs Overmass\". Some of these images are reproduced here, all © Devon County Council, and from these drawings it's possible to theorise about the history of the house.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-csJqAmFzFtI\/Tyl69a74oOI\/AAAAAAAAEhg\/Hlj_CDdGRtg\/s1600\/Paragon%2BHouse%2BSouth%2BSt%2Bc1890%2BWCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704225598662549730\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-csJqAmFzFtI\/Tyl69a74oOI\/AAAAAAAAEhg\/Hlj_CDdGRtg\/s640\/Paragon%2BHouse%2BSouth%2BSt%2Bc1890%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E It seems that in the 14th or 15th century at least part of the site of Paragon House was occupied by a substantial medieval property. One of the drawings in the Westcountry Studies Library (not shown here) depicts a room in Paragon House which had retained significant medieval features, including massive ceiling beams and a large stone fireplace of a type which was once found in many of Exeter's larger medieval houses. There are no windows visible in the drawing and narrow steps can be seen ascending to an upper floor. This room was possibly located in the cellars of Paragon House although it might once have been the ground floor of the medieval building. The fact that the ground floor of Paragon House was raised above the surface level of the outer courtyard perhaps supports this theory. At the end of the 17th century the medieval house was almost completely remodelled, apparently resulting in the property which largely survived into the 20th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA date of 1675 existed on one of the exterior rainwater heads, perhaps commemorating the year that the work was completed. Much of the medieval house was probably swept away and replaced with a large brick-built block. The rebuilding might've been the result of a fire, as happened at No. 8 Cathedral Close in the 1690s, or because the owner simply wished to rebuild on the site of an already existing townhouse. Large brick houses of the late 17th century were never common in Exeter but the rebuilding of Paragon House in the 1670s made it coeval with the Custom House, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/no-40-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 40 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/notaries-house-no-8-cathedral-close.html\"\u003ENotaries' House\u003C\/a\u003E. Such buildings introduced a profoundly different style of architecture into Exeter which had rarely been seen before, and Paragon House would've been one of the earliest examples of this new development.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-dmA1jt3n9wQ\/Tyl8JGdfKCI\/AAAAAAAAEhs\/-60iBQxIu0g\/s1600\/Paragon%2BHouse%2BSouth%2BSt%2Bii%2Bc1890%2BWCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704226898836400162\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-dmA1jt3n9wQ\/Tyl8JGdfKCI\/AAAAAAAAEhs\/-60iBQxIu0g\/s400\/Paragon%2BHouse%2BSouth%2BSt%2Bii%2Bc1890%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 293px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe surviving images of Paragon House show that it was one of the most important and interesting domestic buildings in the city. The attractive late-17th century facade was embellished with tall ground floor decorative brick panels. Steps rose to the front door with a cornice above the  entrance supported on brackets. Three small rectangular panes helped to  light the interior. At some point a later structure  had been built to the left, obscuring one of the ground floor windows  and resulting in the blocking up of one of the first floor windows. The front door opened directly into a parlour which was clad in late-17th century panelling. Inset into one wall was an 18th century fireplace with dog-leg jambs and scrolled consoles. There was also an impressive panelled hallway which had a superb late-17th century staircase of turned balusters, wide treads and a substantial handrail.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe house had certainly been modified again when the windows were replaced, probably in the late 18th century. There are indications that some sections of the panelling had been moved and reinstalled, possibly when the fireplace was altered, and it's unlikely that an entrance door originally opened directly into the parlour. And, as mentioned above, further alterations took place in the mid-19th century. The rendered facade which overlooked the garden appeared to have been part of a later alteration too. But who rebuilt the house in the late 17th century? What was the nature of the medieval building which it replaced? Why were the medieval fragments set so far back from the rest of South Street? The Abbots of Tavistock Abbey and the Priors of Plympton Priory both had large residences on South Street and the street, as one of Exeter's main thoroughfares, would've been the location for some magnificent properties (the Abbots' townhouse became the Bear inn and part of the Priors' townhouse became the Black Lions inn, both now demolished.) Was the surviving medieval fabric once part of a larger complex of buildings? What else remained hidden away in the house, obscured by later alterations?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-erLovUDkUgA\/Tymy7wG65LI\/AAAAAAAAEiQ\/yIW-WAhLqwA\/s1600\/PB021875.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704287142637397170\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-erLovUDkUgA\/Tymy7wG65LI\/AAAAAAAAEiQ\/yIW-WAhLqwA\/s400\/PB021875.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 308px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt's worth repeating that \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Every\u003C\/span\u003E little is known about the history of Paragon House. The fact remains that here was an exceptional late 17th century brick-built house in the city centre with important surviving interiors and substantial medieval  fragments which was never investigated or surveyed and which seems to have been completely missed by 19th and early 20th century antiquarians. Nor is it mentioned by Richardson and Gill in their 1924 book 'Regional Architecture of the West of England'. There are no plans of the layout of the interior. There isn't a list of the rooms or the features which they contained, although the property's location behind other houses in South Street meant that it was probably easily overlooked. It's extraordinary that a building which appeared to be of such great interest could have such a small presence in the historical record.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDisastrously, Paragon House was completely destroyed during the air-raid of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E. During the post-war reconstruction the garden was built over and the site of the house now lies beneath the startlingly vast and unpleasant 1960s block known as Concord House \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E which dominates South Street and the surrounding area. The questions surrounding Paragon House and its medieval predecessor will probably always remain unanswered.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2565258493101084588\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=2565258493101084588","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2565258493101084588"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2565258493101084588"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/paragon-house-no-75-south-street.html","title":"Paragon House: No. 75, South Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-bRcHTELCx4Y\/TyhvR6Jo8nI\/AAAAAAAAEgw\/sOY17aTeh8M\/s72-c\/Paragon_House_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-7551962177293433577"},"published":{"$t":"2012-01-23T19:01:00.048+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T22:13:55.979+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Chancellor's House: No. 15, Cathedral Close"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-dPP6HiIcevk\/Tx2viwCcutI\/AAAAAAAAEa8\/Ng-R0Q_qfLQ\/s1600\/Chancellors%2BHouse%2BExeter.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"511\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700905714866502354\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-dPP6HiIcevk\/Tx2viwCcutI\/AAAAAAAAEa8\/Ng-R0Q_qfLQ\/s640\/Chancellors%2BHouse%2BExeter.JPG\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EMuch like the Deanery on the opposite side of the Cathedral Precinct, the former Chancellor's House is squirrelled away behind a high wall \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. It's a difficult building to see and it's not open to the public, but it has a very long history and some interesting features remain inside.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAccording to Lega-Weekes, the chancellorship at Exeter Cathedral was established in 1225 by Bishop Brewer and the first person to hold the title was Henry of Warwick (who died on 28 April 1227). During the late Middle Ages the chancellor's duties revolved around education and ranged from lecturing the other members of the clergy on divinity and Canon law to overseeing the running of the cathedral library.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-OFpJBzgbeHc\/TyHrF2lKNDI\/AAAAAAAAEc0\/gCc5QD9kmZI\/s1600\/Chancellors%2BHouse%2BExeter%2Baerial%2Bview.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702097089011004466\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-OFpJBzgbeHc\/TyHrF2lKNDI\/AAAAAAAAEc0\/gCc5QD9kmZI\/s640\/Chancellors%2BHouse%2BExeter%2Baerial%2Bview.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"481\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAlthough it no longer fulfills that function, the Chancellor's House at Exeter has been on the same site since c1300. It's not known exactly when it was built but Allan and Dyer cite a possible date of between 1281 and 1321. It was constructed in what was then part of the grounds of the Bishop's Palace. As it stands today, the residence consists of two large adjoining ranges of accommodation, a west range and an east range.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E was taken from the top of the Cathedral's north tower and shows the half-timbered rear of the west range. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E shows the brick facade of the east range. The two ranges are easily distinguishable by their separate hipped roofs. The wooden gate in the wall just visible near the bottom right corner is a reminder that the medieval bishop used a similar gate in a similar location as a shortcut to get from his palace to the north side of the Cathedral Precinct after the Chancellor's House had been constructed c1300. Like many of the other residences in the Cathedral Precinct, the Chancellor's House was probably significantly remodelled in the 15th century. Unfortunately relatively few details seem to be known about its medieval form. If it was anything like the Deanery, the Chantry or the Treasurer's House then it would've consisted of a complex of rooms occupying a large area.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-w-UJUyrH1r8\/TyH2UycZsSI\/AAAAAAAAEdA\/g9w91wRNGNI\/s1600\/Chancellors%2BHouse%2BHedgeland.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702109440226472226\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-w-UJUyrH1r8\/TyH2UycZsSI\/AAAAAAAAEdA\/g9w91wRNGNI\/s400\/Chancellors%2BHouse%2BHedgeland.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 303px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESomething of its late medieval layout can perhaps be gleaned from two sources: Hedgeland's early-19th century model of the city and John Coldridge's 1819 map. Both the map and the model show that up until the 1800s there existed another series of ranges at the rear of the surviving west range. These ranges formed a courtyard, a quadrangular arrangement which existed in a number of other high status ecclesiastical residences in Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe detail from Hedgeland's model \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows the extent of the Chancellor's House as it existed c1800. The two surviving ranges, quite accurately depicted, are highlighted in purple. The buildings which formed the courtyard at the back of the west range are highlighted in red. Allan and Dyer speculated that these courtyard buildings functioned as service rooms providing the Chancellor's House with its kitchen, woodhouse, stables, etc. A reference in 1856 dismissively mentions the property's \"appendages of coach-houses, etc.\" Either way, all of the buildings highlighted in red were demolished between 1819 and 1876 leaving just the two ranges which can still be seen today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5lsat63ejk4\/TyH7fiuwmfI\/AAAAAAAAEdM\/TqdE64Ggffc\/s1600\/Chancellors%2BHouse%2Bburied%2Bwindow.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702115122545203698\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5lsat63ejk4\/TyH7fiuwmfI\/AAAAAAAAEdM\/TqdE64Ggffc\/s400\/Chancellors%2BHouse%2Bburied%2Bwindow.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 295px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the north wall of the west range. Just visible near the flagstones is some moulded stone carved from purple volcanic trap. This is actually a 15th century window surround, still in its original position and now buried beneath the modern ground level. Prior to the 17th century the ground level of the Cathedral Close sloped away steeply at this point as it approached the city wall. Lega-Weekes believed that a large area of the eastern portion of the Close was raised up c1600, accounting for the buried window. Another buried window can be seen in the passageway leading to the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/law-library-no-8-cathedral-close.html\"\u003ELaw Library\u003C\/a\u003E behind No. 9 Cathedral Close on the opposite side of the street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe west range of the former Chancellor's House still contains significant elements of the medieval property. Much of the walling  has survived relatively intact, although the arrangement of the windows has been considerably altered. One consequence of the change in ground level means that what were once the medieval ground floor rooms are now in the basement of the current building. One of these rooms still contains remnants of a late medieval framed ceiling with moulded beams and fragments of bosses. Another room upstairs has the moulded jambs of a medieval fireplace. There are probably other features concealed beneath later alterations. Lega-Weekes repeated a legend that the Cathedral's magnificent silver retable, commissioned by Bishop Stapledon c1325, was concealed \"somewhere in the masonry of this older part of the house\" in order \"to preserve it from the spoilers of the Cathedral\" during the Reformation. (The retable was presumably discovered and melted down as it no longer exists.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-fZ6HGKe1wSs\/Tyba0rWkQNI\/AAAAAAAAEdY\/XMNKVxlUg04\/s1600\/P1263188.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703486576636739794\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-fZ6HGKe1wSs\/Tyba0rWkQNI\/AAAAAAAAEdY\/XMNKVxlUg04\/s400\/P1263188.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 351px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows the rear of the older west range from the Cathedral Close. The stone wall with the blue gate inset into it is possibly a remnant of one of the now-demolished courtyard ranges shown on Hedgeland's model.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe property was significantly modified by Chancellor Fursman in the mid-18th century. John Fursman was born at Lamerton in Devon in 1678 and became the Chancellor of the Cathedral in 1731, a post he occupied until his death in 1757. Work probably began c1740 and resulted in the house which survives today. The old west range was given its upper timber-framed storey, perhaps replacing the original medieval roof. The windows were altered and presumably much of the internal layout was changed too. Fursman's most significant addition was the east range. The facade of the east range is seven bays wide and made of chequerwork brick. The central three bays project slightly and are surmounted by a steep pediment. Inset into the pediment is an oeuil-de-boeuf window. Not visible from the Cathedral Close itself is a glazed verandah which runs across the face of the entire facade. Inset into the side wall is a hooded doorway, the pediment supported on console brackets. The east range contains a Georgian staircase as well as mid-18th century bolection-moulded panelling of Baltic fir. One mystery is that the side wall of the supposedly 18th century east range appears to be medieval in origin and could itself be a remodelling of an earlier range of which almost nothing remains.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-1Y0YX0kcF_Q\/TycVNb36WlI\/AAAAAAAAEdk\/bG3bRJ59lmk\/s1600\/Chancellors%2BHouse%2Bgate%2Barch.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703550773652773458\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-1Y0YX0kcF_Q\/TycVNb36WlI\/AAAAAAAAEdk\/bG3bRJ59lmk\/s640\/Chancellors%2BHouse%2Bgate%2Barch.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn 2004 a fascinating discovery was made by two archaeologists, John Allan and Martin Dyer. Inset into what is the boundary wall between the Chancellor's House and the Cathedral Close is a large blocked four-centred arch dressed with pieces of moulded volcanic trap above which are the remains of a relieving arch of Heavitree breccia \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E. The boundary wall was being undermined by the root system of a nearby 100-year-old magnolia tree. Buttresses were built to which tie bars were added, pinning the wall to the buttresses.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDuring this work a detailed survey of the wall was undertaken and Allan and Dyer found the remains of scarring on the internal face of the wall and either side of the blocked arch. These scars indicate that the arch once led into a covered passageway, with a room on each side, and the presence of the relieving arch suggests that the gatehouse had more than one floor. It therefore appears that this arch is the remarkable long-forgotten remnant of a two-storey medieval gatehouse which gave access into the forecourt of the Chancellor's House. The bottom of the arch is now buried in the ground. It's possible that the medieval house was built around a double quadrangle, with courtyards both to the west and to the east and with the two surviving ranges in the centre.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe building has now been subdivided and it is part of the Exeter Cathedral School. It is a Grade II* listed building of great interest, although it wasn't always regarded with such respect. There were several calls for its demolition in the mid-19th century when it was seen as an impediment to uninterrupted views of the Lady Chapel. A letter sent to the 'Exeter Flying Post' in 1856 stated that the \"ugly and unsightly house of Chancellor Harington's ought to come down\" along with other \"vile unsightly inconvenient houses\" so that the Cathedral could be \"freed from all incumbrance\". In 1861 the British Archaeological Association wondered that \"the Dean and Chapter should possess so little taste and public spirit as to allow the precincts of the Cathedral to be clogged with very unsightly buildings, such as the chancellor's house\". The \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/treasurers-house-cathedral-close.html\"\u003ETreasurer's House\u003C\/a\u003E had already come down in 1798, and many houses were demolished in the 1870s on the opposite side of the Cathedral, including much of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/medieval-college-of-vicars-choral-at.html\"\u003EVicars' College\u003C\/a\u003E, but fortunately the Chancellor's House was spared. The building is shown in the photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E with the blocked archway visible in the left foreground.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-vZFxLZQcphA\/Tyccu0Zmf8I\/AAAAAAAAEdw\/oIie9Yl7JbI\/s1600\/Chancellors%2BHouse%2Band%2Barch.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703559043753607106\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-vZFxLZQcphA\/Tyccu0Zmf8I\/AAAAAAAAEdw\/oIie9Yl7JbI\/s640\/Chancellors%2BHouse%2Band%2Barch.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/7551962177293433577\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=7551962177293433577","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7551962177293433577"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7551962177293433577"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/chancellors-house-cathedral-close.html","title":"The Chancellor's House: No. 15, Cathedral Close"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-dPP6HiIcevk\/Tx2viwCcutI\/AAAAAAAAEa8\/Ng-R0Q_qfLQ\/s72-c\/Chancellors%2BHouse%2BExeter.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-1065269864032283933"},"published":{"$t":"2012-01-22T00:10:00.030+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T22:07:42.440+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Cathedral"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Treasurer's House, Cathedral Close"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KRF3uBA6M3U\/TxtWpQEW0WI\/AAAAAAAAEZo\/GJ2K_HgvHLo\/s1600\/Treasurers%2BHouse_Hedgeland.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700245020055359842\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KRF3uBA6M3U\/TxtWpQEW0WI\/AAAAAAAAEZo\/GJ2K_HgvHLo\/s400\/Treasurers%2BHouse_Hedgeland.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"303\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Treasurer's House has almost vanished into the past. However, although it was demolished in 1798, it is still just about visible through some descriptions and a tiny handful of images, and it had one very famous royal guest. The earliest recorded treasurer at Exeter Cathedral was a man named John in 1133  and the treasurership was probably founded around the same time.  According to Lega-Weekes, the Treasurer's House occupied the  same site from at least 1311 until its demolition in 1798.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlong with the dean, precentor and chancellor, the treasurer was one of the most important ecclesiastical positions at Exeter Cathedral. The medieval treasurer was responsible not only for the valuable liturgical utensils and money but also for such things as the tolling of the bells, the provision of candles, bread and wine for the altars, and for books and vestments. An inventory of 1327, compiled by the then treasurer at Exeter, Thomas de Hinton, listed around 150 books, over 100 gold and silver chalices and vessels, and over 100 articles of clothing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-7XwuUQOfE30\/Txw-XzgKguI\/AAAAAAAAEZ0\/L8p9qvAx9lo\/s1600\/Treasurers%2BHouse.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700499807027233506\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-7XwuUQOfE30\/Txw-XzgKguI\/AAAAAAAAEZ0\/L8p9qvAx9lo\/s640\/Treasurers%2BHouse.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"475\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E shows a detail from Caleb Hedgeland's model of Exeter. The model was created between 1817 and 1824 and depicts the city as it appeared in 1769. The most prominent part of the Treasurer's House is highlighted in red, attached at one end to the north tower of the Cathedral. One thing to notice is how there were once houses on both sides of what is now the Cathedral Close (or Canon Street or St Martin's Street as it was also known).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately it's difficult to gauge the accuracy of Hedgeland's version of the Treasurer's House. In general the model itself is often surprisingly detailed, particularly in regard to the larger, more significant structures, and Hedgeland would undoubtedly have seen the Treasurer's House himself. He was nearly 30 years-old when it was pulled down. Some of the smaller buildings shown grouped around the house and fronting onto Canon Street were certainly part of what was once a complex of inter-connected structures and courtyards. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E shows an aerial view of the Cathedral. The approximate area covered by the Treasurer's House and its associated buildings, based on Rocque's 1744 map of Exeter, is highlighted in red. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E is a detail from Benjamin Donn's 1765 map of Exeter with the extent of the 'Treasury' highlighted in red.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gpYg6ry0HGU\/TxxAYgNERBI\/AAAAAAAAEaA\/rEsMb_c_WAg\/s1600\/Benjamin_Donn%2B1765_Exeter%2BTreasury.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700502018049983506\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gpYg6ry0HGU\/TxxAYgNERBI\/AAAAAAAAEaA\/rEsMb_c_WAg\/s400\/Benjamin_Donn%2B1765_Exeter%2BTreasury.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"315\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn 1497 Perkin Warbeck landed in Cornwall and marched on Exeter proclaiming himself to be Richard, Duke of York, the youngest son of Edward IV and one of the Plantagenet princes allegedly murdered in the Tower of London by Richard III in 1483. It was a direct challenge to the throne of the Tudor usurper Henry VII. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\"\u003EWarbeck tried, and failed, in his attempt to conquer Exeter\u003C\/a\u003E and was later captured at Beaulieu Abbey in Hampshire by which time Henry VII was riding from London to Exeter at the head of an army. Having captured Warbeck, the king continued towards Exeter where he stayed for several days, lodging at the Treasurer's House.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EClearly the house itself, and the role of treasurer, must've been regarded as being of sufficient status to accommodate and host the king. John Hooker, writing in the 1570s, left behind a much-quoted report of what occurred during the king's stay. Some of the rebels had been brought to Exeter and were paraded through the Cathedral Precinct in front of the king. The Dean and Chapter authorised the felling of eight trees close to the Treasurer's House \"by cause [the king] standinge in the newe window in Mr Treasurer's house might see the Rebells which came there with halters aboute their neckes before him for pardon\". Hooker adds that Henry VII \"came forthe out of his chamber and stood in the fayre large wyndowe newelye and of purpose builded towardes the said churcheyarde\". The site of the trees which were felled to improve the king's view can be seen on Hedgeland's model. They formed an avenue with banks on either side which led to the north porch of the Cathedral. The king gave a short speech to the rebels and then pardoned them, much to the prisoners great excitement. Perkin Warbeck was kept captive in London and eventually executed in 1499 at Tyburn.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Tiyy0QhLBZI\/TxxArB1DUsI\/AAAAAAAAEaM\/cz5Al0A_7_Y\/s1600\/Rocque%2BTreasurers%2BHouse.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700502336313709250\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Tiyy0QhLBZI\/TxxArB1DUsI\/AAAAAAAAEaM\/cz5Al0A_7_Y\/s400\/Rocque%2BTreasurers%2BHouse.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 310px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E is a detail from Rocque's 1744 map of Exeter. It shows the approach into the Cathedral Yard from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E. The canted bay windows of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/no-1-cathedral-close-mols-coffee-house.html\"\u003ENo. 1 Cathedral Close\u003C\/a\u003E i.e. Mol's Coffee House are just visible to the far left. The Treasurer's House, almost completely obscured by trees, is highlighted in red. This is one of the very few known drawings of the building.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDuring the Commonwealth in the mid-17th century many of the canons houses connected with the Cathedral were confiscated and sold off. At least part of the Treasurer's House was purchased in 1651 by a London cook called Henry Starkie who then sold it on to a brewer called Henry Gandy. (Henry Gandy later became twice mayor of Exeter and Gandy Street in the city centre is named after him.) The City Chamber purchased the property from Henry Gandy in 1652 and the Treasurer's House was \"Converted for a Workhouse for the poore of this  Cittye and also a house of Correction for the vagrant and disorderly  people within this Cittye\". In 1657 a brick wall was constructed in the Cathedral dividing the nave from the choir so that the Independent and Presbyterian congregations could worship separately without interference. At the same time a window was removed from one of the chantry chapels creating a doorway and passageway which ran directly from the Cathedral \"through the Garden Wall and outrooms of the late Treasurer's House  \". This doorway was later blocked and is now the site of the early 19th century monument to Henry Seymour. The Treasurer's House was presumably returned to the Dean and Chapter after the Restoration of Charles II in 1660.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-xnnjLgAclCU\/TycrG2s8ATI\/AAAAAAAAEd8\/DUkJrdXVrPc\/s1600\/Hedgeland%2BTreasurers%2BHouse%2B2.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703574849851228466\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-xnnjLgAclCU\/TycrG2s8ATI\/AAAAAAAAEd8\/DUkJrdXVrPc\/s1600\/Hedgeland%2BTreasurers%2BHouse%2B2.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAnother view of Hedgeland's model \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows the west facade of the main building. It was through the windows on this elevation that Henry VII surveyed his prisoners in 1497. As it appears on 18th century maps, the entire complex stretched as far east as the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/chancellors-house-cathedral-close.html\"\u003EChancellor's House\u003C\/a\u003E. The High Street can be seen running from left to right at the bottom with St Martin's Lane giving access from the High Street into the Cathedral Precinct via St Martin's Gate.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAccording to Lega-Weekes, there is a reference from June 1388 of  Bishop Brantingham enquiring into  the state of the treasurer's houses  and enclosures. It has been  suggested that the Treasurer's House was  rebuilt in the  early-15th century although by the end of the 18th  century it would've  undergone a number of alterations. The medieval  Bishop's Palace, the Deanery, the Chantry and the Chancellor's House  were all very prestigious properties and there's no reason to believe  that the Treasurer's House wasn't of a commensurate status. Using  Hedgeland's model as a rough guide, the Treasurer's House in 1798 probably looked  very similar to the surviving elements of the Deanery today: a long range made up of different rooms from various periods constructed of red Heavitree breccia. An indenture of 1675 recorded a number of the buildings which comprised the Treasurer's House complex. There was an outhouse called \"the Little Pasterys\", a room adjoining the kitchen called \"the old woodhouse\", stables, what was called \"the old Mansion House\" (perhaps the range shown in Hedgeland's model), and \"a passage leading from the Great Hall to the outer courts on the west side\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-mF3DcoDVRuU\/TxxSXLzcaHI\/AAAAAAAAEak\/uimy00gcUQo\/s1600\/DSCF1085.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700521786603235442\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-mF3DcoDVRuU\/TxxSXLzcaHI\/AAAAAAAAEak\/uimy00gcUQo\/s640\/DSCF1085.JPG\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt's impossible to say what the medieval structure was like or how it was adapted during the 17th century, or what precisely remained inside when it was demolished at the end of the 18th century. In his 1806 history of the city, Alexander Jenkins recorded the demolition of the building: \"Among the late improvements, one in particular claims observation, which is the judicious removal of the Treasurer's house; this extended from the North Tower quite across the churchyard, and entirely intercepted the view of the Cathedral from the North transept, Eastward...The part which was formerly the garden belonging to the Treasury now forms a fine grass plat planted round with evergreens\". Elsewhere he noted that \"the house was (very judiciously) taken down in 1798, to open a view of the eastern part of the Cathedral\". The Treasurer's House and all of the associated buildings were demolished.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 2001 a portion of the site was excavated by Exeter Archaeology as part of the floodlighting scheme around the Cathedral. No evidence was found of the Treasurer's House except for a metalled floor surface and a couple of pits containing animal bones in what was an open area at the rear of the property. But indirect evidence for the house does still remain in full view of everyone who walks past the Cathedral every day. High up on the north face of the 12th century North Tower a scar in the stone work is the ghost of the gabled roof of the Treasurer's House. It marks the exact point where the house itself was attached to the Cathedral \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E. It appears as though the roof was modified or rebuilt at least twice as two distinct roof lines are visible in slightly different positions. This is the only indication above ground that the building ever existed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-UOHQGB4trQw\/TxxkX4iKt4I\/AAAAAAAAEaw\/AN3OXmOxO5k\/s1600\/P7212384.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"473\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700541589819668354\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-UOHQGB4trQw\/TxxkX4iKt4I\/AAAAAAAAEaw\/AN3OXmOxO5k\/s640\/P7212384.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1065269864032283933\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=1065269864032283933","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1065269864032283933"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1065269864032283933"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/treasurers-house-cathedral-close.html","title":"The Treasurer's House, Cathedral Close"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KRF3uBA6M3U\/TxtWpQEW0WI\/AAAAAAAAEZo\/GJ2K_HgvHLo\/s72-c\/Treasurers%2BHouse_Hedgeland.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-7157174897877058928"},"published":{"$t":"2012-01-05T19:53:00.036+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T22:01:47.215+01:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Caleb Hedgeland's Model of Exeter in 1769"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-JJcSBR8qsas\/TwYAae_eHoI\/AAAAAAAADCM\/goxU-fhXkXk\/s1600\/Hedgeland%2BModel%2Bof%2BExeter%2Bin%2B1769.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694239233852448386\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-JJcSBR8qsas\/TwYAae_eHoI\/AAAAAAAADCM\/goxU-fhXkXk\/s640\/Hedgeland%2BModel%2Bof%2BExeter%2Bin%2B1769.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"487\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Queen Street has recently reopened following a four-year refurbishment. Much of the ground floor display area is devoted to telling the story of Exeter's history.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne of the most interesting and historically valuable artifacts is a vast wooden model \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E depicting the city as it appeared in 1769, all painstakingly constructed by Caleb Hedgeland at the beginning of the 19th century. The exhibit is unmissable for anyone interested in the city's many lost buildings.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECaleb Hedgeland was born in 1760 and baptised at St Edmund's church on 05 November the same year. He was the son of Thomas Hedgeland and in 1786 he married Mary Pike at St George's church in South Street. Caleb Hedgeland was a builder and modelmaker. In 1814 he was awarded a silver medal by the Society of Arts for a model he made of Exeter Cathedral, and in 1817 Hedgeland began work on an enormous project, presumably for no other reason than his own satisfaction. The idea was to create a large model showing the city of his childhood. He chose the date 1769, the year in which the first of the city's medieval gates, the North Gate, was removed, the demolition of which he was taken to see a child. He must've worked both from personal recollection and eyewitness reports. Much of the city which existed in 1769 would still have been intact in 1817 and so in many instances Hedgeland would've been able to model buildings which were still standing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-YdiV3TKD_OU\/TwYr65eR0CI\/AAAAAAAADCY\/w3N0e17BOWk\/s1600\/Hedgeland1.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694287069716795426\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-YdiV3TKD_OU\/TwYr65eR0CI\/AAAAAAAADCY\/w3N0e17BOWk\/s640\/Hedgeland1.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"489\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe model was designed to be taken apart, each section of the city being built on small pieces of board which were then slotted into a large frame. Hedgeland confined himself to modelling only that area of the city contained by \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Ethe city wall\u003C\/a\u003E, an enclosure which had been laid out by the Romans in c200 AD, approximately 93 acres in total.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe level of detail is astonishing. Exeter's many medieval parish churches were depicted in miniature, along with accurate copies of Rougemont Castle, Exeter Cathedral, all of the many streets and alleyways, numerous almshouses, towers, the city gates, the gates around the Cathedral Close, and the Guildhall as well as many other individual public and private properties. All of the key buildings which were present in the city during the last quarter of the 18th century were reproduced.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHedgeland made models of buildings which, in 1769, were on the cusp of destruction, e.g. the ancient facade of St John's Hospital in the High Street, Russell's \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/bedford-house-and-dominican-friary.html\"\u003EBedford House\u003C\/a\u003E, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/treasurers-house-cathedral-close.html\"\u003ETreasurer's House\u003C\/a\u003E in the Cathedral Close and the city gates themselves. He also recorded dozens of buildings which now no longer exist, destroyed or demolished between the completion of the model in 1824 and the present-day. The rise and fall of the land, the topography of the city, was partially factored into the model. The detail at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post clearly shows how the extinct volcanic cone upon which Rougemont Castle was built rises up in the northern corner of the walled city. Each building was hand-painted and even trees and orchards were included. The completed work measured 2.5m long by 1.5 metres wide. (It is now presented in a glass display case which, combined with the subdued lighting, makes it a difficult object to photograph).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZrRGnhMWUaM\/TwYsMBThG0I\/AAAAAAAADCk\/miQLHMIqbgQ\/s1600\/Hedgeland2.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694287363876920130\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZrRGnhMWUaM\/TwYsMBThG0I\/AAAAAAAADCk\/miQLHMIqbgQ\/s640\/Hedgeland2.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"489\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe model isn't an exact representation of the city, either as it was in 1769 or even in 1817. Some of the buildings are more accurate than others as depictions of reality and the courtyards and back blocks tend to be less faithfully modelled than the street frontages (although it must be remembered that Hedgeland was working without the advantages of aerial photography!); but the scale is generally accurate, as are the locations of the buildings, the houses all lined up on their individual burgage plots, and the street plan itself. In fact a surprisingly high number of the less important buildings are recognisable from either drawings or old photographs.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne thing the model does vividly convey is the visual atmosphere of the old city, how cramped and confined it was, the houses piled up onto the medieval street plan. It also shows how Exeter remained a city which its Tudor citizens would've found largely recognisable, a situation which remained unchanged until the mid-19th century. The great majority of the buildings were timber-framed, of 15th, 16th or 17th century origin, festooned with oriel windows, the upper floors tumbling out over the pavements below until the roofs of opposing houses nearly met in the centre of the street. In its general appearance at least, it shows that Exeter survived as an ostensibly medieval city long after the Middle Ages were over.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-8-vxtb_xIqg\/TwYsfdqLcUI\/AAAAAAAADCw\/zEj_m_brAuA\/s1600\/Hedgeland3.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694287697905676610\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-8-vxtb_xIqg\/TwYsfdqLcUI\/AAAAAAAADCw\/zEj_m_brAuA\/s640\/Hedgeland3.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"506\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOnly a microscopic percentage of the buildings shown on Hedgeland's model still survive today. All of the gates were down by 1825. Bedford House was replaced with the eastern crescent of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E in the 1770s. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/st-georges-church-south-street.html\"\u003ESt George's church\u003C\/a\u003E, where Hedgeland was married, was demolished in 1843, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/st-kerrians-north-street.html\"\u003ESt Kerrian's\u003C\/a\u003E in 1878; other churches were rebuilt; \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/medieval-college-of-vicars-choral-at.html\"\u003Ethe College of the Vicars Choral\u003C\/a\u003E was nearly all demolished by 1893, to name just a few examples. And there was an inevitable, constant gnawing away as the new replaced the old, especially from c1850 onward, although in many cases only the facade of a building was altered according to fashion leaving the older core undisturbed behind.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBetween c1880 and c1980 Hedgeland's vision of old Exeter was almost totally \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/destruction-of-exeter-in-20th-century.html\"\u003Eobliterated\u003C\/a\u003E. Road-widening, slum clearances, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003Ewar-time bombing\u003C\/a\u003E and thirty years of extensive post-war demolition has destroyed most of what remained. At least the truly remarkable model itself survives and captures the imagination in a way which is perhaps unique amongst all of the museum's many exhibits.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's worth mentioning a little more about Caleb Hedgeland. He and his wife had at least two children: John Pike Hedgeland, baptised at St George's church in 1791 and Charles, baptised at the same church in 1793. Both sons pursued careers as architects. John Pike Hedgeland also worked as a church glazier specialising in stained glass (John Hedgeland's son, George Caleb Hedgeland, designed the West window in Norwich Cathedral). Charles Hedgeland worked on the enlargement of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/st-petrocks-church-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Petrock's\u003C\/a\u003E in the High Street in 1828-1829 as well as buildings in Queen Street and the former rectory at Manaton on Dartmoor. In 1872 he gifted his father's model to the Devon and Exeter Institution.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-SYj9ztkBT7Q\/TwYvegDt6sI\/AAAAAAAADC8\/6SFRX-Gwes0\/s1600\/Hedgeland6.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"398\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694290979904678594\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-SYj9ztkBT7Q\/TwYvegDt6sI\/AAAAAAAADC8\/6SFRX-Gwes0\/s640\/Hedgeland6.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/7157174897877058928\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=7157174897877058928","title":"7 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7157174897877058928"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7157174897877058928"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html","title":"Caleb Hedgeland's Model of Exeter in 1769"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-JJcSBR8qsas\/TwYAae_eHoI\/AAAAAAAADCM\/goxU-fhXkXk\/s72-c\/Hedgeland%2BModel%2Bof%2BExeter%2Bin%2B1769.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"7"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4258953700496167438"},"published":{"$t":"2012-01-01T19:58:00.040+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T20:48:46.807+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Apothecaries' Hall: No. 246, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-CeF2e43Yohw\/TwC7Ft8sIOI\/AAAAAAAAC70\/T849x3XwO3c\/s1600\/Apothecaries%2527%2BHall_Exeter.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692755635904192738\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-CeF2e43Yohw\/TwC7Ft8sIOI\/AAAAAAAAC70\/T849x3XwO3c\/s1600\/Apothecaries%2527%2BHall_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Apothecaries' Hall \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council is a little-known building which stood for many years in the High Street until its demolition in the 1890s. Unfortunately, precise details about the history of the building are frustratingly scarce.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Apothecaries' Company in London was incorporated by a Royal charter from James I in 1617. Prior to this all apothecaries were members of the Guild of Grocers, itself an off-shoot of the Guild of Pepperers first established in London in 1180. As with most cities and towns in England, apothecaries had practiced in Exeter for centuries. One notable late-16th century apothecary in Exeter was Thomas Baskerville. He lived in a substantial house which included a cellar, a hall, two parlours and a separate kitchen, with three bedrooms on the first floor. An inventory of his premises made in 1596 recorded such things as 20 lbs of sarsaparilla, 10 lbs of ratsbane [i.e arsenic oxide], red lead, linseed oil, 20 lbs of gum arabic and a wide range of scales, pots and pans including \"2 dossen syrup pottes with pipes\". Upon his death Baskerville's estate was valued at a not inconsiderable £324, and his son, Sir Simon Baskerville, later served as physician to both James I and Charles I at the Stuart court in London.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-icZ4FSnMFaI\/TwEA1dSMHuI\/AAAAAAAAC8Y\/Tl7vZpz706g\/s1600\/Apoth.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692832322367004386\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-icZ4FSnMFaI\/TwEA1dSMHuI\/AAAAAAAAC8Y\/Tl7vZpz706g\/s640\/Apoth.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"345\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAnother Exeter-based apothecary was Humphrey Bidgood who worked in the city in the first half of the 17th century. The story goes that he was accidentally poisoned by his own servant, Peter Moor, the servant's intended target being Bidgood's wife. Their son, Dr John Bidgood, became a Fellow of the College of Physicians and had an illustrious career. He died in 1691, having amassed a fortune of around £25,000, and was buried in Exeter Cathedral where his marble monument can still be seen today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately neither Thomas Baskerville or Humphrey Bidgood lived at No. 246 High Street and its connection with the Society of Apothecaries only dates to the 19th century. In July 1822 a notice appeared in the 'Exeter Flying Post' stating: \"We understand that an establishment, similar to the Apothecaries' Hall in London, is about to be opened in this city under the direction of some respectable, professional gentlemen.\" No. 246 was chosen for the new enterprise, a building which had been used as Mr Lewis's dental surgery in 1815 and Norrington's haberdashery in 1821. The Apothecaries' Hall opened for business on Monday 22 July 1822. According to an advert placed in the 'Exeter Flying Post' in July 1822, \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E, the Company of Apothecaries in London had \"induced some respectable Medical Gentlemen of the City of Exeter...to associate for the purpose of forming an Establishment to be named 'The Exeter Apothecaries' Hall'\" from where they could dispense the \"best possible drugs and medication\" both to other professionals as well as to the general public.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-fcZ2YPa2Uyk\/TwJXTfGYRPI\/AAAAAAAAC88\/vphAyr7pGdk\/s1600\/2012_1905%2BApoth_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693208871227114738\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-fcZ2YPa2Uyk\/TwJXTfGYRPI\/AAAAAAAAC88\/vphAyr7pGdk\/s1600\/2012_1905%2BApoth_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe aerial view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows the location of the Apothecaries' Hall on the High Street, highlighted in red, based on the 1905 street plan. The approximate site of No. 245 High Street is highlighted in purple. Both properties were merged in 1893 to became the Devon and Somerset Stores. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/st-lawrences-church-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Lawrence's church\u003C\/a\u003E is highlighted in yellow and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Stephen's church\u003C\/a\u003E is highlighted in green. The opening into Bedford Street is to the south. This section of the High Street was obliterated during \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003Ethe Exeter Blitz\u003C\/a\u003E of 1942. The street was widened during the post-war reconstruction which is why the fronts of the pre-war buildings on the map appear to project out beyond the line of the current shop frontages.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe plan was to conduct the business on the same lines as the Apothecaries' Hall in London and much effort was expended in associating the Exeter hall with its more illustrious counterpart in the capital. All of the drugs sold in Exeter were purchased directly from the Company of Apothecaries in London. When complaints were received about the poor quality of a batch of iron carbonate sold by the branch at Exeter, the management issued a statement which included an apology from Thomas Morpeth, the secretary of the London Apothecaries' Hall. The business continued for 40 years until, in October 1863, the Apothecaries' Hall was put up for auction at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/half-moon-inn-high-street.html\"\u003EThe Half Moon\u003C\/a\u003E inn. The Hall was described as having a \"front and back shop, breakfast, dining and drawing rooms, three best bedrooms, two attics, water-closet and kitchen\". One of the ground floor rooms was probably used as a laboratory. The premises at the rear comprised \"a variety of rooms\". There was also a yard with a printer's shop. Access to the buildings at the rear was via a covered passageway, the entrance to which is visible to the left in the image at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-_976E97sMuU\/TwJO36Qmu3I\/AAAAAAAAC8w\/uG0_BIXloqw\/s1600\/Devon%2Band%2BSomerset%2BStore%2Bc1905.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693199601388403570\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-_976E97sMuU\/TwJO36Qmu3I\/AAAAAAAAC8w\/uG0_BIXloqw\/s1600\/Devon%2Band%2BSomerset%2BStore%2Bc1905.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe postcard view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E c1905 shows the Devon and Somerset Stores building as it existed until 1942. The plot once occupied by the Apothecaries' Hall is highlighted again in red. The plot of No. 245 is highlighted in purple. It's easy to see how the store straddled two quite separate tenements. The bell tower and porch of St Lawrence's church, with its statue of Elizabeth I over the entrance arch, is visible to the right. The same location as it appears today is shown in the photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy the mid-1870s No. 246 High Street was once again being used as a pharmacy when it was the premises of Messrs. Milton \u0026amp; Son. Milton stayed at No. 246 for over 20 years until he built a new shop at No. 265 High Street in 1893, a move which resulted in the demolition of the old Apothecaries' Hall. A report in the 'Exeter Flying Post', dated 07 October 1893, stated that \"another of Exon's historic scenes has been removed...During the earlier portion of the 16th century, and for successive generations, the quaint old house and shop, with its small window frames and coloured carboys, opposite to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E, has been the haunt of the Exeter Apothecary\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Qjbvs2yiL38\/TwMkJQz0slI\/AAAAAAAAC-Q\/Ia67mpzE69A\/s1600\/High%2BStreet_2011.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693434095476191826\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Qjbvs2yiL38\/TwMkJQz0slI\/AAAAAAAAC-Q\/Ia67mpzE69A\/s400\/High%2BStreet_2011.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"303\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EI'm not sure that there are any surviving documents to support the claim that the Apothecaries' Hall had a connection with pharmacology which predated 1822. The timber-framed building itself dated at least to the 17th century but its pre-19th century history will probably remain for ever unknown.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFollowing Milton's departure both No. 246 and its neighbour at No. 245 were occupied by the Devon and Somerset Stores. One incident worth mentioning was the sudden collapse of the frontage of one of these two properties in August 1894 during the rebuilding of both premises. According to the 'Exeter Flying Post' it was \"the sensation of the week\", the report adding that \"the greater part of the building was to have been pulled down the next day\". Fortunately no-one was injured but it's highly unlikely that anything of the Apothecaries' Hall was incorporated into the new premises. The Devon and Somerset Stores, with its brick-built facade surmounted by parapets and finials, remained on the site until 04 May 1942 when it was completely destroyed by fires spread by incendiaries. Milton's 1893 premises further up the High Street at No. 265 were destroyed at the same time. Nothing of either building remains today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHowever, that isn't quite the end of the old Apothecaries' Hall. In 1975 a ceramic mural was commissioned from the artist Philippa Threlfall to commemorate the opening of the Guildhall Shopping Centre. This beautiful piece of artwork, by far the most attractive thing in the vicinity, is squirrelled away in an obscure passageway; and there amongst a collage of ceramic versions of Exeter's more well-known buildings is a lovely representation of the Apothecaries' Hall, standing next to the portico of the Guildhall. Underneath is written:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E“On this land many generations have lived and worked.  They are remembered by their buildings and the things they made.\"\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-BWxNaFaaBlE\/TwJZ13Vcn8I\/AAAAAAAAC9I\/vxak4u32kEI\/s1600\/1975%2BCeramic.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693211660871573442\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-BWxNaFaaBlE\/TwJZ13Vcn8I\/AAAAAAAAC9I\/vxak4u32kEI\/s1600\/1975%2BCeramic.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4258953700496167438\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4258953700496167438","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4258953700496167438"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4258953700496167438"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/apothecaries-hall-no-246-high-street.html","title":"The Apothecaries' Hall: No. 246, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-CeF2e43Yohw\/TwC7Ft8sIOI\/AAAAAAAAC70\/T849x3XwO3c\/s72-c\/Apothecaries%2527%2BHall_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-8138186027850143607"},"published":{"$t":"2011-12-30T00:18:00.049+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T20:46:06.037+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"South Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"\"Two Antique Buildings\" and the South Street Baptist Chapel, South Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-jBgugVQft6A\/Tv0Ho-PmbMI\/AAAAAAAAC3I\/ciBVZmRfhaE\/s1600\/old%257Esouth%257Est_townsend.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691713904550767810\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-jBgugVQft6A\/Tv0Ho-PmbMI\/AAAAAAAAC3I\/ciBVZmRfhaE\/s1600\/old%257Esouth%257Est_townsend.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAccording to W. G. Hoskins, the Baptist congregation in South Street was founded in 1652. The chapel was still located in South Street in 1806 when Jenkins described what he called \"the Anabaptist Meeting House\" as being \"very commodious, and frequented by a large and genteel congregation\". The chapel which Jenkins saw was \"neatly seated\" with \"large galleries\" and was \"kept in good repair\". The one drawback was \"its situation behind the houses, which intercepts any exterior view\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe drawing \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council shows the same houses which precluded Jenkins from getting a good look at the meeting house. To the far left can be seen an arched entrance, with 'Baptist Chapel' written on the arch. This entrance led down a narrow, covered passageway to the chapel itself, which was completely hemmed in on all sides by other properties. The exact nature of this early chapel remains unknown, although Hedgeland's model \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E gives some indications. In 1822 it was reported that the chapel had been closed because it was structurally unsound and a report of its condition contradicts Jenkins' assessment that the building was in \"good repair\". In the early 1790s the south wall collapsed, following which four ribs had to be placed inside to prevent the roof falling down. In 1814 \"long, substantial props were passed through the adjoining houses, as buttresses\", and in the autumn of 1822 nine other props were added \"to preserve the neighbourhood from destruction\"!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6CVxkeu9RHA\/Tv0Ub6gHfnI\/AAAAAAAAC3U\/XKYoPE9AvEQ\/s1600\/Rocque_Exeter_Baptist_Chapel.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691727973859163762\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6CVxkeu9RHA\/Tv0Ub6gHfnI\/AAAAAAAAC3U\/XKYoPE9AvEQ\/s400\/Rocque_Exeter_Baptist_Chapel.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 302px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ERocque's 1744 map of Exeter \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the constricted location of the chapel, highlighted in red. The narrow passageway from South Street is clearly visible. The section of South Street running outside the passageway is called 'The Large Market', a reference to the cloth market which had been relocated to South Street in the mid-17th century. Bear Lane was the site of one of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html\"\u003Ethe late-13th century gates\u003C\/a\u003E into the Cathedral precinct. The Bear inn, shown just to the north of the chapel, was formerly the town residence of the Abbots of Tavistock Abbey until the Reformation, and in the bottom right corner of the map can be seen the quadrangular layout of the sprawling medieval house which belonged to the Archdeacons of Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPlans for a new Baptist chapel had been made as early as 1814 but it wasn't until 1823 that a new building arose on the same site of its much-propped forerunner. (A second Baptist chapel had been constructed in Bartholomew Street West in 1817, where it can still be seen today). The new chapel in South Street was a large red-brick building in a simple late-Georgian style but it was still completely obscured by the two old houses in front of it. These houses were part of an endowment and belonged to the chapel anyway, one of the rooms being used by the chapel as a vestry. By the mid-1850s portions of both houses were being let, one to Mr Dare, a greengrocer, and the other to Mr Mayo, a butcher, and in 1855 the properties were sold at auction, presumably for very little as the intention was to demolish them both completely. Fortunately two reports in the 'Exeter Flying Post' document the demolition and hint at the architectural and historical losses incurred.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-l7lHS7tf1FM\/TwWZY9sZ0nI\/AAAAAAAADCA\/ROKBgugR9gI\/s1600\/Baptist%2BChapel_Hedgeland.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694125958036574834\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-l7lHS7tf1FM\/TwWZY9sZ0nI\/AAAAAAAADCA\/ROKBgugR9gI\/s400\/Baptist%2BChapel_Hedgeland.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 319px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E(The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows a detail from Caleb Hedgeland's wooden model of the city which he completed in 1824. The model was based on how the city appeared in 1769, and although it's not completely accurate the overall layout is surprisingly precise. The barn-like Baptist chapel is to the right. In front of it are the backs of the two houses in South Street. Both chapel and houses are highlighted in red.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe first report is dated 03 May 1855 and begins \"We are happy to see that the two antique buildings in front of the Baptist Chapel, South Street, are in the course of demolition.\" The \"quaint style of the old houses...excited more than ordinary interest and the street was \"visited by several well-known antiquaries, who took hasty sketches of this relic of the good old times\". It's difficult to know if the property was originally a single large house or, as is perhaps more likely, built as a matching pair. (The closest thing like it surviving in Exeter today are the pair of houses at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/nos-41-42-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 41 \u0026amp; 42 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E.) Combining the information from both newspaper reports it is possible to piece together something of the houses' long history. During the demolition a testoon, or shilling, from the reign of Edward VI was discovered. Stylistically the houses could've been constructed in the 1550s or 1560s, the coin then lost soon after they were built. Each house was constructed on three floors and almost certainly had a cellar. In each house the ground floor room fronting onto South Street was probably used as a shop with a large hall on the first floor lit by a fine 10-light oriel window. The bed chambers would've been on the top floor. It's possible that there was a further block of accommodation housing the kitchen and other rooms behind but this might've been replaced by the first incarnation of the Baptist chapel.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-O0aZtbeS710\/Tv4H5gMl7yI\/AAAAAAAAC3s\/aq1mJyWjdj4\/s1600\/Oak-Pilasters.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691995663519575842\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-O0aZtbeS710\/Tv4H5gMl7yI\/AAAAAAAAC3s\/aq1mJyWjdj4\/s640\/Oak-Pilasters.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"371\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThere is evidence that the houses were enriched at several periods with some spectacular interior decoration. The second newspaper report refers to the buildings as being \"richly  stuccoed\", probably a reference to plasterwork ceilings, the \"patterns of stucco\" being \"rich and curious and of every variety of arabesque\". Contained within the houses was \"a great quantity of wainscot of the napkin or drapery [i.e. linenfold] and the mask and lion's head patterns\". One room in particular, \"supposed to have been the banqueting room of a wealthy woollen merchant\", was particularly fine.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESomething of the truly exceptional quality of the workmanship contained within the houses can be seen in the two images \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E and \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E. They show oak pilasters and sections of panelling carved in the Renaissance style with Classical capitals, cherubs and lion heads, the shafts of the pilasters festooned with great swirls of interlacing vines and foliage. Dating to c1600, the pilasters and panelling were ripped out of an unknown house in Exeter and ended up in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Probably carved on the continent, the opulence of the pilasters and the frieze are particularly remarkable. Although they probably didn't originate from the houses in South Street they do give some indication of the high-calibre decoration inside the houses. (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/bampfylde-house-elizabethan-mansion-in.html\"\u003EBampfylde House\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/no-229-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 229 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E were just two other properties in Exeter which contained similar interiors. Given the wealth of some of the city's merchants in the 16th and 17th centuries, there would've been many others). When the rooms in South Street were broken up in 1855 John Gendall, an Exeter artist with antiquarian interests who was living at No. 10 Cathedral Close, purchased \"many beautiful and elaborate specimens of the carved and wainscot panels, diversified with acanthus, lion's heads and arabesques\". Gendall paid £12 12s for the panels when they were auctioned.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-FjLVlCSgHDs\/Tv4YaaS2XlI\/AAAAAAAAC34\/Zy251lJ--Gc\/s1600\/Oak-Pilasters-And-Panelling-From-A-House-At-Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692013821056933458\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-FjLVlCSgHDs\/Tv4YaaS2XlI\/AAAAAAAAC34\/Zy251lJ--Gc\/s400\/Oak-Pilasters-And-Panelling-From-A-House-At-Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"330\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThere were several other features of great interest. In the room used as the vestry was a representation of the Royal coat of arms of James I along with the date 1621. One of the newspaper articles repeated a tradition that James I had once stayed in one of the  houses although unfortunately he never actually visited the city! Some people at the time believed that the date of 1621 recorded the commencement of the houses' construction, although if true the houses would've perhaps had more lavish external decoration, such as appeared at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/nos-19-20-north-street.html\"\u003ENos. 19 \u0026amp; 20 North Street\u003C\/a\u003E or \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/chevalier-inn-fore-street-destroyed-in.html\"\u003ENos 78 \u0026amp; 79 Fore Street\u003C\/a\u003E. The date might simply have recorded the year in which the coat of arms was installed. Over a fireplace in the same house was another \"neat tablet\", adorned with scrolls, upon which were the initials T.T and S.T above the date 1627. The second newspaper article suggests that these were the initials of Thomas Tooker (or Tucker) and his wife, Sarah or Susan. Thomas Tooker was a Sheriff of Exeter in 1638, his father executed at Heavitree in 1611 for having murdered his mother. The year 1627 could commemorate a marriage or a further enrichment of the property, but it's probably not the year when the house was completed as the 'Exeter Flying Post' believed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-OgjtZkEbW4A\/Tv4ePB5rnxI\/AAAAAAAAC4E\/SvaTjA_CTaU\/s1600\/SouthStreet_aerial%2Bmap1905.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692020222600126226\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-OgjtZkEbW4A\/Tv4ePB5rnxI\/AAAAAAAAC4E\/SvaTjA_CTaU\/s400\/SouthStreet_aerial%2Bmap1905.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 309px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe demolition of the \"delapidated and dangerous\" houses revealed numerous other forgotten items including a sixpence from the reign of James I and numerous 17th century trading tokens, one of which came from Nuremberg. The salvageable remains of the interiors were auctioned off and the site was cleared. The Commissioners for Improvement contributed £20 to the clearance and a written agreement was made with the Baptist chapel that the houses were not to be rebuilt. The site has largely remained empty ever since. The chapel was modified in 1875 and a five-sided extension was added which intruded slightly upon the old plots of the two houses.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe chapel narrowly escaped destruction in the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003EBaedeker Blitz of 04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E but the replacement in the post-war period of the 1870s Gothic arched entrance with the current plain brick one is regrettable. The Baptist chapel today is a Grade II listed building. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E shows a 21st century aerial view of the area overlaid onto which is the street plan from 1905. The approximate site of the two \"antique houses\" is highlighted in red behind which is the original extent of the 1823 Baptist chapel, marked as 'Ch.\" The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows the Baptist chapel at street level with its five-sided extension from 1875. Set back from the road, it's easy to see the empty site of the two old houses, now used as a parking lot.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-aBF3UfownEg\/Tv49e1YitcI\/AAAAAAAAC4c\/1-Ognk58QkA\/s1600\/BaptistChurch_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"417\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692054578978272706\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-aBF3UfownEg\/Tv49e1YitcI\/AAAAAAAAC4c\/1-Ognk58QkA\/s640\/BaptistChurch_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/8138186027850143607\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=8138186027850143607","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/8138186027850143607"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/8138186027850143607"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/two-antique-buildings-and-south-street.html","title":"\"Two Antique Buildings\" and the South Street Baptist Chapel, South Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-jBgugVQft6A\/Tv0Ho-PmbMI\/AAAAAAAAC3I\/ciBVZmRfhaE\/s72-c\/old%257Esouth%257Est_townsend.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-992018660034637629"},"published":{"$t":"2011-12-16T17:18:00.086+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-02T21:39:16.773+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"South Street"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Medieval College of the Vicars Choral at Kalendarhay, Cathedral Yard"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-GuN_-9FZFXk\/TuyeEi73mVI\/AAAAAAAACx4\/Rv6BGM3x9E4\/s1600\/College%2BGatehouse_Exeter.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687094230396672338\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-GuN_-9FZFXk\/TuyeEi73mVI\/AAAAAAAACx4\/Rv6BGM3x9E4\/s1600\/College%2BGatehouse_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E is one of the most remarkable surviving photographs ever taken in Exeter. As far as I am aware it is the only photographic record of what was the inner gatehouse at the complex of medieval buildings known as the College of the Vicars Choral. Dating to the late 1860s, it is an image of such rarity and interest that it's difficult to overstate its importance.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe long history of the College of the Vicars Choral stretches far back into Exeter's medieval past, possibly even pre-dating the Cathedral itself. Had the buildings survived intact the College would've ranked as being of national importance. Instead its fate now reads as a history in microcosm of the city as a whole: spectacular survival followed by disastrous piecemeal demolition leading ultimately to almost total destruction in the 20th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe story begins during the reign of Henry I with the Kalendar Brethren. The Kalendar Brethren was simply a guild consisting of members of the Cathedral's clergy and citizens of Exeter, both male and female. It was established c1140, although Nicholas Orme believed that the guild could've begun as early as c1030, around twenty years before the Cathedral was founded in 1050. It was a voluntary organisation with the members performing charitable work and holding religious services, a bit like a Rotary Club but with a religious dimension. The arcane-sounding name derived from the fact that the Brethren celebrated a Requiem mass on the first day of each month to remember members of the guild who had died. In the Roman calendar the first day of each month was known as the 'Kalend' (just as the 13th or 15th days were known as the 'Ides'). Between c1140 and c1340 members of the Kalendar Brethren included a dean, chancellor and a treasurer from the Cathedral as well as five bishops and seven city mayors.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-b38sTUmQiHE\/Tu0zZpqZdcI\/AAAAAAAACyE\/xoRUP_AQJpg\/s1600\/College%2Bmap%2B2011%2Bnumbered.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687258420212233666\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-b38sTUmQiHE\/Tu0zZpqZdcI\/AAAAAAAACyE\/xoRUP_AQJpg\/s400\/College%2Bmap%2B2011%2Bnumbered.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"329\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows a modern aerial view of the site of the College. The war memorial in the Cathedral Yard is visible at the top. The West front of the Cathedral is just out of sight to the right. Laid over the aerial view is the same area from the 1905 street map of Exeter, by which time most of the College's buildings had been demolished. The numbers show the locations of the College's main buildings:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E1 The Church of St Mary Major\u003Cbr \/\u003E2 The 'Oldham' Gatehouse\u003Cbr \/\u003E3 The Inner Gatehouse\u003Cbr \/\u003E4 The northern row of houses\u003Cbr \/\u003E5 The southern row of houses\u003Cbr \/\u003E6 The Dining Hall\u003Cbr \/\u003E7 The College Kitchen\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Kalendar Brethren used two chapels for their religious services. One was the small chapel of St Peter Minor, believed to have been located in the Cathedral Precinct near the site of what was later to become the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/nos-55-56-and-no-57-high-street.html\"\u003EEagle House.\u003C\/a\u003E The other was \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/parish-and-church-of-st-paul_21.html\"\u003ESt Paul's\u003C\/a\u003E, which stood on the corner of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html\"\u003EPaul Street\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E until its demolition in 1936. In around 1200 the Brethren swapped churches with the Cathedral canons. The canons used St Paul's and St Peter Minor and in return the Kalendar Brethren used the church of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003ESt Mary Major\u003C\/a\u003E, located near the West front of the Cathedral and once the old Saxon minster. The Kalendar Brethren built a guildhall and almshouses close to St Mary Major and this site was to form the nucleus for the College of the Vicars Choral. The site became known as Kalendarhay at around the same time and just means 'the enclosure of the Kalendar Brethren' (the name is still used for this part of Exeter today).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-YNcDAbNsxkI\/Tu05GrBWy_I\/AAAAAAAACyQ\/-TPVIqJZpNk\/s1600\/North%2BRow_College%2BVicars%2BChoral_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687264691229215730\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-YNcDAbNsxkI\/Tu05GrBWy_I\/AAAAAAAACyQ\/-TPVIqJZpNk\/s1600\/North%2BRow_College%2BVicars%2BChoral_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe drawing \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows some of the medieval houses in the north row which remained c1890 (No. 4 on the map \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E). An identical row of houses was once on the opposite side of the street. Two Gothic windows in the dining hall of the Vicars Choral are visible at the far end of the street (No. 7 on the map \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy the mid-14th century the Brethrens' Requiem masses were being conducted by the Vicars Choral, junior members of the clergy who sang at the Cathedral's many services. Prior to the 1370s the Vicars Choral were living in various houses scattered throughout the city. They often missed services and there are indications that they were fraternising with Exeter's citizens in a way which the Bishop of Exeter, Thomas Brantingham, founded unacceptable. He therefore decided in 1381 or 1382 to create a college at Kalenderhay where the 24 Vicars Choral could live together and eat together. The Kalendar Brethren were moved out and the Vicars Choral were moved in. In order to accommodate them Brantingham ordered the construction of what was in effect a miniature self-contained village built around a quadrangle. Permission for the new buildings was granted by the Dean, as long as they didn't interfere with either the great hall of the nearby Deanery or the windows of the Dean's private chapel. It's worth mentioning that a number of other colleges for the Vicars Choral were built at a similar time in several other cathedral cities across England e.g. at Wells, Lincoln, Hereford, Salisbury and York. (The Vicars' Close at Wells, strikingly similar in design and layout to the one at Exeter, has survived in its entirety. The buildings predated Exeter's own college by approximately two decades. It is now Grade I listed and reputed to be the oldest purely residential street with its original buildings in Europe.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-SKwkN5y7L4Y\/Tu1DN01_i-I\/AAAAAAAACyc\/yI0qyg5tHNQ\/s1600\/Glennie%2Bc1827%2BCollege%2BGatehouse%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687275809241271266\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-SKwkN5y7L4Y\/Tu1DN01_i-I\/AAAAAAAACyc\/yI0qyg5tHNQ\/s1600\/Glennie%2Bc1827%2BCollege%2BGatehouse%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EEntry into the quadrangle at Exeter was via a gatehouse (No. 3 on the map \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E). This gatehouse is shown in the photograph at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post and in the drawing from c1827 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council. For centuries the chamber above the stone-vaulted passageway of the gatehouse acted as a muniment room, used to store the documents relating to the college. When the gatehouse was demolished in 1872 the documents were transferred to a large coffer in the college dining hall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBeyond the gatehouse was a narrow street with a row of 12 two-storey houses on each side. These little houses originally consisted of one room on the ground floor with another room above. In the late-14th century the street was a cul-de-sac, blocked off at its far end by what was the College's dining room. To the right of the dining hall was a huge kitchen attached to which were a buttery and a pantry. All of the structures were built from purple volcanic trap sourced from various locations around Exeter. The construction work was almost complete by 1388 and Bishop Brantingham officially founded the 'Vicariorum Hospicio' on 04 November that year (although the fact that 18 new chimneys were added in 1401 suggests that work continued on the site for an extended period of time). But it seems that the Vicars Choral had no intention of behaving themselves.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne of the College rules was that the Vicars Choral were to desist in visiting the houses of the laity and eat together in the common hall provided. Another rule stated that any member of the College who \"rashly lay violent hands\" upon another within the College boundaries would be fined, but they persisted in breaking the rules of the foundation to such an extent  that Brantingham threatened them with excommunication.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ze6xeM7Tel8\/Tu4MLV2m_-I\/AAAAAAAACyo\/PHPQRN5onEU\/s1600\/College%2BHall%2Binterior.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687496768399802338\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ze6xeM7Tel8\/Tu4MLV2m_-I\/AAAAAAAACyo\/PHPQRN5onEU\/s1600\/College%2BHall%2Binterior.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe College continued to be used into the 16th century. In 1586 a bitter quarrel between the Vicars Choral and the city authorities over some disputed land resulted in several of the vicars being imprisoned. The College possessed the deeds to a number of properties in Exeter, some of which were on the corner of St Martin's Lane and Catherine Street, an area known in the 16th and 17th centuries as Little Kalendarhay. But all the time the number of Vicars Choral was being reduced. By 1614 there were only four priest-vicars and ten lay-vicars.  The College's silver plate was sold in 1644 for £30 7 shillings and 6  pence and the money lent to Charles I to support the Royalist cause during the  English Civil War. In 1647, at the time of Cromwell's Commonwealth, the College was confiscated and the beautiful dining hall\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council was turned into a wool hall. It was probably at this time that an entrance from South Street was forced between the dining hall and the kitchen through what was once the hall's screens passage. The College was returned to the Vicars Choral after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 but the collegiate days of the Middle Ages were over. The image \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E shows how the College might've looked c1850.\u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-uCoiDq7XikE\/UYLOp17J3RI\/AAAAAAAAGzM\/5FESrYLJlu4\/s1600\/College+Ver.+4+blog.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"520\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-uCoiDq7XikE\/UYLOp17J3RI\/AAAAAAAAGzM\/5FESrYLJlu4\/s640\/College+Ver.+4+blog.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe houses were let to private tenants. The College's vast 14th century kitchen (No. 7 on the map \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E) was converted into houses and by the late 18th century was an inn called The College Kitchen, later known as The Bear, which was accessed directly from South Street. Before the demolition of the Cathedral Close gatehouses it was possible to walk through the College Kitchen inn and into the Cathedral Precinct via a \"doorway knocked through its six feet stone wall\". The landlord kept the curfew in the Close by locking the \"great oak door\" every night at 10pm. The college's medieval kitchen was largely demolished in 1871. During the building work the kitchen's original ogee-arched fireplace was discovered. According to Lega-Weekes, writing in 1915, it was possible to see parts of the old kitchen in the cellars of the building which took its place but these remains were presumably destroyed when the area was blitzed in 1942.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-u7wJHIYGPkU\/Tu4UyPMIhYI\/AAAAAAAACy0\/fJpAnGDYNJU\/s1600\/Main%2Bgatehouse.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687506232718951810\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-u7wJHIYGPkU\/Tu4UyPMIhYI\/AAAAAAAACy0\/fJpAnGDYNJU\/s1600\/Main%2Bgatehouse.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOne peculiarity was what appears to have been a second gatehouse. I've called it the 'Oldham Gatehouse' and it's listed as No. 2 on the map \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove. \u003C\/span\u003EAlexander Jenkins left a description of this gatehouse in 1806: \"The  Gate-house of the College is a strong stone building, in the front of  which are the arms of England and France, quarterly; and under them are  the arms of Bishop Oldham, supported by Angels. Adjoining to this  Gate-house is an ancient building in which the Registrar's office for the  Archdeaconry of Exeter is held\". This shouldn't be confused with the inner gatehouse which led into the quadrangle. Hugh Oldham was the Bishop of Exeter between 1505 and 1519.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EVery little is really known about this gatehouse. Was it part of the original late-14th century College? Or was it a later 16th century addition which was only loosely connected to the College? Jenkins explicitly called it \"the Gate-house of the College\". James Crocker also described this gatehouse in 1886: \"Over the other [gatehouse] stood a three-storied house, and immediately above the arch itself were the Arms of Bishop Oldham, who was a munificent contributor to the funds of the College. Above these were the Royal Arms, and on either side, there was a niche for a figure. This three-storied house was of a much later date than the buildings generally\". Fortunately the gatehouse appears in several depictions of the church of St Mary Major prior to the church's demolition in 1865. One these is shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council, the gatehouse highlighted in red and standing to the left of the chancel of St Mary Major. The pointed arch of the gateway itself and the decorative details mentioned above are all visible. There are hints of stone mullioned windows on the first floor. I think the gatehouse was built c1519 and was part of a general overhaul of the College's buildings which took place at the same time. The three-storey house could've been built at any time between c1700 and c1800 but a date in the early-18th century seems most likely, the Tudor gatehouse peering out from beneath the later additions.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-1O3cvkWGgQo\/Tu5E_lv4x3I\/AAAAAAAACzA\/qHJ0WjRsi5Q\/s1600\/Kalendarhay%2B2011%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687559238670927730\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-1O3cvkWGgQo\/Tu5E_lv4x3I\/AAAAAAAACzA\/qHJ0WjRsi5Q\/s640\/Kalendarhay%2B2011%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows Kalendarhay today. The vicars' houses would've been on either side of the narrow street. The inner gatehouse stood near the car in the mid-distance. The gate in the wall to the right can also be seen in the photograph at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe entire complex survived intact until 1850. In 1848 a report by the city's surveyor stated that the College was in a \"very offensive and filthy state\", although the Commissioners for Improvement doubted they had the power \"to interfere there\" being within the precinct of the Cathedral. Instead of restoration and refurbishment, the demolition began. In 1850 the 'Exeter Flying Post' reported that while \"pulling down some old houses\" at the College a number of archaeological finds were uncovered. These included a Roman copper coin from the 4th century, a copper weight from the 15th century, a silver whistle, tokens from Nuremburg, and a gold and enamel ring inscribed with the words \"Remember the giver\". Most of the houses in the south row were demolished at this time and much of the site became part of the Deanery's garden. Some of the houses on the north side were pulled down in 1865 when the church of St Mary Major was rebuilt. Lega-Weekes reported a recollection that \"the south wall and west end [of the church] are entirely closed up by the ancient building of the Vicars' College and a house belonging to the Close, some of the leaning roofs of which rest on the church walls\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-jMt9Usmo8I0\/UYBg7PxOqSI\/AAAAAAAAGyo\/OnQKs11NsuA\/s1600\/College.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-jMt9Usmo8I0\/UYBg7PxOqSI\/AAAAAAAAGyo\/OnQKs11NsuA\/s1600\/College.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eright \u003C\/i\u003Eshows how the College's inner gatehouse might've appeared today had it survived demolition.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Oldham Gatehouse either came down at the same time or in 1872. It's difficult to imagine now, but until the 1870s the south side of the Cathedral Close was once filled with numerous houses as well as the church of St Mary Major.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDuring the restoration of the Cathedral in 1872 the Dean and Chapter decided that most of these houses were \"unsightly\" and \"incongruous\" and spoilt the view of the Cathedral from the south, so down they came. This was certainly when the College's inner gatehouse \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E was demolished. As mentioned above, the College's kitchen had already been almost completely demolished in 1871. By 1893 the rest of the houses on the north side had gone, to be replaced with what Harbottle Reed called \"ugly brick workshops\". By the beginning of the 20th century only the dining hall remained as the last surviving fragment of the College of the Vicars Choral.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003EThe Hall of the Vicars Choral\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-_Zhpm_vsPUg\/Tu5UhAig_NI\/AAAAAAAACzk\/654pCGDiDgw\/s1600\/College_hall%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"507\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687576305472699602\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-_Zhpm_vsPUg\/Tu5UhAig_NI\/AAAAAAAACzk\/654pCGDiDgw\/s640\/College_hall%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThe 19th century demolition of the College was a great loss to Exeter's historical architecture, but at least the dining hall \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E survived. It was probably the College's finest feature even when it was first built in the 1380s. As well as using it as their refectory, the Vicars Choral gathered in the hall to vote for a warden, two proctors and a collector to help oversee the running of the College. Above the entrance from Kalanderhay were inscribed the words: 'Aula Collegii Vicariorum de Choro'. It was a little treasure chest of medieval and post-medieval craftsmanship. The hall was spanned by a fine open-timbered arch-braced roof. There were three very fine late-14th century windows with Decorated Gothic tracery. A particularly beautiful feature of these windows was the way in which the decoration on the rere-arches reflected the tracery in the window itself. A screens passage divided the hall from the kitchen to the north and above the passage ran a minstrels' gallery.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-SUKuSau-t6A\/Tu5aSIiGm8I\/AAAAAAAACzw\/hX0dKPhAx5o\/s1600\/College%2Bhall%2B1942.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687582646990183362\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-SUKuSau-t6A\/Tu5aSIiGm8I\/AAAAAAAACzw\/hX0dKPhAx5o\/s400\/College%2Bhall%2B1942.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"306\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe dining hall was refurbished c1519 by the Cathedral's treasurer, John Ryse. Ryse installed the magnificent carved stone fireplace decorated with the heraldic shields of Henry Marshall, John Grandisson, Thomas Brantingham, Edmund Lacy and Hugh Oldham, all of whom were Bishops of Exeter. Above the shields, in the centre of the lintel, was the coat of arms of the treasurer. At the top of each jamb on either side of the fireplace was a circle carved into the stone and intertwined with the letters 'T', 'J' and 'R' in Gothic script for 'Treasurer, John Ryse'. Ryse was also probably responsible for the installation of the lovely linen fold oak panelling which covered the walls. Further panelling was added in the 1620s along with a carved representation of the coat of arms of Charles I under which was the date 1629. Another feature was the large Tudor oak table, probably carved in Devon during the reign of Elizabeth I. Although the top was a Victorian replacement the table itself was  regarded as being one of the finest of the period with highly elaborate  and intricate bulbous legs and a very ornate freize around the top. After the Oldham Gatehouse was demolished the stone tablet bearing Bishop Oldham's coat of arms was placed above the South Street entrance into the hall. The Exeter Diocesan Architectural Society used the hall for their meetings throughout the 19th century as did the Exeter Choral Association and a number of other groups, including the city council if the Guildhall was being used for trials.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-K2Gxy2bHG6M\/Tu5k991XhcI\/AAAAAAAAC0I\/Tze3tHLil2E\/s1600\/Hall_doorway_2011.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687594395148715458\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-K2Gxy2bHG6M\/Tu5k991XhcI\/AAAAAAAAC0I\/Tze3tHLil2E\/s640\/Hall_doorway_2011.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"487\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/baedeker-raids-why-exeter-was-targetted.html\"\u003EBaedeker Raids\u003C\/a\u003E of 1942 made a point of targeting England's most historic cities, and with buildings like the Cathedral, the Hall of the Vicars Choral, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/bampfylde-house-elizabethan-mansion-in.html\"\u003EBampfylde House\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E, Exeter found itself in the firing line. The hall was almost completely destroyed on the night of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E © Express \u0026amp; Echo shows the ruins of South Street shortly after the air-raid, the remains of the hall highlighted in red.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe destruction of the hall was the coup de \u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003Egrâce\u003C\/span\u003E for the College of the Vicars Choral and completed a process of demolition which had begun nearly a century earlier. After the war the ruins were tidied up and preserved. Only one wall, the arched doorway from Kalendarhay through which the Vicars Choral entered their hall \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E, and the remains of two of the windows survive. A few fragments of John Ryse's early 16th century fireplace found their way into the Royal Albert Memorial Museum along with the battered remnants of the late-14th century water stoup. In his book 'Exeter Architecture', Hugh Meller wrote that \"the remains of the college are now so pathetically meagre that they even fail to merit an explanatory plaque\".  The ruins of the 14th century hall \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E sit incongruously amongst  the mediocre post-war rebuilding of what was once one of the city's main  thoroughfares. Of the College's other buildings, of its gateways, kitchen or residential housing, not a single trace remains.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-w5NGm74zSL0\/Tu5n6sXJvCI\/AAAAAAAAC0U\/aKYdBVvEaWY\/s1600\/VCH.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687597637453855778\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-w5NGm74zSL0\/Tu5n6sXJvCI\/AAAAAAAAC0U\/aKYdBVvEaWY\/s1600\/VCH.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/992018660034637629\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=992018660034637629","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/992018660034637629"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/992018660034637629"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/medieval-college-of-vicars-choral-at.html","title":"The Medieval College of the Vicars Choral at Kalendarhay, Cathedral Yard"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-GuN_-9FZFXk\/TuyeEi73mVI\/AAAAAAAACx4\/Rv6BGM3x9E4\/s72-c\/College%2BGatehouse_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-2570458626072243529"},"published":{"$t":"2011-12-16T00:12:00.018+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-01T00:38:47.405+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Walls and Gates"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Broad Gate at Broadgate"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-WBR6sS-ccxY\/TuocsElKkMI\/AAAAAAAACvc\/zpe5CjKfyxM\/s1600\/Broadgate_plaque.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686389022978117826\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-WBR6sS-ccxY\/TuocsElKkMI\/AAAAAAAACvc\/zpe5CjKfyxM\/s640\/Broadgate_plaque.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"476\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe beautiful late-19th century bronze plaque \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E commemorates   the location of Broad Gate, the most substantial and impressive  of  all the gatehouses which were built as part of the Cathedral Close  wall  at the end of the 13th century. It reads: \"Site of Broad Gate. One  of  the seven gates of the Close for which Royal Licence was granted  1286.  Gate removed 1825\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe plaque now rests on the Broadgate facade  of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/nos-65-67-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 65 \u0026amp; 67 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E. The Close wall and the seven gates were constructed as a security measure following \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html\"\u003Ethe murder of the cathedral's Precentor, Walter Lechlade, in 1283\u003C\/a\u003E. The Broad Gate is the only one of the Close gates for which relatively accurate contemporary drawings survive.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt  seems likely that some sort of passageway or alleyway existed at  Broadgate prior to the gate being built. Broadgate is referred to as  'Fishfoldyete' in 1344 because of a nearby fish market in the High  Street. In the 16th century John Hooker recorded that the gate was  sometimes called Fissand, either a reference to the fish market or a  commentary on what was still a relatively narrow, fissure-like opening  between the High Street and the Cathedral Close. Situated almost  opposite the West door of the cathedral, the Broad Gate  was the  ceremonial entrance into the Cathedral Precinct, a status which  was  reflected in the weighty architecture of the gate.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-dJ5qs2JixbY\/TuqCtGTJyHI\/AAAAAAAACwM\/c2cljEzSlVA\/s1600\/Braun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_1587%2BBroadgate.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686501190805342322\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-dJ5qs2JixbY\/TuqCtGTJyHI\/AAAAAAAACwM\/c2cljEzSlVA\/s1600\/Braun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_1587%2BBroadgate.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESome  of the most famous kings in English history would've entered into the  precinct via the Broad Gate: Henry VI in 1452, Richard III in 1483,  Henry VII in 1501, Charles I in 1644, Charles II in 1670, George III in  1789, and the gate was probably already completed when Edward I made his  second visit to the city in 1297. There is also a tradition in Exeter  of the city mayor welcoming a newly-appointed Bishop of Exeter at the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\"\u003EEast Gate\u003C\/a\u003E before processing down the High Street to Broadgate from where the Bishop enters his cathedral.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHooker's 1587 map of Exeter \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E  shows a rather crude representation of the Broad Gate, highlighted here  in red. The West front of the Cathedral is on the far right. The High  Street runs up towards the East Gate on the far left.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn his  interesting booklet 'Gates of the Close', Michael Fodor wrote that the  Broad Gate depicted in early 19th century drawings was probably 15th  century in date, a remodelled version of the late-13th century original.  Many of the city's parish churches were rebuilt in the 1400s so it's  entirely possible that the Close's most important gatehouse was given a  makeover at the same time. If true then it was this version of the Broad  Gate which remained until its demolition in the 1820s. An inn called The Beaufitz or Beavis' Tavern is known to have adjoined the outer face of the Broadgate in the mid-15th century. The mayor at the time, John Shillingford, accused members of the Cathedral's clergy of entering The Beaufitz via a wicket gate where they caused such \"noyse, affrays and debates\" that they woke the citizens living in the High Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-cSqS3FY3tT4\/TuqDSMb0fvI\/AAAAAAAACwY\/argQkKvO4ho\/s1600\/Broadgate%2Bii.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686501828107468530\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-cSqS3FY3tT4\/TuqDSMb0fvI\/AAAAAAAACwY\/argQkKvO4ho\/s1600\/Broadgate%2Bii.JPG\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe illustration \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E,   from a work by J Farington, is one of the most accurate  representations  of what the Broad Gate looked like at the beginning of  the 19th century. It shows the interior face of the  gatehouse from  inside the Cathedral Close looking down through  Broadgate towards the  High Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was built on three floors although according to  Lega-Weekes there was once an arched tunnel which ran  beneath the Broad  Gate from east to west. This tunnel led into the groin  vaulted  undercrofts at No. 65 prior to that building's demolition c1904.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAn   arched gateway with wooden doors was on the ground floor of the  gatehouse. The thoroughfare connecting the Cathedral Precinct to  the High Street was approximately 12ft wide, large enough to take  horse-drawn carts and waggons. The gatekeeper, who was also a member of  the clergy,  resided in the accommodation on the first floor. Between  the two cusped, two-light Gothic windows was a niche containing a  statue. Alexander Jenkins left an invaluable eyewitness  description of the Broad Gate in 1806: \"The principal gate is now called  Broad-Gate, anciently St. Michael's, from its having the statue of that  Archangel, overcoming Satan, placed in the interior front\". Jenkins  added that \"this embellishment is now much mutilated\". Lega-Weekes  wondered whether the alternative name of St Michael's Gate wasn't  actually derived from the Anglo-Saxon word 'micel', meaning 'great', an  epithet also attached to the nearby church of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003ESt Mary Major\u003C\/a\u003E.  Above the gatekeeper's accommodation was a third floor containing  another chamber with a cockloft inserted into the roof. It's possible  that the third floor and roof visible in Farington's picture were a  later addition.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-p_-Th0dnVj4\/TuqHmBd3t0I\/AAAAAAAACww\/BJLGOGedZE0\/s1600\/Exe%2BBridge_arch.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686506566807172930\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-p_-Th0dnVj4\/TuqHmBd3t0I\/AAAAAAAACww\/BJLGOGedZE0\/s640\/Exe%2BBridge_arch.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"446\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAt  each corner of the interior face stood tall polygonal turreted towers. A  doorway leading into one of the towers can be seen at ground level on  the right. From here a spiral staircase probably rose through the full  height of the building. The right-hand tower is shown capped with a  squat roof. The interior of the ground floor passageway which ran  underneath the gatekeeper's accommodation had a stone vaulted ceiling  decorated with what Jenkins described as \"elegant tracery\". There was  some decoration on the outer arch. A rough sketch by John Gendall from  c1820 shows what appear to have been alternating blocks of different  coloured stone used for the voussoirs (something similar can be seen on a  couple of the surviving arches of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/the-medieval-exe-bridge.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe early 13th century Exe Bridge\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E). More decoration consisting of a form of blind arcading existed on the walls of the passageway itself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDespite  the descriptions and the drawings, architectural details remain  tantalisingly sketchy. No representation of the exterior High Street  facade survives and there are no details about the layout of the  interior. Little is really known about the decoration either, including  the statue, and even the precise history of the different phases of  construction is a mystery. One intriguing question is what was the gate  actually built from? Clearly it was stone but various types of stone  were used in Exeter during the medieval period. The late-13th century  gatehouse would've been contemporary with the rebuilding of the  cathedral, much of which was constructed from limestone, although the  gates in the city walls were nearly all constructed from locally-sourced  purple volcanic trap. An edition of the 'Exeter Flying Post' dated 29  December 1824 reported on the gate's demolition stating that \"Several  different kinds of stone were used in the building; some specimens,  which we have seen, taken from the upper part, appear to abound in  marine productions\". These \"marine productions\" are almost certainly  fossils and strongly suggest that the material was cretaceous limestone  from East Devon. Several illustrations indicate that the lower levels of  the gatehouse were constructed of purple volcanic trap with a paler  stone used for the floors above although other illustrations suggest  otherwise. If the gatehouse was rebuilt in the 15th century was the  old stone recycled into the new structure? Or was the stone reclaimed  from the demolition of another building? The questions are almost endless and most of the  answers will remain unknown for ever.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-B9mp8exb1ps\/TuqIAxJwVpI\/AAAAAAAACw8\/Fm5CS9eycdI\/s1600\/Broadgate_2011.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686507026284304018\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-B9mp8exb1ps\/TuqIAxJwVpI\/AAAAAAAACw8\/Fm5CS9eycdI\/s640\/Broadgate_2011.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"464\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E  shows Broadgate today looking towards the High Street from inside the  Cathedral Precinct. The white property in the background, now the  entrance into the Guildhall Shopping Centre, was formerly \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/no-196-high-street-elizabethan.html\"\u003ENo. 196 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E. It was a Grade II listed building constructed around the core of a Tudor townhouse. It was demolished in 1973.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately  the destruction of the Broad Gate is much easier to uncover. The  gatehouse was seen as an awkward obstacle to carriages wishing to access  the Cathedral Precinct and in 1823 the Commissioners for Improvement,  supported by the City Chamber, decided to remove the Broad Gate in its  entirety. The decision wasn't accepted by all of Exeter's citizens. In  August 1823 a letter appeared in the 'Exeter Flying Post' denouncing the  plans to destroy the gatehouse. The letter begins: \"Is it possible that  Exonians can have so little respect for what was so valued by their  forefathers, as to suffer Broadgate, the last remnant of ancient  grandeur, to be levelled with the dust? How will men of taste and  science cry out against our public spirit and sense of honour? What  answer shall we make to their censures and reproaches?\" The author  wondered whether the clergy could remain silent when the gate, that  \"beautiful accompaniment and outwork of the very Cathedral\" was being  threatened with \"Vandalic violence\" and hoped that the \"Classical minds\"  of several members of the City Chamber would prevent \"this monument of  former renown and and splendour\" from being \"annihilated for ever\". His  optimism was to be misplaced. A piece of doggerel verse was also  apparently circulating at the time: \"Broadgate now yields to Gothic  sway, despoiled of every feature. St. Michael's driven thus away, the  Lord defend St. Peter!\" St Peter is the saint to whom the cathedral  itself is dedicated. It was also suggested that the gate could be dismantled and re-erected at the entrance into Northernhay Gardens but, yet again, these plans came to nothing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-NagAhSe4uBE\/TuqJvcCik8I\/AAAAAAAACxI\/J8D_q5sUytc\/s1600\/Plaque_and_post.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686508927582376898\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-NagAhSe4uBE\/TuqJvcCik8I\/AAAAAAAACxI\/J8D_q5sUytc\/s640\/Plaque_and_post.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"437\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAn  editorial in the same newspaper, dated 01 July 1824, stated: \"We  understand that the Broad Gate will certainly be taken down in a few  months\". Another editorial appeared on 29 December 1824: \"The final  demolition of this venerable relic of antiquity was set about yesterday,  and we shall soon have to congratulate our fellow citizens and visitors  of the city on possessing a fine and appropriate approach to that  beautiful and admired structure, the Cathedral\". Presumably the  demolition was completed in the early weeks of 1825, the date usually  given for the destruction of the Broad Gate; and that was the full stop  at the end of the Broad Gate's five hundred years of history, although  its name lives on in the short street in which it stood. Horse and  carriages needing to access the Cathedral Yard were re-routed down St  Martin's Lane \"while the site of Broad Gate is being cleared away\". The  gatehouse in St Martin's Lane had already been removed in 1819.  Broadgate was 'improved' again in 1833 with more demolition. Thomas  Hourston, tailor and draper, was forced to relocate to new premises in  St Martin's Lane because his \"house at Broadgate\" was \"about to be  pulled down by the Commissioners\". In 1826 posts were placed at the  sites of the all of the demolished Cathedral Close gates. Some of these  remain at Broadgate \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E, St Martin's Lane and at Palace Gate.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe  Broad Gate is long gone. To see similar surviving buildings in England  you'd have to visit either the Exchequer Gate at Lincoln, the central  portion of which has similar polygonal turreted towers, or the great  Christ Church Gate at Canterbury which also has polygonal corner towers  and a niche for a statue between two two-light Gothic windows. \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003EBelow\u003C\/span\u003E is an image showing how Exeter's finest precinct gatehouse might've appeared had it survived into the 21st century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ukr-Tv-V-10\/UYBV6U_M5LI\/AAAAAAAAGyY\/2zDMc_v4Pto\/s1600\/P1263262.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ukr-Tv-V-10\/UYBV6U_M5LI\/AAAAAAAAGyY\/2zDMc_v4Pto\/s640\/P1263262.jpg\" width=\"584\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2570458626072243529\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=2570458626072243529","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2570458626072243529"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2570458626072243529"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/broad-gate-at-broadgate_16.html","title":"The Broad Gate at Broadgate"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-WBR6sS-ccxY\/TuocsElKkMI\/AAAAAAAACvc\/zpe5CjKfyxM\/s72-c\/Broadgate_plaque.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-864866102838188439"},"published":{"$t":"2011-12-15T00:43:00.017+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-28T23:43:17.133+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Palace Gate"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Rougemont"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Walls and Gates"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Cathedral Walls \u0026 Gates: The Medieval Murder of Walter Lechlade"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OyfG33zfC04\/TukvLD3zVlI\/AAAAAAAACt8\/NLid26S6yo4\/s1600\/Broadgate_RAMM.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686127871596385874\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OyfG33zfC04\/TukvLD3zVlI\/AAAAAAAACt8\/NLid26S6yo4\/s1600\/Broadgate_RAMM.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAs  the 13th century drew to a close in Exeter the violent death of a  member of the cathedral's clergy resulted in the construction of a  fortified wall studded with gatehouses around the entire cathedral  precinct. This security wall created what was in effect a walled city  within a  walled city, a version of the city's own walls and gates in  miniature and a physical expression of the separation between the civic  authority of the mayor and the ecclesiastical authority of the medieval  bishop.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe background to the murder was complex but at its heart  lay a feud between the Dean of the cathedral, John Pycot and the Bishop  of Exeter, Peter Quinil. In 1280 Pycot managed to convince a majority  of the cathedral's Chapter to elect him to the office of Dean during  Quinil's absence from the city for his own enthronement at Canterbury.  However, because Pycot failed to obtain a unanimous vote from the  Chapter, and probably for other reasons relating to what appear to have  been worldly and avaricious character traits, Bishop Quinil overturned  the Chapter's decision and declared that Pycot's election was invalid.  But Pycot wasn't going to be removed from his office quite so easily.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe  tensions between Bishop and Dean rumbled on into the summer of 1281  with each side in the dispute trying to use various legal arguments  placed before the Archbishop of Canterbury. Dean Pycot even travelled to  Rome to try and enlist the support of the Pope. In 1282 Quinil took the  opportunity of elevating one of his supporters, Walter Lechlade, to the  office of Precentor. Lechlade had been the vicar-choral at Wells  Cathedral and was therefore suited to his role at Exeter as the lead  chanter during the cathedral's services. Even more importantly, the  position of Precentor came with that of President of the Chapter who  could act as the head of the Chapter during Dean Pycot's year-long  absence in Rome. Upon his return to Exeter Lechlade became the  unwitting focus for Pycot's enmity.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Vt-5su7dvy0\/Tuk2Pem2RuI\/AAAAAAAACuI\/GaEnXHSwmto\/s1600\/Palace_Gate%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686135644073903842\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Vt-5su7dvy0\/Tuk2Pem2RuI\/AAAAAAAACuI\/GaEnXHSwmto\/s640\/Palace_Gate%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"448\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EPycot  was on close terms with Exeter's mayor, Alured de la Porta, and  together they hatched a plot to remove the troublesome Lechlade  permanently. On the night of 09 November 1283 Lechlade left his house at  \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/03\/chantry-deanery-place.html\"\u003Ethe Chantry\u003C\/a\u003E to fulfil his duties at the midnight matins. (Demolished in  1870, the rebuilt Chantry is now the Exeter Cathedral School in Deanery Place.) Following the end of the matins, at about 1.30am, Lechlade left  the cathedral and walked down Palace Gate \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E  towards the Chantry. A group of assailants, who had entered the city  through the South Gate, sprung out of the shadows and attacked Lechlade.  In the words of Bishop Quinil, the attackers dragged Lechlade \"here and  thither in the mire until at dawn their horrible outrage was seen by  many - his canonical robe soiled with blood and his brains issuing from  two ghastly wounds.\" Lechlade lay dead and his attackers had fled back  through the South Gate.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBishop Quinil and his followers had a  clear idea who was responsible for the assault on Lechlade but a  protracted dispute raged for over eight months with no judicial outcome.  Finally an appeal was made to Eleanor of Provence, the widow of Henry  III and the mother of the reigning king, Edward I. Following her  intervention, on 22 December 1285, Edward I, his wife Eleanor of  Castile, and three of their daughters arrived in the city to celebrate  Christmas and to preside over the trial of those accused of Lechlade's  murder. The king and his family probably stayed in the castle at  Rougemont with other members of the large retinue accommodated in various  locations throughout the city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-KoPUDvAuuY4\/Tuk34J9QkPI\/AAAAAAAACuU\/t_O7JaUVRHI\/s1600\/Rougemont%2BGatehouse_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686137442417021170\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-KoPUDvAuuY4\/Tuk34J9QkPI\/AAAAAAAACuU\/t_O7JaUVRHI\/s640\/Rougemont%2BGatehouse_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"451\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E left\u003C\/span\u003E  shows the Norman gatehouse of Rougemont Castle in the north-west corner  of the city, including the now-blocked archway through which Edward I  would've entered in 1285. The castle was constructed by William the  Conqueror in 1068. The Grade I listed gatehouse remains as England's  oldest stone-built Norman castle structure, predating the White Tower at  the Tower of London by about a decade.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe trial began on  Christmas Eve in the castle's great hall and ended on 28 December with  numerous convictions for various offences. Among those found guilty were  Dean Pycot, Mayor Porta, Richard Stonying, who was the porter of the  South Gate, and Canon Reginald Ercevesk, found guilty of harbouring one  of the murderers, a servant of Porta's called Hugo. (Canon Ercevesk is  believed to have resided in the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/canonry-catherine-street.html\"\u003E13th century canonry in Catherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E,  parts of which survived until the Blitz of 1942.) Of those convicted,  eleven claimed benefit of clergy and were handed over to the relevant  ecclesiastical authorities for punishment. Three others were released on  bail and five more were sentenced to death, including Mayor Porta and  Richard Stonying, both of whom were hung, probably at Northernhay just  beyond the walls of the castle. Dean Pycot underwent canonical purgation  and was released after six months. He was replaced as Dean by Andrew de  Kilkenny. Hugo, Porta's servant sheltered by Canon Ercevesk, is said to  have got away and disappears into history without a further trace.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-0cP7JFQTknY\/Tuk66TUZ6MI\/AAAAAAAACug\/5_EX7p1DU94\/s1600\/Medieval_King%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686140777824643266\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-0cP7JFQTknY\/Tuk66TUZ6MI\/AAAAAAAACug\/5_EX7p1DU94\/s1600\/Medieval_King%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E  shows a medieval king from the mid-14th century image screen on the  West front of Exeter Cathedral. When first installed the statue would've  been brightly painted.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBefore Edward I left Exeter he had a  meeting with Bishop Quinil and signed a Royal licence on 01 January 1286  allowing the cathedral authorities to construct a 12ft high security  wall around the entire cathedral precinct, punctuated at intervals by a  sequence of lockable gates and gatehouses. Other cathedral cities in  England built similar walls and gates at the  same time. Such walls  already existed at Norwich and Winchester. The Bishop of Lincoln was  granted a Royal licence by Edward I to build a wall around the cathedral  in 1285.  Lichfield followed in 1299, Salisbury in 1327,  and other  examples can still be seen at Chester, Canterbury, Worcester  and Wells.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAt Exeter the wall formed a very irregular rectangle, bounded on three sides by South Street, the High Street and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/one-thousand-years-in-egypt-lane.html\"\u003EEgypt Lane\u003C\/a\u003E.  The south-east portion of the circuit used the standing \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003ERoman wall\u003C\/a\u003E, parts of   which can still be seen in the gardens of the Bishop's Palace. The rest  of the Close wall was probably a mixture of additional new masonry  combined with pre-existing barriers. Properties which backed onto the  Close had their rear entrances blocked up, a much cheaper alternative to  building an entirely new, free-standing wall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-scHku3OOvJ8\/TunlWxiitQI\/AAAAAAAACvQ\/kWZaCNCAyiM\/s1600\/Bishop_Palace%2Bwall.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686328183950062850\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-scHku3OOvJ8\/TunlWxiitQI\/AAAAAAAACvQ\/kWZaCNCAyiM\/s640\/Bishop_Palace%2Bwall.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"478\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe  photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows part of the exterior of the Roman city wall which  bounds the grounds of the Bishop's Palace and which formed a section of  the late-13th century Close wall. Much of the fabric of the wall here, made from heavily-weathered purple volcanic trap, dates to c200AD.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhat is believed to be part of the Close wall still exists in the cellars of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/nos-41-42-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 41 \u0026amp; 42 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E  although little or nothing remains of it above ground except for the  much-repaired section of the city wall in the Bishop's Palace gardens.  The antiquarian Ethel Lega-Weekes reported in 1915 that \"in the cellars  of nearly all the premises from Broadgate to St Martin's I have found  remains of very massive walling, ranging from 6 to 15ft in  thickness...neatly constructed, being faced with large ashlars in some  parts and exhibiting in some places round-headed arches\". It's possible  that these were the remains of the Cathedral Close wall, although a  similar piece of exposed walling at No. 2 Cathedral Yard has been shown  to date to no earlier than the 16th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-yoFGU_V5GCA\/Tuk_tiLxrJI\/AAAAAAAACu4\/jsKStDTGyeQ\/s1600\/St%2BPetrock_gate%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686146056034823314\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-yoFGU_V5GCA\/Tuk_tiLxrJI\/AAAAAAAACu4\/jsKStDTGyeQ\/s640\/St%2BPetrock_gate%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"406\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESeven  gates were created in total: St Martin's Gate, St Catherine's Gate, St  Petrock's Gate, Little Stile, Bear Gate, Palace Gate and the largest and  most magnificent, Broad Gate \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E © RAMM. Broad Gate, St Martin's Gate and Palace Gate were all wide enough to accommodate horse-drawn carts. Bear Gate and St Catherine's Gate were wide enough to take a pack horse. The medieval church of St Petrock\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/st-petrocks-church-high-street.html\"\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E was used as a postern gate for pedestrians, a decision which seems to   have resulted in the dramatic realignment of the High Street from the   south of the church to its current position to the north. Little Stile was also a postern gate. All the gates  were shut and locked at night, at 8pm in the winter and at 9pm in the  summer before being opened again at dawn the following day. The  gatekeeper lived in purpose-built accommodation above the Broad Gate  itself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 1806 Alexander Jenkins wrote that \"the Walls are now demolished, and  houses built on their site; but the Gates are still remaining.\"  Unfortunately, between 1812 and 1825 all of the gates were demolished  too. St Petrock's church \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E  was already in existence by 1286 and still survives today. The church  has been much enlarged and it's no longer possible to walk through from  the High Street into the Cathedral Close. Jenkins also claimed that  prior to the construction of the Close wall there was only a small wall  separating the Close from the High Street which would've been easy to  step over. This seems far-fetched to me.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-UaF81jR0NnM\/TulAPuHI7wI\/AAAAAAAACvE\/POyIMAlX2A4\/s1600\/Walls%2Band%2BChantry_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686146643352153858\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-UaF81jR0NnM\/TulAPuHI7wI\/AAAAAAAACvE\/POyIMAlX2A4\/s400\/Walls%2Band%2BChantry_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAfter over 700 years it is now difficult to plot the course of the wall    precisely. It was gradually subsumed into later buildings which have  in   turn been either modified or demolished, but the positions of the   gates are all known and it's possible to make a vague guess at where the   wall ran through the streets of Exeter. The positions of all of the gates are numbered in the aerial view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E1 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/broad-gate-at-broadgate_16.html\"\u003EBroad Gate\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E2 St Martin's Gate\u003Cbr \/\u003E3 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ESt Catherine's Gate\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E4 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/a-brief-history-of-palace-gate-and-its.html\"\u003EPalace Gate\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E5 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/03\/bear-street-bear-gate-bear-tower.html\"\u003EBear Gate\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E6 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/04\/little-stile-mutineer-medieval-gatehouse.html\"\u003ELittle Stile\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E7 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/st-petrocks-church-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Petrock's Gate\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe site of Walter Lechlade's Chantry is highlighted in purple. A rough  indication of the course of the wall is highlighted in red. In reality  it was probably a lot more uneven as it darted in and out of various properties. It's worth remembering that at the time Lechlade was murdered the  cathedral we know today barely existed. Work on its transformation from  the Norman building to the present supreme example of Decorated Gothic  architecture had only just begun on the Lady Chapel at the east end in  1283.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommemorative plaques and stone  posts record the locations of some of the gates, installed after all of  the gates had been demolished. A few of these still retain iron rings  from which, until 1928, a chain was hung by the Dean and Chapter once  a-year as a symbolic reaffirmation of the church's claim over the  cathedral precinct.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/864866102838188439\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=864866102838188439","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/864866102838188439"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/864866102838188439"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html","title":"Cathedral Walls \u0026 Gates: The Medieval Murder of Walter Lechlade"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OyfG33zfC04\/TukvLD3zVlI\/AAAAAAAACt8\/NLid26S6yo4\/s72-c\/Broadgate_RAMM.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-2327715689909955708"},"published":{"$t":"2011-12-11T16:49:00.031+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T18:44:37.129+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"20th Century"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Walls and Gates"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 61, 62 \u0026 63, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-L_pZwmbaV_M\/TuTh5pWzFZI\/AAAAAAAACs0\/4IMtEFF5C6E\/s1600\/63%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter%2B2010.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684917010118677906\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-L_pZwmbaV_M\/TuTh5pWzFZI\/AAAAAAAACs0\/4IMtEFF5C6E\/s640\/63%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter%2B2010.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"459\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe current building on the site \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E only dates to 1976 and occupies what  was once three separate plots: Nos. 61, 62 and 63. It sits in a  prominent location on the corner of the High Street with \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/broad-gate-at-broadgate_16.html\"\u003EBroadgate\u003C\/a\u003E, the ancient ceremonial entrance way into the Cathedral Close and the site of  the largest and most ornate of the Close's medieval gatehouses. (The  Broad Gate itself was demolished between 1824 and 1825.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe city council's conservation report from 2002 describes No. 63 as \"a rebuild of a listed building demolished in 1976\". The report continues: \"Stretching across three historic frontages, it is built from pale stone with the windows being simple, rectangular dark brown single panes of glass. A three storey oriel window on the corner and a similar window close to the junction with \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/no-59-60-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 60\u003C\/a\u003E provide some interest\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately I don't know much about the listed building which was demolished in the 1970s. I don't know when it was listed or why it was listed, and this section of the High Street seems to have been one of the least photographed areas of the city centre! The conservation report mentions \"three curved bays at ground floor level reflecting the earlier plot widths\" which can be seen on the High Street facade of the current building. They conveniently divide the High Street frontage into thirds.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-6cXRAoanJ3I\/TuUaX6fKQaI\/AAAAAAAACtA\/Qc3hlEf8sBY\/s1600\/63_High%2BStreet%2BExeter.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684979102764384674\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-6cXRAoanJ3I\/TuUaX6fKQaI\/AAAAAAAACtA\/Qc3hlEf8sBY\/s640\/63_High%2BStreet%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"458\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E is a detail from an aerial view of the city c1930. It shows the previous building on the site, highlighted in red. Its most distinctive feature was probably a two storey oriel corner window on top of which was a squat lead dome. The facade was made of brick alternating with bands of stone with a stone parapet running across the top. Clearly the facade was all built at the same time and, from the street at least, there was little sign of the three older plots mentioned in the conservation report.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut hidden behind the parapet can be seen three hipped roofs of quite different sizes. I think it's probable that Nos. 61, 62 and 63 were indeed three completely separate buildings and that sometime around the end of the 19th century their frontages were all replaced with the brick and stone facade shown in the photograph leaving the older cores remaining intact behind. This happened throughout Exeter on a number of buildings and it's one reason why the fabric of the city was in fact much older than it often appears in pre-war photographs (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/nos-17-18-north-street.html\"\u003ENos. 17 \u0026amp; 18 North Street\u003C\/a\u003E are classic examples). This might well account for why the buildings had received listed status prior to their demolition in 1976.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-7jxR40ppfh8\/TuUt9mWaLOI\/AAAAAAAACtM\/zEOWsJVhO1Q\/s1600\/No63_High%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685000640914926818\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-7jxR40ppfh8\/TuUt9mWaLOI\/AAAAAAAACtM\/zEOWsJVhO1Q\/s1600\/No63_High%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe listed buildings were badly affected by fire in the mid-1970s. Photographs taken of the rear of the buildings after the fire showed that the houses were of a relatively light-weight timber-framed construction. To me this suggests a date of between 1660 and 1700 which would be in keeping with other Exeter houses built in the same period which are of a similar construction. (In July 1778, in the cellar of a house belonging to Mr Upham \"situated  in the High Street at Exeter, at the corner of Broad-gate\" workmen  uncovered five superbly cast little bronze statues of Roman gods. Upham's house was probably either at No. 63 or at what is now Nos. 65 \u0026amp; 67 on the opposite corner of Broadgate, although No. 197 on the other side of the High Street has also been suggested.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately no other investigation of the ruins was possible and the remains were demolished without further record. The fire-damaged structures were removed and the replacement building now stands on the site. As a piece of Modernist in-fill it is admittedly very successful. It retains a sense of scale which relates well to the surrounding properties and it has hardly dated at all. The subtle oriel windows are an attractive feature which break up the monotony of the plain facade, and the chamfered corner and the pale stone mirror the early-20th century Neo-Classical bank at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/nos-65-67-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 65 \u0026amp; 67\u003C\/a\u003E on the opposite corner. It is preferable to the repellent 1960s in-fill building at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/nos-50-to-52-high-street-exchange-lane.html\"\u003ENos. 50 to 52\u003C\/a\u003E or anything in the recent redeveloped Princesshay area.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe postcard \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E from c1910 shows the view up the pre-war High Street with the now-demolished building at Nos. 61, 62 and 63 highlighted in red. The densely-packed housing and varied street frontages continued in a remarkable, almost unbroken line from this point up to the end of Sidwell Street well over a kilometre away. Unfortunately the vast majority of it has since been destroyed through wartime bombing and post-war demolition. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows the entrance into Broadgate to the right with the High Street stretching away to the left.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-lLzdGwcq2VM\/TuU10Oe4vMI\/AAAAAAAACtY\/ukzN6IOO9HI\/s1600\/63_High%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"423\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685009275982232770\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-lLzdGwcq2VM\/TuU10Oe4vMI\/AAAAAAAACtY\/ukzN6IOO9HI\/s640\/63_High%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2327715689909955708\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=2327715689909955708","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2327715689909955708"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2327715689909955708"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/no-63-high-street.html","title":"Nos. 61, 62 \u0026 63, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-L_pZwmbaV_M\/TuTh5pWzFZI\/AAAAAAAACs0\/4IMtEFF5C6E\/s72-c\/63%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter%2B2010.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5716404107982262258"},"published":{"$t":"2011-12-06T23:08:00.044+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-23T15:11:52.807+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Queen Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Victorian Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 212 to 219, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-euZHhaWPeh4\/TxiqVbAFEtI\/AAAAAAAAEU4\/FGd2fECUTYE\/s1600\/212-219%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699492613439427282\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-euZHhaWPeh4\/TxiqVbAFEtI\/AAAAAAAAEU4\/FGd2fECUTYE\/s640\/212-219%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"446\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAccurately described by Hugh Meller as \"wretched\" and \"an inept lump, crudely detailed with ugly red bricks and massive concrete shafts that bear no relation to its neighbours\", Nos. 212 to 219 is an intrusive presence on Exeter's High Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe city council's conservation report tellingly describes it as \"assertive\". The fact that it was constructed in what was allegedly a conversation area and in a section of the High Street which was totally unaffected by \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003Ethe Blitz of 1942\u003C\/a\u003E makes its presence even more unwelcome.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn reality it's a mess that occupies an enormous plot on the corner of the High Street with Queen Street. Incidentally, the opposite corner had already been crudely defaced with the demolition of a fine row of mid-19th century townhouses in 1971. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E combines a 1905 map of Exeter with a modern aerial view of the same area. The buildings which were demolished in the late 1970s to construct the \"inept lump\" are highlighted in red. The surviving Guildhall is highlighted in purple. All of the plots highlighted in yellow indicate just some of Exeter's pre-war buildings which survived the Blitz of 1942 but which were demolished by the local authority between 1963 and 1979.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-K5f0WEKm_MU\/Txira4EoZmI\/AAAAAAAAEVE\/pzTjdhl4zD0\/s1600\/council%2Bbulldozer.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699493806654121570\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-K5f0WEKm_MU\/Txira4EoZmI\/AAAAAAAAEVE\/pzTjdhl4zD0\/s400\/council%2Bbulldozer.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"321\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESome of the buildings affected in Queen Street were a row of Grade II listed townhouses which were deemed structurally unsound. A rubber silicon mould was taken of the facades and the frontages were recreated in cast concrete (this building will be covered in a separate post).  The Grade II listed \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/higher-market-queen-street.html\"\u003EHigher Market\u003C\/a\u003E to the north-east had been severely mutilated during the construction of the Guildhall Shopping Centre a few years earlier.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe upper floors of the building squat over the pavement, propped up on pillars which only act as obstacles in an area which is already congested with pedestrians trying to avoid the buses trundling up and down the High Street. Obviously the reason for the oversailing floors is to squeeze more retail space out of the plot but it also has the deeply unfortunate effect of thrusting the building far out into the street, totally dominating its surroundings at the expense of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/probably-best-preserved-group-of-late.html\"\u003Ethe surviving historical frontages on the opposite side of the High Street\u003C\/a\u003E. Maybe this is what the conservation report meant by \"assertive\", and like most of Exeter's other post-war architectural disasters, it probably seemed like a good idea at the time. The architects were \u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003ENorman Jones Sons \u0026amp; Rigby\u003C\/span\u003E and the building apparently \"echoes the materials and forms already found in Exeter\". Whatever. When completed in 1980 it was described by one architectural journal as \"a dog's dinner\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Mz0Lvs2gWYI\/UXaWetQJB5I\/AAAAAAAAGj4\/NuiyYQmH2f8\/s1600\/High+St+corner+Queen+Street+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Mz0Lvs2gWYI\/UXaWetQJB5I\/AAAAAAAAGj4\/NuiyYQmH2f8\/s1600\/High+St+corner+Queen+Street+Exeter.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe creation of the building for Marks and Spencer between 1979 and 1980, and the small but contemporary development at No. 211 High Street, involved the demolition of a number of late-19th century buildings.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUntil c1880 the site was occupied by several towering timber-framed properties from c1700 (shown in the rare c1865 photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E). Only \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/no-210-high-street.html\"\u003Ethe strange old house at No. 210\u003C\/a\u003E, the little pair of houses at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/nos-211-212-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 211 and 212\u003C\/a\u003E, dating to c1650, and the medieval parish church of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/allhallows-church-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EAllhallows\u003C\/a\u003E, were older. The church was removed in 1906, and the other buildings on the site were all replaced gradually between c1880 and c1910 in conjunction with the widening of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E at the end of the 19th century. Nos. 211 and 212 were the last of the group to be rebuilt c1910. It was these replacement properties which were demolished in the late-1970s. At the end of 1979, as the foundations for the new building were  being  excavated, workmen unearthed six skeletons dating from the 17th  century  which had formerly been buried within the church of Allhallows  on  Goldsmith Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-uMltqbXCgMs\/Tt_wPQNSvmI\/AAAAAAAACr4\/gBCNbJHRb2A\/s1600\/1910%2BQueenSt%2BHighSt%2BCorner.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683525399604280930\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-uMltqbXCgMs\/Tt_wPQNSvmI\/AAAAAAAACr4\/gBCNbJHRb2A\/s1600\/1910%2BQueenSt%2BHighSt%2BCorner.JPG\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe late-Victorian and Edwardian replacements admittedly weren't exactly ground-breaking as architecture. The most attractive was probably the building occupied until 1975 by the Waltons department store. Made of brick with numerous dressed stone accents, the facade was dotted with architectural decorations: pointed pediments over the windows, a small pediment above the roofline of the central bay, bay windows overhanging the street, circular oculus windows, panels of stonework carved with a florid quasi-Jacobean strapwork design, etc. The replacement Edwardian building at Nos. 211 and 212 featured a top storey of Tudor Revival black and white timber framing. Underneath this were two floors of brick with stone mullion windows. The most mediocre of these new buildings was on the corner of the High Street with Queen Street, and unfortunately it's the only one for which I have a decent photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E. The top of the cupola from this building was recycled and shoved on top of the 1980 structure, where it still sits today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe postcard view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E is from c1965. Highlighted in red are the late-19th and early-20th century buildings which were demolished in 1979. The photograph was taken from almost exactly the same spot as the early pre-1880 image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E. The structure with the mock-Tudor black and white timber-framing curved around in Goldsmith Street. It was an infinitely more attractive building than its replacement and at least blended successfully with the remaining historical frontages on the High Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683525942674507346\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-86kYxiD-raA\/Tt_wu3TUxlI\/AAAAAAAACsE\/lOzAGM6D_6E\/s1600\/HighSt_corner.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIt's possible that elements of much older buildings remained intact behind the Edwardian facades. Unfortunately no archaeological investigation took place and all of the buildings were destroyed without any record being made of their architectural history.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo-one would suggest that any city should be preserved unchanged in aspic for perpetuity. But it could be argued that in Exeter a moratorium on the demolition of other areas of the city should've been implemented after the huge destruction following the Blitz of 02 May 1942. Unfortunately the very opposite occurred and with so much of the pre-war fabric destroyed during World War Two it appears that the rest of the city was seen as 'fair game' and expendable in the subsequent decades. Very few buildings were regarded as sacrosanct in the post-war period. I would suggest that only the Guildhall, the castle gatehouse at Rougemont, the Cathedral itself, Tuckers Hall in Fore Street, the remaining fragments of St Nicholas's Priory and two or three buildings in the Cathedral Close would've been beyond the reach of the local authority's bulldozer had they found themselves in the way of a new road or a new retail development opportunity. Almost everything else which has survived into the 21st century has done so mostly through sheer luck and\/or local campaigns organised by groups like the Exeter Civic Society, regarded by the city council in the 1970s as \"an ineffectual nuisance\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-2KXuqxfoQJQ\/TuOyb-CZwSI\/AAAAAAAACso\/Ccct25jmo-g\/s1600\/1970s_demolition_exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684583348250984738\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-2KXuqxfoQJQ\/TuOyb-CZwSI\/AAAAAAAACso\/Ccct25jmo-g\/s640\/1970s_demolition_exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"443\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EWhat are now some of Exeter's most prominent pre-war buildings and areas were ear-marked for demolition between 1950 and the 1970s, properties like \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/nos-223-225-high-st-mock-tudor-exeter.html\"\u003ENos. 225 \u0026amp; 226\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/no-227-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 227\u003C\/a\u003E on the High Street, the Higher Market in Queen Street and the Georgian houses at the top of Bartholomew Street West, all of which are now Grade II listed buildings. In his book 'Aspects of Exeter', Peter Thomas cites a scheme that emerged from the city council's planning department in 1961 which would've resulted in the total demolition of every surviving building bounded by Queen Street, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html\"\u003EPaul Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E and the High Street, with the sole exception of the Guildhall and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/06\/no-202-high-street-turks-head.html\"\u003Ethe Turk's Head inn\u003C\/a\u003E. Fortunately it didn't come to fruition but clearly the intention was there (and many of the buildings concerned were indeed demolished in the 1970s). Given the cumulative effects of the pre-war slum clearances, the Blitz  of 1942 and the subsequent post-war demolitions, it is actually  surprising that any part of old Exeter has survived.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe postcard view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E of the junction of the High Street and Queen Street remained unchanged from c1910 until the 1970s. The lovely \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/wanton-demolition.html\"\u003Emid-19th century terrace\u003C\/a\u003E, highlighted in green, was demolished in 1971. The buildings highlighted in purple, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/nos-206-207-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 206 \u0026amp; 207\u003C\/a\u003E, were demolished in 1979, their Grade II listed facades recreated in a modified form using concrete. The block highlighted in red was demolished in 1979, and the building shown at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post now occupies the site.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5716404107982262258\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5716404107982262258","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5716404107982262258"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5716404107982262258"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/nos-212-to-219-high-street.html","title":"Nos. 212 to 219, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-euZHhaWPeh4\/TxiqVbAFEtI\/AAAAAAAAEU4\/FGd2fECUTYE\/s72-c\/212-219%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-3501360007227247706"},"published":{"$t":"2011-12-05T17:46:00.039+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-23T15:09:20.338+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"No. 210, High Street: An Exeter Curiosity"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VNBhN7AxKKY\/UXaV34orI1I\/AAAAAAAAGjw\/bMHvs400sBA\/s1600\/209+Exeter+High+Street.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VNBhN7AxKKY\/UXaV34orI1I\/AAAAAAAAGjw\/bMHvs400sBA\/s1600\/209+Exeter+High+Street.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows part of a rare albumen print of Exeter's High Street from c186\u003Cbr \/\u003E5. The photograph is one of the very few surviving visual records of a number of buildings which were replaced over the course of the 1880s. One of these buildings was No. 210 High Street, highlighted in red. Had it escaped demolition No. 210 would've become one of the most recognisable sights in the city, a magnet for any tourist wanting a photograph of something unique and memorable. Only the passing of centuries could throw up something so peculiar.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe property was located on the corner of the High Street with \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E. The entrance into Goldsmith Street is traceable in the print by the curving of the curbs stones at the base of No. 210. To the left of No. 210, separated by the narrow entrance into Goldsmith Street itself, is \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/nos-206-207-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 207 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E showing its original facade before the property was demolished in the late-1970s. To the right of No. 210 are the mid-17th century pair of townhouses at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/nos-211-212-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 211 and 212\u003C\/a\u003E. The late-Elizabethan portico of the Guildhall is just shown to the far left.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhat made No. 210 remarkable was its relationship with the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/allhallows-church-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003Echurch of Allhallows\u003C\/a\u003E. The church also sat on the corner of the High Street and Goldsmith Street and had been in existence since at least 1222. As Exeter's population increased throughout the Middle Ages and into 16th and 17th centuries building space within the city walls became more scarce. A location on the High Street, Exeter's most prestigious residential and commercial area, was an added bonus. It was probably for these reasons that No. 210 was constructed literally over the top of the chancel of Allhallows, almost enveloping the entire east end of the little medieval church.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-EpRwACYtP_o\/Tt0y-a89y-I\/AAAAAAAACo0\/9mbrkJG6MCc\/s1600\/No%2B210_High%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682754352779742178\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-EpRwACYtP_o\/Tt0y-a89y-I\/AAAAAAAACo0\/9mbrkJG6MCc\/s640\/No%2B210_High%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"459\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe drawing by James Crocker c1879\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E right\u003C\/span\u003E shows the extraordinary extent of the building's encroachment over the chancel of the church. Only the east window and part of the slope of the chancel roof are visible. The rest has been engulfed by No. 210, only a small part of which is actually resting on its own footprint. Crocker's drawing shows a small door to the left of the east window. Perhaps it was used to access the exterior of the church. Another view of No. 210 by George Townsend \u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E©\u003C\/span\u003E Devon County Council is shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe story of No. 210 High Street begins during the reign of James I. In 1618 the Exeter Corporation (the 17th century equivalent of the city council) granted to Nicholas Duck, Robert Vilvaine and 13 other parishioners in the parish of Allhallows a newly-built shop with rooms above for a period 36 years. Both this shop and another one had belonged to a goldsmith called Peter Shapley and were rented out to the parishioners for 8 shillings a-year. As James Crocker rightly says in his 1886 publication 'Old Exeter', the \"precise date of the encroachment over the Chancel is not known, and the fact of its being permitted is still more mysterious\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-OiFf5z9a6Vc\/Tt003iUeN_I\/AAAAAAAACpA\/pvzKSYhBODM\/s1600\/Entrance%2Bto%2BGoldsmithSt%2Bc1879.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682756433521555442\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-OiFf5z9a6Vc\/Tt003iUeN_I\/AAAAAAAACpA\/pvzKSYhBODM\/s1600\/Entrance%2Bto%2BGoldsmithSt%2Bc1879.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe house was four storeys high and only one room deep, but the shop on the ground floor was tiny, measuring just 8ft wide by about 6ft deep. Each of the floors jettied out over the other and the top floor must've been comparatively roomy. There was an entrance from the High Street with a side entrance in Goldsmith Street. The Crocker illustration even shows a chimney stack in the roof which must've only served the upper floor.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E is a detail from John Abbot's 1797 painting of the High Street. It shows No. 210 from the opposite view compared with the 1870s albumen print \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E, the Guildhall visible to the left. Some freshly washed laundry can be seen strung on a line between No. 210 and its neighbour. At the time Abbot painted his picture No. 210 was the premises of Mr Newton, a chemist or pharmacist. One of Newton's apprentices was Matthew Wood, later Sir Matthew Wood, who became twice Lord Mayor of London and a Member of Parliament for the City of London in 1817. One of his sons was selected by Gladstone to become Lord Chancellor.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-iRu2F_rtZBk\/Tt0986hv-WI\/AAAAAAAACpY\/JokNSKfwE8g\/s1600\/John%2BWhite%2BAbbot%2B1797.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682766421523691874\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-iRu2F_rtZBk\/Tt0986hv-WI\/AAAAAAAACpY\/JokNSKfwE8g\/s640\/John%2BWhite%2BAbbot%2B1797.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"460\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe building remained in use as a pharmacy when George Huggins took over from Newton, a function it fulfilled until George Huggins' death in 1876 at the age of 78. The demise of its owner was to foreshadow the demise of the building itself. The city council had long been eager to demolish the church of Allhallows as part of a road-widening scheme in Goldsmith Street. The church, and the ancient house which had grown over the top, were seen as a major obstruction.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 1878 the house came up for sale and was sold at an auction held at the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/globe-inn-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003EGlobe Inn\u003C\/a\u003E for £900 to Mr E Knapman. Just six months later the house was bought under a compulsory purchase order by the city council for £1500! An Act of Parliament was necessary before the council could force the issue of the removal of the church with the Cathedral's Dean and Chapter. At a council meeting in November 1879 discussion turned to the demolition of No. 210. One member advocated that no steps be taken to remove the old house as the outcome of the road-widening scheme was still uncertain. The city surveyor replied that \"there was no difficulty in the way of pulling down the house, and the repairs which would be needed to the church would not cost more than £25\". He added, to much laughter, that the house was in a state of disrepair anyway and that even if it hadn't belonged to the council then notice would've been served on the owner to either repair it or have it demolished. The meeting closed with agreement that the house be \"pulled down\". The house was demolished a few days later and so ended the history of one of Exeter's most unusual sights.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-w3IQcFT8pc0\/Tt1W22r8dgI\/AAAAAAAACpk\/qf5bbSwWlg4\/s1600\/Goldsmith_Entrance_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682793805204190722\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-w3IQcFT8pc0\/Tt1W22r8dgI\/AAAAAAAACpk\/qf5bbSwWlg4\/s640\/Goldsmith_Entrance_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"419\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EDuring another council meeting at the beginning of December 1879 one councillor remarked that \"now the corner house was down it seemed that the council had paid a very large sum for so small a property\". To the great annoyance of the city council, the Dean and Chapter refused to play ball and refused to consent to the demolition of the church! Someone complained that the \"council pulled down Mr Huggins' house, and the site has remained open ever since, but unpaved and unsightly\". The site was used as a pull-in for carts on busy market days.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs ever, the city council's determination to demolish a building that it had set its sights upon eventually came to fruition and Allhallows was indeed demolished in 1906.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAll of the properties in the vicinity now only date to the 1970s. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows the entrance into Goldsmith Street today. The postcard \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows the view into Goldsmith Street from the High Street c1900, after the removal of No. 210. The chancel of Allhallows sees daylight for the first time since the beginning of the 17th century. The east window was replaced and re-centered in the east wall following the demolition of No. 210. Unfortunately nothing in the photograph still exists today. The two 17th century houses to the right of the church were demolished c1910. The brick buildings to the far right were demolished in the 1970s, and as we've seen, the church itself came down in 1906.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zLj5wMLpPwY\/Tt1l8PllG5I\/AAAAAAAACp8\/_daqEm-9qVs\/s1600\/GoldsmithSt_Entrance%2B1900_Exeter.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"397\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682810390462143378\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zLj5wMLpPwY\/Tt1l8PllG5I\/AAAAAAAACp8\/_daqEm-9qVs\/s640\/GoldsmithSt_Entrance%2B1900_Exeter.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/3501360007227247706\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=3501360007227247706","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3501360007227247706"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3501360007227247706"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/no-210-high-street.html","title":"No. 210, High Street: An Exeter Curiosity"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VNBhN7AxKKY\/UXaV34orI1I\/AAAAAAAAGjw\/bMHvs400sBA\/s72-c\/209+Exeter+High+Street.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4732794373307221046"},"published":{"$t":"2011-12-04T22:14:00.021+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T18:30:02.057+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 50 to 52, High Street \u0026 Exchange Lane"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-taGilJ3DgZk\/TxXSaeKovSI\/AAAAAAAAEKw\/dAj1w4yWqMw\/s1600\/51-51%2Band%2B53%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698692255723339042\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-taGilJ3DgZk\/TxXSaeKovSI\/AAAAAAAAEKw\/dAj1w4yWqMw\/s640\/51-51%2Band%2B53%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"421\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ELocated between \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/nos-48-and-49-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 48 and 49\u003C\/a\u003E on the left and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/11\/no-53-high-street-tudor-revival.html\"\u003ENo. 53\u003C\/a\u003E on the right, Nos. 50 to 52 ranks as one of the ugliest, most inappropriate buildings in Exeter's city centre. The fact it was ever constructed at all is scandalous and it stands today as a monument to the sheer insensitivity of both the city council and the architect responsible for the building's appalling design.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's no surprise that it dates to 1963, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/destruction-of-exeter-in-20th-century.html\"\u003Ea dismal period in Exeter's 20th century history\u003C\/a\u003E when huge swathes of the pre-war city which had escaped the bombings of World War Two were being indiscriminately destroyed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe council's own conservation report states that 50 to 52 \"is probably the least well designed modern building in the High Street\"; and in his book 'Aspects of Exeter', Peter Thomas writes that \"it is as unsuitable to the site as it could possibly be\". It squats on the site of what were two separate properties: Nos. 51 and No. 52 High Street. For many years No. 51 was the premises of J. Webber, selling games and sporting equipment. It was a three storey building, three bays wide with quoins running up the sides of the frontage. The facade at least dated to the end of the 18th century. The rest of the building was probably of a similar date. Next to it was No. 51. This was constructed on a much narrower plot, a visual memory of an earlier medieval building. It too was three storeys high but only one bay wide.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/--M640ioNNUs\/TxXSgWAeFMI\/AAAAAAAAEK8\/SZ43WnqB6Go\/s1600\/High%2BSt%2Bc1932.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698692356612428994\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/--M640ioNNUs\/TxXSgWAeFMI\/AAAAAAAAEK8\/SZ43WnqB6Go\/s400\/High%2BSt%2Bc1932.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 316px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENos. 51 and 52 are both shown in the image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council, highlighted in red. The photograph was taken in the 1930s. The division between No. 51 and 52 is marked by the quoins which frame the facade of No. 51. At some point No. 52 received a new facade in order to make it match its larger neighbour. Most of the tall and narrow houses on the opposite side of the High Street which are externally 18th century in appearance have earlier 17th century or earlier timber-framed cores and it's likely that the remodelled facade of No. 52 also hid an earlier interior. Also visible in the photograph, to the left of the two figures looking into Webber's shop window, is a doorway. This doorway led down what was known as Exchange Lane, a shortcut from the High Street into the Cathedral Close. Prior to the late-16th century a similar shortcut called Lamb Alley existed further up the High Street next to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/nos-46-47-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 46\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ugJttf1ySeA\/TxXSq1Nl_AI\/AAAAAAAAELI\/LrROPZlgXZc\/s1600\/Exchange%2BLane_demolition.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698692536787663874\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ugJttf1ySeA\/TxXSq1Nl_AI\/AAAAAAAAELI\/LrROPZlgXZc\/s1600\/Exchange%2BLane_demolition.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EExchange Lane was gone long before I was born but Peter Thomas has an interesting description of it in his book 'Aspects of Exeter': \"[Exchange Lane] was picturesque, full of interest, and convenient too. One entered it through a doorway adjoining the east side of No. 51 High Street and one emerged from it through the doorway of No. 21 Cathedral Yard. From High Street or from Cathedral Yard, one went through a narrow covered passage first, before reaching the long, flagstoned, open court which was between them.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBetween 1962 and 1964, Nos. 51 and 52 on the High Street, Exchange Lane and No. 21 Cathedral Yard were all demolished. (No. 21 Cathedral Yard was an early-18th century townhouse with a regionally important Grade II* listed interior but its listed status didn't prevent the city council from consenting to its complete destruction in 1964). The pre-war aeriel view of Exeter \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E shows the extent of this particular episode of demolition highlighted in red. The facades of Nos. 51 and 52, looking across into the now much-demolished \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E, are at the bottom with the pitched roofs and tall chimney stacks of No. 21 Cathedral Yard visible at the top.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere's little more to be said about the current building on the site of No. 51 and 52. A tree has been planted in front of it in an attempt to mask its dismal appearance but this fig leaf does little to cover up the loss of yet another part of Exeter's historical architectural landscape.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4732794373307221046\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4732794373307221046","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4732794373307221046"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4732794373307221046"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/nos-50-to-52-high-street-exchange-lane.html","title":"Nos. 50 to 52, High Street \u0026 Exchange Lane"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-taGilJ3DgZk\/TxXSaeKovSI\/AAAAAAAAEKw\/dAj1w4yWqMw\/s72-c\/51-51%2Band%2B53%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-7114974824298222051"},"published":{"$t":"2011-12-02T23:30:00.024+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T18:26:53.763+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"20th Century"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Roman Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"No. 59 \u0026 60, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PuXnMlRZwnA\/TtljDquOe7I\/AAAAAAAACmY\/jEiC9c8HCqQ\/s1600\/59%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681681319563525042\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PuXnMlRZwnA\/TtljDquOe7I\/AAAAAAAACmY\/jEiC9c8HCqQ\/s640\/59%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"425\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENo. 59 on the High Street \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E only dates to c1925. It is a peculiar last gasp of 19th century Neo-Classicism carried over into the 1920s and infused with sporadic Art Deco details. It was built as a bank, is still used as a bank and the building it replaced was also a bank!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor much of the 19th century No. 59 was the premises of the Exeter branch of the National Provisional Bank. I only know the most rudimentary details about the building which was replaced c1925 but it was spread over four floors. There were at least two arched entrances, with rusticated keystones, above which ran a cornice on brackets, an arrangement which was not dissimilar to the one which exists today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe windows on the upper floors were surrounded by simple architraves. A string course running across the facade visually separated each floor. It probably dated to the first half of the 19th century. The building was damaged by smoke and water during \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/nos-55-56-and-no-57-high-street.html\"\u003Ea serious fire in 1881\u003C\/a\u003E which destroyed all of the properties between the bank and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/no-54-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 54\u003C\/a\u003E but it was repaired afterwards and continued in use for over forty years. The building was expanded between 1911 and 1912 and No. 60, High Street, to the right of No. 59, was demolished to create the extension. During the demolition of No. 60 some interesting discoveries were made.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699859126280097890\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-RTHLjRGrnh4\/Txn3rRuxkGI\/AAAAAAAAEVQ\/x2GzlbxNqlg\/s400\/No60_High%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 304px;\" \/\u003E A series of medieval walls were uncovered within the property itself which were believed to relate to the security wall erected around the Cathedral Close at the end of the 13th century. (Part of this wall is apparently still visible in the cellars of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/nos-41-42-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 41 \u0026amp; 42\u003C\/a\u003E further up the High Street.) Underneath these walls, approximately 11ft beneath the level of the High Street itself, two other walls were uncovered. Aileen Henderson Fox, the archaeologist who excavated much of Roman Exeter after the Blitz of 1942, surmised that these two walls were probably Roman in origin and could possibly have been the remnants of a Romano-Celtic temple.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlso discovered in one of the rooms during the demolition were some sections of a 16th century wall painting executed in a typically Renaissance style \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council. Part of it contained an inscription including the name of the Tudor monarch \"Elizabeth R\". The remains of the painting were fortunately photographed but the medieval and Roman walls, the painting itself and anything else of historical interest were all destroyed during the rebuilding.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ginpH16Lj94\/Ttre70sspXI\/AAAAAAAACnI\/suQD67OkZVA\/s1600\/No59_detail.jpg\"\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFor whatever reason, the old bank building and the extension at No. 60 were replaced in the 1920s with the structure which still stands in the High Street today. It is four bays wide, the outer two bays projecting into the High Street, and three storeys high. The ground floor is clad with rusticated grey marble blocks. Two arched windows are framed by two arched entrances, each having protruding keystones. Above each entrance is a scroll pediment. On the corners of the projecting outer bays are square pilasters of white Portland stone with exaggerated entasis and Ionic capitals. All of the first floor windows have round pediments beneath which are lintels with Art Deco-style keystones \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. Swags of fruit hang between the first and second floor windows and a deep, bracketed cornice runs along the roof line.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's not the most exciting building in Exeter and fares poorly when compared with the more successful Neo-Classical bank at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/nos-65-67-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 65 \u0026amp; 67\u003C\/a\u003E which was built just twenty years earlier. But the decorative details are of a fairly high quality and the slightly cluttered impression of the facade is at least distinctive. Perhaps surprisingly, No. 59 isn't a listed building but it is probably distinguished enough to warrant a place on the national register eventually.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PuXnMlRZwnA\/TtljDquOe7I\/AAAAAAAACmY\/jEiC9c8HCqQ\/s1600\/59+High+Street_Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PuXnMlRZwnA\/TtljDquOe7I\/AAAAAAAACmY\/jEiC9c8HCqQ\/s640\/59+High+Street_Exeter.jpg\" width=\"425\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/7114974824298222051\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=7114974824298222051","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7114974824298222051"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7114974824298222051"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/no-59-60-high-street.html","title":"No. 59 \u0026 60, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PuXnMlRZwnA\/TtljDquOe7I\/AAAAAAAACmY\/jEiC9c8HCqQ\/s72-c\/59%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-1105018620807288116"},"published":{"$t":"2011-12-01T12:21:00.053+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-06T14:50:32.036+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inns and Taverns"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Victorian Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 55 \u0026 56 and No 57, High Street: The Eagle House"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--KoTdO0yW58\/Txn4UavZzCI\/AAAAAAAAEVo\/X52KVa-xDp4\/s1600\/Nos55%252C56%252C57_High%2BStreet%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699859833073290274\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--KoTdO0yW58\/Txn4UavZzCI\/AAAAAAAAEVo\/X52KVa-xDp4\/s640\/Nos55%252C56%252C57_High%2BStreet%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"445\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAlong with its contemporary at No. 23 Cathedral Yard, Nos. 55 and 56 on the High Street stands today as one of the city's most attractive examples of Gothic Revival architecture. The current property at Nos. 55 and 56, and the mediocre red-brick property at No. 57 (both shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E) only date to the mid-1880s. But through documents and images it's possible to trace the previous buildings on the site back through the centuries into Exeter's medieval past.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt seems very likely that this was the location of what is referred to in 15th century documents as the \"Hospitium de le Egle\", the medieval mansion of Robert Wilford first mentioned in 1420. The Wilford family were wealthy importers of woad throughout the 1300s and 1400s,  and both Robert Wilford and William Wilford held the position of mayor of Exeter. The house itself probably dated at least to the mid-to-late 14th century, although I don't know why it is referred to as a 'hospitium'. It's unlikely that it was an inn in the way we understand the word today. More probable is that the house provided private hospitality and lodgings. The Wilfords were amongst the wealthiest of Exeter's late-medieval citizens and with their political and economic interests perhaps they enjoyed the status of accommodating any significant visitor to the city. The meaning behind the property's name is unclear as well. (Incidentally, the little lost chapel of St Peter Minor is believed to have stood overlooking the Cathedral near the back of the mansion until the chapel disappeared at the beginning of the 14th century.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-1fKNrSBajgo\/Txn5PxyTxRI\/AAAAAAAAEWM\/5MEFvJ0ltZM\/s1600\/The%2BEagle%2BInn_Exeter_c1875.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699860852871775506\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-1fKNrSBajgo\/Txn5PxyTxRI\/AAAAAAAAEWM\/5MEFvJ0ltZM\/s1600\/The%2BEagle%2BInn_Exeter_c1875.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Eagle House is referred to again in a grant of 1437 when it was granted by Robert Wilford to John Coplestone, John Hody, John Fortescue and John Mulys. The Exeter Corporation (the equivalent a modern-day city council) then seemed to have acquired it. Records dating to 1472 state that \"the howse called the Egle over againste [i.e. opposite] the Guyldehalle shalbe employed and put to the use of a Clothe Hall\". Any \"foreyn\" cloth merchants wishing to sell their cloth in Exeter were required to use the Eagle House only and were forbidden from selling it anywhere else in the city. It must've been a very significant and extensive property. In 1554 the equally ancient \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/nos-25-26-high-street-new-inn.html\"\u003ENew Inn\u003C\/a\u003E, further up the High Street, was used as a cloth hall instead and the Eagle Inn or Eagle House seems to disappear from the records for over three hundred years. A rare image of Exeter's High Street c1875 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E shows the projecting windows of No. 55 highlighted in red. The late-16th century portico of the Guildhall is on the left. To the far right, also highlighted in red, can just be seen one of the big oriel windows of No. 56.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe rate at which Exeter was destroying its ancient buildings as the 19th century progressed motivated a local architect called James Crocker to travel around the city making sketches and writing descriptions of old properties in danger of demolition. (Crocker designed the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/eastgate-arcade-and-coffee-tavern.html\"\u003EEastgate Arcade\u003C\/a\u003E in the High Street which was destroyed during \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003Ethe Blitz of 04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E.) The result of Crocker's interest in Exeter's architectural past was an 1886 publication entitled 'Old Exeter'. One of the illustrations is of a group of buildings which Crocker believed almost certainly to be \"The Eagle House or the Eagle Inn\". The properties stood opposite the Guildhall, as described in the record of 1472, but externally at least they were no earlier than 17th century in date.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-lCksUPLFV7Q\/TtkEUUSWPpI\/AAAAAAAACks\/vGiOMSumm_U\/s1600\/Eagle_House%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681577151994150546\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-lCksUPLFV7Q\/TtkEUUSWPpI\/AAAAAAAACks\/vGiOMSumm_U\/s640\/Eagle_House%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"482\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ECrocker's  illustration \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows Nos. 55, 56 and 57 as they existed c1880. If any of these buildings was the old 'Eagle House' then it was likely to have been No. 56, whose wide plot probably retained the original footprint of Robert Wilford's prestigious 14th century mansion. Visible to the far left in the sketch are the quoins running up the side of the still-standing \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/no-54-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 54, High Street\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJ Webber, ironmonger, occupied a tall, thin property at No. 55 which had a  windows projecting  out over the street below. Next to it is No. 56. From Crocker's sketch it appears to have had a brick facade with quoins at the sides. The second and third-floor windows projected out over the street supported on brackets, the centre of each window topped with a little triangular pediment. Curiously, both No 55 and No. 56 are clearly shown as two separate structures but they are united under a single roof with windows in the attic. No 56 was the premises of Messrs. Davies and Davies, haberdashers, who sold gloves and blankets. The shop spread across into No. 57, to the right in Crocker's illustration, a four-storey timber-framed building from the mid-to-late 17th century with a stucco facade.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDisaster struck the properties just a few months after Crocker completed his sketch. The fate of all three buildings is vividly recounted in an edition of the 'Exeter Flying Post'. In the early hours of Sunday 09 October 1881 two policemen on duty near Holy Trinity church in South Street noticed a \"strong smell of fire\". A third policeman joined them and together they began a tour of inspection, searching along the Cathedral Yard and into Waterbeer Street in an attempt to locate the source of the burning. Nothing was discovered and the three had regrouped in the High Street outside Davies and Davies' haberdashery when the shop door of No. 57 flew open and Miss Davies \"rushed out to give an alarm and seek help\". The rear part of the shop was already ablaze. The remaining occupants of No. 57 were rescued from the upper floors of the property by a portable fire escape kept at the Guildhall opposite but the fire had already started to spread to adjoining buildings. No. 56 was occupied by around twenty people, including the family of W.G. Davies and his assistants who slept above the shop itself. No. 56 extended all the way from the High Street to the Cathedral Yard with a central courtyard dividing the property near the middle. W.G. Davies and his family escaped out into the Cathedral Yard. The assistants were attempting to grab what they could when \"fire entered the building and taking possession of the landing and the staircase compelled the young women to make a hurried rush for the street\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 1905 map\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E below\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E right\u003C\/span\u003E shows the approximate extent of the fire-damaged area.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-d4_P-iBQFjo\/TtkzZy922cI\/AAAAAAAAClE\/tDyte6VQBaU\/s1600\/Wippell_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681628923175557570\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-d4_P-iBQFjo\/TtkzZy922cI\/AAAAAAAAClE\/tDyte6VQBaU\/s1600\/Wippell_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EChaos broke out when it was realised that one of the assistants, Miss L. Welsh, remained trapped in the building. Suddenly she appeared through the smoke at the second floor window and \"screamed for help\". By now a second, larger fire escape had been brought up from the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/lower-market-fore-street.html\"\u003ELower Market\u003C\/a\u003E. Placing it against the wall of the burning building, Sergeant Guppy \"ran up the ladder and brought the young lady down\". Five fire engines were brought to the scene in an attempt to quell the conflagration, which had spread into Webber's ironmongers at No. 55. In less than two hours the roofs of the \"three houses first attacked fell in\". No. 58 was also destroyed in the fire. Soldiers from the 11th Regiment, the Royal Horse Artillery and the Militia were all called in to try and combat the fire and eventually, over five hours later, the inferno was extinguished. Several firemen were injured but there were no fatalities. Only the shop front of Webber's ironmongers at No. 55 remained standing. As the newspaper related, the \"whole of the premises destroyed were very old, and constructed mainly of timber, filled in with brick of lath and plaster...From Mr Veitch's to the bank, nothing has been left standing but one or two massive chimney stacks, which appear to have been the principle supports of the houses which once occupied the site\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe apparent lack of any remaining masonry walls suggests that nothing of Wilford's mansion had survived into the 19th century. Any significant townhouse built in Exeter towards the end of the 14th century would've been constructed using thick stone walls. It wasn't until later into the 15th and 16th centuries, and beyond, that timber-framing became the default construction method of most of Exeter's large domestic houses. Even the Blitz of 1942 didn't manage to destroy either the remaining walls of a 14th century house at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/no-8-milk-street.html\"\u003ENo. 8 in Milk Street\u003C\/a\u003E or all of the stone walls of the late-14th century \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/hall-of-vicars-choral-south-street.html\"\u003Edining hall of the Vicars Choral\u003C\/a\u003E in South Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-SnmeXHerFUY\/Txn42hZt9fI\/AAAAAAAAEWA\/0SasWMY4HrM\/s1600\/Wippell_Exeter_1.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699860418976937458\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-SnmeXHerFUY\/Txn42hZt9fI\/AAAAAAAAEWA\/0SasWMY4HrM\/s640\/Wippell_Exeter_1.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"452\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOver the next few years a number of new properties arose on the site and which remain today. One of these, No. 57, is constructed of red brick and has a strangely asymmetrical facade, shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E. Perhaps it has been altered at some point. It did have a first-floor oriel window when first built but the building is now so undistinguished that it barely deserves mentioning.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMuch more impressive is the single building occupying the plots of Nos. 55 and 56 (detail \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E and \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E). As mentioned above, the properties destroyed in the 1881 fire ran from the High Street all the way back to the Cathedral Yard and it was here that Henry Wippell decided to build new business premises to replace the firm's old shop on the corner of Queen Street. Wippell's was founded in 1789 and by the 1880s had acquired a nationwide reputation for making high quality ecclesiastical furnishings, from stained glass to candlesticks as well as clerical robes. Nos. 55 and 56 was not only to be the company's new shop but also a factory containing workshops where the items were produced on-site.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-yvBRXuKWkmU\/Txn4dN9C9xI\/AAAAAAAAEV0\/FUdqiajLKwg\/s1600\/Wippells_Exeter%2B04.jpg\"\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe architects were Messrs. Best and Commin, based in Queen Street, and plans were drawn up and submitted to the city council in the autumn of 1882. Given the nature of Wippell's ecclesiastical work it was natural that the new building should be in the Gothic Revival style and by January 1883 work was already underway. Apart from some issues surrounding how far the building projected into the High Street work progressed smoothly throughout 1883. Another issue arose concerning the brackets of the oriel window in the High Street facade and these were replaced with banded corbelling. In May 1883 one of the builders, George Beer, fell 25ft onto the shop floor but he only received minor injuries. By February 1884 Wippell's new premises were nearly finished and were already in use. They were of such distinction that a double sheet of lithographs showing the completed buildings featured in an edition of the 'Building News' periodical.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-vuvSA21vRTM\/Txn5bxms3UI\/AAAAAAAAEWY\/cnLa6fhQGHE\/s1600\/Wippells_Exeter%2B03.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699861058981518658\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-vuvSA21vRTM\/Txn5bxms3UI\/AAAAAAAAEWY\/cnLa6fhQGHE\/s400\/Wippells_Exeter%2B03.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"366\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe finished structure was really two distinct properties, one accessed from the High Street and the other from the Cathedral Yard but united by a common architectural style. The Cathedral Yard building was used for offices and as a carpet warehouse. The High Street building had a shop at ground floor level which housed woollen drapery and the clerical outfitting department. The whole of the first floor was used as a showroom for church furniture and school fittings. The other floors contained the workshops with lifts providing easy access between one floor and another.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe two facades are both constructed of creamy Bath stone with Gothic detailing, including blind Decorated Gothic tracery with red brick filling behind. The frontage at 23 Cathedral Yard \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E is particularly attractive. Seven windows with stone mullions stretch across the entire facade at first-floor level with three paired windows above. Red brick brackets run underneath the parapet. Unusually for Exeter, the impressive original shop front has survived intact.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-yvBRXuKWkmU\/Txn4dN9C9xI\/AAAAAAAAEV0\/FUdqiajLKwg\/s1600\/Wippells_Exeter%2B04.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699859984259675922\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-yvBRXuKWkmU\/Txn4dN9C9xI\/AAAAAAAAEV0\/FUdqiajLKwg\/s640\/Wippells_Exeter%2B04.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"441\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe High Street facade \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E is similar in its detailing with more Decorated Gothic blind tracery. The central bay rises to a moulded arch at the gable inset into which is a quatrefoil. The gable is topped with a stone finial. But the main feature of the High Street frontage is the large canted oriel window on the first floor \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E. When completed in 1884 the upper part of each of the seven windows on the first floor was decorated with stained glass depicting the Wippell craftsmen at work. There was a draughtsman, a carpenter, a church furniture maker, an engraver, a tapestry worker, a sculptor and a metal worker. Unfortunately these stained glass panels, made in the building into which they were fitted, have since been removed and replaced with clear glass. Even worse has been the complete removal of the ground floor shop front. What was formerly an impressive stone entrance with a pair of pointed arch openings has been replaced with the current modern shop front.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDespite the changes the building remains a striking piece of High Victorian Gothic Revival architecture in Exeter. Perhaps only the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Queen Street is a better secular example. The High Street property and the Cathedral Yard property have now been divided into two completely separate entities but both are Grade II listed structures. The government's description of the listed building as containing possibly \"an earlier core\" is clearly incorrect. Wippell's relocated to 88 Buller Road in Exeter in 1983 but still manufactures church furnishings and clerical and academic robes and is Exeter's oldest still-operating company. The next time you walk past Nos. 55, 56 and 57 spare a thought for Robert Wilford's medieval guests arriving for dinner or the cloth merchants from all across Europe gathered outside in the street complaining about the price of wool, or Sergeant Guppy running up a ladder to rescue a girl from a burning building.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-OiwOzzhNzuY\/TtlG2WsAKdI\/AAAAAAAACmA\/-XXZXxVx3aQ\/s1600\/Wippells_Exeter%2B05.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"334\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681650304521611730\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-OiwOzzhNzuY\/TtlG2WsAKdI\/AAAAAAAACmA\/-XXZXxVx3aQ\/s640\/Wippells_Exeter%2B05.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1105018620807288116\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=1105018620807288116","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1105018620807288116"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1105018620807288116"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/nos-55-56-and-no-57-high-street.html","title":"Nos. 55 \u0026 56 and No 57, High Street: The Eagle House"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--KoTdO0yW58\/Txn4UavZzCI\/AAAAAAAAEVo\/X52KVa-xDp4\/s72-c\/Nos55%252C56%252C57_High%2BStreet%2BExeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-3855882936479732205"},"published":{"$t":"2011-11-30T23:16:00.007+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T18:19:28.354+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"No. 54, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-rmE7XzoGGk8\/TtbAd6aKVKI\/AAAAAAAACjw\/V0Gjnv5yQpc\/s1600\/54%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680939600102184098\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-rmE7XzoGGk8\/TtbAd6aKVKI\/AAAAAAAACjw\/V0Gjnv5yQpc\/s640\/54%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"432\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENo. 54 on the High Street dates to the late-18th or early-19th century. It isn't particularly distinguished but the plain facade is at least enlivened with a few classical details. It is a Grade II listed building and the listing description suggests that the facade could possibly mask an earlier structure.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe building is spread over four floors with quoins at each corner of the facade and with a bracketed cornice under the eave of the roof. One attractive detail are the arched pediments above the two first-floor windows. The windows on the other floors all have architrave surrounds. Presumably the glass was originally divided into a number of lights with small glazing bars before they were replaced with the present large-paned Victorian sashes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAll of the windows rest on two little brackets under the sill and each floor is demarcated by a thin band running across the width of the facade. The top floor windows are curiously squashed, suggesting that there might indeed be an older structure behind the facade which was designed to accommodate the pre-existing layout! For once the modern shop front is subdued although it's unlikely that anything of interest lies inside. A building with a very similar facade, without the arched pediments but with the same squashed top floor windows, stood next to No. 54 until it was replaced with the current \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/11\/no-53-high-street-tudor-revival.html\"\u003ETudor Revival property at No. 53\u003C\/a\u003E in the first decade of the 20th century. In fact an examination of the roofs of both buildings suggest that Nos. 53 \u0026amp; 54 were built at the same time, possibly as a pair, and that only the facade of No. 53 was replaced leaving the rest of the structure intact.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-v6WYT-rDOkg\/TtbCnIpYbrI\/AAAAAAAACj8\/7mHxZMvv7C0\/s1600\/54%2BHigh%2BStreet_detail.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"414\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680941957566197426\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-v6WYT-rDOkg\/TtbCnIpYbrI\/AAAAAAAACj8\/7mHxZMvv7C0\/s640\/54%2BHigh%2BStreet_detail.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/3855882936479732205\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=3855882936479732205","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3855882936479732205"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3855882936479732205"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/no-54-high-street.html","title":"No. 54, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-rmE7XzoGGk8\/TtbAd6aKVKI\/AAAAAAAACjw\/V0Gjnv5yQpc\/s72-c\/54%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4935386950460214294"},"published":{"$t":"2011-11-02T22:41:00.033+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T18:16:06.209+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"20th Century"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"No. 53, High Street: Tudor Revival"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-W1GGAbKHRvc\/TxbL5yQQyeI\/AAAAAAAAENw\/P11EtprEeig\/s1600\/53_High_Street_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698966572086905314\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-W1GGAbKHRvc\/TxbL5yQQyeI\/AAAAAAAAENw\/P11EtprEeig\/s640\/53_High_Street_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"368\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EDating to the early 20th century, this interesting and attractive building is a relatively late example of the Black-and-White Revival style of architecture more commonly associated with historic cities like Chester. It was built c1905 and replaced an earlier 18th century facade closely related in appearance to the still-standing building at No. 54. It's possible that evidence of the earlier building still survives inside.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAt first glance the black and white facade of No. 53 looks relatively plain, constructed on four floors, two bays wide with a large gable overlooking the street. But closer examination reveals a multitude of fascinating details. The architect clearly looked to the Gothic splendour of Exeter Cathedral as his inspiration. In a cusped niche between the windows on the second floor is a large wooden statue of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003ELeofric, the first Bishop of Exeter\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E below right\u003C\/span\u003E, and the date 1050, the year in which Leofric was enthroned at Exeter as bishop in the presence of Edward the Confessor. The statue clutches a small model of the Norman cathedral in his left hand. The ecclesiastical theme is continued in the small shields on the third floor, one of which depicts the crossed keys of St Peter against a sword, the heraldic symbol of the Bishops of Exeter \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E. Both of the shields are surrounded by intricately carved panels. High up on the top of the gable is a large finial similar to the Gothic ballflower pinnacles of the Cathedral itself. Even some of the black timbers form the outline of cusped Gothic arches against a white background.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-fj1Xb1L4yLQ\/TrHmn10AN9I\/AAAAAAAACW0\/kUunniwT9s0\/s1600\/No.53%2BLeofric_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670566977970649042\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-fj1Xb1L4yLQ\/TrHmn10AN9I\/AAAAAAAACW0\/kUunniwT9s0\/s640\/No.53%2BLeofric_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"422\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBetween the windows at first floor level is a leaded stained glass window depicting the coat of arms of Exeter, a three-towered castle flanked by pegasus supporters.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhere the second floor jetties out over the first floor it is supported by four brackets carved with imps and devils. The third-floor oriel window is also supported by four carved brackets, each depicting a human head in medieval costume. A frieze, deeply carved with foliage, runs above the oriel window across the entire facade of the building.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEven the bargeboards of the gable end are elaborately carved, and for once the modern shopfront is a tasteful addition in keeping with the rest of the property. The references to Exeter's ecclesiastical past make No. 53 a unique building, fully deserving of its Grade II listed status. It is unfortunate that its impact on the overall street scene is marred by the grim presence of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/nos-50-to-52-high-street-exchange-lane.html\"\u003Ethe 1960s rebuilding of Nos. 50-52\u003C\/a\u003E to its immediate left.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo. 53 also provides an interesting 'What If?' scenario concerning the sad fate of the city following the devatastion of World War Two. According to Thomas Sharp, the planner behind much of the city's post-war reconstruction, one possible option for rebuilding lay in what he dismissively referred to as \"medieval trappings\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn his 1946 publication 'Exeter Phoenix', Sharp wrote that \"many citizens\" in the city envisaged Exeter rebuilt in the style of Chester, which still has the most notable collection of Black-and-White Revival architecture in England. Sharp specifically stated that \"the example of Chester is often quoted\" and continued: \"the blitzed sites of shops display brightly-coloured designs for the 'medieval' facades which will mask the selling of draperies and the dispensing of afternoon tea...Exeter has so long regarded itself as 'medieval' that it is almost inevitable that it can only think of itself in 'medieval' dress\". Sharp, perhaps disingenuously, stated that the reconstruction of Exeter in a Tudor Revival style was not only \"likely\" but \"quite certain, unless some policy to the contrary is laid down\". In reality there was very little prospect of the city being reconstructed in such a fashion in 1950s Britain.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-L2l1IkVqR28\/TxbMb5F10LI\/AAAAAAAAEOI\/N1Eowe0w-YA\/s1600\/53%2BHigh%2BStreet%2Bdetail%2Bi.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698967158037794994\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-L2l1IkVqR28\/TxbMb5F10LI\/AAAAAAAAEOI\/N1Eowe0w-YA\/s640\/53%2BHigh%2BStreet%2Bdetail%2Bi.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"457\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESuch a reconstruction was anathema to Sharp. Rebuilding Exeter along the architectural lines of Chester would, he believed, have been \"lamentable\" and could only produce \"meaningless and incongruous\" effects which would look \"contemptible...To attempt to rebuild 20th century Exeter with medieval forms would be the work of a generation that is visually blind and spiritually half-dead\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is the greatest irony that the post-war buildings which eventually arose across the bomb-damaged city were of such pitiful quality, of such meagre architectural value that they are now being pulled down, demolished and rebuilt (although it should be added that their 21st century replacements are hardly a great improvement). No. 53 survives today as an indication of what at least parts of the damaged city might've looked like if the local authority had indeed opted for a historically-informed reconstruction of Exeter. As architectural historian Gavin Stamp wrote in 2007: \"Would Exeter really have been any worse had it been rebuilt in the fake-medieval manner that Thomas Sharp so feared? The Cathedral remains glorious, but the city is certainly no longer a jewel.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-1ZsvjU-7ebc\/TrHsMaCXjGI\/AAAAAAAACXk\/F7nyDODX9pw\/s1600\/detail_53_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"438\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670573103728004194\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-1ZsvjU-7ebc\/TrHsMaCXjGI\/AAAAAAAACXk\/F7nyDODX9pw\/s640\/detail_53_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4935386950460214294\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4935386950460214294","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4935386950460214294"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4935386950460214294"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/11\/no-53-high-street-tudor-revival.html","title":"No. 53, High Street: Tudor Revival"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-W1GGAbKHRvc\/TxbL5yQQyeI\/AAAAAAAAENw\/P11EtprEeig\/s72-c\/53_High_Street_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-2259431493758988692"},"published":{"$t":"2011-10-12T22:44:00.031+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T18:10:37.499+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Lost History of No. 72, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-2FNEXFRobeY\/TxLN8h28sDI\/AAAAAAAAD1Y\/rpnc40QjpUU\/s1600\/72%2BHighStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697842918341783602\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-2FNEXFRobeY\/TxLN8h28sDI\/AAAAAAAAD1Y\/rpnc40QjpUU\/s640\/72%2BHighStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"437\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENo. 72 on the High Street \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft \u003C\/span\u003Eis  a bit of a puzzle. It's not a nationally listed building although it is  listed on a local level. The city council's conservation report of 2002  describes the current facade thus: \"Its narrow frontage is surmounted  by a gable and the walls are white and rendered, and lined out to  replicate stone. The first and second floors have a single sashed window  with, at second floor height, an elaborate modillion cornice which lies  just below the spring of the gable. The date is probably late 19th  century\". This dating is almost certainly incorrect and the story of the building is a lot more  complex than the simple description suggests.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 1905 a number of properties  surrounding \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/st-petrocks-church-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Petrock's church\u003C\/a\u003E were either rebuilt or heavily modified. These included \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/nos-65-67-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 65 \u0026amp; 67\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/nos-70-71-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 70 \u0026amp; 71\u003C\/a\u003E (to the immediate left of No.  72), No. 72 itself as well as Nos. 73 \u0026amp; 74 on the corner of the High Street and  South Street. But did No. 72 really only date from the late-19th  century or even from 1905? The doubts begin with a sketch of c1827  by Arthur Glennie in the Westcountry Studies Library. This sketch shows No. 72 with an almost identical facade to the one it still  has today, with the same lining in the render, the same  cornice, the same single sash windows and the same small window in the  gable.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe only reasonable explanation for this is that when the  road-widening took place in 1905 the front of the  property was taken back by a couple of metres before a replica of the  old facade was placed over the front. I can't think what else could've  happened. The High Street certainly was widened in 1905 as it ran past  the front of the building. (Something similar occurred at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/no-38-north-street.html\"\u003ENo. 38 North  Street\u003C\/a\u003E in 1899 when the entire mid-17th century facade was removed and  then replaced after the road had been widened. But that was one of the  finest of its type in the city and the owner himself was responsible for  its reattachment. Perhaps the owner of No. 72 was equally determined to  retain the appearance of his property.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-EY69aai_FW0\/To4wff5y6vI\/AAAAAAAACSg\/ndRM-kMolWY\/s1600\/No72_South%2BElevation_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660515099349281522\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-EY69aai_FW0\/To4wff5y6vI\/AAAAAAAACSg\/ndRM-kMolWY\/s400\/No72_South%2BElevation_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"397\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn  fact No. 72, High Street dated to c1600 and was a late-Elizabethan house of some  prestige. It undoubtedly was affected by the 1905 redevelopment too and  proof comes from Harbottle Reed, a local architect and historian, in his  1931 article 'The Demolition of Ancient Buildings of Exeter'. Although  thin on facts, Reed included a detailed drawing \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright \u003C\/span\u003Eof what he called the 'south elevation' of No. 72 prior to its demolition in January 1905.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt  seems that the south elevation, which was at what Reed believed to be the rear of the house, was  affected by the rebuilding of the north elevation on the High Street.  But not all of the south facade was rebuilt as a photograph from the  late 1950s shows that at least the upper two stories retained sash  windows, probably installed in the early 19th century. Perhaps only the  ground floor and first floor were affected. Either way, Reed's  illustration shows the high status of No. 72 when it was first built  c1600. Unusually for Exeter, the ground floor was made of stone, inset  into which was a four-light mullioned window. On the first floor was  what must've been the property's finest room as it contained a ten-light  mullioned and transomed window which ran across the entire width of the  house. Everything shown in Reed's illustration was apparently demolished in 1905.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-acWtRBbr2rE\/TxLOGGGdRQI\/AAAAAAAAD1k\/-dF_enNXrZs\/s1600\/No%2B72_High%2BStreet_aerial.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697843082689332482\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-acWtRBbr2rE\/TxLOGGGdRQI\/AAAAAAAAD1k\/-dF_enNXrZs\/s1600\/No%2B72_High%2BStreet_aerial.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E(The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E  from Thomas Sharp's 1946 publication 'Exeter Phoenix' shows an aerial   view of the corner of South Street and the High Street c1930. The   extensive \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/globe-inn-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003EGlobe inn\u003C\/a\u003E is highlighted in purple. The two accommodation blocks which   comprised No. 72 are highlighted in red. The clear gap between them was   the location of the small central courtyard. The northern block   overlooked the High Street, its altered facade appearing at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E   of this post. The southern block's original half-timbered facade still   overlooked the rear court of the Globe inn. The tower of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003Ethe church of St Mary Major\u003C\/a\u003E is   visible to the right.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe  trail then goes cold until \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E when the Exeter Blitz decimated  large areas of the city and destroyed the old Globe inn which had stood  in the Cathedral Yard at the rear of No. 72. When the gutted shell of  the inn was cleared away something remarkable was revealed at the back  of No. 72: another intact half-timbered facade  with a stone-built ground floor from c1600 facing in the same direction as the one which Reed recorded as having been demolished in 1905. Prior to 1942 there was a narrow passageway running  between the Globe inn and the half-timbered facade and the facade had  been almost completely obscured by the inn's buildings. (The back of the late-medieval property which once belonged to Thomas Elyot at  No. 73 on the High Street was hidden from view at the same time. An 1839 drawing of the back of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/10\/thomas-elyots-house-no-73-high-street.html\"\u003EThomas Elyot's house\u003C\/a\u003E shows the left-side of the half-timbered facade which was exposed after the bombing raid of 1942.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-B-3ZQ_VHIOk\/TxLO0IdSR5I\/AAAAAAAAD1w\/M14HYilGCtA\/s1600\/South_Street.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697843873595934610\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-B-3ZQ_VHIOk\/TxLO0IdSR5I\/AAAAAAAAD1w\/M14HYilGCtA\/s1600\/South_Street.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe  newly-revealed facade was four storeys high with a gabled roof. The  first floor jettied out over the ground floor, which was constructed of stone. Inset into the first  floor was a six-light window. It was built on exactly the same alignment  as No. 72. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council dates to the early 1950s and shows the facade, highlighted in red, which was once hidden behind the Globe inn. To the left is the back of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/10\/no-74-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 73, High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, formerly the site of Thomas Elyot's house which was rebuilt in 1845. Another photograph from the  1950s shows that the facade was part of a separate block with a gap  between itself and No. 72 on the High Street, and this is probably the  clinching evidence.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI  think this is the story of No. 72, High Street: it was built on a deep  but narrow plot of land for a wealthy merchant in the very centre of the  city at the end of the 16th century or in the first years of the 17th  century. It followed a plan which was once fairly widespread throughout Exeter  but which can now be seen in only a handful of examples (e.g. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/nos-17-18-north-street.html\"\u003ENo 18, North  Street\u003C\/a\u003E). This plan consisted of a front block, containing perhaps a shop  on the ground floor with a parlour or hall on the first floor and other  chambers above. This front block opened out onto the High Street and  still exists in some form as the current building. It was the south  elevation of this front block which Harbottle Reed recorded as having  been demolished in 1905, its northern facade already having been remodelled prior to 1827. But behind the front block was a back block,  separated by a small courtyard and all part of the same building. The  front block and the back block were connected by a timber-framed  gallery. The back block would've contained the kitchen on the ground  floor with further accommodation on the floors above and, crucially, it  was the south elevation of the back block which was revealed in 1942  following the destruction of the Globe inn. I don't think there is any  other realistic way of explaining the evidence.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-4FJVENkT540\/TxLO_bRbxYI\/AAAAAAAAD18\/PbiVWVPcr9k\/s1600\/No_72_High%2BStreet_Exeter_aerial.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697844067625059714\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-4FJVENkT540\/TxLO_bRbxYI\/AAAAAAAAD18\/PbiVWVPcr9k\/s1600\/No_72_High%2BStreet_Exeter_aerial.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe aerial view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows the single block which now comprises No. 72. The High Street facade is to the north. What I believe was the early-17th century layout of the property, two blocks of accommodation connected via a gallery, is highlighted in red. This arrangement appears to have survived until the 1960s. The largely false wall which now hides the backs of No. 70 \u0026amp; 71 and No. 72, High Street is highlighted in purple.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhat happened next defies belief. During the 1950s the newly-revealed  half-timbered facade from the early 1600s,  which had survived the English Civil War and the Industrial Revolution, and which  had so narrowly escaped obliteration in 1942, was itself destroyed by  Exeter City Council to create a squalid pedestrianised entrance into the  Cathedral Yard from South Street. The facade was ripped down and  replaced with a modern red-brick wall as the depth of the back block was  reduced to widen the opening into the cathedral precinct.  To disguise this new brick wall a second, largely false wall was  erected, built from concrete blocks with a hexagonal motif \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E. No. 73, High Street,  which had replaced Thomas Elyot's house in 1845 and which had also survived the  war intact, fared even worse and was demolished completely. The  post-war entrance into the precinct is described in the city council's  conservation  report as a \"major disappointment\". And so it is.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is impossible to understand the mentality behind the decision to destroy the south elevation of No. 72 in the 1950s, especially given the widespread destruction of the city during the air-raid of 04 May 1942. It was nothing more than the blatant vandalising of the city's cultural heritage. The reduced  portion of the back block and the remains of the front block on the  High Street have since been united under a single pitched roof, removing any external trace of the block and gallery arrangement, and I  have no idea if anything of historical or architectural interest remains  within what is now a single structure.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-QR7KOsvlyCk\/TpYVKk-st0I\/AAAAAAAACWc\/i2KX3gczXKE\/s1600\/No_72_Cathedral_Yard.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"464\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662736852934506306\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-QR7KOsvlyCk\/TpYVKk-st0I\/AAAAAAAACWc\/i2KX3gczXKE\/s640\/No_72_Cathedral_Yard.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2259431493758988692\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=2259431493758988692","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2259431493758988692"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2259431493758988692"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/10\/lost-history-of-no-72-high-street.html","title":"The Lost History of No. 72, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-2FNEXFRobeY\/TxLN8h28sDI\/AAAAAAAAD1Y\/rpnc40QjpUU\/s72-c\/72%2BHighStreet_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-7630781097002662151"},"published":{"$t":"2011-10-10T13:58:00.045+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T18:06:29.264+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The House of Elyot: No. 73, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-vCQlYvo02Ow\/TxbRuj-RGgI\/AAAAAAAAEOs\/MPUpF1H8inw\/s1600\/Elyots%2BHouse_window_1839.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698972976344537602\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-vCQlYvo02Ow\/TxbRuj-RGgI\/AAAAAAAAEOs\/MPUpF1H8inw\/s1600\/Elyots%2BHouse_window_1839.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe medieval townhouse of Thomas Elyot must've been one of the finest private houses of its period in Exeter, and although it was demolished in 1845 its most notable feature can still be seen today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe history of the site itself can be traced back in documents to 1284. According to Lega-Weekes, in the late 13th century the location of the Elyot House was a large tenement called Bokerel, one of three such tenements which ran from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/st-petrocks-church-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Petrock's church\u003C\/a\u003E to the corner of the High Street with South Street. (Until 1942 this section of land was occupied by \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/nos-70-71-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 70 \u0026amp; 71\u003C\/a\u003E, No. 72 and Nos. 73 \u0026amp; 74 on the High Street.) Prior to its demolition Thomas Elyot's House was at No. 73, High Street. Thomas Elyot was the collector of the customs at the ports of Exeter and Dartmouth during the reign of Henry VII. He was also a notary public and a registrar of the archdeaconry of Exeter in 1495. It is not known if he built the house himself or merely made some additions to a pre-existing property. It's possible that it once belonged to the Dean and Chapter and was purchased by Elyot at the end of the 15th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe house was built of stone between c1450 and c1500 and sat on a long, narrow plot of land, its main entrance accessed via the High Street with a 'back front' in Cathedral Yard. Inserted into this back front, overlooking the Cathedral itself, was a three-storey bay window which extended across almost the entire width of the building. The drawing from 1839 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E shows the window within the context of the Elyot House. The property to the left of the window was No. 1, South Street. The property just visible to the right was the half-timbered back front of No. 72 which survived until it was demolished in the 1950s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBoth the scale and the quality of Elyot's window were remarkable. It was built from limestone in the Gothic style. Each floor contained a seven-light window separated by stone panels richly decorated with shields, quatrefoils and other Gothic motifs. Jenkins described the window in his 1806 history of the city: \"At a small distance West of the Church [i.e. St Petrock's], is a stone front of very ancient architecture and excellent masonry, beautifully disposed in panels of Gothic fretwork, surmounted with stone battlements\". George Oliver called it \"the most elegant specimen of the florid style of architecture, for a dwelling house, within the city of Exeter\". Either the house already existed when the window was inserted into its south wall c1500 or the window and house were both constructed at the same time.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HCJi4JK1scc\/TxbSdQlq9HI\/AAAAAAAAEO4\/bR2MmMBWsIE\/s1600\/1905_2011_street_map.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698973778594952306\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HCJi4JK1scc\/TxbSdQlq9HI\/AAAAAAAAEO4\/bR2MmMBWsIE\/s640\/1905_2011_street_map.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"468\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Erigh\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Et\u003C\/span\u003E shows a   1905 street plan of the area overlaid onto a modern aerial photograph. The   tenement plot of Elyot's House is highlighted in red. The Globe inn is   highlighted in purple. The High Street runs roughly from east to west  along the top before reaching the junction with \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E, South Street and Fore Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA licence dated 20 July 1500 and issued by the Dean and Chapter granted Thomas Elyot the right to place two stone corbels into the wall of his tenement which would project 2ft into the Cathedral Yard (then the cemetery of St Peter's cathedral). According to the licence these corbels were to be used specifically for the upholding and building of a window (\"edificandum fenestram\"). Lega-Weekes believed that this licence accurately dates the elaborate bay window to 1500 although there is no sign of the corbels in the drawing from 1839. Perhaps the licence referred to a second, oriel-type window. Either way, on 05 August 1504 Thomas Elyot gave the house to the parish of St Petrock in return for obituary services to be performed for his soul in the event of his death.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne other interesting feature of the 1839 drawing is that it doesn't show any doors leading into the Elyot House from Cathedral Yard although it must've once been possible to access the property from the rear. Jenkins recorded that \"this fine specimen of ancient architecture, is now so obscured by buildings, that it cannot be seen to any advantage, except from the narrow back court of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/globe-inn-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003EGlobe Tavern\u003C\/a\u003E; though it is evident, it was originally open to the Churchyard.\" This is almost certainly true. Between 1573 and 1603 the cemetery which lay behind the Elyot House was converted into gardens and by the end of the 17th century part of these gardens was occupied by the Globe inn. In the 18th century the sprawling old Globe had totally obscured the view out of Elyot's medieval window. A narrow passageway once ran around the north side of the Globe inn from Cathedral Yard into South Street. Although partially blocked, the passageway remained until the destruction of the Globe in 1942. The passage, which Lega-Weekes called \"a traditional right of way\", might've been the entrance into the back court of the Elyot House which is mentioned in various deeds as the \"\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eintroitus\u003C\/span\u003E from South Street\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-lAfWNW1NiBg\/TxbSwfTwUcI\/AAAAAAAAEPE\/GFD7orSa2z0\/s1600\/exetercathedral.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698974108963852738\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-lAfWNW1NiBg\/TxbSwfTwUcI\/AAAAAAAAEPE\/GFD7orSa2z0\/s640\/exetercathedral.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"432\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFew other details about the house survive. There are no floor plans or accurate measurements or a description of the interior. Thomas Elyot's house at No. 73, High Street was completely demolished in 1845 but even the Victorians couldn't bring themselves to destroy the Gothic bay window. It was purchased by the Bishop of Exeter, Henry Phillpotts, and reinstalled in what was once the medieval great hall of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/the-bishops-palace-palace-gate_12.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBishop's Palace\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately it was also greatly modified. Elyot's window was three storeys high, the former great hall at the palace only two. The pieces of the window that survive intact today are the decorated panels which separated each floor, now rearranged to fit a two-storey building. Transoms were added to the window openings and the mullions were extended in height, but even in its mangled condition it evokes something of the prestige of both its original form and its original owner.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe property to the west of Elyot's house, No. 74 High Street, was demolished at the same time and a new building with neo-Classical details took their place as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/10\/no-74-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 73 \u0026amp; 74\u003C\/a\u003E. The facade of No. 73 was rebuilt when the High Street was widened in 1905. Despite surviving the Blitz of 1942, this mid-19th century building with its facade from 1905 was demolished during post-war redevelopment in the 1950s. What was once the site of the medieval house is now taken up by a poor flat-roofed, brown-brick building from the 1960s. Thomas Elyot's elaborate window, now over five hundred years old, is still situated in the wall of the old great hall at the Bishop's Palace \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E (Courtesy of Cornell University Library).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-kzdpf5DB4zo\/TpNnvxIzZNI\/AAAAAAAACTo\/ooh7XPJCS9I\/s1600\/Bishops_Palace_Exeter_Cornell_UL_edit.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661983226876617938\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-kzdpf5DB4zo\/TpNnvxIzZNI\/AAAAAAAACTo\/ooh7XPJCS9I\/s640\/Bishops_Palace_Exeter_Cornell_UL_edit.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"472\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/7630781097002662151\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=7630781097002662151","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7630781097002662151"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7630781097002662151"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/10\/thomas-elyots-house-no-73-high-street.html","title":"The House of Elyot: No. 73, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-vCQlYvo02Ow\/TxbRuj-RGgI\/AAAAAAAAEOs\/MPUpF1H8inw\/s72-c\/Elyots%2BHouse_window_1839.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-7891703493523214146"},"published":{"$t":"2011-10-03T20:55:00.044+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T18:01:09.974+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"South Street"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 73 \u0026 74, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gh7DW2vclIs\/TpN5CgXFtzI\/AAAAAAAACUA\/RJBaElH26yA\/s1600\/73_74_High%2BStreet.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662002240488322866\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gh7DW2vclIs\/TpN5CgXFtzI\/AAAAAAAACUA\/RJBaElH26yA\/s640\/73_74_High%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"567\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENos.   73 \u0026amp; 74 is worth writing about for two reasons. Firstly, it was a handsome  building in its own right. It was rarely photographed but is worth remembering here for its aesthetic qualities   alone. Secondly, and not unrelated, the building which replaced it after   World War Two provides an object lesson in how poor planning and   inferior design can impact negatively on an important urban location.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WPKUl-RFshE\/TxbslXf_yQI\/AAAAAAAAEQA\/CXBX80bG5ag\/s1600\/Queen_Street_corner.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699002505191475458\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WPKUl-RFshE\/TxbslXf_yQI\/AAAAAAAAEQA\/CXBX80bG5ag\/s1600\/Queen_Street_corner.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E   is a composite photograph showing a postcard from c1910 merged with a photograph of the same area from September 2010. Nos. 73 \u0026amp; 74 are highlighted in red and shows No. 73 after the alteration to its facade in 1905. The 17th century \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/chevalier-inn-fore-street-destroyed-in.html\"\u003EChevalier Inn\u003C\/a\u003E in Fore Street on the far right. The entrance into South Street is between No. 74 and the Eastmans building, the street being much narrower than it is today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe site is one   of the most historically significant in the city:  the ancient Carfoix.   It has been the junction of Exeter's four most  important streets i.e.   the High Street, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E,  South Street and Fore Street since at   least the Middle Ages. This was  the location of the huge late-medieval water conduit, known as the  Great Conduit, which stood near the centre of the junction until its  removal in 1770.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDating to c1845 Nos. 73 \u0026amp; 74 were two properties constructed as one building. It stood   on the corner of the High Street with South Street and  had   elevations on both, its corner built as an elegant curve, similar   to the almost contemporary building on the corner of the High  Street   with Queen Street \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E which was \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/wanton-demolition.html\"\u003Edemolished in 1971\u003C\/a\u003E. A sketch in the Westcountry Studies Library dated c1827 shows the two buildings which had previously stood on the site and which were demolished c1845. They were both four-storeys high and timber-framed with steep gabled roofs, not dissimilar to the still-standing No. 72. One of these old properties, No. 73 in fact, was known as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/10\/thomas-elyots-house-no-73-high-street.html\"\u003EElyot's House\u003C\/a\u003E. It was named after Thomas Elyot, the customs collector at Exeter and Dartmouth during the reign of Henry VII and who lived in the house during the closing years of the 15th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ovCoeWE4nUE\/Txbs-VQXxXI\/AAAAAAAAEQM\/HuGqltFyP00\/s1600\/No74%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699002934085797234\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ovCoeWE4nUE\/Txbs-VQXxXI\/AAAAAAAAEQM\/HuGqltFyP00\/s1600\/No74%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe mid-19th century rebuild of Nos. 73 \u0026amp; 74 consisted of four-storeys. The ground floor contained shop fronts and the first floor had rusticated blocks with arched windows. All of the second floor windows had attractive pointed pediments and above the plainer third floor windows was a modillion cornice, the roof hidden from street view. The elevation on the High Street was originally three bays wide, as shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E c1900.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen the road-widening project around \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/st-petrocks-church-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Petrock's church\u003C\/a\u003E occurred between 1903 and 1905 the High Street facade was reduced from three bays to just one bay and a new street frontage was built on the site of No. 73. (The newly-built facade of No. 73 is visible in the photograph at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post, four-storeys high with a gabled end and with two big stone bay windows on the first and second floors. Although the facade was rebuilt the building work from c1845 remained at the rear, stretching back to the Globe in the Cathedral Yard.) Probably constructed of brick and dressed stone with a stucco exterior, No. 74 was destroyed during the air-raid of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E, although No. 73 survived unscathed and continued in use throughout the 1950s as a branch of the Fifty Shilling Tailors (more recently known as the retail chain 'Burtons').\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPredictably, the post-war treatment of the site hasn't been successful. Having survived the Blitz, No. 73 was subsequently demolished in the late 1950s as part of the project to widen South Street and to create a new entrance into the Cathedral Yard at the point where the old \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/globe-inn-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003EGlobe inn\u003C\/a\u003E once stood.  The building which took the place of both No. 73 and the blitzed No. 74 is remarkable only for its insignificance as architecture. The city council's 2002 conservation report for the centre of Exeter describes the replacement building as \"a rather bland, 1950s three-storey building\". The report continues: \"The siting, scale, fenestration and horizontal emphasis of this corner building, and its poor relationship with No. 72 High Street is arguably one of the least successful examples of urban design in the city\". The replacement structure is shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E, adjacent to the white-fronted gable end of No. 72. It forms a dismal entrance into what was, historically, the most important street in Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-p4ZDSFPQUZA\/TooeiVpIobI\/AAAAAAAACPg\/c4uFHHfcKwY\/s1600\/No74_High%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"470\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659369457018511794\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-p4ZDSFPQUZA\/TooeiVpIobI\/AAAAAAAACPg\/c4uFHHfcKwY\/s640\/No74_High%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/7891703493523214146\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=7891703493523214146","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7891703493523214146"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7891703493523214146"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/10\/no-74-high-street.html","title":"Nos. 73 \u0026 74, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gh7DW2vclIs\/TpN5CgXFtzI\/AAAAAAAACUA\/RJBaElH26yA\/s72-c\/73_74_High%2BStreet.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-2736361340070851917"},"published":{"$t":"2011-09-30T18:13:00.012+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2011-10-03T02:06:34.173+01:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Blog Alterations"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I've made a few changes to the blog. The layout has been widened and posts re-edited some with new information, although this is an on-going process! There is now a 'Recent Comments' box in the right-hand menu along with a box linking to random posts which generates new results every time the page is refreshed. The 'Popular Posts' section has been reduced to just the title of the post and no longer shows a thumbnail or post summary. The search engine at the bottom of the page still displays results against a dark background, which is almost unreadable, but I'm not sure how to fix it at the moment. The Twitter and FB buttons have been altered and I've also added a new banner which shows the north crescent of Bedford Circus. I think it looks quite good and is an improvement on what was there before!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SNKVnl7Ea_s\/ToX5-tc3cOI\/AAAAAAAACI0\/xBafXAKfu3k\/s1600\/Exeter_GWR_poster.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg style=\"display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 252px; height: 400px;\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SNKVnl7Ea_s\/ToX5-tc3cOI\/AAAAAAAACI0\/xBafXAKfu3k\/s400\/Exeter_GWR_poster.jpg\" alt=\"\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658203362608771298\" border=\"0\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2736361340070851917\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=2736361340070851917","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2736361340070851917"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2736361340070851917"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/blog-alterations.html","title":"Blog Alterations"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SNKVnl7Ea_s\/ToX5-tc3cOI\/AAAAAAAACI0\/xBafXAKfu3k\/s72-c\/Exeter_GWR_poster.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-350326116642082414"},"published":{"$t":"2011-09-28T18:04:00.034+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T17:58:55.981+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"20th Century"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 65 \u0026 67, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-G4ViXslIFCU\/TxrGoPG1kyI\/AAAAAAAAEZA\/bTDNgMLDbuk\/s1600\/No.%2B65%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700086672943059746\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-G4ViXslIFCU\/TxrGoPG1kyI\/AAAAAAAAEZA\/bTDNgMLDbuk\/s640\/No.%2B65%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"463\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAs it stands today Nos. 65 \u0026amp; 67 is one of the most impressive examples of neo-Classical architecture in the city. Like Nos. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/nos-70-71-high-street.html\"\u003E70 \u0026amp; 71\u003C\/a\u003E on the High Street, Nos. 65 \u0026amp; 67 partly owes its current appearance to the major redevelopment which took place between 1903 and 1905 in the vicinity of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/st-petrocks-church-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Petrock's church\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe history of the adjacent church is both long and interesting but by at least the beginning of the 19th century it was almost totally enveloped by houses. Jenkins, in 1806, wrote that \"scarce any part of it can be seen except the tower\" and the Rev. George Oliver recorded in 1828 that the church was \"buried in the midst of houses\". The church was only accessible from the High Street via a passageway which led underneath one of the houses. At the beginning of the 20th century it was decided to sweep all of the surrounding buildings away, both widening the High Street and revealing the north face of the church for the first time in centuries. (Hooker's map of Exeter suggests that the church was already surrounded with houses by the late-1500s.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SAoCr1h6UEE\/ToOEqBFbhiI\/AAAAAAAACH8\/d0P0mYZ54Gg\/s1600\/Nos%2B65and67_Exeter_plaque.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657511414288057890\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SAoCr1h6UEE\/ToOEqBFbhiI\/AAAAAAAACH8\/d0P0mYZ54Gg\/s400\/Nos%2B65and67_Exeter_plaque.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENos. 65 \u0026amp; 67 is the result of a merger in 1901 between two of Exeter's oldest banks: the Exeter Bank, founded in 1768 and the City Bank, founded in 1786. These two banks then merged in 1902 with a London bank, Prescott, Dimsdale \u0026amp; Co, followed by yet another merger in 1903 with the Union of London \u0026amp; Smiths bank. (This bank was later to become part of National Provincial whose name partly lives on as the National Westminster bank.) The mergers from 1901 to 1903 were commemorated in a large plaque which still exists on the High Street facade of Nos. 65 \u0026amp; 67,\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E right\u003C\/span\u003E. The City Bank already owned premises in Cathedral Yard but it was decided to erect another building adjacent to it for the Exeter Bank, and this is the building which now sits on the corner of the High Street with \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/broad-gate-at-broadgate_16.html\"\u003EBroadgate\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe construction of the new building in 1905 coincided with the plans to demolish the properties surrounding St Petrock's church. Instead of building on the exact footprint of the property which previously occupied the site, the line of the High Street frontage was moved back towards the Cathedral Yard. A photograph in the Westcountry Studies Library dated 1905 shows the bank under construction at the same time as Nos. 70 \u0026amp; 71, on the other side of the church, were being demolished. Clearly there was some synchronisation between the clearance of old properties around the church and the construction of the new bank.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately little is known about the buildings that the Exeter Bank replaced. I've never seen a photograph of them. One small but fascinating piece of information has survived though concerning what was No. 65. It seems that this building had groin vaulted undercrofts, the only such example that has ever been recorded in one of Exeter's domestic houses. Jenkins mentions the undercrofts in his 1806 history of the city: \"Near the Church, under the house now occupied by Mr George Cox, is a cellar; which, from its arched stone groins, has occasioned conjectures, that it was originally the crypt of an ancient chapel.\" These undercrofts were destroyed during the construction of the bank and the reason behind their existence will forever remain a mystery.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ySnkzD1HSeo\/TxrG5DVReBI\/AAAAAAAAEZM\/2zUHyRo6zQ8\/s1600\/Nos%2B65and67_Exeter%2Biii.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700086961840158738\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ySnkzD1HSeo\/TxrG5DVReBI\/AAAAAAAAEZM\/2zUHyRo6zQ8\/s640\/Nos%2B65and67_Exeter%2Biii.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"419\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe bank that arose on the site was constructed of beautiful Bath stone. It is three storeys high with a rusticated ground floor. The High Street facade is five bays wide, each bay separated at first and second floor level by pilasters topped with Corinthian capitals. The Broadgate facade is two bays wide, divided again with pilasters. A chamfered corner from the High Street into Broadgate contains the main entrance.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe corner facade is just one bay wide , the windows framed with more pilasters and Corinthian capitals. All of the first floor windows have pointed pediments and balustrading and a deep modillion cornice runs under the eaves. The ground floor windows have round arches inset into which are quarter Tuscan columns. Above the main entrance is a stone parapet supported by enormous corbels decorated with stylised acanthus leaves and within the arch over the entrance is a decorative panel inscribed with the words 'Exeter Bank'. Crowning the corner of the building is a large buttressed cupola with a copper roof.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen you actually stop to look at it Nos. 65 \u0026amp; 67 is a magnificent building, although I don't believe that the cupola is a particularly effective addition. To construct the same building today would cost a fortune. It was granted Grade II listed status in November 1971 and is currently used as retail space.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-1raLkDgNm-M\/ToOGad2FLGI\/AAAAAAAACIc\/-ufxHpR6h7E\/s1600\/Nos%2B65and67_Exeter%2Bii.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657513346153655394\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-1raLkDgNm-M\/ToOGad2FLGI\/AAAAAAAACIc\/-ufxHpR6h7E\/s1600\/Nos%2B65and67_Exeter%2Bii.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/350326116642082414\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=350326116642082414","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/350326116642082414"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/350326116642082414"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/nos-65-67-high-street.html","title":"Nos. 65 \u0026 67, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-G4ViXslIFCU\/TxrGoPG1kyI\/AAAAAAAAEZA\/bTDNgMLDbuk\/s72-c\/No.%2B65%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-6022307391880759827"},"published":{"$t":"2011-09-27T18:26:00.048+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T17:56:23.548+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 211 \u0026 212, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-s3zbndoGqTs\/TxbQeMGqJUI\/AAAAAAAAEOU\/ot5BrdKWe-4\/s1600\/High%2BStreet_Houses_c1900.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698971595547747650\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-s3zbndoGqTs\/TxbQeMGqJUI\/AAAAAAAAEOU\/ot5BrdKWe-4\/s1600\/High%2BStreet_Houses_c1900.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EProbably built as a pair c1650, Nos. 211 and 212 survived until the beginning of the 20th century. In appearance at least the property was similar to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/no-241-high-street-town-house-of-earls.html\"\u003ENo. 241, High Street\u003C\/a\u003E (destroyed in 1942) which I've also provisionally dated to c1660.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBetween 1650 and 1700 there was a gradual development in Exeter towards a much lighter style of timber-framed construction. This new style tended to be characterised by the use of more slender pieces of wood, especially when compared to the massive framing used in such houses as the old \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/chevalier-inn-fore-street-destroyed-in.html\"\u003EChevalier Inn\u003C\/a\u003E on Fore Street (also destroyed in 1942) which dated to between c1610 and 1630.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs fashion changed, and after the city had been pounded during the English Civil War in the 1640s, there was less desire for the exuberant display of carved timber and multiple oriel windows once seen in such houses as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/nos-19-20-north-street.html\"\u003ENos. 19 and 20\u003C\/a\u003E in North Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-oleDAI4QXmk\/ToJIMhUQF0I\/AAAAAAAACGk\/gofiDG9ojoc\/s1600\/212_High%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657163461869705026\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-oleDAI4QXmk\/ToJIMhUQF0I\/AAAAAAAACGk\/gofiDG9ojoc\/s1600\/212_High%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe lighter method of construction, both quicker and more economical, also probably had its origins in two other factors. One was the amount of devastation wrought on the city outside the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\"\u003EEast Gate\u003C\/a\u003E and the South Gate. New housing was needed and much of the Eastgate and Southgate areas were completely rebuilt in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War (a large number of these rebuilt houses survived at Southgate until they were demolished in the 1960s). The other factor was a sharp increase in Exeter's population as, by 1700, Exeter was the fourth or fifth largest city in Britain.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe postcard view\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E right\u003C\/span\u003E shows Nos. 211 and 212 highlighted in red c1900. The portico of the Guildhall is to the left.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother characteristic of post-Civil War timber-framed construction in Exeter was a drastic reduction in the oversailing jettied stories which are such a typical feature of the archetypal timber-framed house (and still represented at Exeter in such rare examples as the much-mauled \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/nos-223-225-high-st-mock-tudor-exeter.html\"\u003ENo. 226\u003C\/a\u003E in the High Street or \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/nos-41-42-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 41 and 42\u003C\/a\u003E, also in the High Street). Between 1650 and 1700 these jettied floors were either reduced to a few inches or, more commonly, completely replaced with a totally flat facade.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ac4BNP8p45Q\/ToJJCBw4pkI\/AAAAAAAACGs\/vbyqPD88u0U\/s1600\/211%2Band%2B212_High%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657164381112804930\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ac4BNP8p45Q\/ToJJCBw4pkI\/AAAAAAAACGs\/vbyqPD88u0U\/s640\/211%2Band%2B212_High%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EUnfortunately, apart from my rambling supposition, I don't know much more about Nos. 211 and 212. It was located on the north side of the High Street, next to the medieval church of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/allhallows-church-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EAllhallows\u003C\/a\u003E. The very rare postcard \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E c1900 shows Nos. 211 and 212 to the right of the church. The entrance into \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E is to the far left. Note the children balancing on the railings by the east window who provide the scene with a sense of scale. According to Peter Thomas in his book 'Aspects of Exeter', in the first two decades of the 19th century a hosier called Thomas Brown had his premises on the upper floor of the house next to the church and these premises were reached via a narrow passageway called Excise Passage.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-RaAbp74bq-g\/TxbQ9VOwM6I\/AAAAAAAAEOg\/aVNo3iZYz7M\/s1600\/211_c1970_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698972130573562786\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-RaAbp74bq-g\/TxbQ9VOwM6I\/AAAAAAAAEOg\/aVNo3iZYz7M\/s1600\/211_c1970_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAllhallows was demolished in 1906 to widen the entrance from the High Street into Goldsmith Street and, within a few years, Nos. 211 and 212 went the same way. They were replaced with another four-storey building. It was constructed of brick with dressed stone window surrounds, the third floor having timber-framed black and white decoration with an oriel window in the gable end overlooking the High Street. It is shown in the image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E c1972. (The two buildings painted blue were \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/nos-206-207-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 206 and 207, High Street\u003C\/a\u003E. They were both demolished in 1979 and the original facades substituted with modified concrete replicas.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe attractive Tudor Revival building lasted until 1979 when it too was demolished along with most of Goldsmith Street as part of the new Marks and Spencer redevelopment scheme. It was replaced with a very plain, shed-like structure with a single gable and drab, featureless walls interspersed with regimented rows of windows, \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E. People will have to decide for themselves if it is an improvement on the Edwardian building it replaced. According to the city council's conservation report for the High Street, Nos. 211 and 212 attempts \"to complement the older buildings opposite\". In truth there are many buildings in Exeter that are uglier than this but very few that are more insipid:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-6Kawm8ggozs\/ToJaCtn6j1I\/AAAAAAAACHE\/doIgJW8ZJFs\/s1600\/Goldsmith_St%2Bshed_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657183084584013650\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-6Kawm8ggozs\/ToJaCtn6j1I\/AAAAAAAACHE\/doIgJW8ZJFs\/s1600\/Goldsmith_St%2Bshed_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6022307391880759827\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=6022307391880759827","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6022307391880759827"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6022307391880759827"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/nos-211-212-high-street.html","title":"Nos. 211 \u0026 212, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-s3zbndoGqTs\/TxbQeMGqJUI\/AAAAAAAAEOU\/ot5BrdKWe-4\/s72-c\/High%2BStreet_Houses_c1900.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5217395851955545261"},"published":{"$t":"2011-09-24T18:28:00.033+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T17:53:39.733+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"20th Century"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 70 \u0026 71, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-McKjtakJ9l8\/Tn4TVshTP0I\/AAAAAAAACF8\/kGYX2fTtgP8\/s1600\/70_71%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655979445472935746\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-McKjtakJ9l8\/Tn4TVshTP0I\/AAAAAAAACF8\/kGYX2fTtgP8\/s640\/70_71%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"487\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOne of the more unusual buildings that remain in Exeter's High Street, the elaborate facade of Nos. 70 and 71 is nowhere near as old as it might first appear.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEither side of the oculus window that sits high up on the third floor is the date 1905, the year in which the building was completed. Nos. 70 and 71 stand next to the tower of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/st-petrocks-church-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Petrock's church\u003C\/a\u003E. Prior to 1905 the north face of the church was completely obscured by several buildings which had been constructed against it. This had the effect of narrowing the width of the High Street and causing slight problems with the movement of traffic. In the early 20th century it was decided to demolish these buildings as well as the properties that stood within the immediate vicinity of the church. The single building known as Nos. 70 and 71 was a product of this Edwardian redevelopment.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-mLIyVnPH3MQ\/Tn5tBI8FebI\/AAAAAAAACGE\/Yx-NYse21v0\/s1600\/70-71%2BHigh%2BStreet_window_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656078048370719154\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-mLIyVnPH3MQ\/Tn5tBI8FebI\/AAAAAAAACGE\/Yx-NYse21v0\/s640\/70-71%2BHigh%2BStreet_window_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"465\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EI've never seen a good and clear image of the building which previously stood on the site of the present structure. Fortunately a description of it does survive in a 1931 article by Harbottle Reed which appeared in a volume of the Devonshire Association's journal. Entitled \"The Demolition of Ancient Buildings of Exeter During the Last Half Century\", the article provides interesting but frustratingly brief details of some of Exeter's lost historically interesting buildings from between 1880 to 1930.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAccording to Reed the property that occupied the site before its demolition in 1903 was \"a very fine specimen of early 16th century timber work\". It must've once been a prestigious house given its very central location on the High Street and next to the church of what was formerly one of Exeter's richest parishes. The interior \"had been sumptuous with linen fold door panels and moulded framing\". Apart from the mention of a solid oak staircase leading up to the attic and some oak doors this is, disappointingly, the full extent of Reed's comments. Presumably the oak panelling was ripped out and sold off when the building was demolished.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-lM3-l8DHW4U\/Tn5tp8kDogI\/AAAAAAAACGM\/upLX2ofn_2M\/s1600\/St%2BPetrock%2B%2526%2B70-71%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656078749423346178\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-lM3-l8DHW4U\/Tn5tp8kDogI\/AAAAAAAACGM\/upLX2ofn_2M\/s640\/St%2BPetrock%2B%2526%2B70-71%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"459\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe property which replaced it in 1905 is notable primarily for the free Baroque style of its decorated facade, constructed entirely from brick with stone dressings. Most impressive of all are the two-storey canted bay windows surmounted by beautiful swan neck pediments under which run sections of egg and dart moulding.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESet within each of the four pediments are panels of highly-intricate carved foliage, including oak leaves and acorns, and a shield. Carved in relief on the second floor shields are the numbers 70 and 71. The shields on the first floor carry two separate monograms: CM and WM with the letters intertwined*. Pilasters with decorated capitals frame the facade on either side. Someone put an enormous amount of effort and money into creating this facade and in June 2000 Nos. 70 and 71 were awarded much-deserved Grade II listed status.  (It should be added that the current property wasn't inspected  internally prior to it receiving its Grade II status. It's possible that  elements of the older building remain on the site. Its neighbour, No. 72, although much altered, still contains traces of its late-16th century origins.) Nos. 70 and 71 narrowly escaped destruction in 1942 when the corner of the High Street and South Street was bombed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E*I don't know the identities of either CM or WM. I would think that they're connected with the person who financed the rebuilding. I'll try and find out and re-edit this post accordingly.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-1QzV1hPJAy4\/Tn5ug0xiC6I\/AAAAAAAACGU\/MaVw0sNHvGs\/s1600\/70-71%2BHigh%2BStreet_pediment.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"303\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656079692225186722\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-1QzV1hPJAy4\/Tn5ug0xiC6I\/AAAAAAAACGU\/MaVw0sNHvGs\/s640\/70-71%2BHigh%2BStreet_pediment.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5217395851955545261\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5217395851955545261","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5217395851955545261"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5217395851955545261"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/nos-70-71-high-street.html","title":"Nos. 70 \u0026 71, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-McKjtakJ9l8\/Tn4TVshTP0I\/AAAAAAAACF8\/kGYX2fTtgP8\/s72-c\/70_71%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5746157214380286745"},"published":{"$t":"2011-09-22T22:53:00.058+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T17:51:37.034+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Eastgate"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Sidwell Street"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 1 to 11, Sidwell Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FjgdXoxMcOo\/Tn0PTXYsERI\/AAAAAAAACEU\/vQB-KZVpWXc\/s1600\/Debenhams_Exeter_2010.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655693532416708882\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FjgdXoxMcOo\/Tn0PTXYsERI\/AAAAAAAACEU\/vQB-KZVpWXc\/s640\/Debenhams_Exeter_2010.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThis is one of the ugliest, most inappropriate, most unpopular and abhorrent buildings in Exeter's city centre, although I can think of many others that could also vie for the title. Not only should it never have been built but it is in the process of being tarted up so it can be inflicted on a whole new generation under the guise of a new John Lewis store.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-wo_Gj2WAyoc\/Tn0VOKxcDnI\/AAAAAAAACEc\/4aNvki4sY2U\/s1600\/Eastgate_Junction_1900_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655700040201277042\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-wo_Gj2WAyoc\/Tn0VOKxcDnI\/AAAAAAAACEc\/4aNvki4sY2U\/s1600\/Eastgate_Junction_1900_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESince its opening in 1964 the seven-storey tower block has squatted on the historically important junction between Longbrook Street, the High Street and, before it was redeveloped out of existence, the High Street entrance into \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/brief-history-of-southernhay_16.html\"\u003ESouthernhay\u003C\/a\u003E. This junction formerly lay just beyond the city's ancient \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\"\u003EEast Gate\u003C\/a\u003E in the parish of St Sidwell, the three roads meeting close to what was known as London Inn Square. The square had one side open to the High Street. The other three sides were formed by the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/devon-and-exeter-subscription-rooms.html\"\u003ERoyal Subscription Rooms\u003C\/a\u003E, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/new-london-inn-new-london-inn-square.html\"\u003ENew London Inn\u003C\/a\u003E and a row of properties which curved round into Sidwell Street itself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EApart from the site of the New London Inn, which had already been demolished in 1936, the London Inn Square\/Eastgate area was totally destroyed during the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003Ebombing raid of 04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E. The map c1900 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E shows the Eastgate junction and London Inn Square. The blitzed area that was to become the footprint of the tower block is highlighted in red but surviving buildings were also demolished to encompass its enormous size. In fact none of the buildings represented by the numerous plots shown anywhere on the map now exist.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--jZZDRqRNlU\/Tn0WVKc9U1I\/AAAAAAAACEk\/TIPNT91z33U\/s1600\/Eastgate%2BJunction_Exeter_c1900.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"523\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655701259886089042\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--jZZDRqRNlU\/Tn0WVKc9U1I\/AAAAAAAACEk\/TIPNT91z33U\/s640\/Eastgate%2BJunction_Exeter_c1900.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E above\u003C\/span\u003E shows the view towards the Eastgate Junction from the upper High Street c1900. The buildings highlighted in red occupy what was to become the site of the Debenhams tower block. The \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/eastgate-arcade-and-coffee-tavern.html\"\u003EEastgate Arcade\u003C\/a\u003E and the city's Gothic Revival post office are on the right. All of the properties shown were completely destroyed in 1942, although a significant number survived just out of view in Sidwell Street. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E shows some of the buildings which stood on the Debenhams site prior to their destruction.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-rxPx910wP-w\/Tn3oJ8Brg4I\/AAAAAAAACFM\/ABbqLdLQM-U\/s1600\/Sidwell_Street%2BDebenhams_site_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655931964476851074\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-rxPx910wP-w\/Tn3oJ8Brg4I\/AAAAAAAACFM\/ABbqLdLQM-U\/s640\/Sidwell_Street%2BDebenhams_site_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"435\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EClearly rebuilding was necessary. Exeter's post-war townplanner, Thomas Sharp, was commissioned by Exeter City Council to formulate some ideas for rebuilding the damaged city, ideas that were published in book form as 'Exeter Phoenix' in 1946.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EReading the book in the 21st century one is struck by Sharp's optimistic, tentative naivety. He wasn't overly-familiar with the city's buildings or its history and he had some obvious blind spots. He right lauded the remnants of Exeter's Georgian architecture, and proposed the restoration of the townhouses at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/dixs-field-southernhay-east.html\"\u003EDix's Field\u003C\/a\u003E, but he also advocated demolishing the city's Gothic Revival Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Queen Street, calling it an \"architectural horror\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut his interest in Exeter's architecture never strayed beyond the merely visual. A medieval house behind a later facade was of no interest. For example, he proposed demolishing the 15th century White Hart Inn in South Street, hidden as it was, and still is, behind its plain stucco exterior. He also suggested the construction of an enormous ring road around almost the entire city, a road which would've run from the above-mentioned Eastgate junction, looping around the base of Rougemont Castle beyond the city walls, down through Northernhay Street (so destroying the early-19th century Iron Bridge near \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E) before it turned and took the course of the present-day inner bypass known as Western Way \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Efrom the river to Southgate\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EApart from a few exceptions, such as the construction of the northern bypass and the demolition of the museum, the city authorities appeared to have rejected Sharp's best ideas and only implemented the worst. In his much-quoted statement, Sharp states: \"The way to rebuild a city like this is in sympathetic, not ruthless, renewal\". He goes on: \"Sympathetic planning in such a case lies in the observance of scale and in the creation of intimate rather than monumental forms\". Monumental forms, he suggests, are \"empty and meaningless\" when used in a medieval town.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/--f2-Pd_R0OE\/Tn0hAMU_1jI\/AAAAAAAACE0\/wwKOe5vD4as\/s1600\/1965%2BSidwell%2BStreet%2BDebenhams.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655712994240222770\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/--f2-Pd_R0OE\/Tn0hAMU_1jI\/AAAAAAAACE0\/wwKOe5vD4as\/s640\/1965%2BSidwell%2BStreet%2BDebenhams.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"504\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAnd so at the Eastgate site, in 1962, work began on the seven-storey monster that was become the Debenhams building, over 120,000 m2 of retail space piled up 140ft (42m) into the air, a \"monumental\" building which has remained as one of the biggest blots on Exeter's fragmentary historical cityscape ever since.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's tempting to speculate how such a thing ever received planning permission, but then one remembers that this was the same local authority that barely lifted a finger to reinstate any of the city centre's damaged pre-war buildings and which freely knocked down hundreds of the city's buildings in the three decades following World War Two. The aerial photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E © Express \u0026amp; Echo shows the completed tower block in 1965. The  buildings highlighted in red, most of them fronting onto Sidwell Street, survived the Exeter Blitz intact but were all demolished in the mid-to-late  1960s for yet more redevelopment in Sidwell Street and the construction of the King William Street car park. A similar number of pre-war buildings lined Sidwell Street on the opposite side until they too were demolished for redevelopment in the 1950s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-BHPLi4LOxUM\/Tn3pvWh09rI\/AAAAAAAACFU\/2bMTrQRpkGM\/s1600\/High%2BStreet_1950s_Eastgate.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"576\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655933706757797554\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-BHPLi4LOxUM\/Tn3pvWh09rI\/AAAAAAAACFU\/2bMTrQRpkGM\/s640\/High%2BStreet_1950s_Eastgate.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E   shows the view c1955 after the destroyed upper High Street was widened and   rebuilt but prior to the construction of the tower block. Visible in the   distance are the side walls of the properties that remained in Sidwell   Street but which were demolished in the   mid-1960s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe sheer inappropriateness of such a building just beyond the city walls of Exeter is breathtaking. This is the place where William the Conqueror gathered his army and laid siege to the rebellious city in 1068, where Perkin Warbeck attacked the East Gate in 1497 and where Royalist and Parliamentarian forces pounded each other with artillery during the English Civil War. The tower block was 'designed' by George Baines and Syborn and constructed at a cost of over £800,000 before finally opening on 05 March 1964.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-A-Pu2IS1fk8\/Tn3nl1MJBsI\/AAAAAAAACFE\/KGiXm_DEtq4\/s1600\/Debenhams_Exeter_2010%2Biii.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655931344166389442\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-A-Pu2IS1fk8\/Tn3nl1MJBsI\/AAAAAAAACFE\/KGiXm_DEtq4\/s640\/Debenhams_Exeter_2010%2Biii.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt was intended to be a new flagship store for Bobby's (the firm's old premises, the historic \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/nos-25-26-high-street-new-inn.html\"\u003ENew Inn\u003C\/a\u003E in the High Street had been destroyed in 1942). The name Bobby's, only a subsidiary of Debenhams, was dropped in the 1970s and for as long as I can remember (35+ years) the tower block has been known as the Debenhams building. It wasn't even well-designed. The curve of the frontage at street level creates a tremendous wind tunnel effect, the downfall of many umbrellas which can often be seen flapping on the pavement like dying birds.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDebenhams vacated the building in 2007 and moved into new premises on the 13 acre, £225 million Land Securities redevelopment at Princesshay, and the hideous tower block stood empty for three years. The city council implied that the tower block's days were numbered prompting great excitement amongst many of Exeter's citizens. It was easy to imagine the cathedral bells ringing out in jubilation as the building was demolished! But it wasn't to be.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-zgPGct2_DBc\/Tn3qPVW5GaI\/AAAAAAAACFc\/nYcPPoJfnEI\/s1600\/Debenhams_Exeter%2Bvi.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655934256199309730\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-zgPGct2_DBc\/Tn3qPVW5GaI\/AAAAAAAACFc\/nYcPPoJfnEI\/s640\/Debenhams_Exeter%2Bvi.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ELand Securites were the new owners and the city council quickly approved the conversion of the entire building into 96 apartments. The council and their development partner were determined to keep the tower block intact. (According to Richard Short, the council's head of planning, the city council and Land Securities have already entered into an \"exclusivity agreement\" for redeveloping the bus station opposite the old Debenhams building.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe leader of Exeter City Council, Peter Edwards, stated in 2010 that \"the former Debenhams building is a  well known landmark for the city of Exeter and it’s great that plans are  being explored to give it a new lease of life.\" It is indeed well-known, for all of the wrong reasons, but to use the word \"landmark\" in anything like a positive sense would be laughable if it wasn't so risible. Nick Davis, Land Securities Retail Development Director repeated the mistake when he stated that \"we remain   committed to this landmark building located in Exeter’s city centre  and  plan to make a significant investment in refurbishing and  refreshing  the building in preparation for a suitable occupier\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Deo4K9MxvVY\/Tn3sb8pYA1I\/AAAAAAAACFk\/HWf0UF8uNPA\/s1600\/Debenhams_Exeter_2010%2Biv.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655936671927501650\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Deo4K9MxvVY\/Tn3sb8pYA1I\/AAAAAAAACFk\/HWf0UF8uNPA\/s640\/Debenhams_Exeter_2010%2Biv.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"420\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EComments sent to the local paper suggested that many people felt otherwise. One resident wrote: \"I've lived in Exeter all my life and even when the building was in use  it was a blight on High Street. It's an ugly concrete block and the best  thing to do with it is pull it down and build something (anything) more  in keeping with the rest of High St. In fact a building site would look  better.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother local resident added: \"I  cannot help but think this massive eyesore in the centre of Exeter will  always be a sow's ear with no hope of a silk purse emerging, regardless  of the money that might be spent attempting to make the transformation.\u003Cspan class=\"text h-fg-cc\"\u003E Surely demolition and tasteful rebuilding is a better option?\u003C\/span\u003E\" And another: \u003Cspan class=\"text h-fg-cc\"\u003E\"Flatten it and grass it over. Bloody eyesore it is\u003C\/span\u003E\". Someone else who had watched the original tower block's construction commented that: \"The centre of Exeter has become such a mess compared to our expectation as we watched it being rebuilt\". Perhaps it was the construction of the tower block that caused Exeter's renowned 20th century historian Professor W.G. Hoskins to state in the early 1960s that \"the post-war rebuilding of Exeter has been a disaster\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-bR5MslgcsXA\/Tn3uFjBYXmI\/AAAAAAAACFs\/-XjNDJyjukU\/s1600\/Debenhams_2011_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655938486114999906\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-bR5MslgcsXA\/Tn3uFjBYXmI\/AAAAAAAACFs\/-XjNDJyjukU\/s640\/Debenhams_2011_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"457\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt is deeply ironic that having demolished so many buildings over the last 50 years the city council has decided to keep the one building that was desperately in need of removal. In November 2010 it was announced that the city council's Holy Grail was arriving in Exeter. John Lewis, allegedly the UK's \"most popular retailer\", was finally opening in the city and had chosen to use the old Debenhams tower block for their new store.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe building is currently under scaffolding \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E as the exciting makeover takes place. The city council is to spend £250,000 on pimping up both the equally grim King William Street car park at the rear of the tower block and the footbridge that provides direct access from the car park into the back of the building. A report on the BBC in July 2011 reported that the total expenditure on improvements to the road system around the new John Lewis store,  combined with the work on the car park, will cost a colossal £2 million. The structure will actually be larger than it is at present as two extra floors are being added to the front of the building. There are also frankly bizarre plans to have a \"European-style piazza\" overlooking the area on the opposite side of Sidwell Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI must admit that I don't actually care what happens to the building. Exeter's architectural ship sailed out of port a long time ago, and the tower block is after all just one appalling building amongst many others. Its removal wouldn't greatly enhance those which remained. The only advantage would be an improvement in the view of the city as you descend Pennsylvannia Road. The monumental tower block has recently spawned offspring nearby in the bulbous shape of the vast new Next building which now crouches on the opposite corner of the Eastgate junction and which dominates the eastern end of the High Street almost as much as the tower block, \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E. \u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-mYKp7YFVXXo\/Tn3vij2fWLI\/AAAAAAAACF0\/B5nVvKT5e_I\/s1600\/Debenahms%2Band%2BNext_Exeter_2010.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"344\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655940084065589426\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-mYKp7YFVXXo\/Tn3vij2fWLI\/AAAAAAAACF0\/B5nVvKT5e_I\/s640\/Debenahms%2Band%2BNext_Exeter_2010.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5746157214380286745\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5746157214380286745","title":"15 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5746157214380286745"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5746157214380286745"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/debenhams-nos-1-to-11-sidwell-street.html","title":"Nos. 1 to 11, Sidwell Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FjgdXoxMcOo\/Tn0PTXYsERI\/AAAAAAAACEU\/vQB-KZVpWXc\/s72-c\/Debenhams_Exeter_2010.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"15"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-1222390629356787791"},"published":{"$t":"2011-09-20T00:42:00.030+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T17:43:58.833+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bampfylde House"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Out of Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Open Day at Poltimore House, near Exeter"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-zdRP_rR2E-s\/TnaE43PjdXI\/AAAAAAAAB88\/nxD6F2NbbX0\/s1600\/Poltimore%2B1_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"491\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653852494646965618\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-zdRP_rR2E-s\/TnaE43PjdXI\/AAAAAAAAB88\/nxD6F2NbbX0\/s640\/Poltimore%2B1_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EPoltimore   House is a historic manor house situated about five miles north-east of Exeter on the edge of Poltimore village. It was built by   the Bampfylde family* in the 1550s and remodelled in the mid-18th   century with further additions made in the early 1900s. It was here that   the Treaty of Exeter was negotiated in 1646 following the Royalist   surrender of the city during the English Civil War. In the 20th century   it was a school and a hospital, and it is now a derelict ruin.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt   was left to rot from 1974 and almost burned to the ground following an   arson attack in 1987. As rain dripped through the roof, thieves stole   the magnificent ornamental fireplaces, the doorcases, the floorboards, the mahogany doors and the 1st Baron Poltimore's grand staircase. In 2000 the   property was taken over by the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.poltimore.org\/\"\u003EPoltimore House Trust\u003C\/a\u003E and with the   support of East Devon District Council and English Heritage the group   aims to restore the house to a usable condition at a cost of over £5.5 million. Poltimore House was a finalist in the BBC's 'Restoration' series in 2003 and even in its present condition it remains a Grade II* listed building. It is a miracle that the house still survives and shocking that it was ever allowed to fall into such an extreme state of disrepair.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI first   visited it ten years ago and recently went again when the house was opened   to the public as part of the national Heritage Open Day event. The   entire building is now encased in scaffolding and it is hoped that work   will soon begin on repairing the roof, a mammoth operation. The   following photographs were all taken on 11 September 2011.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E* The Bampfyldes also built \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/search\/label\/Bampfylde%20House\"\u003EBampfylde House\u003C\/a\u003E in Exeter, a large, late-16th century townhouse that was destroyed by bombing in 1942.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EExterior of Poltimore House\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Tn9dBp1fo_w\/TnfciJy3UJI\/AAAAAAAACA8\/IArateI_FKw\/s1600\/P9112707.JPG\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654230336489869458\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Tn9dBp1fo_w\/TnfciJy3UJI\/AAAAAAAACA8\/IArateI_FKw\/s640\/P9112707.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-YUg89PxVQ_s\/TnfcEKoLrCI\/AAAAAAAACA0\/5af4S2m6qBg\/s1600\/P9112713.JPG\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654229821317426210\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-YUg89PxVQ_s\/TnfcEKoLrCI\/AAAAAAAACA0\/5af4S2m6qBg\/s400\/P9112713.JPG\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-sj0bIHVhTiU\/TnfcEGgCiwI\/AAAAAAAACAs\/TtRTLrKjezY\/s1600\/P9112715.JPG\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654229820209531650\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-sj0bIHVhTiU\/TnfcEGgCiwI\/AAAAAAAACAs\/TtRTLrKjezY\/s400\/P9112715.JPG\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-WzE2xeOd7SI\/Tnfb2Vvg_EI\/AAAAAAAACAk\/KZfpR9Bl72c\/s1600\/P9112712.JPG\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654229583782804546\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-WzE2xeOd7SI\/Tnfb2Vvg_EI\/AAAAAAAACAk\/KZfpR9Bl72c\/s640\/P9112712.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Entrance Hall\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-QolvQD7NtcA\/TnfbGiIElrI\/AAAAAAAACAc\/iXaCpS8XcjE\/s1600\/P9112771.JPG\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654228762473305778\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-QolvQD7NtcA\/TnfbGiIElrI\/AAAAAAAACAc\/iXaCpS8XcjE\/s640\/P9112771.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PT4N5izt3_0\/Tnfa1lJ0EBI\/AAAAAAAACAM\/5NOB4B1ZcAo\/s1600\/P9112726.JPG\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654228471228141586\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PT4N5izt3_0\/Tnfa1lJ0EBI\/AAAAAAAACAM\/5NOB4B1ZcAo\/s400\/P9112726.JPG\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Q3kHNjzw03k\/Tnfa13Y-MeI\/AAAAAAAACAU\/bUnSdyoR2Js\/s1600\/P9112722.JPG\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654228476123558370\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Q3kHNjzw03k\/Tnfa13Y-MeI\/AAAAAAAACAU\/bUnSdyoR2Js\/s400\/P9112722.JPG\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Salon from c1740\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Yp65kelv2-M\/TnfZwm6cLYI\/AAAAAAAACAE\/pBYCl-Mc_9M\/s1600\/P9112756.JPG\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654227286289558914\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Yp65kelv2-M\/TnfZwm6cLYI\/AAAAAAAACAE\/pBYCl-Mc_9M\/s640\/P9112756.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-LWg1MalyS58\/TnfZUImEosI\/AAAAAAAAB_0\/NTt0JP8vRMk\/s1600\/P9112738.JPG\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654226797114729154\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-LWg1MalyS58\/TnfZUImEosI\/AAAAAAAAB_0\/NTt0JP8vRMk\/s400\/P9112738.JPG\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-E3IGfI4C1ws\/TnfZUAu9r5I\/AAAAAAAAB_8\/yfWJAARSitw\/s1600\/P9112760.JPG\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654226795004538770\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-E3IGfI4C1ws\/TnfZUAu9r5I\/AAAAAAAAB_8\/yfWJAARSitw\/s400\/P9112760.JPG\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QyMYME3dst4\/TnfZAxpATxI\/AAAAAAAAB_s\/97ITIbdMKwY\/s1600\/P9112737.JPG\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654226464535498514\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QyMYME3dst4\/TnfZAxpATxI\/AAAAAAAAB_s\/97ITIbdMKwY\/s640\/P9112737.JPG\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Red Drawing Room and Stairs in Tower\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-rvMG_kKv2R4\/TnfX5XiKHBI\/AAAAAAAAB_k\/RNTFrXdw79M\/s1600\/P9112731.JPG\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654225237756746770\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-rvMG_kKv2R4\/TnfX5XiKHBI\/AAAAAAAAB_k\/RNTFrXdw79M\/s640\/P9112731.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-kLQp-pkboHA\/TnfXtyo3VuI\/AAAAAAAAB_c\/308aAGPtTnk\/s1600\/P9112729.JPG\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654225038874203874\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-kLQp-pkboHA\/TnfXtyo3VuI\/AAAAAAAAB_c\/308aAGPtTnk\/s400\/P9112729.JPG\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-agx_oJCV0hQ\/TnfXtf6HuLI\/AAAAAAAAB_U\/OI1q8PpoadI\/s1600\/P9112742.JPG\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654225033846306994\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-agx_oJCV0hQ\/TnfXtf6HuLI\/AAAAAAAAB_U\/OI1q8PpoadI\/s400\/P9112742.JPG\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Tudor Courtyard and Octagonal Stair Tower\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-LVNvik6ydlc\/TnfVCwZwdqI\/AAAAAAAAB_E\/z_YeqQEgS1o\/s1600\/P9112745.JPG\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654222100516337314\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-LVNvik6ydlc\/TnfVCwZwdqI\/AAAAAAAAB_E\/z_YeqQEgS1o\/s400\/P9112745.JPG\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-N4vrP1h_Y-8\/TnfVDG9-19I\/AAAAAAAAB_M\/m1KkJVOJW5U\/s1600\/P9112766.JPG\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654222106573854674\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-N4vrP1h_Y-8\/TnfVDG9-19I\/AAAAAAAAB_M\/m1KkJVOJW5U\/s400\/P9112766.JPG\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-iw81F9OCiqg\/TnfoF1-cfAI\/AAAAAAAACB0\/jRionXn2PBo\/s1600\/P9112743.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654243044272929794\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-iw81F9OCiqg\/TnfoF1-cfAI\/AAAAAAAACB0\/jRionXn2PBo\/s640\/P9112743.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Garden and Grounds\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-52E5xYM6VCw\/Tnfmb92l4ZI\/AAAAAAAACBU\/EZcR4e7epHk\/s1600\/P9112695.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654241225321341330\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-52E5xYM6VCw\/Tnfmb92l4ZI\/AAAAAAAACBU\/EZcR4e7epHk\/s640\/P9112695.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-AWNEZj9skis\/TnfnHQUtlHI\/AAAAAAAACBk\/TzKRQ1Z0Uh8\/s1600\/P9112803.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654241969013888114\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-AWNEZj9skis\/TnfnHQUtlHI\/AAAAAAAACBk\/TzKRQ1Z0Uh8\/s400\/P9112803.JPG\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-51tYQeZ_O5E\/TnfnHGfTxGI\/AAAAAAAACBc\/0Q1PstS1fNg\/s1600\/P9112692.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654241966373979234\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-51tYQeZ_O5E\/TnfnHGfTxGI\/AAAAAAAACBc\/0Q1PstS1fNg\/s400\/P9112692.JPG\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-dWfnvSRc0Ls\/Tnfnknr4VfI\/AAAAAAAACBs\/ODxe2rsnHzE\/s1600\/P9112782.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654242473501283826\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-dWfnvSRc0Ls\/Tnfnknr4VfI\/AAAAAAAACBs\/ODxe2rsnHzE\/s640\/P9112782.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPoltimore House c1930\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-1CpKIggETNc\/TnfexLho93I\/AAAAAAAACBE\/U1vzppfN7xA\/s1600\/PoltimoreHouse.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"389\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654232793675790194\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-1CpKIggETNc\/TnfexLho93I\/AAAAAAAACBE\/U1vzppfN7xA\/s640\/PoltimoreHouse.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1222390629356787791\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=1222390629356787791","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1222390629356787791"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1222390629356787791"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/open-day-at-poltimore-house-near-exeter_20.html","title":"Open Day at Poltimore House, near Exeter"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-zdRP_rR2E-s\/TnaE43PjdXI\/AAAAAAAAB88\/nxD6F2NbbX0\/s72-c\/Poltimore%2B1_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-139299665931298440"},"published":{"$t":"2011-09-17T12:04:00.051+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T17:35:48.167+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Notaries' House: No. 8, Cathedral Close"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-UEo-1QiSzso\/TxoCDVveCpI\/AAAAAAAAEXg\/1OHN-pTSfts\/s1600\/Notaries_House_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"533\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699870534789892754\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-UEo-1QiSzso\/TxoCDVveCpI\/AAAAAAAAEXg\/1OHN-pTSfts\/s640\/Notaries_House_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFrom both a historical and an architectural perspective, the Notaries' House \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E  is an important building. Its history is fascinating and despite some unfortunate modifications its surviving  architectural features are of a high quality. The property's story is complex and dates back at least to the first decades  of the 15th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt stands on the site of what was once part of a  group of buildings occupied by members of the cathedral's clergy and which were constructed between c1410 to c1430 around a narrow central  courtyard. The west range consisted of a great hall with an exceptional  hammer beam roof, known today as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/law-library-no-8-cathedral-close.html\"\u003Ethe Law Library.\u003C\/a\u003E There was also an east range, now  No. 9a Cathedral Close and a south  range, now No. 9 Cathedral Close.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZK3OIWXJg8k\/TxoCOSeiWfI\/AAAAAAAAEXs\/wDmlGxNG8LQ\/s1600\/Aerial%2Bview_Close_Bedford_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699870722892126706\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZK3OIWXJg8k\/TxoCOSeiWfI\/AAAAAAAAEXs\/wDmlGxNG8LQ\/s640\/Aerial%2Bview_Close_Bedford_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"461\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe north range is believed to have contained high  status living rooms such as a solar and large bed chambers, and it was  upon the site of this north range that the Notaries' House was built in  the late-17th century. (Two of the other three medieval ranges from the early  15th century, the south range and the west range, all survive relatively intact. The east range was much-altered in the late-1600s but still contains significant medieval material.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe aerial photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E c1930 shows the extent of Nos. 8, 9 and 9a highlighted in red. In the context of the 15th century it would've been a property of enormous size. The Notaries' House lies in the centre of the plot, its main elevation facing north towards the backs of the townhouses of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E. At the end of the long garden is a large outbuilding, also highlighted in red, and described on a 19th century plan as comprising \"coachhouses with chamber over, stables and hay loft over, and courtlage\". Running between Bedford Circus and the stable block is \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/one-thousand-years-in-egypt-lane.html\"\u003EEgypt Lane\u003C\/a\u003E, later known as Chapel Street. The building to the far right in the photograph, with a three-storey porch, was \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/town-house-of-abbots-of-buckfast.html\"\u003Ethe Abbot's Lodge\u003C\/a\u003E, destroyed by a high-explosive bomb in 1942.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-kNr0k_cPXaE\/TxoCjWK4NKI\/AAAAAAAAEX4\/Dg424QoK1s4\/s1600\/Bale_arms_Angel_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699871084660667554\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-kNr0k_cPXaE\/TxoCjWK4NKI\/AAAAAAAAEX4\/Dg424QoK1s4\/s640\/Bale_arms_Angel_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"435\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENos. 8, 9 and 9a remained as a single residence throughout most of the 16th and 17th centuries. Following the Reformation in the  1530s the cathedral's Dean and Chapter reduced the number  of canons residing in the Cathedral Close, preferring instead to lease  their large houses to wealthy members of Exeter's gentry. The extensive  property was leased to the Bruton family  from at least the end of the 1500s until the 1660s. William Bruton is recorded as having paid  two shillings for each of his 14 hearths in the 1662\/63 Hearth Tax. Clearly the group of buildings constituted a sizeable house.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 1668 it  was leased again to Christopher Bale, a member of the gentry who had  married one of the Brutons and who was later to become both the city's  mayor and and its MP. Bale divided the accommodation of the sprawling house, keeping at least part of the south range, the hall range and the north range together, and sub-let it as  two separate properties. However, it's almost certain that Bale lived in the house  at some point himself as the medieval hall contains both his coat of arms, shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left,\u003C\/span\u003E  and those of his wife, Margaret Bruton, painted onto shields held by the carved angels that terminate the hammer beams.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-rsZEa--1QQM\/TxoCxm1IPtI\/AAAAAAAAEYE\/Ht52MnP-fCE\/s1600\/Entrance_Notaries%2BHouse_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699871329651015378\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-rsZEa--1QQM\/TxoCxm1IPtI\/AAAAAAAAEYE\/Ht52MnP-fCE\/s640\/Entrance_Notaries%2BHouse_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"426\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Notaries' House was born from disaster when a  major fire broke out in the extensive medieval north range. According to  an entry in the Dean and Chapter Act Book from 1692 the \"most and the  Chiefest part\" of the property \"was lately burnt down\". Fortunately the  thick walls of Heavitree stone prevented the fire from spreading to the  adjoining ranges.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBale's lease was extended at a reduced cost as a  result of the fire but it was necessary to rebuild the fire-damaged north range. The  result of this rebuild was the current Notaries' House, a late-17th  century, brick-built mansion in the centre of Exeter and one of the most  exceptional buildings of its kind remaining in the city. (A three-storey pavillion, just visible to the left in the photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E, is now part of the Notaries' House but it was originally the northern end of the medieval east range and so will be discussed in a later post that covers 9a, Cathedral Close.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFortunately in 2007 the city council's own Exeter Archaeology Unit  (now sadly disbanded as part of city council cost-cutting) carried out an extensive archaeological survey of  the building, recording all of the surviving features from different  periods. Some of the following information is taken from their detailed report. The Notaries' House was built to a simple plan: five storeys high, including a basement, and only one room deep with two rooms on each floor arranged around a central staircase. It was only intended to act as a wing, an add-on to the surviving medieval ranges at the front. The photograph at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post shows the north-facing elevation of the Notaries' House. This was technically the rear of the property despite it having the visual appearance of the main street facade. The entrance was in fact through the Cathedral Close via an external passageway to the side of the medieval west range.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-8D1VXeD3NSo\/TxoDG_H5kVI\/AAAAAAAAEYQ\/zLy0KD1gzBo\/s1600\/Notaries%2BHouse_Aerial.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699871696949449042\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-8D1VXeD3NSo\/TxoDG_H5kVI\/AAAAAAAAEYQ\/zLy0KD1gzBo\/s640\/Notaries%2BHouse_Aerial.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"470\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe aerial view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows the south side of the Notaries' House almost completely obscured by the earlier medieval ranges against which it was constructed. The building that is attached to the centre of the south wall, projecting at a right-angle, is the medieval west range that contains the tremendous hammer beam roof.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe facade of the Notaries' House is highly deceptive as its current appearance belies the early date of construction. Frustratingly, all of the two-light mullioned windows were altered during a refurbishment in the early 19th century when the current sash windows were installed. Only the basement floor, now hidden below ground level, retains the original late-17th century windows. But much worse was the refacing of almost the entire facade in modern bricks sometime in the post-war period. The mass-produced bricks and the clumsy modern pointing do the building no favours, although at least the exceptionally attractive proportions of the late-Georgian refurbishment remain. (Some of the original brick work can still be seen at the corners of the north facade as well as on most of the south wall.) Stone banding at first and second floor levels divide the five bays horizonatally and beneath the original flared hip roof, into which is set three dormer windows, is a modillion cornice.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-iERFnOLvFVc\/TxoDToBGEUI\/AAAAAAAAEYc\/HMxif0f4feI\/s1600\/Entrance_Hall%2BNotaries%2BHouse_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699871914085192002\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-iERFnOLvFVc\/TxoDToBGEUI\/AAAAAAAAEYc\/HMxif0f4feI\/s640\/Entrance_Hall%2BNotaries%2BHouse_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"451\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn front of the building is a brick-built cellar. This is believed to date to c1800, a century after the rest of the house was constructed. The building of the cellar would've raised the exterior ground level significantly and it's likely that a flight of steps originally led up into the house itself. The current portico, supported on pillars with Ionic capitals, was added in the early-19th century. The lovely fanlight of intertwined Gothic arches was installed at the same time.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDespite its current use as office space the house is stuffed with superb details from the late-17th and 18th centuries. Two internal doorways lead off the entrance hall \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E into the ground floor rooms. Baroque doorcases with broken pediments and central pedestals from c1740 still remain within the doorways. These doorcases are rare survivals in Exeter, particularly rare for being of such high quality. The entrance hall also has dado panelling and an ornate box cornice, again from c1740.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-y2MXw_DERqY\/TxoDl5O9-YI\/AAAAAAAAEYo\/qbiCKaurdoc\/s1600\/Staircase_Notaries%2BHouse_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699872227944429954\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-y2MXw_DERqY\/TxoDl5O9-YI\/AAAAAAAAEYo\/qbiCKaurdoc\/s640\/Staircase_Notaries%2BHouse_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe original staircase from c1690 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E  rises through the full height of the  building, from the basement to the top floor, beautifully constructed  with a moulded handrail and turned  balusters and lit from the windows  situated in the central bay of the north wall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe list of other important surviving features is a long one: a magnificent grey marble fireplace in the dining room from c1740; plaster cornices in both of the downstairs rooms along with the recently rediscovered and significant remnants of bolection-moulded panelling from the late-17th century; large sections of original field panelling in the first-floor rooms as well as extensive cornicing; two more mid-18th century doorcases with broken pediments on the first-floor landing; an early 19th century fireplace, and so on. A blocked doorway on the second floor landing once opened onto a small viewing balcony that looked down into the adjoining medieval hall. (The barley sugar spindles of the balcony are still visible inside the hall). Even the basement has numerous interesting features, such as slate floors and the above-mentioned mullioned windows.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-kMDvzR86XqE\/TxoECnnSjmI\/AAAAAAAAEY0\/dB7RxkXKTmQ\/s1600\/View_Notaries%2BHouse_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699872721430810210\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-kMDvzR86XqE\/TxoECnnSjmI\/AAAAAAAAEY0\/dB7RxkXKTmQ\/s640\/View_Notaries%2BHouse_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E is the view east from a small window on the third floor of the Notaries' House. It looks out over the medieval houses of the Archdeacons of Totnes and Barnstaple, over the still-standing 15th century gatehouse of the Abbot's Lodge (the gatehouse was destroyed in 1942 but superbly reconstructed afterwards) and towards the 18th century terraces of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/southernhay-west-southernhay.html\"\u003ESouthernhay West\u003C\/a\u003E, just visible through the trees.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn the far right are the white walls of the former Chancellor's House, remodelled in the early 18th century and now the Exeter Cathedral School. It is all exceptionally lovely, a collection of buildings of such picturesque charm that they have few rivals in the whole of England.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIncidentally, it is called the Notaries' House because it was for a number of generations used by solicitors as their offices, but the site itself is believed to have been the location for part of the timber barracks of the Second Augustan Legion when the Romans built a fortress here in c55 AD. The above-mentioned stable block was damaged during the Blitz of 1942 and half of the garden disappeared under the post-war service road known as Chapel Street. The other half is a car park. The businesses now based in the house use Chapel Street as their address and the main access in and out of the property is now in Chapel Street, although the house is still technically listed as No. 8, Cathedral Close.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is perhaps unfortunate that the Notaries' House has been converted into offices and retail space but then it's miraculous that it survived the war undamaged. Many of the modern additions necessary for its current use are a distraction but a huge number of historically interesting features do remain, along with much of the general fabric of the early building. Hopefully the building's Grade II* listed status will protect it for future generations. As the archaeological report concludes, \"with its fine staircase, panelling, fireplaces and other fittings, the Notaries' House must rank as one of the best-preserved examples of grand town housing of this period in the city\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/139299665931298440\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=139299665931298440","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/139299665931298440"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/139299665931298440"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/notaries-house-no-8-cathedral-close.html","title":"The Notaries' House: No. 8, Cathedral Close"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-UEo-1QiSzso\/TxoCDVveCpI\/AAAAAAAAEXg\/1OHN-pTSfts\/s72-c\/Notaries_House_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-1111324930165090459"},"published":{"$t":"2011-09-10T17:56:00.080+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-05T01:42:03.460+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Other Streets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Saxon Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"One Thousand Years in Egypt Lane"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-6QUtLsQLRU4\/TnIgoRG52ZI\/AAAAAAAAB6U\/wuCZwdJ9w3k\/s1600\/Egypt%2BLane_Exeter.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652616358462609810\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-6QUtLsQLRU4\/TnIgoRG52ZI\/AAAAAAAAB6U\/wuCZwdJ9w3k\/s640\/Egypt%2BLane_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"445\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EDespite its obliteration and partial reinstatement in the second half of the 20th century the history of Egypt Lane is both long and interesting! It has probably undergone more name changes than any other street in Exeter but each change says something about the history of the surrounding area.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEgypt Lane was probably first laid out when Alfred the Great refounded Exeter in the late 9th century. It originally ran from its junction with \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E all the way to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Ethe city walls\u003C\/a\u003E near \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/brief-history-of-southernhay_16.html\"\u003ESouthernhay\u003C\/a\u003E. Little is known about the street until the 13th century when it starts popping up in various documents as Strikenstrete (c1265), Strikestrete (1286) and Stykenstrete (1297)\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E, and later as \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EStekeslane (1399) and \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EStyckestreete (1458). It's possible that the name Stick Street or Strike Street was derived from the plural of the Anglo-Saxon word \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Estyrc,\u003C\/span\u003E meaning a young bullock or heffer. By the end of the 13th century the entrance into Strike Street \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003Ehad been barred by the installation of a large wooden gate.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EThis seems to have been the result of a liasion between the cathedral's Dean and Chapter, who wanted to improve security within the cathedral precinct following \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html\"\u003Ethe murder of the precentor William Lechlade in 1283\u003C\/a\u003E, and the Dominican friars whose large monastic complex had Strike Street as its southern boundary. Anyone walking down Strike Street in the late-1200s would've seen the tall boundary wall of the friary on the left, probably with a postern gate for pedestrian access, and the back walls of the houses and gardens of the cathedral's canons on the right. The street was sandwiched in the middle and presumably closed off at its far end by the 25ft high city wall.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-6bS7cE-OFWI\/UVheBwTuJ9I\/AAAAAAAAGGw\/zcHCQvluA2w\/s1600\/Hooker_Exeter_1500s.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-6bS7cE-OFWI\/UVheBwTuJ9I\/AAAAAAAAGGw\/zcHCQvluA2w\/s640\/Hooker_Exeter_1500s.jpg\" width=\"510\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EIt was necessary for the city authorities to have access into Strike Street so that the interior of the city walls could be inspected and maintained, but t\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003Ehe closing of the street theoretically prevented  anyone not connected with either the friary or the cathedral from  entering the street\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E. The city's mayor also claimed right of access and a document from 1297 confirms that an agreement \"concerning a gate in Styke Street\" had been reached between the mayor, William Tauntifer and Robert de Ottery, the prior of the Dominican friary, and a right of way was subsequently granted to the city authorities.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EDuring the 15th century the street's name gradually  changed from Strike Street to Freren Lane, first recorded c1448. (Freren Lane is visible to the far left in Hooker's 16th century plan of the cathedral precinct, shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E, running parallel with Canon Street or St Martin's Street, as the Cathedral Close was once known. The boundary walls of Russell's Bedford House, inset into which is a little gatehouse, are clearly visible.)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EClearly the name was a reflection of the neighbouring community of Black  Friars. They would've been a \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003Efrequent sight in the area for over three  centuries until the friary was dissolved during the Reformation. The  street retained its etymological association with the friars of the  Dominican order long after the walls of their church had been thrown  down and some of the old friary buildings had been converted into \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/bedford-house-and-dominican-friary.html?spref=tw\"\u003EBedford House\u003C\/a\u003E, the Exeter mansion of John Russell, the 1st Earl of Bedford.\u003C\/span\u003E The gate at Freren Lane became just one source of a dramatic deterioration in the relationship between the cathedral's Dean and Chapter and the city's mayors in the 1400s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EIt's likely that there was \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003Ean element of what Lega-Weekes called \"jealousy of prerogative\", with both sides jockeying for a superior position\u003C\/span\u003E, but in the mid-15th century one of Exeter's most notable mayors, John Shillingford, constantly \"compleyneth\" about matters arising from access into Freren Lane, described as lying along the \"bakside joynant to divers mansions of divers chanons of the clos\". In one document Shillingford complains that so much \"earth, rubble and dung and other filth\" is carried out of the canons' houses and dumped into Freren Lane that it had become almost impassable. In another document he accuses the clergy of having smashed the lock to the gate, replacing it with one for which only they had the key. In yet another surviving document Shillingford demanded that the gate should not be left open except for once-a-year when the mayor went to \"over se yf eny nede be to repaire the towne wallys\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-_nTCHSXfRkc\/TnKCHIrFJcI\/AAAAAAAAB60\/zWIWmo6r5OM\/s1600\/Egypt%2BLane.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"428\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652723541402265026\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-_nTCHSXfRkc\/TnKCHIrFJcI\/AAAAAAAAB60\/zWIWmo6r5OM\/s640\/Egypt%2BLane.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EThe rather naive postcard \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove \u003C\/span\u003Efrom  c1900 shows a very rare view into Egypt Lane with St Catherine's  Almshouses to the right. Adjacent to the almshouses, on the far right,  is the Country House Inn. Formerly a \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/canonry-catherine-street.html\"\u003E13th century canon's house\u003C\/a\u003E, it was destroyed in 1942.\u003C\/span\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EAnother little description of the street survives in a document from 1458 when more problems were caused by rainwater and \"other waters\" (probably from garderobes and emptied chamber pots) flowing down Catherine Street from the direction of St John's Hospital and pooling at the \"head of the lane which leads to the city walls, between the area of the Dominican Convent...and the houses of some of the Canons\". The water was creating \"a great nuisance by being a receptacle for filth and putrid carcases\". The mayor proposed rebuilding the gate at the entrance of Freren Lane, \"by which hay and fuel might be brought to the houses of the Canons, who had doors opening into the lane\". A drainage channel running via the lane to the city walls and out into the town ditch was to be paid for by the cathedral. Writing in the 16th century, John Hooker describes Freren Lane as running \"betwen St Katherens Almeshowses and certen Canons' Howses on the one syde, and the soyle of the late dissolved Howse of the Fryars Preachers, now the Erles of Bedford, on the other syde.\"\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-aXlVe7IAmrc\/TnKCd2b3UOI\/AAAAAAAAB68\/Lg4C-rsyKYk\/s1600\/Egypt_Lane_Exeter_1744.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652723931643597026\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-aXlVe7IAmrc\/TnKCd2b3UOI\/AAAAAAAAB68\/Lg4C-rsyKYk\/s640\/Egypt_Lane_Exeter_1744.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"441\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E By at least the middle of the 18th century the name had changed again, to Egypt Lane. The origin of this name was a mystery for many years. Hoskins wondered whether it derived from some sort of local slang but it has recently been suggested that it referred to a community of gypsies. Gypsies were once thought to have originated in Egypt (hence the name) and it's perfectly plausible that either some gypsies from Europe or some itinerant workers settled in the area around Freren Lane.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJohn Rocque's 1744 map of Exeter (shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E with Egypt Lane highlighted in red) clearly shows that by the 1740s part of Egypt Lane, just labelled as Egypt, had been built over with numerous properties and it no longer ran all the way to the city walls. Tenements and other buildings had been constructed on the land once owned by the Dominican friars and on the former grounds of Russell's Bedford House. At least some of the buildings were the stables and coach houses for the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/nos-25-26-high-street-new-inn.html\"\u003ENew Inn\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/half-moon-inn-high-street.html\"\u003EHalf Moon Inn\u003C\/a\u003E which fronted onto the High Street (and both of these old inns are labeled on Rocque's map). Another group of buildings belonged to a builder called Mr Brown, as shown on a map of 1819.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-c-6ruCSH7Wo\/TnKDbvNd2FI\/AAAAAAAAB7E\/ZbxT2c74hRs\/s1600\/Egypt_Lane_Exeter_1900.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652724994856048722\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-c-6ruCSH7Wo\/TnKDbvNd2FI\/AAAAAAAAB7E\/ZbxT2c74hRs\/s1600\/Egypt_Lane_Exeter_1900.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E According to Lega-Weekes, Egypt Lane was also known as Theatre Lane, named after the theatre that opened in 1787 as part of the first phase of the building of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E (not to be confused with Waterbeer Street, which was also known as Theatre Lane for a short time); and a deed dating to 1815 refers to Egypt Lane as Johnasses Lane, the only recorded use of such a title. In 1773 Bedford House made way for Robert Stribling's crescent of fourteen red-brick townhouses. The opposite crescent, which completed the architectural circus, wasn't begun until 1825.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe construction of this second crescent resulted in the demolition of most of the existing buildings on the north side of Egypt Lane. The south side retained a jumble of different structures, old stables, etc., most of them still relating to the canons' residences that fronted onto the Cathedral Close. The entire street was once again reopened to its full length, running from Catherine Street, around the backs of the new townhouses and into the eastern entrance of the Circus near the city walls.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe completion of the extra parochial Bedford Chapel in 1832 resulted in yet another change of name and Egypt Lane became Chapel Street, a title which it retained until World War Two. (On John Wood's map of 1840 it is called Church Lane, although the street was still referred to by some as Egypt Lane well into the latter-half of the 19th century.) The building on the north side of the Chapel wasn't constructed as a townhouse, although it looked the same as all the others from the outside. This was the Atheneum, built for the Devon and Exeter Institution and designed as a \"Theatre for Scientific and Literary Pursuits and Lectures\". There were entrances from Bedford Circus, from a side entrance adjacent to the chapel and from Egypt Lane itself. The map \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right \u003C\/span\u003Eshows the Bedford precinct c1900. Chapel Street is highlighted in red, the Atheneum in blue, Bedford Chapel in green and the city walls bordering Southernhay are highlighted in yellow.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-wnc8gCMkjS8\/TnKEz37bs1I\/AAAAAAAAB7M\/tiDX-WXxOoU\/s1600\/Egypt%2BLane%2B15th%2Bcentury%2Broof_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652726509024818002\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-wnc8gCMkjS8\/TnKEz37bs1I\/AAAAAAAAB7M\/tiDX-WXxOoU\/s1600\/Egypt%2BLane%2B15th%2Bcentury%2Broof_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EBedford Circus was partially damaged by fire in the air-raid of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E and some of the buildings associated with the canons' houses that backed onto Chapel Street was also affected. One of these was a 15th century building with its entrance onto Chapel Street (shown with war damage \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E). One of its side walls was built from cob, a mixture of mud and straw and a very rare survival in 20th century Exeter. The medieval roof remained intact and although one gable wall had been demolished by a high-explosive bomb the structure was salvageable.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut, this being Exeter, it was totally demolished \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003Eas part of the post-war reconstruction,\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E along with the whole of Bedford Circus. After nearly one thousand years of continuous history, Chapel Street, also known as Johnasses Lane, Theatre Lane, Egypt Lane, Freren Lane and Strikenstrete, was redeveloped out of existence. Part of the old gardens of the canons' houses were appropriated for a service road that was built 50ft (15m) to the south of the old street. This service road has been called Chapel Street ever since. The true line of the historic street was covered with single-storey post-war shacks.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EBetween 2005 and 2007 the post-war buildings in Bedford Street were demolished as part of the much-vaunted £225 million Princesshay redevelopment.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-EyQ4-7nnRO8\/TnKFRAOvO6I\/AAAAAAAAB7U\/phtZCQFTDMM\/s1600\/Egypt_Lane_2011.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652727009469479842\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-EyQ4-7nnRO8\/TnKFRAOvO6I\/AAAAAAAAB7U\/phtZCQFTDMM\/s1600\/Egypt_Lane_2011.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003EAs part of the scheme some lip service was paid to Exeter's past with the reinstatement of a small portion of the original line of Strike Street. Now once again called Egypt Lane it runs for approximately one-fifth of its original length. Little more than a featureless passageway, it is small recompense for the  inappropriate designs of the newly-constructed buildings.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOnly \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/st-catherines-almshouses-catherine.html\"\u003Ethe ruins of the almshouses\u003C\/a\u003E at the junction with Catherine Street survive as an indication of Egypt Lane's long and interesting history. The aerial view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright \u003C\/span\u003Eshows the service road now known as Chapel Street highlighted in purple. The recently reinstated fragment of Egypt Lane is highlighted in red, a photo of which is shown at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1111324930165090459\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=1111324930165090459","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1111324930165090459"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1111324930165090459"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/one-thousand-years-in-egypt-lane.html","title":"One Thousand Years in Egypt Lane"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-6QUtLsQLRU4\/TnIgoRG52ZI\/AAAAAAAAB6U\/wuCZwdJ9w3k\/s72-c\/Egypt%2BLane_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-6995726424920104569"},"published":{"$t":"2011-09-07T15:35:00.028+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T16:48:20.198+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Guildhall Shopping Centre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"North Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Medieval Merchants at No. 36, North Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-tKMM4Q6TzIk\/TxIpLnpawRI\/AAAAAAAADxo\/jqNaxu51F2A\/s1600\/36%2BNorth%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697661758175101202\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-tKMM4Q6TzIk\/TxIpLnpawRI\/AAAAAAAADxo\/jqNaxu51F2A\/s640\/36%2BNorth%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"421\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EUntil the early 1970s \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E was the location of two of Exeter's most important medieval domestic houses, both frequently cited by architectural historians in various periodicals and academic papers. One was \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/no-38-north-street.html\"\u003ENo. 38, North Street\u003C\/a\u003E. The other was No. 36, North Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBoth houses shared a similar layout and were of a similar age. Both still retained significant remains of their late-15th century origins, including their arch-braced hall roofs, and both were demolished by the city council to build the Guildhall Shopping Centre.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDerek Portman surveyed the building in the early 1960s for his book  'Exeter Houses: 1400-1700' and much of the following information is  derived from his account. (Incidentally, Portman wrote detailed reports of about 33 separate buildings in the city which he regarded as the most significant examples of their period. Over 11 of these buildings have since been demolished.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EStretching back from North Street by approximately 140ft, No. 36 had been added to and altered throughout its nearly 500-year existence but the medieval plan and much of the early fabric remained intact. Like most of Exeter's medieval domestic housing, it was built on a long but narrow strip of land called a burgage plot. The original accommodation probably consisted of a shop, a solar, an open hall, a parlour, a large (bed) chamber, a kitchen and another chamber, and the arrangement of these rooms within the house was of great interest.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe shop with the solar above were built as a single, two-storey block fronting onto North Street. Immediately behind this, and at right angles to the street in order to squeeze it onto the narrow plot, was the hall, open to the roof. Behind this was another two-storey block containing the parlour with a large chamber above. Behind that was a courtyard and behind that was yet another block containing the kitchen with a further room above. Running underneath most of the medieval property was a cellar lined with the red Heavitree breccia used so frequently in Exeter. A through-passage ran down the entire south side of the building giving entry into all of the ground floor rooms and linking the entrance from North Street with the courtyard at the back. The first-floor chamber above the parlour was linked with the chamber above the kitchen via a gallery that sailed out across the courtyard. All of the exterior side walls were built of Heavitree stone and the others were timber-framed. According to Portman, this unusual plan is \"repeated, with minor differences, in only one other surviving house in the city, No. 38 North Street\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhoever built the house in the late-15th century was a citizen, probably a merchant, of significant wealth. Inevitable changes had taken place. The ground floor had been lowered by about 2ft. At the same time the timber-framed facade had been replaced and brought forward by 2ft. According to Portman it was still possible to see traces in the north wall of the jettied first floor as it oversailed North Street. The once open hall had also been divided into two rooms by the insertion of a floor. The kitchen block had been extended c1600 with the addition of two rooms behind it, and in the 1750s yet more accommodation was added behind the kitchen with the construction of another two-storey block containing a drawing room.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-t-JyR3m-SFA\/TxIpj_oTcDI\/AAAAAAAADyA\/5Sk7iuGclmk\/s1600\/36%2BNorth%2BStreet_Exeter%2Bmap.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697662176929738802\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-t-JyR3m-SFA\/TxIpj_oTcDI\/AAAAAAAADyA\/5Sk7iuGclmk\/s1600\/36%2BNorth%2BStreet_Exeter%2Bmap.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post © University of Exeter shows the view towards North Street from a narrow alleyway that ran along the north wall between No. 36 and No. 35. To the right is the gabled end of No. 35, built in the latter-half of the 16th century, with a timber-framed extension at the rear. (No. 35 was demolished at the same time as No. 36.) To the left is No. 36, its open hall, and the window from which it was lit, clearly visible. The map \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the position and extent of No. 36 c1900.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo what exactly remained of the medieval building at the time of its demolition. The side walls were all intact. The through-passage also remained as well as the cellar. Three chimney-stacks still stood in the north wall. There was a huge, 6ft-wide fireplace from the open hall with a corbelled hood made from purple volcanic trap and moulded jambs with a similar, smaller fireplace in the parlour. A \"great splayed window\" in the north wall also survived from the hall with smaller windows that once probably lit the staircase. Only part of another fireplace remained in the first-floor solar but, writes Portman, \"the one in the principal chamber is well preserved\". Also preserved was a section of the wood and plaster partition between the parlour and the hall. Most of the timber-frame and stone walling of the kitchen block also remained, both from the 1400s and the 1500s along with another large fireplace. The first-floor of the kitchen block contained more wood and plaster partitioning as well as its simple late-medieval roof. Panelling and a carved chimney-piece remained in the mid-18th century drawing room.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut \"the most imposing feature in the whole building\" was the arch-braced roof of the open hall. Three bays spanned the open hall and another two bays spanned the chamber above the parlour, much of which was \"still intact\". The arch-braces supported the main rafters, making \"a continuous arch from wall to wall\". Purlins ran parallel with the side walls and between the purlins were wind-braces, the upper set being inverted. Over 22ft high, the open hall had been the physical and social centre of the building and most of the woodwork would've been viewable from the ground floor. A very similar, slightly finer roof existed at No. 38 North Street. (Another similar roof was at the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/medieval-open-hall-king-st.html\"\u003E'Norman House'\u003C\/a\u003E in Preston Street. Damaged in 1942, the building was totally demolished during the subsequent post-war reconstruction.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere is little else to add that hasn't already been said in previous posts regarding North Street. Even in the early 1960s No. 36 was empty and in a \"dilapidated condition\". Despite the rarity of their medieval layout and their importance to  Exeter's by then greatly-diminished stock of historically important buildings, No. 36 along with its near twin at No. 38 were both demolished in the early 1970s to build the visually atrocious Guildhall Shopping Centre. It seems incredible that two almost adjacent medieval open halls with intact arch-braced roofs should've simply been torn down as late as the 1970s. No. 36 stood to the right, near the footbridge, in the photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-1pZh5pV4Lt4\/TmgJTsSXbsI\/AAAAAAAAB3M\/bvyrPi2Dcls\/s1600\/36%2BNorth%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"424\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649775966446644930\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-1pZh5pV4Lt4\/TmgJTsSXbsI\/AAAAAAAAB3M\/bvyrPi2Dcls\/s640\/36%2BNorth%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6995726424920104569\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=6995726424920104569","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6995726424920104569"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6995726424920104569"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/medieval-merchants-at-no-36-north.html","title":"Medieval Merchants at No. 36, North Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-tKMM4Q6TzIk\/TxIpLnpawRI\/AAAAAAAADxo\/jqNaxu51F2A\/s72-c\/36%2BNorth%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-6500228001128860854"},"published":{"$t":"2011-09-05T18:19:00.025+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T16:46:20.076+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"West Quarter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"A 14th Century House at No. 8, Milk Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-AbNYuVLwAQA\/TxWx3sL_dCI\/AAAAAAAAEKk\/GzOqAXwHzi0\/s1600\/Map%2B8%2BMilk%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698656473819608098\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-AbNYuVLwAQA\/TxWx3sL_dCI\/AAAAAAAAEKk\/GzOqAXwHzi0\/s640\/Map%2B8%2BMilk%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"481\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EUntil its destruction in 1942 No. 8 in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/milk-street-west-quarter.html\"\u003EMilk Street\u003C\/a\u003E was one of the oldest surviving domestic buildings in Exeter, despite being much-altered in the intervening centuries. (The so-called \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/medieval-open-hall-king-st.html\"\u003E'Norman House'\u003C\/a\u003E in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/preston-street-demolished.html\"\u003EPreston Street\u003C\/a\u003E, damaged in 1942 and demolished soon after, probably dated to no earlier than the 15th century).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo. 8, Milk Street is highlighted in red on the 1905 street plan of the city \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E, overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area. The house on Milk Street was built c1320 on a very simple plan. It was only two-storeys high and one room wide, with a cellar beneath. Only half of the cellar was actually below ground and the house was entered via steps from Milk Street. Originally with a timber-framed facade, the other walls were built from the purple volcanic trap quarried at Rougemont.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe main entrance from Milk Street opened directly into the hall with a second room at the rear. Inset into the corner of the hall, within the very thick north wall, was a garderobe which was ventilated by a slit window that looked out into Milk Street. The garderobe would've emptied directly onto the street! There was also an early-14th century fireplace in the hall. The room at the rear had a surviving two-light window and in one of the corners were the remains of a stone spiral staircase which would've led up to the first-floor chambers, one of which also contained a medieval fireplace. A narrow alley at the back of the house gave access into \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/george-street.html\"\u003EGeorge Street\u003C\/a\u003E. This alley is highlighted in purple on the image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd that's it. Little else is known about the building. It appears to have remained undiscovered until Milk Street and the surrounding area were badly damaged during \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003Ethe Exeter Blitz of 04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E. As the rest of the street burned the tough volcanic rock of the walls of No. 8 remained standing. Fortunately the architectural historian, Arthur Everett, surveyed the building in the aftermath of the bombing raid. (He also recorded \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/st-georges-church-south-street.html\"\u003Ethe remains of the Anglo-Saxon church\u003C\/a\u003E revealed by the bombing in nearby George Street.) The walls of No. 8, Milk Street, which predated the ravages of the Black Death, were subsequently demolished as part of the post-war reconstruction and the site is now part of a car park \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E. No. 8 stood approximately where the sign with the arrow is today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-0HKL_tUnq0g\/TmVHcaJTHBI\/AAAAAAAAB2c\/HVfAXUXTDdE\/s1600\/8_Milk%2BStreet_GE_SV_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"491\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648999860986387474\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-0HKL_tUnq0g\/TmVHcaJTHBI\/AAAAAAAAB2c\/HVfAXUXTDdE\/s640\/8_Milk%2BStreet_GE_SV_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6500228001128860854\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=6500228001128860854","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6500228001128860854"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6500228001128860854"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/no-8-milk-street.html","title":"A 14th Century House at No. 8, Milk Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-AbNYuVLwAQA\/TxWx3sL_dCI\/AAAAAAAAEKk\/GzOqAXwHzi0\/s72-c\/Map%2B8%2BMilk%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4884560566846615249"},"published":{"$t":"2011-09-01T20:25:00.109+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T16:44:56.858+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Law Library: No. 8, Cathedral Close"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-i9RgmKFCtfQ\/Tyhc79L023I\/AAAAAAAAEeI\/QXtBAF7VZCU\/s1600\/Law_Library%2B2.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703911113170934642\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-i9RgmKFCtfQ\/Tyhc79L023I\/AAAAAAAAEeI\/QXtBAF7VZCU\/s640\/Law_Library%2B2.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"470\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt’s unlikely that many people in Exeter are even aware of its existence, but hidden behind the half-timbered façade of No. 9 Cathedral Close is one of the most remarkable medieval sights in the southwest of England: the 15th century roof of the Law Library \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E, almost a copy, in miniature, of the great hammer beam roof at Westminster Hall in London. To find such a thing in Exeter is remarkable.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the first half of the 15th century, Nos. 8, 9 and 9a Cathedral Close formed a large complex of ecclesiastical buildings constructed around an elongated quadrangle. The exact layout and use of the rooms remains uncertain as the building’s original purpose is unknown, although it is possible to speculate. Based upon current understanding of the building, the front south range probably contained lodging chambers for retainers of relatively high social standing, with the more prestigious chambers in the north range at the rear, now occupied by \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/notaries-house-no-8-cathedral-close.html\"\u003Ethe Notaries’ House\u003C\/a\u003E of c1690. The Law Library hall formed the western side of the central courtyard. The eastern range (now 9a Cathedral Close) probably contained the kitchen, buttery, pantry and other service rooms, running parallel to the hall and completing the quadrangular ground plan. Naturally, if the buildings’ function were largely administrative then the arrangement of the rooms would’ve been quite different.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xr7muRwmTiM\/TyhdKsWB8SI\/AAAAAAAAEeU\/68G4eRvGRnE\/s1600\/LawLibrary_Roof_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703911366348370210\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xr7muRwmTiM\/TyhdKsWB8SI\/AAAAAAAAEeU\/68G4eRvGRnE\/s640\/LawLibrary_Roof_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"416\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E was taken from the north tower of the cathedral looking down onto Nos. 8, 9 and 9a in the Cathedral Close. The Law Library is highlighted in red. The 18th century Notaries' House is at the rear. The gateway and passageway leading to the Law Library are to the far left.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe entire complex was probably built for one of the cathedral’s many canons although no consensus exists for precisely whom the buildings were constructed. Both the cathedral’s medieval Chancellor and Treasurer have been suggested as candidates but there had been residences providing for these two offices on the opposite side of the street since at least 1311.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe hall is accessed through a gateway and a flagged external passageway directly off the Cathedral Close. At the entrance into the gateway is a wide four-centred arch. The lintel of the archway is made from Beer stone and inset into the spandrels at each corner is the heraldic device of the office of the cathedral’s Chancellor: four crosslets and a saltire. This would seemingly prove a connection between the hall and the Chancellor but much depends on when the lintel was installed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SdSMCJM_m_M\/Tyhdnbtp5hI\/AAAAAAAAEeg\/umd6eAF7jYo\/s1600\/Law%2BLibrary%2BEntrance.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703911860100261394\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SdSMCJM_m_M\/Tyhdnbtp5hI\/AAAAAAAAEeg\/umd6eAF7jYo\/s1600\/Law%2BLibrary%2BEntrance.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe style of this entrance arch \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E is often referred to as ‘Tudor’ because of its prevalence throughout the 16th century but it was probably first used in England at the chapter house and cloisters of Old St Paul’s cathedral in London in the first half of the 14th century, nearly one hundred years before No. 9 Cathedral Close was constructed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's possible that both the arch and its association with the Chancellor of the cathedral are contemporary with the 15th century hall itself. If this was the case then the hall and its associated buildings could’ve been connected to the Diocesan Chancery, an administrative department which oversaw the handling, writing and copying of all of the ecclesiastical documents connected to the Exeter Diocese. The opulent scale of the hall certainly suggests that it was intended to act as a statement of power and status in its own right. As Portman says in his book ‘Exeter Houses 1400-1700’, the “superb quality of the work makes it exceptional and it may well have been unique in the city”.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--QIqtLaijB0\/TyheCPiXexI\/AAAAAAAAEes\/bWGTStZBA0s\/s1600\/Law_Library%2B1.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703912320688159506\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--QIqtLaijB0\/TyheCPiXexI\/AAAAAAAAEes\/bWGTStZBA0s\/s640\/Law_Library%2B1.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"434\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EA recent report by Exeter Archaeology states that the complex was most likely a \"canon's residence, with a grand hall for semi-public use and chambers, lodgings and service buildings in the other ranges\", although it should be added as a caveat that there is no documentation that proves the matter one way or the other. If it was a canon's residence then the presence of the Chancellor's arms on the doorway remains a mystery.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe hall’s use as a Law Library only dates to the end of the 19th century when the hall was sublet to the Exeter Law Library Society, but it has been known by that title ever since despite the fact that it no longer serves that purpose.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe panelled doors with bolection moulding at the entrance to the gateway almost certainly date to the early 1700s and are contemporary with the reconstruction of the Notaries’ House at the rear. To the right can be seen a now-blocked medieval arched doorway that once led into the front range. The low height of the doorway suggests that at some point the ground level outside was lower than it is now and documentary evidence does exist to indicate that the ground level at this end of the Cathedral Close was raised at the end of the 16th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-oh5hTGuP8Hs\/TyheaeZWCoI\/AAAAAAAAEe4\/L1_FvXEox6M\/s1600\/Law_Library%2B5.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703912736993708674\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-oh5hTGuP8Hs\/TyheaeZWCoI\/AAAAAAAAEe4\/L1_FvXEox6M\/s640\/Law_Library%2B5.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"436\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESet into the rear wall of the gateway is a 16th century oriel window and entry into the hall itself is through another four-centred arch off the passageway, similar in style to the arch at the entrance into the gateway. It’s likely that this was the original external entrance into the hall (shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E, from inside the hall). Opposite the entrance, but now hidden behind the plaster, is another arched doorway that originally exited into the small courtyard. The presence of this opposing doorway is an importance piece of evidence for determining the medieval layout of the hall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt seems likely that there was once a wooden screens passage running across the entire south wall, accessed both from the main entrance off the passageway as well as the blocked doorway opposite. It is a typical arrangement. In medieval halls the screens passage usually provided access to the service rooms. It's not difficult to imagine servants running through the small courtyard and bringing food into the hall from the east range via the now blocked doorway and the screens passage. There are two windows in the eastern wall with a third in the opposite wall, all with three-centred arches. These windows are late-17th century replacements. The jambs are all made from Beer stone except for one surviving medieval jamb of purple volcanic trap in the window opposite the main entrance. The 17th century windows are regarded as some of the finest surviving examples of their date in the entire city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-gX0pMTEc4ps\/TyhfBaouxNI\/AAAAAAAAEfE\/ORQqutIKJtI\/s1600\/Law_Library%2B8.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703913405999400146\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-gX0pMTEc4ps\/TyhfBaouxNI\/AAAAAAAAEfE\/ORQqutIKJtI\/s640\/Law_Library%2B8.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"428\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOne of the windows is partially blocked by a partition that was erected in the 1840s when a portion of the hall was requisitioned for a passageway in the Notaries’ House to the north. As one 19th century antiquarian put it, “the fine appearance of the hall  has suffered more in proportion than the dwelling-house has benefited”.  The partially-blocked window is also the only one with any decorative details, a little flower motif called a 'fleuron' that runs along the top of the arch. This decoration is believed to be a fragment of the original medieval window suggesting that this was the 'high' end of the hall where the property's occupier and his guests would've sat, probably on a raised dais.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn the eastern wall of the hall is a late-17th century fireplace although an  examination of the exterior of the wall indicates that this has probably always  been the location of the chimney. The south wall is a partition constructed of timber-framing which rises to the full height of the roof and beneath which are sections of late-17th century panelling. The partition separates the hall from the south range. Hidden from view behind the panelling is a now-blocked high-quality decorated Gothic doorway that originally provided access into the hall from the south range.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-QEWYZHURgwQ\/Tyhfh020aDI\/AAAAAAAAEfQ\/IWt9-RyJx-E\/s1600\/Law_Library%2B7.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703913962793625650\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-QEWYZHURgwQ\/Tyhfh020aDI\/AAAAAAAAEfQ\/IWt9-RyJx-E\/s640\/Law_Library%2B7.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"449\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBut everything in the hall pales under the brilliance of the hammer beam roof itself, one of the great glories of medieval Exeter. Dendrochronology carried out by English Heritage has returned a felling date for the oak trees used in its construction as being between 1417 and 1442. It was probably built c1425, along with much of the rest of the complex, during the first years of the reign of Henry VI. Measuring 32ft long with a span of 22ft 9ins and 30ft high, four great arch-braced trusses divide the roof into three bays. Both the arches and the curved braces that support the hammer beams spring from five-sided stone corbels carved with stylised foliage. The two main purlins that run from one end of the hall to the other are themselves supported by more arch-braces that rest on the backs of each angel. The narrower secondary purlins, lower down the roof, are supported by diagonal wind-braces.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-50TgvxIrNc8\/TyhgIdWNciI\/AAAAAAAAEfc\/ABwQ3zwYOrE\/s1600\/Law_Library%2B9.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703914626497737250\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-50TgvxIrNc8\/TyhgIdWNciI\/AAAAAAAAEfc\/ABwQ3zwYOrE\/s640\/Law_Library%2B9.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOne feature of the roof that is highly characteristic of a medieval school of Devon carpentry based around Exeter is the inclusion of a coved apex that runs above the arch-braces at the very top of the roof itself, almost like a barrel fault in miniature. This instantly recognisable feature is something that appears in other surviving medieval hall roofs in the city i.e. at the Guildhall (c1468), the Deanery (c1420), at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/the-archdeacon-of-exeters-house-palace.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe Archdeacon’s house in Palace Gate\u003C\/a\u003E and at the medieval manor house of Bowhill (c1500). Another slightly later example exists at Cadhay House, about 11 miles from Exeter. (The Cadhay roof was originally a hammer beam structure too, very similar to the Law Library, but the hammer beams were cut off in the 1730s!)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Law Library roof has been almost untouched since the 15th century, and the richness of the decoration is astonishing. Nothing else in the city is comparable apart from the vault of the cathedral itself. Nearly all of the main timbers are heavily moulded. The eight horizontal hammer beams terminate in carved angels. The two angels at each end of the roof carry books and are turned slightly inwards, the others clutch shields painted with heraldic devices. The angels aren't merely decorative additions as each hammer beam was carved from a single piece of wood. It is also believed that the beams now hidden beneath the current plaster ceiling were originally exposed to view.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-XgJS1zgfD3U\/TyhgjHVsetI\/AAAAAAAAEfo\/O4ILnce3hQs\/s1600\/Law_Library%2B3.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703915084446464722\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-XgJS1zgfD3U\/TyhgjHVsetI\/AAAAAAAAEfo\/O4ILnce3hQs\/s640\/Law_Library%2B3.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"441\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOne strange feature is at the south end of the roof into which is set what looks like a small hexagonal louvre or smoke hole. It might once have been the site of a lantern for letting in more light rather than an exit for smoke. Its presence led 19th century antiquarians into speculating that the hall was once longer than it is now and that the louvre was originally in the centre of the hall but this is highly unlikely. All the evidence, including the inward-looking hammer beam angels against the walls, the lack of seriously smoke-blackened timbers and the survival of 15th century features in the south range, suggests that the hall has always been its current size.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAt the base of the rafters are huge attenuated lions sejant, magnificently carved from solid oak and sculpted almost completely in the round. The lions to the west snarl at their more benign counterparts opposite, one of which has its tongue stuck out in reply (one of the aggressive lions is shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E). Their manes trickling in rivulets down onto their shoulders, these lions are beautiful and one of the highlights of the entire roof.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-joCYobuwfJ4\/TyhiSwvIohI\/AAAAAAAAEf0\/OyWr4dXLt58\/s1600\/Law_Library%2B14.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703917002524500498\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-joCYobuwfJ4\/TyhiSwvIohI\/AAAAAAAAEf0\/OyWr4dXLt58\/s640\/Law_Library%2B14.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"477\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThere are thirteen carved bosses at the intersection of the ribs and the wind-braces. Seven of these bosses run in a line along the very top of the roof. From the south wall to the north wall they depict: an abstract pattern; a face hidden in foliage; a male face; two male faces joined at the cheek; an angel holding a ribbon on which is a shortened version of the Latin phrase “Non nobis Domine non nobis” (‘Not to us, Lord, not to us’) from the 115th Psalm; the head of Christ; and finally a black eagle carrying a ribbon in its beak inscribed with the Latin phrase “Comes Virtutis” (‘Virtue is a companion’).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe remaining six bosses cover the join between the secondary purlin, the wind-braces and the rafters. There are two in each bay. The bosses on the western side of the hall, where the main entrance is located, depict: a green man with his tongue stuck out, his beard and moustache made from foliage; a face hidden amongst hawthorn leaves; and another green man enveloped in vine leaves. The bosses on the opposite side of the roof depict: a rose surrounded by foliage; yet another green man peering out from hawthorn leaves; and a woman’s head, the only female representation in the entire hall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-GiTUyWUgDNQ\/TyhitfQbWMI\/AAAAAAAAEgA\/mPwSvqROreA\/s1600\/Lion%2BLaw%2BLibrary_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703917461688768706\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-GiTUyWUgDNQ\/TyhitfQbWMI\/AAAAAAAAEgA\/mPwSvqROreA\/s640\/Lion%2BLaw%2BLibrary_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"494\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAnd the abundance of medieval art continues as the top of each rafter is surmounted with a carved head. Starting above the entrance and moving clockwise: there is a man with a tall flat-topped circular hat with a cross on the front; a king with a flowing beard wearing a crown; another man wearing a pointed hat with a little ball on top; a man with no hat but with a long, flowing beard; a bishop with long hair but no beard wearing a mitre, and another male head wearing a peculiar hat which looks like a nightcap but which is probably a Phrygian cap, often used in medieval art to signify a Jew. As if all of that wasn’t enough then the spaces between the hammer beams and the arch-braces are filled with wonderful Perpendicular Gothic tracery, again all carved from oak. When new every surface would’ve been brightly painted. Everything is of the highest quality.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Notaries’ House, which forms the rear range of the quadrangular layout, was rebuilt in brick c1700. It was at this time that a vantage point was formed high up in the roof that provided a view down into the hall itself. This is now blocked although a section of balustrade remains near the apex on the north wall. The heraldry depicted on the shields carried by the angels was also executed at this time when the hall underwent a major refurbishment. The coats of arms on the shields appear to be those of local families who were prominent towards the end of the 17th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-erdg-VvY6TU\/TyhjjTNawkI\/AAAAAAAAEgM\/wa1mcYuxxa8\/s1600\/Law_Library_Angel.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703918386167857730\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-erdg-VvY6TU\/TyhjjTNawkI\/AAAAAAAAEgM\/wa1mcYuxxa8\/s640\/Law_Library_Angel.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"491\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EImmediately above the main entrance is the coat of arms of the local Bale family: three stars divided by a bar against what was originally a silver background, an allusion to Christopher Bale who was the MP for Exeter from 1689 until 1695. Christopher Bale also occupied the property from 1668 and it was probably under his instigation that the rear buildings were reconstructed in brick c1692 following a major fire.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAdjacent to this are the arms of the Exeter Smyths, three gold birds (or martlets) divided by a bar against a black background. This is a possible reference to Sir James Smyth, MP for Exeter from 1661 to 1679. On the opposite angel's shield is the coat of arms of the Brutons of Heavitree, a silver bar and two chevrons against a red and blue background (shown\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E). A William Bruton, Esq. died in 1608 and was buried in the cathedral but one of his granddaughters, Margaret Bruton, married Christopher Bale c1659. The Bruton family also occupied the property in the 16th and 17th century before it was leased to Christopher Bale in 1668. Margaret Bruton died in 1675 so it seems likely that the shields were painted between c1660 and 1675. Another William Brewton was a ‘notary public’ in the 1580s and a John de Brueton was a Chancellor of the cathedral in 1307.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-0IcEj1hgYG8\/Tyhj7Iuds1I\/AAAAAAAAEgY\/GNJ_wsb00j4\/s1600\/Stowell%2BAngel_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703918795670532946\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-0IcEj1hgYG8\/Tyhj7Iuds1I\/AAAAAAAAEgY\/GNJ_wsb00j4\/s640\/Stowell%2BAngel_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"491\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOn the shield opposite the main entrance door is the coat of arms of the Stawell family \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E, a cross made of lozenges against a red background. The inclusion of Stawell is perhaps in remembrance of Sir John Stawell, a former High Sheriff of Somerset and Royalist soldier who was captured by General Fairfax in Exeter in 1646 when the city fell during the English Civil War. He refused to swear not to bear arms against Parliament and spent the entire Commonwealth period imprisoned in the Tower of London.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt’s impossible to write about the hall without commenting on its similarity to the tremendous hammer beam roof at Westminster Hall \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E which undoubtedly served as its model. The immense Westminster roof, designed for Richard II by Hugh Herland, was finished at the end of the 14th century and became one of the wonders of medieval Europe. Perhaps someone from the cathedral’s chapter simply saw the roof at Westminster Hall within a few decades of its completion and decided to imitate it at Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-zqSjnZ1xVRE\/TyhkVKqFPvI\/AAAAAAAAEgk\/8SmLo3DnAWQ\/s1600\/Hammerbeam_Westminster_Hall.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703919242865622770\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-zqSjnZ1xVRE\/TyhkVKqFPvI\/AAAAAAAAEgk\/8SmLo3DnAWQ\/s400\/Hammerbeam_Westminster_Hall.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 307px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EApart from its hammer beam form, the decorative resemblances are striking: the Gothic tracery above the hammer beams and the carved angel terminals are clear inspirations, but there is also a more general affinity of style that is unmistakeable.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere are also clear structural differences, as if someone sketched or memorised the hall in London and then presented a rough plan to the Exeter carpenters who set about recreating it using their own individual, localised techniques. And surely that was the whole idea. The spectacle of a piece of medieval London was seen and carried to Exeter as an idea. The mechanics of how to construct it were secondary compared with the vision that its medieval creator wanted to convey. It was perhaps the impression of Westminster Hall that was the impetus, not the actual technicalities of the roof itself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe roof, and the Cathedral Close in general, came within metres of total destruction during the bombing raids of 1942 and the city nearly lost one of its greatest treasures. Fortunately the hall survived unscathed but for many years it remained closed to public view, divided by temporary partitions and cluttered up with filing cabinets and boxes. It was only possible to glimpse the roof itself through one of the hall windows. The hall came onto the market several years ago and it was purchased by a private buyer. It has recently been let to SustainCare, a social enterprise company who specialise in self care approaches within local communities. Fortunately the new tenants have generously decided to open the hall to the public! The hall is now open from 12 noon until 2pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday of each week, which is a very welcome development. It must be seen in person as my photographs fail to do it justice.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe hall is a Grade I listed structure and a Scheduled Ancient Monument of national importance. It is described in a recent archaeological report as \"one of the outstanding structures of its kind in the country\", and hopefully it will now receive the wider attention that it so fully deserves.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-AtbrR9gmhJg\/TmAD7JC57NI\/AAAAAAAAB1s\/276Cr-vVKFs\/s1600\/Law%2BLibrary_Exeter_view.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647518247297871058\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-AtbrR9gmhJg\/TmAD7JC57NI\/AAAAAAAAB1s\/276Cr-vVKFs\/s640\/Law%2BLibrary_Exeter_view.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4884560566846615249\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4884560566846615249","title":"7 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4884560566846615249"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4884560566846615249"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/law-library-no-8-cathedral-close.html","title":"The Law Library: No. 8, Cathedral Close"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-i9RgmKFCtfQ\/Tyhc79L023I\/AAAAAAAAEeI\/QXtBAF7VZCU\/s72-c\/Law_Library%2B2.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"7"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-1111025182708681584"},"published":{"$t":"2011-08-27T22:37:00.025+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T16:36:36.108+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exe Island"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inner Bypass"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"West Quarter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"No. 15, Frog Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-wQU7CRJTfT8\/TxVsZu16wZI\/AAAAAAAAEH8\/5Gkupkid_zw\/s1600\/15%2BFrog%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698580092833939858\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-wQU7CRJTfT8\/TxVsZu16wZI\/AAAAAAAAEH8\/5Gkupkid_zw\/s640\/15%2BFrog%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"457\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EDespite its small size and apparent insignificance, No. 15 in Frog Street \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E was one of the Exeter's historically interesting buildings, a lone survivor and a unique example of its type.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESituated just beyond the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Ecity walls\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/west-gate-west-quarter.html\"\u003EWest Gate\u003C\/a\u003E, and on the edge of the industrial area known as Exe Island, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/frog-street-west-quarter.html\"\u003EFrog Street\u003C\/a\u003E had largely retained its medieval appearance late into the 19th century, with gable-ended, timber-framed houses from the 1400s and 1500s lining both sides of the narrow route, their upper floors oversailing the street below.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe street's picturesque character was gradually eroded through sporadic demolitions in the first three decades of the 20th century until, in 1961, just two of the street's historical properties remained. One stood on the corner of Frog Street and Edmund Street. A small mid-15th century merchant's house, it was salvaged and gained some local fame as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/house-that-moved-west-street.html\"\u003E\"The House that Moved\"\u003C\/a\u003E when it was transported on wheels into a new location on West Street. No. 15 Frog Street wasn't so fortunate.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhat made it a unique survivor was its layout. Unlike the other timber-framed houses that survived in Exeter into the 1960s, No. 15 was built with its roof parallel with the street. Derek Portman in his book 'Exeter Houses 1400-1700' suggests a plausible explanation for why this layout was less commonly seen in the city centre. The importance of having street frontage in the commercial centre of Exeter was paramount. It was therefore customary to have long, thin plots of land (burgage plots) at right angles to the street with narrow shop fronts, thereby maximising the number of properties that could be built on any given thoroughfare.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-_Jui-0njntA\/TxVtKRE6_TI\/AAAAAAAAEII\/G-NmMGsmVAU\/s1600\/No.%2B15%2BFrog%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698580926657396018\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-_Jui-0njntA\/TxVtKRE6_TI\/AAAAAAAAEII\/G-NmMGsmVAU\/s640\/No.%2B15%2BFrog%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"495\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFrog Street's location beyond the city walls meant that there was simply more space to build and so wider street frontages were both possible and desirable. According to Portman \"only one building of this kind, No. 15 Frog Street, remained to be surveyed\". The photograph\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E right\u003C\/span\u003E shows the entrance into Frog Street from Edmund Street c1940 with No. 15 highlighted in red. The white timber-framed property on the right, demolished c1950, appears to have had a similar layout to No. 15.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo. 15 was built c1570 and was typical of the sort of house occupied perhaps  by a successful late-Elizabethan tradesman. It was timber-framed and  was built on two floors with stone party walls at either end (although  at some point the western wall had been rebuilt in brick). Access into the property was originally through a side passageway that ran underneath the first floor and out into a courtyard at the rear. Entry into the house itself was via a doorway in this passageway. On the ground floor was a single large room with a fireplace in the eastern wall. The first floor was divided into two rooms by a studded partition which, according to Portman, was \"completely preserved and visible\". The 16th century roof structure had also survived with little alteration. The property had been extended at the back, probably in the late 18th century, but the overall plan of the Tudor building was \"easily discernible\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately Frog Street was in the firing line of the council's inner bypass road system, first proposed by Thomas Sharp in 1945. As the bypass edged its way towards the river in the late 1950s and 1960s \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Edozens of historical properties were demolished\u003C\/a\u003E, including a large number of mid-17th century houses at the Southgate, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/44-46-magdalen-street-house-of-john.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe city's earliest brick-built house on Magdalen Street\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/magdalen-house-nos-39-40-magdalen-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EDr Dicker's early-18th century mansion\u003C\/a\u003E. No. 16 Edmund Street was saved from destruction and moved,  but No. 15 Frog Street was to have no such reprieve and in the summer of 1961 it was torn down.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1111025182708681584\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=1111025182708681584","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1111025182708681584"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1111025182708681584"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/no-15-frog-street.html","title":"No. 15, Frog Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-wQU7CRJTfT8\/TxVsZu16wZI\/AAAAAAAAEH8\/5Gkupkid_zw\/s72-c\/15%2BFrog%2BStreet.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-239174669436716701"},"published":{"$t":"2011-08-20T20:06:00.037+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T16:33:48.904+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Other Streets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"West Quarter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Destruction of Guinea Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6EfzGs6xyH8\/ToiiYnZNfpI\/AAAAAAAACOk\/ffUgunF8YjI\/s1600\/Guinea%2BStreet_Exeter_1901.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"463\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658951475566313106\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6EfzGs6xyH8\/ToiiYnZNfpI\/AAAAAAAACOk\/ffUgunF8YjI\/s640\/Guinea%2BStreet_Exeter_1901.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAnother of Exeter's city centre streets and another story involving the complete loss of a historical cityscape. The watercolour above is a rare depiction of Guinea Street c1900, looking towards its junction with South Street. The spire of the then recently rebuilt church of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003ESt Mary Major\u003C\/a\u003E is in the background. To the left is the monumental main facade of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/lower-market-fore-street.html\"\u003ECharles Fowler's Lower Market\u003C\/a\u003E, the street still lined with a number of timber-frame properties from the 1600s and 1700s. Nothing remains today of any of the buildings shown. The map below right shows Guinea Street and the surrounding area c1900, at about the same time that the watercolour was executed. The Lower Market is clearly visible as is \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/milk-street-west-quarter.html\"\u003EMilk Street\u003C\/a\u003E, with its little obelisk and public square, as well as Sun Street and the entrance from South Street into Guinea Street. Very narrow lanes led off into semi-hidden places like Rowe's Court or provided shortcuts into the surrounding streets. The parts of the map highlighted in red show areas that were affected during World War Two and which have since been rebuilt.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ybAU9bxB6E0\/TlAEDwCAA3I\/AAAAAAAABxg\/GRHZ0VE1L0U\/s1600\/Guinea%2BStreet_demolition_map.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643014795574641522\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ybAU9bxB6E0\/TlAEDwCAA3I\/AAAAAAAABxg\/GRHZ0VE1L0U\/s320\/Guinea%2BStreet_demolition_map.jpg\" style=\"float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 257px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe street's name is recorded in 1320 as 'Gennestrete', in 1421 as 'Gyne Stret' and in 1610 as 'Gennystrete'. It's thought that 'Guinea' is derived from 'ginnel', a word for a narrow alley or passageway that is still used in some Northern dialects and which is believed to originate in Old Norse. Situated off South Street and sandwiched between \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/george-street.html\"\u003EGeorge Street\u003C\/a\u003E and Sun Street, Guinea Street was part of Exeter's sprawling West Quarter, one of the city's most significant residential and commercial districts throughout the Middle Ages. Before that the area covered by Guinea Street had been within the footprint of the mid-1st century Roman legionary fortress, later transformed into a civitas cAD 80. A \"mass of masonry\" from a Roman building was discovered in October 1838 when new curb stones were laid in Guinea Street and various pieces of Roman pottery and coins were unearthed throughout the 19th century. It's now thought that the masonry discovered both then and since, as well as the remains of tessellated and concrete floors, belonged to buildings associated with the Roman public bath complex sited near the present-day Deanery on the other side of South Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-CFgrGBnfs-A\/TlADrxkIUGI\/AAAAAAAABxY\/Vt1tO8OwXfQ\/s1600\/Lower%2BMarket_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"474\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643014383669366882\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-CFgrGBnfs-A\/TlADrxkIUGI\/AAAAAAAABxY\/Vt1tO8OwXfQ\/s640\/Lower%2BMarket_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EA  quarter of the street was demolished in 1835 for the construction of  the Lower Market. The market's 127ft (39m) Guinea Street facade \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E  would've dominated the narrow medieval street in much the same way that  the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/higher-market-queen-street.html\"\u003EHigher Market\u003C\/a\u003E's rear facade towered over \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E. The market  was set back from the original line of the street frontages it replaced,  doubling the width of Guinea Street in the immediate area outside the  market itself but leaving the portion that exited onto South Street  intact, an effect that can easily be seen in the watercolour view at the  top of this post. No great historical events occurred in Guinea Street and apart from the Lower Market it's unlikely that many great buildings were ever erected there, but for centuries it had witnessed those scenes of everyday life that are the common currency of human experience, from the time of the Romans up until the present day.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor example, on 29 January 1807 a tremendous storm of hurricane-like proportions descended on the city, blowing several chimneys down onto the roof of the Royal Oak inn on Guinea Street, destroying the roof and killing a man named Humphreys, \"a musician in the band belonging to the Montgomery Militia\" who was in a room on the ground floor; on 14 October 1838 Julia Lamerton, the wife of a builder, died in Guinea Street and was remembered as \"an affectionate and tender mother\"; in December 1844 \"Mr Morris Thurston of Guinea Street\" died at his house having reached the incredible age of 108 years-old and who never allowed anyone inside his house for 60 years ; in 1856 John Webster was charged with leaving a waggon and two horses in Guinea Street and was fined 1 shilling; on 21 February 1859 Mary Smale was sent to prison for a week for \"using abusive language in Guinea Street\"; in September 1868 firemen had to put out a fire that was \"raging in an uninhabited house in the lane leading from Sun Street to Guinea Street\" and on 18 January 1874 a daughter was born to Mr and Mrs Chapple, etc. etc. People lived and worked and died in Guinea Street as they had for hundreds of years.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-5eefzWA80fs\/TlDvoRIYQHI\/AAAAAAAABxw\/7AEvgYI77E0\/s1600\/Guinea_Street_1942_WCSL_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"289\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643273808167583858\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-5eefzWA80fs\/TlDvoRIYQHI\/AAAAAAAABxw\/7AEvgYI77E0\/s400\/Guinea_Street_1942_WCSL_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn the 19th century alone there existed in Guinea Street the Golden Lion Inn, the Royal Oak, the New Market Inn and the Pestle and Mortar, of dubious repute, and the premises of JT Burgess \u0026amp; Son, an ironmongers who were well-known to local poultry farmers and bee-keepers. The company of Burgess \u0026amp; Son had existed in Guinea Street for many years before its premises were destroyed in 1942. (The shop they operated from is visible to the right in the watercolour at the top of this post.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E Exeter was blitzed as a reprisal for the RAF's attack on the Hanseatic port of Lübeck in Germany and Guinea Street was completely destroyed, along with much of the surrounding area. Only the outer walls of the Lower Market remained standing, being made of stone, until they were foolishly demolished in the early 1960s. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E © Express \u0026amp; Echo shows Guinea Street, highlighted in red, several months after the devastating air-raid, the remains of one of the corner towers of the Lower Market clearly visible, pedestrians still walking on the old street's surviving pavements. Part of South Street is in the foreground, a faint trace of the very narrow George Street just discernible to the far right, running parallel with Guinea Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-IgffVp0ELaI\/TlFgDCD871I\/AAAAAAAABx4\/PKT1SBq8LJc\/s1600\/Guinea%2BStreet_Exit_GE_SV_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643397413281263442\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-IgffVp0ELaI\/TlFgDCD871I\/AAAAAAAABx4\/PKT1SBq8LJc\/s640\/Guinea%2BStreet_Exit_GE_SV_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"444\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt's impossible to say exactly what was lost in Guinea Street. Like much of the city at the time of the Second World War, no detailed survey had been undertaken of the street's buildings at the time of their destruction. The bombing uncovered a previously hidden 14th century building in nearby Milk Street so it's likely that properties of similar antiquity had survived in Guinea Street up until 1942.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe area was thoroughly redeveloped in the post-war period, although at least in Guinea Street the basic medieval street plan was almost retained intact. Before 1942 the street had a slight bend in it but after the war this was straightened out and what had been the junction with South Street was reduced to a short covered pedestrian passage \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E. Now the eastern end of the street terminates visually with the backs of the post-war buildings on South Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe real problem is the extremely poor quality of the post-war architecture. The area once occupied by the Lower Market is now an NCP car park. Brick-built and utilitarian, it has no redeeming features at all. The same can be said of the opposite side of the street, rebuilt in a style that is now common across much of the city centre: flat roofs and aluminium window frames randomly inserted into low-grade brick facades. The same type of building can be seen in long stretches of South Street, Paris Street, Sidwell Street, George Street, James Street, Market Street, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/mary-arches-street.html\"\u003EMary Arches Street\u003C\/a\u003E, Bampfylde Street, Bude Street, Summerland Street, Verney Street and Cheeke Street. Anyone familiar with the Marsh Barton industrial estate on the outskirts of the city will recognise the style instantly.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe sad story of Guinea Street has been repeated across Exeter throughout the 20th century, either as a consequence of war or as the result of deliberate demolition, and its effect on the city's historical landscape has been disastrous. Comparing the photograph below with the watercolour at the top of this post, both from the same perspective, illustrates better than any words the sort of losses that Exeter has incurred over the course of the 20th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-rouQ4VT9vLI\/TlFi7K4S6VI\/AAAAAAAAByI\/tvMSDdlwxFM\/s1600\/Guinea_Street_Exeter%2B2.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643400576744221010\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-rouQ4VT9vLI\/TlFi7K4S6VI\/AAAAAAAAByI\/tvMSDdlwxFM\/s640\/Guinea_Street_Exeter%2B2.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/239174669436716701\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=239174669436716701","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/239174669436716701"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/239174669436716701"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/destruction-of-guinea-street_20.html","title":"The Destruction of Guinea Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6EfzGs6xyH8\/ToiiYnZNfpI\/AAAAAAAACOk\/ffUgunF8YjI\/s72-c\/Guinea%2BStreet_Exeter_1901.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-6260413867788515321"},"published":{"$t":"2011-08-20T00:11:00.021+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T16:32:04.187+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Exeter Montage: 1942 and 2011"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-h90bwkD4ctQ\/Tk7xDCIInvI\/AAAAAAAABwg\/eEo0-GhqDNk\/s1600\/Sidwell%2BSt%2B1942%2Band%2B2011_Exeter_2.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"352\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642712417554702066\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-h90bwkD4ctQ\/Tk7xDCIInvI\/AAAAAAAABwg\/eEo0-GhqDNk\/s640\/Sidwell%2BSt%2B1942%2Band%2B2011_Exeter_2.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe following photographs all shows scenes of the aftermath of the  \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003EExeter Blitz of 1942\u003C\/a\u003E merged with views of the same streets today, e.g. Sidwell Street, \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E. I've  tried to place the images of 1942 as closely as possible to their  original position.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe High Street\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-47NTX9uWLBc\/Tk_TSIpPvbI\/AAAAAAAABxA\/X-V7q0P94zc\/s1600\/High%2BStreet_Exeter_1942%2Band%2B2011.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"489\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642961166630108594\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-47NTX9uWLBc\/Tk_TSIpPvbI\/AAAAAAAABxA\/X-V7q0P94zc\/s640\/High%2BStreet_Exeter_1942%2Band%2B2011.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe High Street\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-irxuYawcmQs\/Tk7zrGPz6CI\/AAAAAAAABwo\/4iaiwpxTaiM\/s1600\/High%2BStreet_Exeter_1942%2Band%2B2011%2B2.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"488\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642715304878663714\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-irxuYawcmQs\/Tk7zrGPz6CI\/AAAAAAAABwo\/4iaiwpxTaiM\/s640\/High%2BStreet_Exeter_1942%2Band%2B2011%2B2.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFore Street\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-UcGzgobngmI\/Tk7wOx5DloI\/AAAAAAAABwI\/C8Ei430eTBI\/s1600\/Fore%2BStreet_Exeter_1942%2Band%2B2011.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"513\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642711519843292802\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-UcGzgobngmI\/Tk7wOx5DloI\/AAAAAAAABwI\/C8Ei430eTBI\/s640\/Fore%2BStreet_Exeter_1942%2Band%2B2011.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EParis Street\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-dyt0CqeKAB0\/Tk-0vfnTxEI\/AAAAAAAABw4\/k3ZNkK6OBTw\/s1600\/Paris%2BStreet_1942%2Band%2B2011_Exeter%2B2.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"399\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642927586151744578\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-dyt0CqeKAB0\/Tk-0vfnTxEI\/AAAAAAAABw4\/k3ZNkK6OBTw\/s640\/Paris%2BStreet_1942%2Band%2B2011_Exeter%2B2.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EParis Street\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-fz1ynSN1Tuc\/Tk7waibJEyI\/AAAAAAAABwQ\/TbYmjtY-2cs\/s1600\/Paris%2BStreet_1942%2Band%2B2011_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"405\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642711721849721634\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-fz1ynSN1Tuc\/Tk7waibJEyI\/AAAAAAAABwQ\/TbYmjtY-2cs\/s640\/Paris%2BStreet_1942%2Band%2B2011_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESidwell Street\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-aXr7CwKGaRM\/Tk7w7TldMfI\/AAAAAAAABwY\/42y9QNscQTY\/s1600\/Sidwell%2BSt_1942%2Band%2B2011_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"482\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642712284802134514\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-aXr7CwKGaRM\/Tk7w7TldMfI\/AAAAAAAABwY\/42y9QNscQTY\/s640\/Sidwell%2BSt_1942%2Band%2B2011_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAll of the black and white images are \u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E© Express \u0026amp; Echo\u003C\/span\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6260413867788515321\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=6260413867788515321","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6260413867788515321"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6260413867788515321"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/exeter-montage-1942-and-2011.html","title":"Exeter Montage: 1942 and 2011"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-h90bwkD4ctQ\/Tk7xDCIInvI\/AAAAAAAABwg\/eEo0-GhqDNk\/s72-c\/Sidwell%2BSt%2B1942%2Band%2B2011_Exeter_2.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-312367549584883650"},"published":{"$t":"2011-08-13T16:16:00.073+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T16:28:39.772+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Guildhall Shopping Centre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Saxon Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Demolition of Goldsmith Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zA8Zw5V7HbI\/TxXTJ0wqNmI\/AAAAAAAAELU\/09o-FAntnak\/s1600\/Goldsmith%2BSt_Exeter_c1933.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698693069242250850\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zA8Zw5V7HbI\/TxXTJ0wqNmI\/AAAAAAAAELU\/09o-FAntnak\/s1600\/Goldsmith%2BSt_Exeter_c1933.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EGoldsmith Street escaped the bombs of 1942 but failed to survive the attention of Exeter City Council in the 1970s, a period that saw almost the entire street swept away in the name of redevelopment.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council shows a rain-washed Goldsmith Street in the early 1930s. The view is towards the High Street from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html\"\u003EPaul Street\u003C\/a\u003E (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/nos-50-to-52-high-street-exchange-lane.html\"\u003EWebber's\u003C\/a\u003E, a late-18th century building that was demolished in 1962 is just visible in the distance on the High Street, standing where Burger King is today).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn the immediate left is the late-17th century \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/parish-and-church-of-st-paul_21.html\"\u003ESt Paul's church\u003C\/a\u003E. Its main entrance was through an arched doorway directly off Goldsmith Street (near the woman with the umbrella). Further up on the same side is the enormous neo-Classical facade of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/higher-market-queen-street.html\"\u003EHigher Market\u003C\/a\u003E, accessed via steps with wrought-iron hand-railings. On the right are the facades of numerous shops and buildings, an almost continuous line of street frontages broken only by the narrow entrance into Waterbeer Street further towards the High Street. Apart from two buildings (No. 3 \u0026amp; No. 4 Goldsmith Street) and the central portico of the Higher Market facade itself, every single building shown has since been deliberately demolished and a 1000-year-old street wiped off the map.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xzj2c3--gpo\/TxXu6nsrLKI\/AAAAAAAAELg\/fKzM9r3gjTk\/s1600\/Goldsmith%2BStreet%2Btowards%2BPaul%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698723594363415714\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xzj2c3--gpo\/TxXu6nsrLKI\/AAAAAAAAELg\/fKzM9r3gjTk\/s640\/Goldsmith%2BStreet%2Btowards%2BPaul%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"520\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EWind the clock back over a millennium and people were walking along the route of Goldsmith Street in the 8th and 9th centuries as it was one of the streets laid down in the city by the Anglo-Saxons.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGandy Street and wrecked \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E are two other examples of Exeter's Saxon street plan. And before that Goldsmith Street was the site of barracks for the Imperial Roman Army when a fortress was established at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/isca-dumnoniorum-prehistoric-settlement.html\"\u003EExeter in the mid-first century AD\u003C\/a\u003E. From around the time of the Conquest in the 11th century until the construction of the Higher Market in the 1830s, Goldsmith Street's most distinctive features were probably the two small churches which stood sentinel at either end.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe medieval foundation of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/allhallows-church-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EAllhallows\u003C\/a\u003E was sited at the entrance into the High Street until it was demolished in 1906. St Paul's church was on the corner of Goldsmith Street with Paul Street from at least 1066 until its reprehensible demolition in 1936. The drawing \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the view into Paul Street from Goldsmith Street c1830. The tower of St Paul's church is easily visible. The buildings to the right of the church tower were to be demolished a few years later for the creation of the Higher Market. The twin-gabled property near to the tower and almost hidden by a pent roof was probably Flaye's Almshouses.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-FoMFmCsXYVo\/TxXwfP7CMZI\/AAAAAAAAELs\/QaZCEKC_ju4\/s1600\/Goldsmith%2BSt%2Bc1827%2BWCSL_Timber_House.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698725323147981202\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-FoMFmCsXYVo\/TxXwfP7CMZI\/AAAAAAAAELs\/QaZCEKC_ju4\/s1600\/Goldsmith%2BSt%2Bc1827%2BWCSL_Timber_House.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe street had been known for the number of goldsmiths' workshops since at least the 13th century. A document from 1291 names the church of Allhallows as the 'Ecclesia omnium sanctorum in Aurifabria' i.e. the church of All Saints where the gold-makers work.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EApart from the two churches, there were at least two other buildings of known historical significance in Goldsmith Street prior to the construction of the Higher Market. One was Flaye's Almshouses situated adjacent to St Paul's church. The almshouses were founded and endowed in 1634 by one-time mayor of Exeter Thomas Flaye. His widow, Elizabeth Flaye, continued the endowment in her will of 1667. The almshouses in Goldsmith Street appear to have consisted of a large two-storey building with twin gables and an arched entrance which was subdivided into four separate dwellings for the use of four poor widows. According to Jenkins, writing in 1806, over the arched entrance way were \"the Founder's arms, impaled with those of his Wife, with an inscription alluding to the foundation; over them is a winged hourglass, with other emblems of mortality; and the date of their erection carved on a stone table; over the inner entrance is another inscription.\" The drawing \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council dates to c1827 and shows a high-status timber-framed merchant's house probably dating to the early 1600s which stood in Goldsmith Street, probably opposite the entrance into Waterbeer Street. It was perhaps one of the properties demolished in the widening of the street in the 1880s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-8Hd99oGh5mw\/TxX6LXRkw3I\/AAAAAAAAEL4\/_OdOIbTgnbg\/s1600\/Hedgeland%2BGoldsmith%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698735976640463730\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-8Hd99oGh5mw\/TxX6LXRkw3I\/AAAAAAAAEL4\/_OdOIbTgnbg\/s640\/Hedgeland%2BGoldsmith%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"513\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows a detail from Caleb Hedgeland's early-19th century \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\"\u003Emodel of Exeter\u003C\/a\u003E. The houses which fronted onto Goldsmith Street are highlighted in red and the two churches are highlighted in purple with Allhallows to the top left and St Paul's to the bottom right. The rear of the barn-like 15th century hall of the Guildhall itself can be seen in the centre at the top.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA parliamentary report of 1834 refers to \"a banqueting house and house of office\" situated behind Flaye's Almshouses. It's possible that this banqueting house was the other building of particular interest in Goldsmith Street: the Tailors' Hall. Jenkins recorded that the guildhall of the Company of Tailors was adjacent to the almshouses and \"consisted of a convenient Dwelling-house, with a handsome Hall, for their meetings\". The Company of Tailors had been granted the use of the hall and the house by Jane Tuckfield, the widow of another of Exeter's mayors, John Tuckfield, in her will of 1568. According to Peter Thomas, the Exeter Company of Goldsmiths and Silversmiths had their inaugural meeting in the tailors' hall on 01 August 1701. (Exeter was one of only seven English cities that had its own hallmark for use on all silver and gold which had been assayed in the city. The assay office in Exeter was created in 1701 and introduced Exeter's own hallmark of a triple-towered castle. Since the 1570s the city had been using its own town mark of a capital 'X' surmounted by a crown).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-69lwYSktYIM\/TxYHkfzXJFI\/AAAAAAAAEME\/UI1Lyy0um8w\/s1600\/Hilliard%2Bcup_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698750702077551698\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-69lwYSktYIM\/TxYHkfzXJFI\/AAAAAAAAEME\/UI1Lyy0um8w\/s400\/Hilliard%2Bcup_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 300px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOne of Exeter's most talented goldsmiths was Richard Hilliard. He was the father of the prodigiously talented Nicholas Hilliard, goldsmith, jeweller and painter of the celebrated miniatures which depict the Tudor court of Elizabeth I. Richard Hilliard held the office of High Sheriff of Exeter in 1560 and was married to a daughter of John Wall, another goldsmith to whom he was apprenticed, and it was perhaps inevitable that his son was influenced by the intricate craftsmanship which he saw being executed in his father's workshop. The exact location of Richard Hilliard's workshop isn't known but it's possible that it was in Goldsmith Street, although there is evidence that Richard Hilliard lived in the parish of St George in the West Quarter. One of Hilliard senior's most accomplished surviving pieces is a communion cup made for St Sidwell's church in Sidwell Street around 1572. This very fine cup is manufactured from silver with delicate engraving around the gilt-edged rim and foot. It is currently displayed at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in the city \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. It's remarkable that this cup should've been made in Exeter by Richard Hilliard while his son was in London painting the portrait of Elizabeth I.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe almshouses and the tailors' hall were both demolished in the 1830s when the magnificent Higher Market was constructed. The 230ft (70m)  neo-Classical frontage towered over the narrow street which would've still retained much of its medieval character. Entry into the market from Goldsmith Street was through a giant columned portico capped with a pediment. The floor of the interior of the market building was significantly higher than the street level outside necessitating the construction of a flight of steps to give access from Goldsmith Street. But the creation of the market also created its own problems.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-5oqGEOiuFII\/TxYL55WA5oI\/AAAAAAAAEMQ\/haxpdPIO6ls\/s1600\/Goldsmith%2BSt%2Bii.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"489\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698755467757545090\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-5oqGEOiuFII\/TxYL55WA5oI\/AAAAAAAAEMQ\/haxpdPIO6ls\/s640\/Goldsmith%2BSt%2Bii.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThroughout the 19th century the street retained its narrow width and increased traffic from the Higher Market saw numerous carts and horse-drawn waggons trying to enter the street from both Paul Street, the High Street and Waterbeer Street. Another image from the early 1930s is shown \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E © Devon County Council. The Higher Market is to the right, the tower of St Paul's is just visible in the distance. The suggestion of a jettied first floor on the two properties to the far left   suggests that they probably dated to c1600. The street remained unchanged until it was demolished in the 1970s. In 1852, a Mr Parish from Maddock's Row at the back of Paul Street \"put back two feet the frontage of two houses situated opposite the market steps\" in return for £26 paid to him by the Commissioners for Improvement. But the real catalyst for change seems to have been the death of 11-year-old Fanny Solomon, accidentally killed in an incident involving a falling ladder and a waggon in July 1871. The coroner reported that the \"narrowness of Goldsmith Street, where there was considerable traffic\" was a contributory factor and suggested that measures be taken to remedy the situation in order to \"prevent a similar deplorable occurrence\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-1n48sGjAeh8\/TxYP2i7km7I\/AAAAAAAAEMo\/jjoRRHUfe5w\/s1600\/Goldsmith%2BSt%2Biii.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"464\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698759808247962546\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-1n48sGjAeh8\/TxYP2i7km7I\/AAAAAAAAEMo\/jjoRRHUfe5w\/s640\/Goldsmith%2BSt%2Biii.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIt was decided to widen Goldsmith Street by removing all of the properties between the corner of the High Street and the Higher Market itself. But it was a slow process. In 1875 Trewman's 'Exeter Flying Post' reported that the Commissioners had been in contact with the freehold owners of houses on the east side of Goldsmith Street and, \"with one exception, they had found all ready to sell either the whole of the property or sufficient frontage to enable the scheme to be carried out.\" The great sticking point was the church of Allhallows itself. Despite being constantly threatened with demolition throughout the 19th century, the Dean and Chapter rejected plans for the church's removal, much to the annoyance of the city council.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEventually, in the mid-1880s, all of the buildings between the church and the Higher Market, approximately 190ft (58m) of street frontage, were removed. Allhallows church clung on until it was eventually demolished in 1906. The demolition of St Paul's church followed in 1936. New buildings were constructed to replace those which had been demolished during the widening of the road. These included the fine neo-Classical facades of the Wool Hall and the Phoenix Inn. The properties rebuilt after the 1880s road-widening are shown to the right in the photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council. Apart from the loss of its two churches Goldsmith street remained almost untouched from then until the early 1970s. In the late-1960s plans were unveiled by Exeter City Council for a new shopping centre, plans which involved the removal of the street. And not just the removal of most of the street's buildings, some of which dated to the 1600s, but for the eradication of the street itself. Between 1971 and 1979 Goldsmith Street was practically bulldozed out of existence.  Thomas Sharp's post-war plan for the area in 'Exeter Pheoenix' show that he  envisaged the demolition of many of the buildings on the street anyway, except  for the Higher Market and those properties rebuilt in the 1880s, with Goldsmith Street itself widened until it was not  dissimilar to Queen Street in scale. This was then supposed to lead via a  pedestrian subway under the High Street into the Cathedral Yard itself.  The scheme was never implemented as Sharp foresaw but the buildings were demolished all the same.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-GX-CVWHlqsU\/TxYYp1KF8NI\/AAAAAAAAEM0\/tnBjX0tvd7o\/s1600\/Goldsmith%2BStreet%2B1905%2B2011.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698769485407056082\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-GX-CVWHlqsU\/TxYYp1KF8NI\/AAAAAAAAEM0\/tnBjX0tvd7o\/s400\/Goldsmith%2BStreet%2B1905%2B2011.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"324\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows a detail from the 1905 map of Exeter overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area. The High Street entrance into Goldsmith Street is to the bottom right. Buildings demolished since 1905 are highlighted in red. Apart from the two churches at either end of the street, nearly all of the demolition occurred between 1971 and 1979. Only part of the Higher Market and Nos. 3 \u0026amp; 4 remain today, highlighted in purple.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe majority of the Higher Market's Goldsmith Street facade was demolished, irreparably defacing one of the finest 19th century market buildings in the west of England. The ground level outside its remaining entrance was raised, burying the base of the columns and destroying the careful proportions of what was left of George Dymond's original design. Apart from No. 3 and No. 4 Goldsmith Street, all the buildings on the side opposite the market were also destroyed, a number of which had been granted Grade II listed status and which, taken as a whole, accounted for one of the few areas of the city which still retained its pre-war atmosphere. There was No. 1 Goldsmith Street, a late-18th century building spread over four floors with pilasters at either side of the facade stretching from the first floor to the parapet at roof level. Despite being granted Grade II listed status in 1974 it was demolished in 1979. No. 13 Goldsmith Street was another listed building, 17th century in origin with an 18th century facade. Formerly the Bull Inn, it too was demolished. The neo-Classical facades of the Wool Hall and the Phoenix Inn were salvaged. Re-erected in a different position the modified Wool Hall facade now forms the entrance into Marks and Spencer. The relocated Phoenix Inn facade \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E arches over the service entrance into the same building, minus the reclining figures which once lounged in the spandrels of the arch.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-FcZtF2DOPpE\/TxYaTVhSTeI\/AAAAAAAAENA\/JWybfefgYOE\/s1600\/P8252603.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698771297980534242\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-FcZtF2DOPpE\/TxYaTVhSTeI\/AAAAAAAAENA\/JWybfefgYOE\/s640\/P8252603.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"496\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOn a profound level the heritage of the city was simply obliterated: many of the destroyed properties in Goldsmith Street still respected the narrow burgage plots of their medieval predecessors. The remains of Roman buildings were discovered underneath 14th century pot shards.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe thousand-year-old entrance from Paul Street was built over with modern retail space (now WH Smith). None of the properties opposite the market were rebuilt, the result being an open public area with more retail space cutting the course of the street in half. Nearly 1000ft (300m) of pre-war street frontage was demolished and today only a quarter of the original course of the street remains, on which stands just two surviving pre-war buildings.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis was nothing to do with slum clearances or the Baedeker Blitz of 1942, or the immediate post-war reconstruction or of the construction of the inner bypass, or of the flood prevention scheme, all of which had already destroyed vast tracts of the city. As Gavin Stamp quite rightly claimed: \"despite all the cruel losses of the Blitz, Exeter was still prepared to sweep away distinctive and interesting old buildings\". Put into the context of the destruction which had preceded it, the decision to demolish Goldsmith Street so comprehensively is unfathomable and unforgivable. Had it been renewed with imaginative restoration of its buildings then the street would've been as popular with independent retailers and as characterful as Gandy Street is today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs Peter Thomas states in his book 'Aspects of Exeter', Goldsmith Street is now just \"a mere stump linking High Street to a pedestrian square\":\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-NaWeTSDQmwU\/TksJXaFnn4I\/AAAAAAAABvw\/B1adLt1GUh8\/s1600\/Goldsmith%2BStreet_fragment.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641613255956209538\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-NaWeTSDQmwU\/TksJXaFnn4I\/AAAAAAAABvw\/B1adLt1GUh8\/s640\/Goldsmith%2BStreet_fragment.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/312367549584883650\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=312367549584883650","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/312367549584883650"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/312367549584883650"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html","title":"The Demolition of Goldsmith Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zA8Zw5V7HbI\/TxXTJ0wqNmI\/AAAAAAAAELU\/09o-FAntnak\/s72-c\/Goldsmith%2BSt_Exeter_c1933.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-588848407343027812"},"published":{"$t":"2011-07-31T13:12:00.065+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T16:21:28.109+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Deller's Cafe"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inns and Taverns"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Deller's Cafe, Bedford Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-7FjW32gUQQ0\/ToiecthH_RI\/AAAAAAAACOc\/s2FJfREUigI\/s1600\/Dellers_Exeter_Atrium.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"467\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658947147883085074\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-7FjW32gUQQ0\/ToiecthH_RI\/AAAAAAAACOc\/s2FJfREUigI\/s640\/Dellers_Exeter_Atrium.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\"Emily Trefusis and Charles Enderby were seated at a small table in Deller's Cafe in Exeter. It was half past three and at that hour there was comparative peace and quiet. A few people were having a quiet cup of tea, but the restaurant on the whole was deserted\". The author is Agatha Christie and the book is 'The Sittaford Mystery' from chapter 25 entitled  'At Deller's Cafe'. Christie was a regular visitor to Exeter and the eponymous restaurant from chapter 25 was to become one of Exeter's most important 20th century buildings and one of its most popular.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-PPtNCqDYA90\/Txicz3zjcsI\/AAAAAAAAETk\/uDh62_cX5Yk\/s1600\/Dellers_Cathedral_Yard_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699477743404806850\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-PPtNCqDYA90\/Txicz3zjcsI\/AAAAAAAAETk\/uDh62_cX5Yk\/s640\/Dellers_Cathedral_Yard_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"405\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EDeller's was established in 1844 by the grocer Edwin Deller at Paignton, a small coastal town about 20 miles from the city, but the first Deller's cafe in Exeter didn't open until 1905. The building it originally occupied in the city was on the corner of St Martin's Lane and the Cathedral Yard, in the beautiful 18th century property that had been the first premises of the Exeter Bank (now the Michael Caines restaurant \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E). But within 10 years the firm was looking to expand into larger premises and a site just off the High Street had recently become available.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 1912 the sprawling 17th century \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/half-moon-inn-high-street.html\"\u003EHalf Moon inn\u003C\/a\u003E had been demolished. The inn had occupied a large area on the corner of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/high-street-from-1900-to-1942.html\"\u003EHigh Street\u003C\/a\u003E and Bedford Street, running all the way back to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E at the rear. The entrance into Bedford Street from the High Street was narrower than it is today and, prior to 1942, it opened out dramatically into the Georgian townhouses of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E. Following the demolition of the Half Moon inn only part of the site was reused when a mostly single-storey structure was erected for Lloyds Bank on the corner of the High Street and Bedford Street. Deller's in Exeter saw its chance both to expand and to move into the commercial centre of the city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-xFEVpzuAsIw\/TxidBFFmbxI\/AAAAAAAAETw\/X3aZo8yqH-M\/s1600\/Torbay%2BPicture%2BHouse_Paignton.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699477970308460306\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-xFEVpzuAsIw\/TxidBFFmbxI\/AAAAAAAAETw\/X3aZo8yqH-M\/s1600\/Torbay%2BPicture%2BHouse_Paignton.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe new cafe on Bedford Street was designed by the Paignton firm of Hyams and Hobgen in 1916 and proved to be one of Exeter's most extraordinary buildings. (Hyams and Hobgen had already completed the still extant Torbay Picture House in Paignton \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E and the surviving cinema shares some stylistic similarities with Deller's Cafe.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe architects decided to take advantage of the single-storey Lloyds Bank building in Exeter by constructing the cafe both on top of the bank as well as on the open area left unoccupied towards Catherine Street at the rear. It was therefore possible to provide a ground floor main entrance into the cafe from Bedford Street as well as using all of the space above the bank that overlooked the High Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-e68w69e1CKE\/TxidpykEE1I\/AAAAAAAAET8\/t-titMvWD1U\/s1600\/Dellers_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"460\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699478669710594898\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-e68w69e1CKE\/TxidpykEE1I\/AAAAAAAAET8\/t-titMvWD1U\/s640\/Dellers_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe building was a remarkable mixture of architectural styles. The exterior walls were built of red brick studded with a riot of large and small mullioned windows with dressed stone surrounds that evoked a sort of Jacobean revival complimented by the Dutch gables on the Bedford Street elevation and the single pointed gable on the High Street elevation. At first floor level, rounding the corner from the High Street into Bedford Street, was an enormous 21-light window framed by stone pilasters and surmounted by a lead-roofed dome decorated with wreathes. The main entrance in Bedford Street consisted of a gigantic Baroque scrolled pediment beneath which lounged two sculpted female figures with columns on either side. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E © Express \u0026amp; Echo shows Deller's Cafe after the interior was damaged by fire in 1942. The walls up to roof height remained intact. The entrance from Bedford Street is on the left. The two Ionic columns to the far right overlooked the High Street and were part of the Lloyds Bank building on top of which much of the cafe was located. It was all demolished by the city council after the war.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-7GIrlmrwdl0\/TxifCCt7q8I\/AAAAAAAAEUU\/_FJxxDAHol4\/s1600\/Dellers.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"426\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699480185875442626\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-7GIrlmrwdl0\/TxifCCt7q8I\/AAAAAAAAEUU\/_FJxxDAHol4\/s640\/Dellers.JPG\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBut it was the interior that made Deller's such a renowned building. The main entrance led into a spectacular atrium that rose the full height of the building and which was lit from above through a glass roof (part of the atrium is shown in the postcard \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E and at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post). Around the edges of the room were first and second floor balconies accessed from the ground floor via a wide oak staircase. Oak panelling clad the walls. Inset into the walls of the balconies were plaster reliefs of frolicking Rococo cherubs, each tiered gallery supported by columns whose capitals were decorated with instrument-playing female figures. Above the oak panelling ran a continuous sculpted frieze with diaphanous, robed figures interspersed with stylised trees, borrowing freely from both the pre-Raphaelites and the Art Nouveau movement, the frieze itself brightly painted in greens, reds, mauves and blues. The overall impression was one of sumptuous luxury and lavish ornamentation. From these galleries it was possible to see everything that happened in the cafe while a string quartet played from the floor below.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-aYyndjMmO2M\/TxifTo8OYFI\/AAAAAAAAEUg\/pqaG4guzdl8\/s1600\/Dellers%2BBallroom%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"485\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699480488193712210\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-aYyndjMmO2M\/TxifTo8OYFI\/AAAAAAAAEUg\/pqaG4guzdl8\/s640\/Dellers%2BBallroom%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAnd there were other rooms, like the huge ballroom \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E with a sprung floor. The ballroom also had another coloured frieze and an ornate plasterwork ceiling divided into sections by intricately decorated ribs, and there was yet another large dining room with timber-framed panelling on the walls. The sculpted reliefs were by Arthur Glover, the paintwork was executed by James Williams and the plasterwork ceilings were created and installed by Jackson \u0026amp; Sons of London.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was a remarkable building, not just unique in Exeter but possibly unique in the entire country. There was nothing else quite like it. In December 1916 Deller's in Bedford Street opened for business and between then and its demise in 1942 it gained a reputation as one of the finest cafes in England. As a building it featured in numerous architectural periodicals and journals throughout the 1920s and 1930s and had it survived into the 21st century it would've been one of the most notable early-20th century structures in the west of England on the strength of its interiors alone.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gKoKSEc1hsQ\/Txigdg7cbRI\/AAAAAAAAEUs\/Z2iw6GG54Y0\/s1600\/Bedford%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"442\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699481757353274642\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gKoKSEc1hsQ\/Txigdg7cbRI\/AAAAAAAAEUs\/Z2iw6GG54Y0\/s640\/Bedford%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOn \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E Exeter was blitzed and the entire building was ignited from flaming debris as the High Street burned. By the following morning Deller's Cafe had been severely damaged by fire. As Peter Thomas states in his book 'Aspects of Exeter', \"in spite of the roof and the floors having collapsed, there was enough left of this gabled brick building...to warrant preservation and rebuilding\". It should be said that not all of the interior was destroyed. I've seen photos taken after the fire which prove that some significant portions of the interior decoration remained intact, including much of the ballroom with its plaster ceiling and coloured frieze. But, as with so many of Exeter's war-damaged structures, instead of reconstruction Deller's Cafe was \"completely destroyed as a result of official policy\" (Peter Thomas, 'Aspects of Exeter').\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe city council swiftly authorised the total demolition of the remains. Bedford Street was widened and the original site of Deller's Cafe is now an open, pedestrianised area  \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E. The loss of Deller's, a popular social meeting point, was a real blow to the citizens of Exeter. I've talked to several people who remember the pre-war city and they all cited Deller's as one of Exeter's most wonderful buildings and its presence is still missed even by those who never saw it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-XK5VJhD1Vec\/TjdGCuMZnKI\/AAAAAAAABqA\/vNIhEHdDzNQ\/s1600\/Dellers.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636050471251188898\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-XK5VJhD1Vec\/TjdGCuMZnKI\/AAAAAAAABqA\/vNIhEHdDzNQ\/s1600\/Dellers.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/588848407343027812\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=588848407343027812","title":"6 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/588848407343027812"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/588848407343027812"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/dellers-cafe-bedford-street.html","title":"Deller's Cafe, Bedford Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-7FjW32gUQQ0\/ToiecthH_RI\/AAAAAAAACOc\/s2FJfREUigI\/s72-c\/Dellers_Exeter_Atrium.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"6"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-6180990049893454592"},"published":{"$t":"2011-07-28T23:23:00.013+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-26T01:37:07.008+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"\"Probably the best preserved group of late medieval houses in Exeter\""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-f99gK-bPqUQ\/TjHjZdsIYXI\/AAAAAAAABng\/mNtk6o1HALw\/s1600\/highstpanorama.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"319\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634534635423162738\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-f99gK-bPqUQ\/TjHjZdsIYXI\/AAAAAAAABng\/mNtk6o1HALw\/s640\/highstpanorama.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe quote comes from the city council's own 2002 conservation report for central Exeter and it's difficult to argue with the sentiment, even it does stretch the definition of 'medieval' to breaking point and beyond (the \"best preserved group\" of genuinely medieval houses is unquestionably in the Cathedral Close). In fact what we have in the High Street are eight properties, all with timber-frame cores, some of which date back to the first half of the 16th century and only two of which have retained their original street elevations (counting the pair at Nos. 41 and 42 as a single entity). The only genuinely medieval fabric is probably the cellar walls of Nos. 41 and 42 which could be the remains of the security wall built around the cathedral precinct in the late-13th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe wonderful photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E © \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/petehem\/\"\u003EPetehem\u003C\/a\u003E was taken from the top of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/12\/nos-212-to-219-high-street.html\"\u003Ethe Marks and Spencer building\u003C\/a\u003E on the corner with the High Street and Queen Street and captures like few others the atmosphere and visual appearance of the pre-war city. It's one of the relatively few areas of the city centre where you can point a camera and capture a wide urban landscape without seeing post-war intrusions.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAll the buildings have had individual posts written about them and are from left to right as follows:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/no-39-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 39\u003C\/a\u003E (17th century timber-frame core)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/no-40-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 40\u003C\/a\u003E (17th century timber-frame core with an early brick facade)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/nos-41-42-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 41 \u0026amp; 42\u003C\/a\u003E (built as a pair, mid-16th century with medieval cellars)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/nos-43-44-and-45-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 43, 44 \u0026amp; 45\u003C\/a\u003E (all mid-to-late 16th century with much-altered facades)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/nos-46-47-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 46 \u0026amp; 47\u003C\/a\u003E (early-to-mid 16th century)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003ENo. 40, Nos. 41 and 42, and No. 46 all have Grade II* listed status. The rest are Grade II. This tiny group is about as good as 16th and 17th century domestic architecture gets in Exeter. It's unfortunate that until relatively recently much of the city looked like this but now there are only a few paltry fragments left to suggest the importance of the city in the time of the Tudor or the Stuart monarchs.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZDHpH_tquNI\/TjXUSsLF6sI\/AAAAAAAABpw\/vDbjyUre2go\/s1600\/Fragments_High%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635643926284462786\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZDHpH_tquNI\/TjXUSsLF6sI\/AAAAAAAABpw\/vDbjyUre2go\/s640\/Fragments_High%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"613\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6180990049893454592\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=6180990049893454592","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6180990049893454592"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6180990049893454592"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/probably-best-preserved-group-of-late.html","title":"\"Probably the best preserved group of late medieval houses in Exeter\""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-f99gK-bPqUQ\/TjHjZdsIYXI\/AAAAAAAABng\/mNtk6o1HALw\/s72-c\/highstpanorama.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-3425835971601906371"},"published":{"$t":"2011-07-26T22:40:00.030+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T16:15:28.872+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 46 \u0026 47, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-80GQgL1bh5w\/TxavmR3MOlI\/AAAAAAAAENM\/8a3Puobps4o\/s1600\/46%2Band%2B47%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698935450648722002\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-80GQgL1bh5w\/TxavmR3MOlI\/AAAAAAAAENM\/8a3Puobps4o\/s640\/46%2Band%2B47%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"413\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThese two properties are the oldest surviving domestic houses on Exeter's High Street and, despite their radically different appearance, were built as a matching pair probably around 1530 or 1540. No. 46 especially (to the left in the photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E) is an important survival for a number of reasons and the following post will focus primarily on No. 46, although much of what is written would've applied equally to No. 47 had its front elevation not been replaced in the 19th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe surviving Tudor timber facade of No. 46, despite much restoration, is believed to be the oldest surviving carved domestic street frontage in Devon. It is three storeys high, and although the shop front is modern at least it is subtle and respects the rest of the facade. The windows are also all 20th century in origin too but they are reasonably accurate reproductions of what was probably installed when the property was first constructed. In the 19th century the first-floor window had been replaced with three sash windows, the second-floor window with two square 9-light windows. See photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-HgUA5h0z8g8\/TxaxYyvNCuI\/AAAAAAAAENY\/IGmj3ArrOuw\/s1600\/Exeter%2BHigh%2BStreet%2Bc1900.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698937417978677986\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-HgUA5h0z8g8\/TxaxYyvNCuI\/AAAAAAAAENY\/IGmj3ArrOuw\/s640\/Exeter%2BHigh%2BStreet%2Bc1900.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"406\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows No. 46 c1900, prior to the restoration of the woodwork and the replacement of the altered windows. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/nos-43-44-and-45-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 43 and 44\u003C\/a\u003E, also from the 1500s, are visible to the left. The second floor timbering is very interesting as it features unusual coving beneath the window divided vertically by uprights carved with a spiral design, the same design appearing horizontally beneath the coving. The coving terminates with carved brackets in the form of angel-like figures (the right-hand bracket is a modern addition to replace the lost original). At the top of the facade is a modillion cornice, added in the 18th century, behind which is the shallow hipped slate roof hardly visible from the street. There was probably a shallow gable originally which the modillion cornice replaced.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother unusual aspect of the houses is the fact that, when first built, they were constructed of nothing but timber-framing. Most of the timber-frame houses built at this period in Exeter, and throughout Devon, had at least a party wall built of stone, an example of which is still visible to the side of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/nos-41-42-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 41 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E and into which were set fireplaces, chimneys and perhaps a garderobe, as well as acting as a firewall in the event of a serious fire. Nos. 46 and 47 had no such wall, the fireplaces and chimneys rising vertically in an isolated stack where the two buildings joined. This lack of a mixed construction technique makes No. 46 a unique survival of its type in the entire county.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-I2SELcih3Aw\/Txaxx42LL0I\/AAAAAAAAENk\/ArBUY1fADEY\/s1600\/46%2BHigh%2BStreet%2Bcoving%2Bdetail_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698937849115258690\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-I2SELcih3Aw\/Txaxx42LL0I\/AAAAAAAAENk\/ArBUY1fADEY\/s640\/46%2BHigh%2BStreet%2Bcoving%2Bdetail_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"439\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows a detail from the carved woodwork of the second floor coving of No. 46, including one of the sculpted brackets.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAccording to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum's website, the houses took the following form: they were both two rooms deep, with a shop on the ground floor behind which was a workshop or storage area. The finest room on the first floor would've been the fore hall, the room that overlooked the High Street, above which were the bed chambers.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's thought that the windows originally extended across the entire width of the elevation to let in the maximum amount of light as well as being a display of wealth in their own right. There would've been a back block connected to the main house via an open gallery which probably functioned as a kitchen. This distinctive arrangement of a gallery with a back block was once relatively common in Exeter but few very examples now survive. The historically important \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/no-38-north-street.html\"\u003ENo. 38 North Street\u003C\/a\u003E was demolished in 1972. An unusual two-storied gallery survives at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/nos-17-18-north-street.html\"\u003ENo. 18 North Street\u003C\/a\u003E although the back block was destroyed by a bomb in 1942. The first-floor gallery which once connected No. 47 to its back block still survives, complete with its original balusters.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother interesting aspect of No. 46 is the suggestion that the original entrance into the house was probably through the side wall, now obstructed by \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/nos-43-44-and-45-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 45 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E. No. 45 dates to c1600 and prior to its construction it was possible to walk through the High Street and into the Cathedral Yard via a narrow lane called Lamb Alley. The eastern side wall of No. 46 still has remains of external trefoil decoration and a blocked window, proving that it was once exposed to view.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the early 19th century the facade of No. 47 was replaced, totally disguising the building's 16th century origins. An extra storey was added, set back from the main facade, and large casement windows were added along with some attractive Regency, Greek-style ironwork balconies. Both properties still contain internal features of interest, e.g. No. 46 has a late-17th staircase. No. 47 is a Grade II listed building while No. 46 received Grade II* status, the star reflecting its preserved 16th century facade.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-fwoSEGbZu0I\/TjGYFh4hn4I\/AAAAAAAABnQ\/QJJRjMvCH0M\/s1600\/46%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634451829579423618\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-fwoSEGbZu0I\/TjGYFh4hn4I\/AAAAAAAABnQ\/QJJRjMvCH0M\/s1600\/46%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/3425835971601906371\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=3425835971601906371","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3425835971601906371"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3425835971601906371"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/nos-46-47-high-street.html","title":"Nos. 46 \u0026 47, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-80GQgL1bh5w\/TxavmR3MOlI\/AAAAAAAAENM\/8a3Puobps4o\/s72-c\/46%2Band%2B47%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-8861762342365970014"},"published":{"$t":"2011-07-24T00:10:00.041+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T16:14:06.138+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 43, 44 and 45, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-cOcKiOyHUGI\/TxWtYx09p-I\/AAAAAAAAEKM\/7muS9dyBy-Y\/s1600\/43%252C%2B44%252C%2B45%2BHigh_Street.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"530\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698651544711178210\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-cOcKiOyHUGI\/TxWtYx09p-I\/AAAAAAAAEKM\/7muS9dyBy-Y\/s640\/43%252C%2B44%252C%2B45%2BHigh_Street.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EWhen  the notable architect and Georgian specialist Sir A. E. Richardson  visited Exeter in 1920 he correctly stated that \"many sturdy relics of  the past have been buried alive, and a fair proportion of houses  belonging to the Tudor period still await investigation.\" Unfortunately the further investigation never occurred and many of the buildings were destroyed, unrecorded, during the Blitz of 1942.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut Nos. 43,  44 and 45 on Exeter's High Street \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E are three properties which survived both the Blitz and post-war demolition, Tudor houses buried alive beneath nondescript 19th century facades and later alterations. (Another medieval example was in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/milk-street-west-quarter.html\"\u003EMilk Street\u003C\/a\u003E,  the bombing of which in 1942 revealed the long-forgotten remnants of a  13th century dwelling which were regrettably demolished during the  post-war reconstruction. The war also uncovered the substantial 14th  century Bear Tower in South Street, the remains of which were eventually  demolished in January 1966 and large fragments of the medieval townhouse of the Priors of Plympton Priory, also in South Street and also demolished in the post-war reconstruction.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENos. 43, 44 and 45 High Street all  date to the 1500s and are some of the oldest houses still surviving  in Exeter. The first point of interest are the very narrow plots which  each building occupies, especially that of No. 45, which is just over 9ft (3m) wide. Many of these narrow strips of land are the remains of medieval burgage plots  and it's likely that there have been buildings of some sort on exactly  the same footprint for perhaps one thousand years. At the beginning of  the 20th century many of the buildings in the city centre still  respected this ancient division of land. Now it is something of a  rarity. The facade of No. 43 (to the far left in the photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E) is early-19th century with  attractive sash windows on the second and third floors, the roof hidden  behind the third floor parapet. The round-headed windows on the first  floor are a nice touch but it's all a rather poor substitute for the  original timber-framed frontage.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-PTqFfeksO1E\/TxWtgbE5i3I\/AAAAAAAAEKY\/joeYweJg3Is\/s1600\/44%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698651676042955634\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-PTqFfeksO1E\/TxWtgbE5i3I\/AAAAAAAAEKY\/joeYweJg3Is\/s640\/44%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"309\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENo. 44 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E is also a mid-16th century timber-frame building and it's likely that it was built as a pair with No. 43 (much like Nos. 41 \u0026amp; 42 and Nos. 46 \u0026amp; 47). In the 18th or 19th century the front was ripped off and replaced with what is little more than a square of rendering with a sash window stuck into the middle of it. Until the beginning of the 20th century this bleak facade was capped with a low pediment which has now disappeared. The building is only two-storeys high. It's possible that it was originally built with more floors but, if so, these were removed a long time ago. The most interesting aspect of the exterior is how the first floor facade jetties out slightly over the High Street, a faint echo of its Tudor forebear.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe frontage of No. 45 (to the far right in the photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E) is even worse! From the outside it must rank as one of the most forgettable exteriors in the entire city. It looks like a three-storey garden shed. The late-Elizabethan facade was also replaced, probably in the 19th century, and was modified again in the 20th century when a second floor window was blocked up and the current gable installed. The first floor also slightly overhangs the street below. It is slightly later than the other buildings surrounding it, dating to c1600. Inside there are moulded oak beams on the first floor which at least suggest the building's ancestry. There is also a cellar, lined with Heavitree stone, with the remains of steps that once led up into the High Street. It's also likely that when first constructed it didn't replace an earlier building as it occupies a portion of Lamb Alley which led past the side of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/nos-46-47-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 46\u003C\/a\u003E and into the Cathedral Close.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe properties are unfortunate in as much as they are sandwiched between two genuine, if much-restored 16th century facades which only serve to emphasise the loss of the original elevations (\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E), one of which is the lovely \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/nos-41-42-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 41 and 42\u003C\/a\u003E. Still, apart from a handful of notable exceptions this tiny group is about as good as surviving timber-framed Tudor domestic architecture gets in Exeter now. All three buildings are Grade II listed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-a2qI2NPXBX0\/Tiyuf2hkr1I\/AAAAAAAABlo\/NMgU4k2sGgg\/s1600\/43%2B44%2B45%2BFacades_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"438\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633069096169156434\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-a2qI2NPXBX0\/Tiyuf2hkr1I\/AAAAAAAABlo\/NMgU4k2sGgg\/s640\/43%2B44%2B45%2BFacades_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/post-edit.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026amp;postID=8861762342365970014\u0026amp;from=pencil#\" id=\"show-labels-link\" onclick=\"BLOG_showLabels(); return false\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/8861762342365970014\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=8861762342365970014","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/8861762342365970014"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/8861762342365970014"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/nos-43-44-and-45-high-street.html","title":"Nos. 43, 44 and 45, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-cOcKiOyHUGI\/TxWtYx09p-I\/AAAAAAAAEKM\/7muS9dyBy-Y\/s72-c\/43%252C%2B44%252C%2B45%2BHigh_Street.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-6405557947118251597"},"published":{"$t":"2011-07-22T23:31:00.046+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T16:11:45.389+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Cathedral"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Above the Cathedral Vault II"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-8ZvMpRLwNY4\/Ty7DhmOes-I\/AAAAAAAAEoQ\/gRnQ62Kq9S0\/s1600\/Lead_Workshop%2BExeter_Cathedral.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705712759889376226\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-8ZvMpRLwNY4\/Ty7DhmOes-I\/AAAAAAAAEoQ\/gRnQ62Kq9S0\/s640\/Lead_Workshop%2BExeter_Cathedral.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"432\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EHaving walked above the entire length of the cathedral's main vault visitors return to the area above the crossing, the point where the transepts join the choir and nave. A doorway leads into the roof space above the aisle that connects the main body of the church with the transeptal South Tower, the location of what was once the cathedral's lead workshop \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESince its construction, the cathedral has always consumed a vast quantity of lead. The current roof has about 450 tonnes of lead on it, a colossal amount even in the 21st century. In the 14th century it seems that the cathedral authorities sourced lead from a number of places. The Fabric Roll for 1302 records that a large stock of lead was purchased at St Botolph's fair in Boston, Lincolnshire, over 200 miles away from Exeter. Another consignment entered England at Dartmouth in 1325, possibly sourced from the continent and shipped over the English Channel.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-WlUfrbR0O8k\/Ty7DrT7k5zI\/AAAAAAAAEoc\/gFbYnODXXOU\/s1600\/Choir_Roof_Exterior%2BExeter_Cathedral.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705712926776944434\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-WlUfrbR0O8k\/Ty7DrT7k5zI\/AAAAAAAAEoc\/gFbYnODXXOU\/s640\/Choir_Roof_Exterior%2BExeter_Cathedral.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"441\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ELead ore was also purchased. The ore was brought up to the lead workshop where it was smelted down in a furnace. The molten lead was then poured out onto the stone floor where it was beaten and rolled into flat sheets. The lead workshop continued to be used up until the early years of the 20th century and the flue for the furnace is still visible jutting out from the roof of the south transept.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the view towards the eastern end of the cathedral, the steep, leaded roof of the choir on the left. This walkway is accessible via a narrow door off the workshop itself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA flight of stone steps takes visitors from the lead workshop up into the South Tower, one of two which remain from the original Romanesque building. Both towers contain bells. The North Tower holds a single bell called the 'Peter' bell (the cathedral is dedicated to St Peter), but the South Tower has a total of 14 which together, at 14 tonnes, constitute the second heaviest peal of bells in the world (the heaviest being at the 20th century Anglican cathedral in Liverpool).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NLQsVNPTrjE\/Ty7EWzQVvrI\/AAAAAAAAEoo\/cLqJLRR9vew\/s1600\/Bell%2BRinging%2BChamber_Exeter_Cathedral.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705713673919905458\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NLQsVNPTrjE\/Ty7EWzQVvrI\/AAAAAAAAEoo\/cLqJLRR9vew\/s640\/Bell%2BRinging%2BChamber_Exeter_Cathedral.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"444\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe heaviest bell in the South Tower, weighing over 3.5 tonnes, is called the 'Grandisson', named after the bishop who was in office when the cathedral was completed in the mid-14th century. It was recast in bronze from an older bell in 1902. Although the oldest current bell was cast in Exeter in 1616 many of them use material from medieval bells, some of which were probably installed in the Norman cathedral when it was completed c1180.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAll of the bells, including the massive 'Grandisson', can be swung in a full circle rather than simply from side to side, as happens in most other countries. The cathedral bells are fascinating and deserve their own post on this blog at a later date.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 14 bells in the South Tower are located two floors above the ringing chamber but unfortunately it's not possible for visitors to view them. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E shows the bell-ringing chamber high up in the South Tower. The two blocked openings in the wall on the left have the distinctive round-headed arches of the Romanesque style and were two of the tower's original 12th century windows. The large metal hoop near the ceiling is designed to hold the ropes apart to prevent them from getting tangled together. Access to the bells is via a spiral staircase set into a corner of the chamber.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-qUbt-CyoAg8\/Ty7Eqv29vvI\/AAAAAAAAEo0\/No7v3G-8cKY\/s1600\/Trapdoor_North_Tower.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705714016605552370\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-qUbt-CyoAg8\/Ty7Eqv29vvI\/AAAAAAAAEo0\/No7v3G-8cKY\/s640\/Trapdoor_North_Tower.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"448\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EHaving returned through the lead workshop and back to the crossing above the main vault the visitor passes into the North Tower. Access into the upper levels of the tower is through what was once one of the windows of the Norman tower prior to the 14th century remodelling of the cathedral and leads into the equivalent of the bell-ringing chamber in the South Tower. The timber roof of this large chamber is black with age and contains some of the most gigantic oak beams in the entire building. The walls are just rough-hewn stone, the atmosphere redolent of a castle keep. One interesting feature is a colossal trap door \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E, approximately 10ft (3 metres) in diameter, set into the floor through which bells were once transported via the wooden vault in the north transept and up into the belfry at the top of the tower.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-EQFxkGp5hXE\/Tiry_1-dQnI\/AAAAAAAABkQ\/q51z-EGG7FI\/s1600\/Peter_Bell_Mechanism_Exeter_Cathedral.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632581462614950514\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-EQFxkGp5hXE\/Tiry_1-dQnI\/AAAAAAAABkQ\/q51z-EGG7FI\/s640\/Peter_Bell_Mechanism_Exeter_Cathedral.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"408\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAlso in this room is the striking mechanism for the 'Peter' bell. The 'Peter' bell weighs around 5 tonnes and was recast on the orders of Bishop Courtenay in 1484 as a replacement for an earlier bell. Over-excited celebrations at the failure of the Gunpowder Plot in 1606 caused it to crack and it was recast in 1676 by Thomas Purdue.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 'Peter' bell is essentially a clock bell, striking the hours using a hammer falling against its side. A clock with a bell has been in the cathedral since at least 1327 but in 1885 the striking mechanism was replaced with the current mechanism \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. The clock movement itself is located in a room further down the tower. The striking mechanism was formerly wound by hand but an electric motor has been used since 1970. The 'Peter' bell still tolls every hour and its sombre tone can often be heard across the city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-fPYWrfOGEoQ\/Ty7E-pBos3I\/AAAAAAAAEpA\/qhMtCWByk80\/s1600\/Cathedral_View_East.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705714358368646002\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-fPYWrfOGEoQ\/Ty7E-pBos3I\/AAAAAAAAEpA\/qhMtCWByk80\/s640\/Cathedral_View_East.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"477\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFrom this chamber another spiral staircase takes the visitor up onto the roof of the North Tower itself. Each tower is approximately 150ft (44 metres) high, and the impression of height is remarkable after emerging from the confined interior of the roof spaces.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd here we are on top of the cathedral. The views across Exeter are panoramic and it's possible to appreciate the city's beautiful geographical location, sitting in a bowl with the cathedral in the centre and surrounded on nearly all sides with the rolling green hills of Devon, the estuary of the River Exe a silver ribbon in the far distance.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E was taken from the top of the North Tower and shows the eastern end of the cathedral looking over the copper beeches in the grounds of the Bishop's Palace, over the backs of the remaining Georgian terraces in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/southernhay-west-southernhay.html\"\u003ESouthernhay West\u003C\/a\u003E and out towards the suburb of St Leonard's. The flying buttesses that support the vaulted ceiling and the roof, and the tall clerestory windows, are all clearly visible.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-NHwnvlzsJlA\/Ty7FP6VWdbI\/AAAAAAAAEpM\/0eRmZR27IS4\/s1600\/Tower_View.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705714655072515506\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-NHwnvlzsJlA\/Ty7FP6VWdbI\/AAAAAAAAEpM\/0eRmZR27IS4\/s640\/Tower_View.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"421\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Norman builders shared a similar view over the area nearly 900 years ago and the sheer scale of the towers' construction makes their achievement even more remarkable. It's difficult to imagine the mighty impression of political, social and religious power that the original Romanesque building must've made on the Anglo-Saxon population as it arose stone by stone over a city that had once rebelled against the Conqueror himself. Nothing remotely on the scale of these two towers had ever been seen in Exeter before.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFrom here the guided tour returns back the way it came to the floor of the nave in the cathedral's south-west corner. The tour is exceptionally interesting and can be highly recommended for anyone either visiting the city or living here. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows the view towards the trees of Rougemont and the university buildings scattered upon the far hills, with some of the few remaining fragments of the pre-war city clinging to the edge of the Cathedral Close, the brick wasteland of the post-war reconstruction beyond. Queen Street is visible to the far left with \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/no-1-cathedral-close-mols-coffee-house.html\"\u003EMol's Coffee House\u003C\/a\u003E in the centre foreground. The ruins of the medieval \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/st-catherines-almshouses-catherine.html\"\u003ESt Catherine Almshouses\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/canonry-catherine-street.html\"\u003Ethe Canonry\u003C\/a\u003E in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E can just be seen to the right.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SJbMiW79Mm8\/Tiy7VeQRDgI\/AAAAAAAABl4\/8oVTG8VT8do\/s1600\/Cathedral_View.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"351\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633083211506585090\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SJbMiW79Mm8\/Tiy7VeQRDgI\/AAAAAAAABl4\/8oVTG8VT8do\/s640\/Cathedral_View.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6405557947118251597\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=6405557947118251597","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6405557947118251597"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6405557947118251597"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/above-cathedral-vault-ii.html","title":"Above the Cathedral Vault II"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-8ZvMpRLwNY4\/Ty7DhmOes-I\/AAAAAAAAEoQ\/gRnQ62Kq9S0\/s72-c\/Lead_Workshop%2BExeter_Cathedral.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5487778333651379193"},"published":{"$t":"2011-07-22T12:19:00.053+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T16:07:37.904+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Cathedral"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Above the Cathedral Vault I"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ECkcrQ2xK_s\/TyvF6swkvoI\/AAAAAAAAEjM\/9mPul_owvLg\/s1600\/Vauting%2BExeter%2Bi.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704870965232844418\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ECkcrQ2xK_s\/TyvF6swkvoI\/AAAAAAAAEjM\/9mPul_owvLg\/s640\/Vauting%2BExeter%2Bi.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe main vault inside Exeter Cathedral is not only the longest stretch of uninterrupted Gothic vaulting in the world but also crowns one of the most beautiful medieval interiors in Europe.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the words of the great architectural historian, Sir Nicholas Pevsner, \"the luxuriant palm-branch effect is unforgettable\". During the summer months the cathedral runs guided tours into the roof space that gives visitors the opportunity to walk through the void above the vault as well as providing access to the top of the 12th century North Tower.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe tour begins in the south-west corner where a very narrow spiral staircase rises through the building from ground level via a short passageway over the aisle to the roof space above the vault. Following the destructive fire in the south transept of York Minster in 1984 the Dean and Chapter at Exeter decided to install some significant fire prevention measures throughout the cathedral, including very sensitive computer-monitored smoke sensors in the roof space and water spray extinguishing systems. Another addition was the division of the roof space above the main vault into five separate compartments using firewalls fitted with fire doors.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-YA-6Hrk0bu4\/Ty7A4T1OwlI\/AAAAAAAAEnI\/q0ETi1nq2no\/s1600\/East%2BVault_Exeter_Cathedral.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705709851553743442\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-YA-6Hrk0bu4\/Ty7A4T1OwlI\/AAAAAAAAEnI\/q0ETi1nq2no\/s640\/East%2BVault_Exeter_Cathedral.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"452\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EPrior to this installation there was a continuous view of the top of the vault from the west end to the east end but unfortunately this is now no longer possible. (Despite these measures insurance for the building still costs around £250,000 a year.) The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows part of the roof space and the rose window that sits high up in the gable at the eastern end of the cathedral. The central walkway literally runs on top of the middle of the vault and was installed to help firefighters move around the roof in the event of a fire. The humps and hollows to the right mirror the contours of the tierceron vaulting beneath. The floor of the cathedral is 68ft (21m) below.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe vaulting, and the roof that covers it, all date to between c1275 and c1335, a period of around 60 years that saw the cathedral's nave and choir rebuilt almost entirely in the Decorated Gothic style. Apart from the vaulting in the transepts, all of the vaults in the cathedral are made of stone. Exeter Cathedral underwent an extensive restoration, beginning in 1870, under the leadership of Sir George Gilbert Scott.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-P-6Sygg3IjM\/Ty7BH-b9WEI\/AAAAAAAAEnU\/aEAoY53spXY\/s1600\/Cathedral_Vault_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705710120688506946\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-P-6Sygg3IjM\/Ty7BH-b9WEI\/AAAAAAAAEnU\/aEAoY53spXY\/s640\/Cathedral_Vault_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"406\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAt some point in the last quarter of the 19th century, the Victorians hit upon the ridiculous idea of coating the top of the vaulting in concrete, allegedly in order to strengthen the stone work. The concrete was applied across the top of the entire vault to a depth of around four inches (11 cms). This could yet prove to be a disaster. Not only did the concrete cover up the original rough-hewn medieval stonework but it also added an enormous extra weight to the vault itself. Over the last century there have been signs of the supporting columns of Purbeck marble in the nave and choir starting to flake with the added stress of the concrete. At the moment it is simply impossible to remove the concrete without endangering the entire structure.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E clearly shows the concrete-covered vaulting. The total thickness of the vaulting, including the concrete, is only around 9 inches (22cms). The pipework is part of the water sprinkler system, the idea being that the water can pool in the hollows and then run out of the building via the small grated hole set into the wall to the far left. Also visible are the steel supporting brackets that were installed throughout the roof space in the 1920s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QHvKyBDThVw\/Ty7Bj7KxprI\/AAAAAAAAEng\/wTeHsBJodSo\/s1600\/King%2BPost_Exeter_Cathedral.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705710600847468210\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QHvKyBDThVw\/Ty7Bj7KxprI\/AAAAAAAAEng\/wTeHsBJodSo\/s640\/King%2BPost_Exeter_Cathedral.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"414\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EMost of the 14th century timber structure of the roof itself has survived relatively intact. The roof is constructed around a basic A-frame design. Rafters resting on the top of the walls rise diagonally to meet in the centre at the ridge beam. Purlins run parallel with the ridge beam the full length of the building and the rafters are tied together across the width with tie beams, the tie beams supported in turn by curved braces. Above the tie beams are a further set of smaller beams called collars and resting in the centre of the tie beams, connected to the collars, are king posts which help to prevent the tie beams from sagging.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows one of the medieval king posts resting on its tie beam with the smaller collars visible beneath the apex. Also visible, through the slats between the rafters, is the dull grey of the lead that clads the exterior. It's worth remembering that although the cathedral suffered a direct hit on the St James chapel during \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003Ethe bombing raid of May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E the vaulting survived unscathed. If one incendiary bomb had pierced the lead and lodged in the dry timbers then the roof void would've acted like a giant chimney and the entire vault would probably have been lost,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe cathedral's archive contains one of the most complete sets of medieval records in the world. These are the so-called Fabric Rolls. Written on vellum, the rolls recorded in minute detail the costs of rebuilding and maintaining the cathedral, the fabric of the building, and cover an almost uninterrupted span between 1279 and 1514.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5elCWzfKDjo\/Ty7B92MyNEI\/AAAAAAAAEns\/ED8gWSP6dow\/s1600\/Roof_Movement_Exeter%2BCathedral.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705711046190314562\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5elCWzfKDjo\/Ty7B92MyNEI\/AAAAAAAAEns\/ED8gWSP6dow\/s400\/Roof_Movement_Exeter%2BCathedral.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 262px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Fabric Rolls show that most of the timber for the roof came from English oaks which were sourced from various woods in Devon. There were oak forests that belonged to the Exeter diocese at Newton St Cyres and Chudleigh, and there the oak was matured beneath water at the water mills before being transported into the city. Lustleigh, Canonteign and Langford were just some of the other places that supplied oak trees for the cathedral's rebuilding. The trees must've been vast when felled as some of the beams are enormous and only the inner heartwood was strong enough for construction purposes. The English oaks from which the beams came would've begun as acorns  germinating on the floor of a Saxon forest in Devonshire during the 6th  or 7th centuries AD. Dendrochronological testing on some of the wood above the crossing has returned a felling date of 1306.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo-one knows when it started exactly, but slowly the roof began to move, a process known as racking. It's possible that the culprit was a missing purlin at the east end (the corbel on which it rested is now empty) removed probably in the 18th century because it was rotten and its structural importance overlooked, but the entire timber-frame structure started to drag itself out of vertical. Like dominoes being knocked over, the top of each A-frame shifted westwards.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-2LvLoNJvHUw\/Ty7CIDsJFOI\/AAAAAAAAEn4\/MlJTZqxnHQk\/s1600\/Crossing_Roof_Exeter_Cathedral.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705711221610190050\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-2LvLoNJvHUw\/Ty7CIDsJFOI\/AAAAAAAAEn4\/MlJTZqxnHQk\/s640\/Crossing_Roof_Exeter_Cathedral.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe pressure gradually built up on the stone gable end of the West Front and started to shove the gable outwards. It is currently 19 inches (50 cms) out of vertical although the movement has been stopped through the use of the steel brackets under the tie beams.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E was taken at the east end. The vertical beam on the right was originally adjacent to the stone wall, the gap which has opened up through the movement of the roof is highlighted in red. The extent of the racking of the A-frames was much more extreme in the timbers located towards the middle of the building and many of them are now an incredible 6ft (2 metres) out of vertical. This is nowhere more apparent than from the top of the transept towers, looking down onto the crossing, where the transepts meet the nave and choir. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E, taken from the North Tower, shows how the roof over the choir and the nave has moved, dragging both roofs of the transepts with it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOther areas of the cathedral are also covered by the roof tour, including the roof spaces above both transepts, the lead workshop and the bell-ringing chamber before moving to the top of the North Tower. These are covered in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/above-cathedral-vault-ii.html\"\u003Epart two\u003C\/a\u003E of this post.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E, taken in the nave, shows just one small section of the extraordinarily beautiful vaulting.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-eQe89GjBZ58\/Ty7CmJhDn8I\/AAAAAAAAEoE\/9fEzx4d8Tmg\/s1600\/Nave%2BVaulting_Exeter_Cathedral_resize.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705711738570383298\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-eQe89GjBZ58\/Ty7CmJhDn8I\/AAAAAAAAEoE\/9fEzx4d8Tmg\/s640\/Nave%2BVaulting_Exeter_Cathedral_resize.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5487778333651379193\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5487778333651379193","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5487778333651379193"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5487778333651379193"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/above-cathedral-vault-i.html","title":"Above the Cathedral Vault I"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ECkcrQ2xK_s\/TyvF6swkvoI\/AAAAAAAAEjM\/9mPul_owvLg\/s72-c\/Vauting%2BExeter%2Bi.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-415455433189867894"},"published":{"$t":"2011-07-22T11:17:00.009+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T16:03:34.994+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"No 39, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-bvSd7oukJ5I\/TilUtte_uDI\/AAAAAAAABiQ\/waDDq8uHkT0\/s1600\/39%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632125953283962930\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-bvSd7oukJ5I\/TilUtte_uDI\/AAAAAAAABiQ\/waDDq8uHkT0\/s640\/39%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"449\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESituated between \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/no-40-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 40\u003C\/a\u003E and the corner of St Martin's Lane, which runs down from the High Street into the Cathedral Close, No. 39 presents another unprepossessing rendered facade fitted with modern sash windows, but once again the facade conceals a late-17th century timber-frame building, probably built at the same time as No. 40.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe only point of interest externally are the rusticated quoins, now heavily disguised by multiple coats of paint. It's unlikely that any features survive inside but the property was granted Grade II listed status in 1974. The modern shop front is an exceptionally poor addition."},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/415455433189867894\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=415455433189867894","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/415455433189867894"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/415455433189867894"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/no-39-high-street.html","title":"No 39, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-bvSd7oukJ5I\/TilUtte_uDI\/AAAAAAAABiQ\/waDDq8uHkT0\/s72-c\/39%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-6751365738391278684"},"published":{"$t":"2011-07-16T18:52:00.024+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T16:02:44.380+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"No. 40, High Street: A Late-Stuart Brick Facade"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-1wBH8wZvbMc\/TxWne8u4xcI\/AAAAAAAAEI4\/FgEOfA6Y0hc\/s1600\/No.40%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698645053647930818\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-1wBH8wZvbMc\/TxWne8u4xcI\/AAAAAAAAEI4\/FgEOfA6Y0hc\/s640\/No.40%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"346\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENo. 40, High Street is one of the prettiest and most unusual buildings in Exeter despite the fact that the ground floor has been trashed by the inclusion of modern retail space. The facade conceals an older timber-framed building which probably dates to the mid-17th century, but the orange-red brick elevation which overlooks the High Street dates to c1700 making it one of the earliest surviving brick constructions within the city. The red-brick Custom House on the Quay is about 20 years earlier in date as is the facade of No. 5 and the whole of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/notaries-house-no-8-cathedral-close.html\"\u003Ethe Notaries' House\u003C\/a\u003E, both in the Cathedral Close. An even earlier brick building, the first known example of its type in the city, was the vast house constructed for the Exeter merchant John Matthews in 1659 just outside the South Gate. Although the facade was replaced in the early 19th century \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/44-46-magdalen-street-house-of-john.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe property survived until it was demolished\u003C\/a\u003E by the city council in 1977 as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Epart of the inner bypass development\u003C\/a\u003E. Other examples were the remarkable Paragon House near South Street (destroyed in 1942) and the exceptionally fine Pinbrook House near Pinhoe of 1679.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe six 12-light sash windows of No. 40 are an addition from the late 18th century. The quoins and deeply-moulded ovolo cornice are all made of stone as are the small lengths of cornice over the windows that function as pediments. The semi-circular pediment over the central window on the third floor is a very attractive touch. The central windows also have fine ogee-shaped heads above the window frames. The hipped slate roof is barely visible from the street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-woV93r227jI\/Tiw0wsJnBLI\/AAAAAAAABlI\/YducbQF4lRY\/s1600\/No.40%2Bc1900%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632935245023478962\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-woV93r227jI\/Tiw0wsJnBLI\/AAAAAAAABlI\/YducbQF4lRY\/s400\/No.40%2Bc1900%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"209\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E c1900 shows No. 40 with its late-19th century shop front when it was used by the firm Gould \u0026amp; Allen to sell tea and groceries. The bricks are exceptionally small and are laid in a Flemish bond pattern. Decorative brickwork panels appear above and below the third floor windows and the central bay protrudes slightly from the rest of the elevation. As Hugh Meller states, the facade is \"full of subtleties and elaborations\". It's like a little Queen Anne mansion in miniature, and when new the facade would've been unlike most other buildings in Exeter, the vast majority of which were still timber-framed with gable ends and multiple storeys jettying out over the street (similar in fact to the neighbouring house, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/nos-41-42-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 41 and 42\u003C\/a\u003E). Like other timber-framed buildings in the city, No. 40 originally consisted of a front block and a rear block, joined across a courtyard in the middle by a gallery. The courtyard has been glass over and the back block has been totally rebuilt.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYou would expect such a property to have a shallow tread staircase with plain oak panelling and tasteful plasterwork ceilings, but according to the listing description there are \"no visible internal features\" of interest. It's a great shame that nothing appears to survive inside but as a whole No. 40 is fully deserving of its Grade II* listed status.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-vJOpmsmkNXg\/Toex8P0uk8I\/AAAAAAAACMk\/UNC5Sb67tBE\/s1600\/40%2BHigh%2BStreet_detail.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658687105412273090\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-vJOpmsmkNXg\/Toex8P0uk8I\/AAAAAAAACMk\/UNC5Sb67tBE\/s400\/40%2BHigh%2BStreet_detail.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 299px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6751365738391278684\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=6751365738391278684","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6751365738391278684"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6751365738391278684"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/no-40-high-street.html","title":"No. 40, High Street: A Late-Stuart Brick Facade"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-1wBH8wZvbMc\/TxWne8u4xcI\/AAAAAAAAEI4\/FgEOfA6Y0hc\/s72-c\/No.40%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4984091857043525019"},"published":{"$t":"2011-07-16T14:09:00.019+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T15:59:18.209+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"20th Century"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 48 and 49, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WbnARzZN2Zk\/TiGUlbbMnpI\/AAAAAAAABhg\/1twTLLPeSLw\/s1600\/No%2B48%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629944379927731858\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WbnARzZN2Zk\/TiGUlbbMnpI\/AAAAAAAABhg\/1twTLLPeSLw\/s640\/No%2B48%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe single structure that comprises Nos. 48 and 49 on the High Street is easily my favourite 20th century building still surviving in Exeter, a highly innovative mix of various architectural styles which somehow manages to emerge as a success in its own right. Unfortunately, I know almost nothing about it. The building isn't listed, even at a local level, but it ought to be as it far outshines nearly all of its 20th century companions, particularly those built after 1945.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe year 1922 allegedly appears in Roman numerals on a date stone set high up on the parapet so presumably this is when the building was constructed (the parapet itself is indisputably Art Deco in style). Standing almost opposite the narrow entrance into Goldsmith Street, Nos. 48 and 49 was built to replace a very large 18th century property which had once been a local office for the Plymouth-based newspaper, the Western Morning News (see the postcard view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E from c1910). The 1922 four-storey facade is constructed of a beautiful, honey-coloured limestone. Shallow, oriel bay windows with metal frames inset into the elevation rise through three floors. With such a strong vertical emphasis the building wouldn't have looked out of place in 1930s New York.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-GijWInXxs7k\/TiHBGaRzPpI\/AAAAAAAABho\/CAMwkLP8Mig\/s1600\/No%2B48%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629993325067189906\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-GijWInXxs7k\/TiHBGaRzPpI\/AAAAAAAABho\/CAMwkLP8Mig\/s1600\/No%2B48%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EDespite their modernity, the oriel windows also echoed the numerous late-Elizabethan and Jacobean townhouses that still survived in Exeter at the time the building was constructed (for example, the former \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/no-241-high-street-town-house-of-earls.html\"\u003Etownhouse of the Earls of Morley\u003C\/a\u003E that was located further up the High Street or the still extant Well House tavern in the Cathedral Close). Running from side to side at the top is a huge modillion cornice above which is the graduated Art Deco parapet. Fortunately the stone surround of the shop front has remained nearly intact.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's an impressive and unusual facade and makes a welcome addition to the surviving range of pre-war structures in the lower High Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4984091857043525019\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4984091857043525019","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4984091857043525019"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4984091857043525019"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/nos-48-and-49-high-street.html","title":"Nos. 48 and 49, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WbnARzZN2Zk\/TiGUlbbMnpI\/AAAAAAAABhg\/1twTLLPeSLw\/s72-c\/No%2B48%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-1092847779633765894"},"published":{"$t":"2011-07-15T17:38:00.037+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T15:56:56.256+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"No. 227, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-mGGBIk0Ovpo\/TxbpOpiZNJI\/AAAAAAAAEPQ\/Pt2qAPruvnU\/s1600\/No227%252C%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698998816361493650\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-mGGBIk0Ovpo\/TxbpOpiZNJI\/AAAAAAAAEPQ\/Pt2qAPruvnU\/s640\/No227%252C%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"413\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EDespite being one of Exeter's most noticeable historical properties, No. 227 on the High Street is yet another building where antiquity is only skin deep. No. 227 is the brightly-coloured facade seen in the photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E standing next to to the black and white Tudor facade of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/nos-223-225-high-st-mock-tudor-exeter.html\"\u003ENo. 226, High Street\u003C\/a\u003E.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo. 227 was built between 1660 and 1670, probably for one of Exeter's very wealthy cloth merchants, before being purchased by the city in 1733 in whose possession it remained until 1815. An advertisement for the property appeared in Trewman's Exeter Flying Post in 1842, along with the following description of the extensive accommodation: \"a spacious shop, sitting room and show room, on the ground floor, with excellent cellars in the basement; on the first floor, two sitting rooms, kitchen and scullery; on the second floor, three bedrooms; and four bedrooms on the third floor. There is a good court behind, and the property has the advantage of a side entrance.\" By 1843 the building was occupied by the tailors and hosiers, J \u0026amp; G Ross, and the firm remained at No. 227 until the 1950s. Despite narrowly escaping destruction in the bombing raid of 04 May 1942, the local authority appeared determined to destroy the mid-17th century building.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-JfKvBbY2Rbw\/Txbpv4ZLrFI\/AAAAAAAAEPc\/6iqM2lShs_E\/s1600\/227%2BDetail%2BFacade_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698999387285072978\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-JfKvBbY2Rbw\/Txbpv4ZLrFI\/AAAAAAAAEPc\/6iqM2lShs_E\/s640\/227%2BDetail%2BFacade_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"428\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe first attempts to demolish both No. 227 and its 16th century neighbour arose in 1958 with a plan to widen the High Street, even though both buildings had received Grade II* listed status in 1953. Objections to the proposals rumbled on throughout 1959 and into 1960, when another application was made to have the properties removed followed by yet another in 1962. It is incredible that anything of the buildings survived considering the council's determination to demolish them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt wasn't until 1969 that a compromise was reached, but a compromise that was only one step away from total demolition. The plan involved the destruction of everything except for the facades of Nos. 226 and 227 and it was this plan which was eventually implemented in 1971, leaving just the heavily restored frontages still standing. All the rooms, the roofs and the other exterior walls were torn down and replaced with modern, open-plan retail space.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe demolition took place without any archaeological record being made of the building, although some significant features were destroyed in the process. A passageway flagged in stone ran through the building to the rear. This was demolished. A mid-17th century mullioned, six-light window with ovolo mouldings existed in the rear wall. This was demolished. A substantial 17th century oak staircase with turned balusters remained on the second and third floors. This too was demolished, as was much of the original roof. And so as far as No. 227 is concerned, the only element worthy of consideration is the facade.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-_Fqqn6NJQls\/TxbqiOW1jJI\/AAAAAAAAEPo\/LgG3OXtmHUM\/s1600\/No227%2BDemo.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699000252174273682\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-_Fqqn6NJQls\/TxbqiOW1jJI\/AAAAAAAAEPo\/LgG3OXtmHUM\/s640\/No227%2BDemo.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"393\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E dates to c1920 and shows Nos. 226 and 227 when they both still retained their late-19th century shop fronts and when they were still part of a harmonious urban landscape. It's worth repeating again that this part of Exeter escaped any bomb damage during 1942 and remained almost exactly as it appears in the photograph until the early 1970s, at which point all the buildings highlighted in red were demolished leaving the two timber-frame properties incongruously surrounded by modern development e.g. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/wanton-demolition.html\"\u003Ethe demolition of the Victorian terrace on Queen Street\u003C\/a\u003E.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESeveral commentators and historians have noted that the front of No. 227 is important as an example of a transitional architectural style which combines a traditional timber-frame construction with classically-inspired details. (A similar facade from the mid-1600s existed at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/no-38-north-street.html\"\u003E38 North Street\u003C\/a\u003E until it was demolished in 1972.) Each floor is supported on brackets as they jetty out over the High Street. Both the first and second floors have continuous leaded windows stretching from side to side with a pedimented Ipswich window included on the first floor, either side of which are sections of oak parapet.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--jUHltfJQXo\/TxbrPKPpB6I\/AAAAAAAAEP0\/a-au39YZ4F8\/s1600\/227%2BHigh%2BStreet%2BShop%2BFront_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699001024164464546\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--jUHltfJQXo\/TxbrPKPpB6I\/AAAAAAAAEP0\/a-au39YZ4F8\/s1600\/227%2BHigh%2BStreet%2BShop%2BFront_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EInset within the pediment is the coat of arms of the Merchant Taylors with two camel supporters, underneath which is inscribed the company's motto: \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003EConcordia Parvae Res Crescunt\u003C\/span\u003E: (In Harmony Do Small Things Grow). The coat of arms, along with the sequence of heraldic shields below were all presumably added at the time of the 1878 restoration to mirror Ross's profession. The fourth floor features a four bay arcaded opening with more parapets and with windows behind. A further window with (dubious) scallop-shaped decoration above is set into the fifth floor gable end, which is also profusely hung with slate. Perhaps the over-riding impression veers slightly too much towards 'Swiss chalet' but it's difficult to know precisely the extent of the inevitable alterations which have taken place since the mid-17th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe house underwent a major restoration in 1878, while still in the hands of Ross, and fortunately a report appeared in Trewman's Exeter Flying Post describing some of the process. According to the report the work carried out was \"the first restoration in domestic architecture of the middle of the 17th century that has been made in the city\". The article states that some elements of the facade had been \"considerably marred by clumsy repairs and painting\" but that \"enough remained to indicate what should be replaced\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe intention of the architect behind the restoration, T. Lidstone of Dartmouth, was \"to embellish\" the frontage \"by replacing the old bold outline of the moulded work\". The facade was repainted using traces of original paint left on the oak timbers for guidance and it seems the slated gable end was also totally renewed, as was much of the woodwork, including all the brackets. Both Peter Thomas and Hugh Meller describe the 1878 restoration as \"careful\" but, like its Tudor neighbour at No. 226, the frontage today looks disconcertingly new. The facade certainly wasn't helped when, in 1971, the shop front itself was swept away and the facade was jacked up onto steel girders allowing pedestrians to walk unimpeded underneath.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EToday the surviving facade of No. 227 lacks any context within a wider historic cityscape, surrounded as it is with 1970s redevelopment and sitting on the edge of the vast post-war reconstruction of the High Street \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-kfJCcyrKH9o\/TiC88qpV14I\/AAAAAAAABhQ\/xeaXOuIK9T4\/s1600\/No227%2BContext_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"492\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629707284638979970\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-kfJCcyrKH9o\/TiC88qpV14I\/AAAAAAAABhQ\/xeaXOuIK9T4\/s640\/No227%2BContext_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1092847779633765894\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=1092847779633765894","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1092847779633765894"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1092847779633765894"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/no-227-high-street.html","title":"No. 227, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-mGGBIk0Ovpo\/TxbpOpiZNJI\/AAAAAAAAEPQ\/Pt2qAPruvnU\/s72-c\/No227%252C%2BExeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-2864419633878579841"},"published":{"$t":"2011-07-14T23:09:00.030+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T15:55:20.403+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Guildhall Shopping Centre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 206 \u0026 207, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FQbRP42FhJY\/Th9uTCdjmGI\/AAAAAAAABfw\/9tIGj6VG9wA\/s1600\/Nos%2B206%2B207%2BHigh%2BStreet%252C%2BExeter.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629339332593817698\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FQbRP42FhJY\/Th9uTCdjmGI\/AAAAAAAABfw\/9tIGj6VG9wA\/s640\/Nos%2B206%2B207%2BHigh%2BStreet%252C%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"478\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAttractive though they are, the facades of these two buildings are totally fake, cast out of concrete in the 1970s, modified versions of the original frontages.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EStill, the reproductions were apparently good enough to fool the city council's own recent conservation report which stated that Nos. 206 and 207 \"retain their attractive early 19th century facades\", before adding that \"they have been totally gutted as part of the Guildhall Shopping Centre development.\" They weren't just gutted. They were both razed to the ground, despite the fact that both buildings were granted Grade II listed status in 1974.  Just five years later, in 1979, the two 150-year-old properties were totally demolished by the city council. Presumably moulds were taken of the facades prior to demolition. Concrete replicas were then cast and inserted onto the fronts of the new constructions.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo. 206, shown to the left in the photograph at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post, dated to the early 19th century. The original listing description suggested that the rendered front possibly concealed an older building but obviously none of this earlier structure remains today. The post-1979 facade differs markedly from the original. As it stands today the structure is on three floors with vermiculated quoins extending from ground level to the modillion cornice at the top, above which is a non-continuous balustraded parapet. On the first floor, above the modern shop front, are two 12-light pedimented sash windows with two slightly smaller 12-light plain sash windows on the second floor.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-1zvZEh2u9zo\/Th91D6EJSXI\/AAAAAAAABf4\/Ic9ENjLcjoA\/s1600\/206%2BHigh%2BSt%252C%2BExeter%2Bdetail.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629346769223108978\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-1zvZEh2u9zo\/Th91D6EJSXI\/AAAAAAAABf4\/Ic9ENjLcjoA\/s1600\/206%2BHigh%2BSt%252C%2BExeter%2Bdetail.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBefore its demolition No. 206 actually spread over four floors. An entire floor was lost during the reconstruction, necessitating a reconfiguration of the layout of the facade. The two pedimented sash windows were still present in the original but were less tall, having only 8 lights each. The major element, now missing entirely, were five arched windows at first-floor level, each window separated by slim Doric columns above which was a dentile entablature. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E dates to the 1960s and shows the five arched windows on the first floor of No. 206, the pedimented sash windows just visible above. The modillion cornice and the balustraded parapet were all part of the  original, early-19th century facade but the current facade is a pale  imitation of its predecessor, not helped by the dirty and stained  appearance of the concrete from which it was cast.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EStanding on the corner of the High Street and the much-mauled \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E, No. 207 High Street hasn't fared much better (shown to the right in the photograph at the top of this post). The original building was slightly later than its neighbour, No. 206, and seems to have dated to the mid-19th century although stylistically both buildings were very similar, sharing the same modillion cornice and balustraded parapet. The facade that now looks onto the High Street is an almost exact replica of the original, the first floor dominated by a large Venetian window with a plain curved pediment inset with foliage details. Each window is separated by square columns topped with bulls eye rosettes. The second floor has two sash windows with decorated architraves.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-TPszQLA8HtY\/Th-A6FKVAsI\/AAAAAAAABgA\/ncj9W0CXQhc\/s1600\/No%2B207%2BHigh%2BStreet%252C%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629359794542674626\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-TPszQLA8HtY\/Th-A6FKVAsI\/AAAAAAAABgA\/ncj9W0CXQhc\/s320\/No%2B207%2BHigh%2BStreet%252C%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 271px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe corner of the building is chamfered as it turns \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E, probably designed to ease the passage of horses and carts into what was for centuries the very narrow thoroughfare of Goldsmith Street (nearly all of which was also demolished in the late-1970s). The architrave around the first-floor window inset into the chamfer is a post-1979 addition although the second-floor sash window with decorated architrave is consistent with the original. The Goldsmith Street facade is now very different. Before 1979 the facade was at least one bay longer with both a large twin sash window under a curved pediment and another Venetian window, similar in design to the one that appears on the High Street facade. Only the Venetian window was replicated in the reconstruction, moved from its original position to nearer the corner with the High Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-dvPA-OvwB0I\/TiARwm8FwFI\/AAAAAAAABgI\/sAfa4K0qMRw\/s1600\/Nos%2B206%2B207%2BHigh%2BStreet%2Bc1750.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629519060997095506\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-dvPA-OvwB0I\/TiARwm8FwFI\/AAAAAAAABgI\/sAfa4K0qMRw\/s640\/Nos%2B206%2B207%2BHigh%2BStreet%2Bc1750.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"426\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe replicated facades, even in their inaccurate and scruffy condition, are preferable to the majority of the architecture in the High Street, so it's diffcult to be too critical. In a rare exception, the local authority made an effort to retain some semblance of Exeter's architectural heritage but the modified facades are now without any historical context, the buildings to which they once belonged having been destroyed. Both buildings are still on the national register of listed buildings but they should be removed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAn interesting postscript comes in the form of a late-18th century painting  (detail \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E) that depicts this section of Exeter's High Street and which shows which buildings existed on the site prior to the construction of Nos. 206 and 207 in the early-to-mid 19th century, highlighted in red. The Guildhall is visible to the left. It appears that at least part of the site of No. 206 was occupied by a large red-brick property. If No. 206 concealed some older fabric prior to its demolition in 1979 then it would've been part of this structure. Next to it is the site of No. 207, which was occupied in the 18th century by a timber-framed building from the late 1500s or early 1600s. (Incidentally, the tall, four-storey, gabled and timber-framed building to the far right is the same building that once stood directly in front of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/allhallows-church-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003Ethe church of Allhallows in Goldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E until the end of the 19th century.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe postcard view of the High Street \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E dates to c1900 and shows Nos. 206 and 207 to the right of the Guildhall. Apart from the Guildhall itself and the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/06\/no-202-high-street-turks-head.html\"\u003ETurk's Head\u003C\/a\u003E inn just visible to the far left, all of the buildings shown on this side of the High Street have since been demolished.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-EEMkLbyqehk\/TiAfAaSQYoI\/AAAAAAAABgg\/YM1jspUxtTU\/s1600\/206%2B207%2BHigh%2BSt%2Bc1900.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"388\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629533626129474178\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-EEMkLbyqehk\/TiAfAaSQYoI\/AAAAAAAABgg\/YM1jspUxtTU\/s640\/206%2B207%2BHigh%2BSt%2Bc1900.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2864419633878579841\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=2864419633878579841","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2864419633878579841"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2864419633878579841"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/nos-206-207-high-street.html","title":"Nos. 206 \u0026 207, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FQbRP42FhJY\/Th9uTCdjmGI\/AAAAAAAABfw\/9tIGj6VG9wA\/s72-c\/Nos%2B206%2B207%2BHigh%2BStreet%252C%2BExeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4608276753868019942"},"published":{"$t":"2011-06-19T18:04:00.010+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T15:51:56.706+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inns and Taverns"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"No. 202, High Street: The Turk's Head"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-jtIBG6t-fj8\/TxWpUPxuc2I\/AAAAAAAAEJE\/Zy92aT7Hh4Y\/s1600\/202%2BHigh%2BStreet_The%2BTurks%2BHead_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698647068804805474\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-jtIBG6t-fj8\/TxWpUPxuc2I\/AAAAAAAAEJE\/Zy92aT7Hh4Y\/s640\/202%2BHigh%2BStreet_The%2BTurks%2BHead_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"322\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESqueezed in between the Guildhall and No. 201 on the High Street, the Turk's Head \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003El\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eeft\u003C\/span\u003E   was one of Exeter's oldest surviving inns. It closed in 2005 and is   currently part of a chain of Italian restaurants called Prezzos. The  front could hardly be plainer: a series of large  sashed windows, with  no glazing bars, two on the first and second floors  with a single  window on the third floor, above which is a half hipped  slate roof  hidden from street level by a low parapet. It's all a bit  dull but, as so often in Exeter, the  history of the building itself is a lot more interesting!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA  building on this site is first mentioned in a deed of 1289 by which the  civic authorities granted the owner of the land the right to place a  beam against the wall of the Guildhall for a rent of one penny a year.  It's highly likely that the present narrow frontage of No. 202 respects  the medieval dimensions of the earlier building. Eric Delderfield, in  his book on inn signs, believed that this early date gave the Turk's  Head a \"very good claim\" for being one of the oldest inns in England.  (Unlikely, unless the 13th century deed specifically mentions a tavern  being built here rather than just a tenement. Hoskins, along with  others, believed that the mid-15th century \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/nos-25-26-high-street-new-inn.html\"\u003ENew Inn on the High Street\u003C\/a\u003E was the oldest inn in Exeter with a connected history.) The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E  c1880 shows the Turk's Head to the immediate left of the Guildhall  prior to the early-20th century remodelling of the ground floor. It's possible to see the suggestions of an oversailing second floor.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-l5D1wXwen9I\/TxWpycAXLPI\/AAAAAAAAEJQ\/p-uII_zDXA0\/s1600\/Turks_Head_Exeter%2Bc1880.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698647587483495666\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-l5D1wXwen9I\/TxWpycAXLPI\/AAAAAAAAEJQ\/p-uII_zDXA0\/s640\/Turks_Head_Exeter%2Bc1880.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"446\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe  late-18th or early-19th facade conceals the remains of a much earlier  building, the core of which is timber-framed. On his website, Exeter  Memories, David Cornforth states that five medieval fireplaces were  discovered when the structure underwent refurbishment in the early 20th  century, which is when the ground-floor street frontage was also added. A  fire in the 19th century probably put paid to many of the remaining  historic features.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe property currently extends from the High  Street all the way back to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/03\/brief-history-of-waterbeer-street.html\"\u003EWaterbeer Street\u003C\/a\u003E. This is the result of an  amalgamation which took place in 1899 between a building on Waterbeer  Street called the Guildhall Vaults and the Turk's Head.  Underneath this part of the Turk's Head is a cellar that was once used  to enter the cellars of the Guildhall itself. For centuries a narrow  alley called Bussel Lane ran down the left side of the Turk's Head  providing access from the High Street into Waterbeer Street, much like  \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/parliament-street-no-195-high-street.html\"\u003EParliament Street\u003C\/a\u003E still does today, although this route has long been  blocked.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-4WTGg16_Jb4\/TxWqG4gxfJI\/AAAAAAAAEJc\/xCRZbJo4lo0\/s1600\/Turks_Head_frontage_Exeter.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698647938733014162\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-4WTGg16_Jb4\/TxWqG4gxfJI\/AAAAAAAAEJc\/xCRZbJo4lo0\/s400\/Turks_Head_frontage_Exeter.JPG\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 331px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe early-20th century ground-floor street frontage is shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. The door to the left of the main entrance marks the original position of Bussel Lane.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECharles  Dickens is alleged to have visited the Turk's Head during one of his  visits to the city and modelled the character of Joe (\"Fat Boy\") in The  Pickwick Papers on one of the inn's servants, although the evidence for  the claim is scant. Dickens certainly did visit the city several times,  staying on at least one occasion at the late-18th century \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/new-london-inn-new-london-inn-square.html\"\u003ENew London Inn\u003C\/a\u003E (demolished in 1936).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDespite  the many changes the inn was one of Exeter's more atmospheric  hostelries and it was unfortunate when it finally closed in 2005. The  Grade II listed building is still known as the Turk's Head and the  carved saracen's head still exists above the entrance \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E but the ground floor interior has been totally altered to cater for its current usage as an Italian restaurant.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-lUxJ_5smY_M\/Tf4rpqqt-dI\/AAAAAAAABfg\/RlhAEnQI7Bk\/s1600\/Turks%2BHead.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619977379833051602\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-lUxJ_5smY_M\/Tf4rpqqt-dI\/AAAAAAAABfg\/RlhAEnQI7Bk\/s640\/Turks%2BHead.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"442\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4608276753868019942\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4608276753868019942","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4608276753868019942"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4608276753868019942"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/06\/no-202-high-street-turks-head.html","title":"No. 202, High Street: The Turk's Head"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-jtIBG6t-fj8\/TxWpUPxuc2I\/AAAAAAAAEJE\/Zy92aT7Hh4Y\/s72-c\/202%2BHigh%2BStreet_The%2BTurks%2BHead_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-3186584498720531349"},"published":{"$t":"2011-04-16T23:17:00.019+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T15:49:28.166+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"West Quarter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Proposed Demolition of No. 30, Smythen Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-PXj9n926GAk\/Ty8BqrGKONI\/AAAAAAAAEpY\/Z76HYsaqTSU\/s1600\/Smythen%2BStreet%2B30.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705781085536401618\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-PXj9n926GAk\/Ty8BqrGKONI\/AAAAAAAAEpY\/Z76HYsaqTSU\/s400\/Smythen%2BStreet%2B30.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 349px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBack in October last year I wrote a post about \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/smythen-street.html\"\u003ESmythen Street\u003C\/a\u003E, once one of Exeter's most important medieval routes. Apart from a \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/smythen-street-ii.html\"\u003Emedieval fireplace\u003C\/a\u003E hanging halfway up the wall of a late-19th century warehouse I was unaware that anything of historical interest still existed in the street, much of which was torn down between 1930 and the 1960s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut it seems that one building older than the late 19th century does indeed survive and has  recently been threatened with almost total demolition. The house in question was formerly known as No. 30 Smythen Street and can be found at the back of Nos. 102-104 Fore Street. Part of it is visible in the photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E and \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E, facing onto the grot of modern-day Smythen Street,  an admittedly unprepossessing facade spanning three floors with a partially slate-hung gable end with a further collection of associated buildings at the rear, not visible from the street itself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAbout ten years ago the building was investigated by the Exeter Archaeology Unit [part of Exeter City Council, the much-valued EAU has recently been axed as part of the city council's cutbacks after 40 years in existence]. At the time of the EAU's investigation the building was being repaired with the aid of a grant and the EAU's findings revealed that parts of No. 30 date back to the 15th or 16th centuries, probably a unique fragment of the collection of medieval buildings known as Butchers Row, most of which were demolished in the 1830s to build the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/lower-market-fore-street.html\"\u003ELower Market\u003C\/a\u003E. The core of the building is a medieval merchant shop, rebuilt above first floor level in the late 18th century and remodelled again in the 19th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIncredibly, a planning application was recently made to the city council seeking the almost complete demolition of the building to enable the construction of \"residential units\". An organisation known as the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.devonbuildingsgroup.org.uk\/\"\u003EDevon Buildings Group\u003C\/a\u003E lodged an objection to the plans. The following statement comes from the DBG's website:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"The DBG objected to this application as it involved the almost complete  removal of a much repaired but extremely historic 15th or 16th century  building at the rear of the development facing onto Smythen Street. This  building is included within the Exeter Local List of buildings of  historic interest. The replacement building was in an entirely modern  idiom. We believed that the City Council had taken on board our  objections and, although we were given no opportunity to see them,  understood that revised plans had addressed the conservation issues. In  fact these revised plans, although incorporating internally some of the  historic features which were previously to be destroyed, still  completely remove the existing street elevation of the building which  was carefully reconstructed in 1999 following a detailed analysis of its  historic importance by Exeter Archaeology. Moreover we understand that  this reconstruction was actually grant aided  under the Conservation  Area Partnership shared by English Heritage and the Council! We strongly  regret another development which will reduce the historic quality of  the conservation area and the city.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe statement is dated April 2011. It seems unbelievable that the council would even consider allowing the building to be altered, let alone demolished, especially given the paucity of historic buildings in Exeter's old West Quarter (or the city centre generally for that matter). The council's own Exeter Local Plan Policy C3 states that alterations and extensions which harm the architectural or historic value of the building will not be permitted. The revised plans would apparently retain the \"original basement and ground floor footprint\", whatever that means, and the Heavitree stone walls would also remain along with some roof trusses. Despite the stipulations of the Local Plan Policy, it seems likely that the development will be given the green light by the council's planning department and much of the building will be demolished, including the Smythen Street facade, the remnants subsumed into a completely new structure.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIf the Devon Buildings Group hadn't intervened then it's possible that everything would've just been bulldozed out of existence. (Three late-Georgian brick-built townhouses in Sidwell Street, Nos. 70-73, are also currently under threat of demolition, some of the last pre-war survivors in a street almost completely destroyed by the Baedeker Raid in 1942 and by massive post-war demolition. There have been a number of objections made by individuals and organisations, including English Heritage, and despite initially allowing the demolition of the buildings, the city council has been forced to reconsider. A decision is currently pending.) An update on the fate of No. 30, Smythen Street will be posted when more is known.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-qjICAawag9w\/TaooJU5WGQI\/AAAAAAAABek\/SP1sKEI3n0c\/s1600\/No%2B30%2BSmythen%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"387\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596329627654428930\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-qjICAawag9w\/TaooJU5WGQI\/AAAAAAAABek\/SP1sKEI3n0c\/s640\/No%2B30%2BSmythen%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/3186584498720531349\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=3186584498720531349","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3186584498720531349"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3186584498720531349"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/proposed-demolition-of-no-30-smythen.html","title":"The Proposed Demolition of No. 30, Smythen Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-PXj9n926GAk\/Ty8BqrGKONI\/AAAAAAAAEpY\/Z76HYsaqTSU\/s72-c\/Smythen%2BStreet%2B30.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-1387760480848034823"},"published":{"$t":"2011-04-09T17:07:00.029+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T15:48:13.266+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 199, 200 \u0026 201, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FPnw2QqjxnA\/TxWrY8amqGI\/AAAAAAAAEJo\/9HyCgCrw0A4\/s1600\/199%252C%2B200%2Band%2B201%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698649348530153570\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FPnw2QqjxnA\/TxWrY8amqGI\/AAAAAAAAEJo\/9HyCgCrw0A4\/s640\/199%252C%2B200%2Band%2B201%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.JPG\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"445\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ECarrying on up the north side of the surviving pre-war section of the High Street, between \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/parliament-street-no-195-high-street.html\"\u003EParliament Street\u003C\/a\u003E and the Guildhall, stand another three buildings of some historical interest: Nos. 199, 200 and 201 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDespite its unprepossessing 18th century exterior, with plate glass installed into sash windows and the odd arrangement of the windows within the facade, No. 199 is older than it appears. The first clue is the extremely narrow site on which it sits and which is almost certainly an echo of a 14th or 15th century medieval tenement plot, a long, narrow strip of land that stood at right angles to the main street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHidden behind the shop sign (Whittard) is the suggestion of a jettied first floor and the core of the building is thought to date at least to c1500. A mid-18th century painting of the High Street shows that the the fourth floor is a relatively recent addition and that the property originally had a pitched roof with the gable end clearly visible from street level. All becomes  clear in an article written by Harbottle Reed in 1931. The article, entitled 'Demolition of Ancient Buildings of Exeter', recalls that No. 199 underwent significant modification and demolition in 1904. The building originally consisted of a front block and a rear block with a courtyard in the middle. Within the courtyard, according to Reed, was a \"massive timber front of 15th century date having cusp-headed lights\". If left untouched then this would've been an exceptional survival in the city but unfortunately much of the 15th century work was apparently demolished in 1904. Still, No. 199 is a Grade II listed building and although it wasn't inspected internally when it was granted listed status in June 2000 it's possible that earlier features remain in situ.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xz_fMyGKwGs\/TaNsqLycuqI\/AAAAAAAABd8\/iZGmUaO9hZU\/s1600\/200%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594434634098981538\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xz_fMyGKwGs\/TaNsqLycuqI\/AAAAAAAABd8\/iZGmUaO9hZU\/s1600\/200%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIts neighbour, No. 200, also Grade II listed, is a much more attractive building, marred only by the ugly modern shop front. Dating to the mid-18th century and spread over four floors, with an attic room in the truncated gable end, it has rusticated quoins at the corners and a decorative frieze emblazoned with rosettes above the fourth floor windows. The gable end with its three-light semi-circular sash window looks like a later addition but is in fact contemporary with the rest of the facade.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis building appears in a late-18th century painting of the High Street (detail \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E, No. 200 highlighted in red with No. 199 to its immediate left).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EExeter City Council's 2002 Conservation Report believed that No. 201 is the \"pair\" of No. 200 but it's clearly of a totally different build. It would've been given Grade II listed status had the facade not been mauled in the mid-1960s. Up until then No. 201 had a pitched roof, the gable end visible from the High Street, with a single large sash window on each floor.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese were all replaced with the current flat roof, modern windows and the curved bow window on the first floor. Combined with the intrusive modern shop front and the peeling paint on the facade, these regrettable changes successfully mask the 18th century or earlier core of the building itself. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E, dating to c1870, shows the Guildhall. The facade of No. 201 as it appeared prior to the 1960s 'modernisation' is highlighted in red.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-eEVQaXX58Lg\/TxWr-uK7mmI\/AAAAAAAAEKA\/XApLtl8mTo8\/s1600\/c1870%2BGuildhall_%2BNo%2B201.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698649997541349986\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-eEVQaXX58Lg\/TxWr-uK7mmI\/AAAAAAAAEKA\/XApLtl8mTo8\/s1600\/c1870%2BGuildhall_%2BNo%2B201.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1387760480848034823\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=1387760480848034823","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1387760480848034823"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1387760480848034823"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/nos-199-200-201-high-street.html","title":"Nos. 199, 200 \u0026 201, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FPnw2QqjxnA\/TxWrY8amqGI\/AAAAAAAAEJo\/9HyCgCrw0A4\/s72-c\/199%252C%2B200%2Band%2B201%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5218306240059808696"},"published":{"$t":"2011-04-08T21:27:00.033+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T15:46:37.607+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Other Streets"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Parliament Street \u0026 No. 195, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ruDlILV_rwQ\/TwWErx_h9eI\/AAAAAAAADBQ\/fdllpX-fmfE\/s1600\/Parliament_Street_Exeter.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694103191568905698\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ruDlILV_rwQ\/TwWErx_h9eI\/AAAAAAAADBQ\/fdllpX-fmfE\/s640\/Parliament_Street_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"445\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESandwiched between No. 194 and No. 195 High Street \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E is Parliament Street. A bronze plaque near the entrance from High Street confidently states that Parliament Street is \"believed to be the narrowest street in the world\"*. It most certainly isn't but it is an interesting relic from Exeter's medieval past.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe alignment of the street itself, and its narrowness, dates back to the Middle Ages. Providing no-one else is coming in the opposite direction it forms a convenient shortcut from the High Street into Waterbeer Street, another very ancient thoroughfare.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn reality it is now just a gap left between the buildings on either side, just 64 cms wide at the High Street before opening out to a spacious 122 cms by the time it exits into Waterbeer Street. Originally called Small Lane, Hoskins believed that its current title only dates to around 1832 \"when the Reform Bill put Parliament in the news\" and that \"the precise point of the name is not clear: perhaps it is an obscure joke.\" If it was a joke then it was probably not complimentary towards Westminster. Hoskins also adds that in 1836 the residents of Parliament Street petitioned the local authority to have the street widened and subscribed £130 for this purpose, but nothing was done and the \"street remains one of the narrowest in England\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-L-02hCf8Gzg\/UVhLUzOE9mI\/AAAAAAAAGGU\/sOg-d40RVKA\/s1600\/Parliament+Street+c1930.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-L-02hCf8Gzg\/UVhLUzOE9mI\/AAAAAAAAGGU\/sOg-d40RVKA\/s640\/Parliament+Street+c1930.jpg\" width=\"389\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EApart from its origins, there is little that is ancient about Parliament Street now unfortunately. Two thirds of the walls were rebuilt in modern red brick in the 1970s as part of the Guildhall Shopping Centre. The postcard view \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E shows Parliament Street prior to its rebuilding when it still had some character. However the two properties that mark the entrance into Parliament Street from the High Street, Nos. 194 and 195, do have some history. No. 194 is discussed \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/nos-192-193-194-high-street.html\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E, along with its neighbours Nos. 192 and 193 High Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo. 195, the pale pink structure to the right in the photograph at the top of this post, has a complicated history. It is a Grade II listed building and has a simple mid-19th century stucco facade spread over four floors with a cellar beneath. The early-20th century shop front is a rare survival in the High Street, but behind the early Victorian facade is a much earlier structure dating to c1700. As suggested in another post, it seems likely that No. 195 is the rebuilt front block of what was once a 16th century townhouse. Its twin was at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/no-196-high-street-elizabethan.html\"\u003ENo. 196 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, although that was demolished in 1973. No. 195 escaped demolition and its rendered masonry side wall now forms part of Parliament Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe interior contains much of interest. The upper floors are all accessed via a fine late-17th century staircase, although the lower section was replaced in the 1800s. There are also stretches of 18th century panelling and a late-17th century bolectian moulded ceiling. A 16th century carved overmantel showing the Judgement of Paris in bas relief was removed from the house in 1928. It's possible that the panel had been reused from the earlier building on the site. It is now in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FaDhqlYhUmU\/TwWLX9GS0MI\/AAAAAAAADB0\/Yy5u2RG3hgk\/s1600\/Judgement%2Bof%2BParis_195%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"276\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694110547534074050\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FaDhqlYhUmU\/TwWLX9GS0MI\/AAAAAAAADB0\/Yy5u2RG3hgk\/s640\/Judgement%2Bof%2BParis_195%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EProbably originating in the Netherlands and shipped to Exeter c1600, the overmantel \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E shows Athena to the far right, dressed in a warrior's helmet and holding a spear, her shield resting on the ground. In the centre is Hera with a peacock, the sacred symbol of the goddess. The two figures on the left depict Paris presenting Aphrodite with the apple. As well as being a beautiful object in its own right, the panel also illustrates how Exeter's most wealthy citizens surrounded themselves with opulent decorative artwork.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs a building, No 195 High Street is typical of much of the city prior to World War Two, with a rich and varied history hidden behind later additions.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-rHU9F1xE8GE\/TwWE_BtizzI\/AAAAAAAADBo\/2y9-q2x0PeA\/s1600\/Parliament_Street_Plaque_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694103522205945650\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-rHU9F1xE8GE\/TwWE_BtizzI\/AAAAAAAADBo\/2y9-q2x0PeA\/s640\/Parliament_Street_Plaque_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"469\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E*The world's narrowest street\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003Eis reputedly \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spreuerhofstra%C3%9Fe\"\u003ESpreuerhofstrasse\u003C\/a\u003E in the German city of Reutlingen\u003Cspan id=\"search\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E which is half the width of Exeter's Parliament Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5218306240059808696\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5218306240059808696","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5218306240059808696"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5218306240059808696"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/parliament-street-no-195-high-street.html","title":"Parliament Street \u0026 No. 195, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ruDlILV_rwQ\/TwWErx_h9eI\/AAAAAAAADBQ\/fdllpX-fmfE\/s72-c\/Parliament_Street_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-1037305688859125166"},"published":{"$t":"2011-04-07T12:28:00.019+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T15:35:35.691+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 192, 193 \u0026 194, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-xCgegjuyOZ4\/TxWmi7y6XKI\/AAAAAAAAEIU\/CdMqXIR5zJY\/s1600\/192%252C%2B193%2B%2526%2B194%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698644022604225698\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-xCgegjuyOZ4\/TxWmi7y6XKI\/AAAAAAAAEIU\/CdMqXIR5zJY\/s640\/192%252C%2B193%2B%2526%2B194%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAlmost directly opposite \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/st-petrocks-church-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Petrock's church\u003C\/a\u003E stand three of the High Street's few remaining 18th century buildings. All three have been given Grade II listed status, but their interest really lies in the fact that they've survived at all when so much else in the High Street has been lost.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENos. 192, 193 and 194 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E are typical of how much of the High Street appeared prior to the air-raid of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E which destroyed 50% of Exeter's most important thoroughfare. The remaining 50% was then badly-mauled by post-war redevelopment with the demolitions of the remaining pre-war section continuing into the 1970s (two of the worst examples being the demolition of the Tudor merchant house at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/no-37-high-street-demolished-after-400.html\"\u003ENo. 37 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E in the 1950s and the total removal of the fine Victorian terrace on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/wanton-demolition.html\"\u003Ethe corner of Queen Street and the High Street\u003C\/a\u003E in 1971).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAccording to the listing description, all three properties were put up at the same time as one build, either in the early 18th century or before. Each one is built around a timber-frame with a stucco facade, altered over time to give the impression of three distinct and separate structures. It was a common practice throughout the 18th century to replace earlier facades with something more fashionable so it's possible that the core of the buildings actually date to the mid-to-late 1600s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-nDXLpjMRUYU\/TxWmsJTxB3I\/AAAAAAAAEIg\/v5TxLb_zTIs\/s1600\/192%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698644180850509682\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-nDXLpjMRUYU\/TxWmsJTxB3I\/AAAAAAAAEIg\/v5TxLb_zTIs\/s640\/192%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"388\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe facade of No. 192 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E dates to the mid-19th century and is probably the result of a major fire on the premises in 1847. Recording work carried out by Exeter Archaeology in 2001 suggested that the site was possibly the location of two merchant houses which were united into a single property and much-altered c1800, although nothing of the the earlier structure is now visible inside.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe building is split over four floors with a rusticated stucco facade and dentil cornice running above the third floor windows. Each storey is separated by a string course with a gradual diminution in the size of the windows, typical of much neo-Classical architecture. It's unfortunate that the appearance of No. 192 has been so spoilt by the addition of a large modern shop front. I am unaware of any internal features of interest.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo. 193 is fairly nondescript. It too is built on a timber-frame carcass but the rendered facade is very plain with only the two arched windows on the second floor providing any visual interest. Again, the hideous modern shop front does it no favours whatsoever.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo. 194 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E is probably the most attractive of the group of three but the facade at least is in poor condition \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E with flaking paint and rotting architrave surrounds to the windows. Once again a timber frame supplies the main support for a stucco facade that dates to the early 19th century. Visually, the facade is framed by two pilasters that extend from the first floor almost up to the dentil cornice. The flat pediments of the first floor windows are supported on ornate moulded brackets, a string course dividing the first and second floors, and the retention of the original glazing bars in the windows adds a great deal to the facade's overall appearance. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/parliament-street-no-195-high-street.html\"\u003EParliament Street\u003C\/a\u003E, reputedly one of the narrowest streets in the world, runs to the right of the building into Waterbeer Street. No-one would claim that these are Exeter's finest buildings but they add a sense of variety and interest to a street that is generally lacking in either.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-MiMnmxu6Ock\/TxWm-AAU_6I\/AAAAAAAAEIs\/qGYcFmhuv0c\/s1600\/194%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698644487590707106\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-MiMnmxu6Ock\/TxWm-AAU_6I\/AAAAAAAAEIs\/qGYcFmhuv0c\/s640\/194%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"376\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1037305688859125166\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=1037305688859125166","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1037305688859125166"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1037305688859125166"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/nos-192-193-194-high-street.html","title":"Nos. 192, 193 \u0026 194, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-xCgegjuyOZ4\/TxWmi7y6XKI\/AAAAAAAAEIU\/CdMqXIR5zJY\/s72-c\/192%252C%2B193%2B%2526%2B194%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-2634271008855655636"},"published":{"$t":"2011-04-03T15:19:00.055+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-02T15:41:08.596+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Saxon Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"St Petrock's Church, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-F1J93--kwBI\/TxdPaYoqFvI\/AAAAAAAAEQY\/eaHx23E5lvU\/s1600\/St%2BPetrocks_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699111168168826610\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-F1J93--kwBI\/TxdPaYoqFvI\/AAAAAAAAEQY\/eaHx23E5lvU\/s640\/St%2BPetrocks_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"442\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOf the four medieval parish churches that once existed on the High Street only two now remain: \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Stephen's \u003C\/a\u003Eand St Petrock's \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. The Church of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/allhallows-church-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EAllhallows\u003C\/a\u003E was demolished for road-widening in 1906 and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/st-lawrences-church-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Lawrence's\u003C\/a\u003E was badly damaged in 1942 and later removed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELegend states that St Petroc was the son of a Welsh king who travelled from Ireland to Cornwall in the mid-6th century, settling first in Petrocstow (modern-day Padstow) before founding a monastery at Bodmin. After travelling from Brittany to Rome, St Petroc passed through Devon, where up to seventeen churches dedicated to him still survive. St Petrock's in Exeter is one of them. Like Exeter's other churches dedicated to a Celtic saint (e.g. St Kerrian's in North Street), the foundation of St Petrock's is ancient. Perhaps St Petroc himself was responsible. Exeter in the 6th century was just emerging from the ruins of its Roman past and was slowly transforming into what would become an important Anglo-Saxon centre and it's certainly possible that St Petroc himself stopped at 'Caerwisc' on his journey through Devon. The little guide to the church issued by the Diocese of Exeter states that St Petrock's is \"possibly as ancient a church foundation as any in the city\". It possibly even predates the foundation of the former monastery at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003ESt Mary Major\u003C\/a\u003E in the 7th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-_vn1qDS_Ek0\/TxdQIAEaxXI\/AAAAAAAAEQk\/bgQx9dv5IGQ\/s1600\/Braun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_1587_Petrock.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699111951848359282\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-_vn1qDS_Ek0\/TxdQIAEaxXI\/AAAAAAAAEQk\/bgQx9dv5IGQ\/s1600\/Braun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_1587_Petrock.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe 1587 map of the city \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the tower of St Petrock's highlighted in red, peeping out from the houses that fronted onto South Street. The church is labelled \"St Peroks\". The great pinnacled medieval water conduit that once stood almost in the centre of the Carfoix is visible to the left. Also visible are the churches of St George, St Olave and Allhallows.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo physical traces of the Celtic church remain today, but despite Cresswell's claim that structural alterations have \"stripped [the building] of all architectural merit\" the existing church still retains some interest beyond the historical importance of its early beginnings. Nothing is known of the very early phases of the church building. The Anglo-Saxon structure itself probably went through various stages and alterations. No doubt it was altered again after the Norman Conquest of 1066 and it was specifically mentioned in a mandate by Bishop Marshall in 1191 and again by Peter de Palerna in his Deed of Assignment of c1200.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe location of the church alone indicates its former significance,  standing almost in the very centre of the city, at the junction of  Exeter's four most important streets (High Street, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E, South  Street and Fore Street (or perhaps \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/smythen-street.html\"\u003ESmythen Street\u003C\/a\u003E). The crossroads at which  these four thoroughfares met became known in the Middle Ages as the  Carfoix or Carfax, itself derived from the French \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Equatre voix\u003C\/span\u003E  meaning the 'four ways'. Its position within the city meant that St  Petrock's medieval and Tudor congregation consisted of many wealthy  merchants and civic officials, despite the relatively small size of its  parish.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-iMOX32_CEp4\/TxdRYsGRSaI\/AAAAAAAAEQw\/aPRKOpFpadU\/s1600\/Exeter_St_Petrock_1286.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699113338056821154\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-iMOX32_CEp4\/TxdRYsGRSaI\/AAAAAAAAEQw\/aPRKOpFpadU\/s640\/Exeter_St_Petrock_1286.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"444\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe most important development for St Petrock's in the 13th century was the apparent rerouting of the High Street. Until 1286 the main East-West route through Exeter is thought to have run from the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/west-gate-west-quarter.html\"\u003EWest Gate\u003C\/a\u003E, up Smythen Street and then on up the High Street to the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\"\u003EEast Gate\u003C\/a\u003E. It's difficult to imagine now but St Petrock's is believed to have stood to the north of the High Street and not to the south as it does today. The church was essentially on the other side of the road.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe aerial view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows the pre-13th century footprint of St Petrock's highlighted in purple, much smaller than the church which exists today. Exeter's four main roads are highlighted in red. The  course of the High Street as it perhaps existed \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebefore\u003C\/span\u003E 1286 is highlighted in yellow. The reason behind the alteration to the street plan was \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html\"\u003Ethe murder of the Cathedral's precentor, Walter Lechlade\u003C\/a\u003E in November 1283. Following a visit to the city by Edward I and Eleanor of Castile in 1285, the cathedral authorities received permission to enclose the entire cathedral precinct within a wall, punctuated at regular intervals by gatehouses. It was decided that the south wall of St Petrock's itself would provide one stretch of the precinct wall. The High Street was therefore shoved northwards so as not to impede the movement of traffic, an alignment which remains to this day.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-XBCnDy--ZJI\/TxdSGzUyz_I\/AAAAAAAAEQ8\/mlCGvQGYuto\/s1600\/St%2BPetrocks%2BPlan.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699114130270769138\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-XBCnDy--ZJI\/TxdSGzUyz_I\/AAAAAAAAEQ8\/mlCGvQGYuto\/s640\/St%2BPetrocks%2BPlan.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"391\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe existence of doors in both the north and south walls meant that the church building acted as a kind of postern gatehouse in its own right, allowing people to access the Cathedral Yard from the High Street. The church was originally founded on a standard east-west alignment and by the 14th century consisted of a simple chancel and nave with a bell tower at the western end.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe lower courses of St Petrock's north wall (shown in the photo at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post) date from either the 12th or 13th century. The original height of the 14th century building extended as far as the string course running beneath the clerestory windows. These three windows, with limestone tracery, were added in the 16th century when the roof of the nave and the tower were heightened. The octagonal turret on top of the tower was added in 1736.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe plan \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows  the evolution of the building from the 14th century until 1881. Note  the houses which crowded outside the north wall and the narrow passageway  that originally gave access into the church itself. These properties  were all removed in 1905.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe church was penned in on the north side by the rerouted High Street and at its east and west ends by other properties, so the only room for expansion was towards the south. A new south aisle had already been built in 1413. A second, larger south aisle was added in 1513, named the Jesus Aisle, and this is probably also when the present tower, minus its octagonal belfry, was built. So extensive were the early-16th century alterations that the church was rededicated by Thomas Chard, the last abbot of Ford Abbey, who stood in for the ailing Bishop Oldham. Yet another south aisle was added in 1587.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5Rdue-Jj7YQ\/TxdTVn2KU9I\/AAAAAAAAERI\/GMAf_1en26E\/s1600\/St%2BPetrock_Interior_Exeter.JPG\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699115484399162322\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5Rdue-Jj7YQ\/TxdTVn2KU9I\/AAAAAAAAERI\/GMAf_1en26E\/s640\/St%2BPetrock_Interior_Exeter.JPG\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"449\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe photo\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E left\u003C\/span\u003E shows part of the interior of St Petrock's today, looking west towards the tower. The tall, slender pillar to the right supports one corner of the tower itself. The gothic arches to the left, now blocked by modern partitioning, mark the original south wall of the medieval building before the first south aisle was constructed in 1413. The columns and angel capitals date from the additions made in the 16th century. St Petrock's was one of only four of Exeter many parish churches that was allowed to remain operational throughout the Commonwealth of the mid-17th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJenkins paid it a visit in 1806 and left the following description: \"the Church is an irregular building, which appears to have been erected at different periods, and is so obscurely situated and surrounded by houses, that scarce any part of it can be seen, except the Tower\". Jenkins states that the tower held \"a clock with a double-fronted dial, that projects over the houses\" and which had \"a set of chimes, which plays part of the 137th Psalm, at the hours of 4, 8 and 12\". According to one source the clock was believed to date to 1470. This double-dialed clock no longer apparently exists.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xl8FoUgvQQo\/TxdURcoGEyI\/AAAAAAAAERU\/nhY2UTRjrck\/s1600\/Detail_St_Petrocks_Exeter.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699116512179524386\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xl8FoUgvQQo\/TxdURcoGEyI\/AAAAAAAAERU\/nhY2UTRjrck\/s640\/Detail_St_Petrocks_Exeter.JPG\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"445\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photo \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the  impressive capitals installed during the 16th century alterations. Carved angels each holding a shield, they represent a high level of  decoration unusual in Exeter's surviving parish churches and are  probably a reflection of the mercantile power of St Petrock's Tudor  congregation. (It should be added that Pevsner said that these capitals \"must date from 1828\", although I don't understand the reasoning behind this claim. I see now reason not to think that they date to anything other than the 16th century.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJenkins's point about the church being surrounded by other buildings is interesting. The photo at the top of this post shows two blocked windows at street level in the north wall, so at some point the north wall must've been free of obstruction, the windows installed and then blocked at a later date with the erection of houses. The blocking of these windows probably explains why the nave was heightened in the 16th century and the clerestory windows inserted. These dwellings, referred to by Cresswell as \"shabby little houses that huddled against the church\", were subsequently demolished in 1905, revealing once again the north wall (and the blocked windows). The tablet on the wall of the tower states: \"Obscured for two centuries, this church and tower were again brought into view by the widening of the High Street in the year of Grace 1905\" above which are carved the heraldic arms of Exeter Cathedral and the arms of England. The poppy head ornamentation around the north door was also added at this time.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-duRErjf5pDg\/TxdWbT7EXaI\/AAAAAAAAERg\/M0ZO6doS-DY\/s1600\/St%2BPetrock%2BChancel.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699118880665132450\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-duRErjf5pDg\/TxdWbT7EXaI\/AAAAAAAAERg\/M0ZO6doS-DY\/s640\/St%2BPetrock%2BChancel.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"410\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photo \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows the 1881 chancel from Cathedral Yard with its five-light traceried window, the octagonal belfry visible in the background.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 1828-1829 yet more alterations were made when the south aisle of 1587 was enlarged to designs by Charles Hedgeland, the son of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\"\u003ECaleb Hedgeland\u003C\/a\u003E. The vaults were sealed over, new windows were let into the roof to improve the internal lighting, a new organ was installed and a new altar-piece was added to the chancel. Trewman's 'Exeter Flying Post' reported that the church had been \"nearly  rebuilt\" when it opened its doors again on 15 November 1829.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd then in 1881 even more alterations were undertaken. By now the church had totally outgrown its 14th century form of a nave and chancel, and the almost endless extensions had created a church which was wider than it was long. The 1881 extension resulted in a drastic rearrangement of the church's interior. A new chancel was built to the south and the liturgical orientation of the church was turned through 90 degrees resulting in a north-south alignment with the altar at the south end. The old medieval chancel was converted into a baptistry.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese changes led the notable architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner to declare that the interior of St Petrock's was \"among the most confusing of any church in the whole of England\". The chancel was built on land purchased from the nearby \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/globe-inn-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003EGlobe Inn\u003C\/a\u003E (destroyed in 1942) and had an exposed pine roof, the chancel arch supported on small columns of Devonshire marble quarried from Ipplepen. A small lobby gave access into the Cathedral Yard and this is essentially how the church remains today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-KID9gTmplRs\/Txdae6obKOI\/AAAAAAAAERs\/pWzXQKWVfzo\/s1600\/Hooper%2BMemorial_St%2BPetrocks_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699123340642035938\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-KID9gTmplRs\/Txdae6obKOI\/AAAAAAAAERs\/pWzXQKWVfzo\/s640\/Hooper%2BMemorial_St%2BPetrocks_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"441\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESt Petrock's contains a number of fine 17th and 18th century memorials, including the one shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E to William and Mary Hooper and which dates to the mid-1680s, the oldest being a tablet commemorating William Hurst, five times mayor of Exeter who died in 1568. William Hurst founded the almshouses which took his name outside of the East Gate and which eventually became the site of the Regency \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/devon-and-exeter-subscription-rooms.html\"\u003EDevon and Exeter Subscription Rooms\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlso placed here is John Weston's 'Last Judgement' sculptural tablet which was relocated following the demolition of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/st-kerrians-north-street.html\"\u003ESt Kerrian's\u003C\/a\u003E in North Street in 1878, described by Pevsner as \"a remarkable piece of carving\". The belfry holds six bells, dating from the 15th to the 18th century and which are believed to be one of the lightest peals of six anywhere in Britain. The parish registers are some of the most complete in Devon too, surviving uninterrupted from 1538, the first year that Thomas Cromwell ordered that they be kept in every parish across England. The large collection of silver plate dates to between 1572 to 1692.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-HQ6ubc0rIU0\/UVrkn4JtZCI\/AAAAAAAAGIQ\/0u-eW1MPCmE\/s1600\/St+Petrock+PM+1905.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-HQ6ubc0rIU0\/UVrkn4JtZCI\/AAAAAAAAGIQ\/0u-eW1MPCmE\/s640\/St+Petrock+PM+1905.jpg\" width=\"511\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ENot surprisingly, most of the historic buildings which once formed part of the parish of St Petrock's have been destroyed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eleft\u003C\/i\u003E shows a 1905 map of the city overlaid onto a modern aerial photo. Only those buildings that lay within the historical boundary of St Petrock's parish are highlighted. Buildings demolished since 1905 are highlighted in red, a consequence mainly of wartime damage in 1942 and, north of the High Street, post-war redevelopment for the Guildhall Shopping Centre. The only buildings in the parish that pre-date 1905 are highlighted in purple.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp;The most significant change in recent years has been the division of the church into two areas. The only area now open freely to the public is accessed via the north door in the High Street. A partition has recently been installed which divides the church roughly at a point where the original medieval south wall once stood, returning St Petrock's to something close to its medieval proportions. The rest of the building, including most of the 16th century and later alterations comprises the premises of a charity for the homeless, called 'St Petrock's'. It's worth visiting the accessible part of the church though, despite what Pevsner called its \"peculiar secular character\", as the interior is remarkably light and airy.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photo \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E shows St Petrock's as it appears on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECaleb Hedgeland's early 19th century model of Exeter\u003C\/a\u003E. The High Street can be seen running in front of the church with properties obscuring its north wall. The passageway that led to the church's entrance was through one of the houses on the High Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-NlgEfYUHgc0\/UVrtSPuxZcI\/AAAAAAAAGIg\/9yUVWMzxbOY\/s1600\/St+Petrock+Hedgeland.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"406\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-NlgEfYUHgc0\/UVrtSPuxZcI\/AAAAAAAAGIg\/9yUVWMzxbOY\/s640\/St+Petrock+Hedgeland.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2634271008855655636\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=2634271008855655636","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2634271008855655636"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2634271008855655636"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/st-petrocks-church-high-street.html","title":"St Petrock's Church, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-F1J93--kwBI\/TxdPaYoqFvI\/AAAAAAAAEQY\/eaHx23E5lvU\/s72-c\/St%2BPetrocks_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-7528469828026643954"},"published":{"$t":"2011-03-06T16:57:00.025+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T15:25:07.135+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Guildhall Shopping Centre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"North Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 22, 23 \u0026 24, North Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ennbxjrd59Q\/TxSix1h2lrI\/AAAAAAAAEDc\/SLyNXtiqOng\/s1600\/22%252C%2B23%252C%2B24%2BNorth_Street_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698358405596878514\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ennbxjrd59Q\/TxSix1h2lrI\/AAAAAAAAEDc\/SLyNXtiqOng\/s1600\/22%252C%2B23%252C%2B24%2BNorth_Street_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe site of Nos. 22, 23 and 24 in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E is now under the multi-storey \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/mary-arches-street.html\"\u003EMary Arches Street\u003C\/a\u003E car park. Built in the 1970s, the construction of the car park, planned in the 1960s, resulted in the complete demolition of all of the buildings on the corner of North Street and Bartholomew Street East. Most of the buildings that were destroyed only dated to the late 1800s, when much of the west side of North Street was demolished in order to widen the road, although Nos. 22, 23 and 24 had a slightly different fate, even if the end result was the same.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn 02 July 1862 a report appeared in Trewman's 'Exeter Flying Post' under the title \"Fall of a House in North Street\". \"Local archaeologists\", the article beings, \"will learn with regret that one of the oldest houses in North Street, the once, no doubt, splendid residence of some of the wealthiest of those old citizens, whose portraits now adorn the walls of Exeter Guildhall, has just fallen down before, what they will perhaps consider, the sacrilegious hand of modern improvement.\" What makes the demolition of this ancient building of particular interest is that its destruction was the result of accident rather than design.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESince at least the 15th century until the 18th century, North Street had  been one of the most salubrious residential areas within the city  walls, lined with the townhouses of some of Exeter's richest  citizens.  It appears that Nos. 22, 23 and 24 actually comprised a single vast house that had been subdivided into separate tenements with shop fronts facing onto North Street. A similar situation existed at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/nos-19-20-north-street.html\"\u003ENos. 19 and 20\u003C\/a\u003E, just one house away on the same side of the street, where a colossal early-17th century, timber-frame mansion was divided into two houses. (In fact the same thing happened to most of Exeter's medieval and post-medieval timber-frame buildings that had survived into the 19th century, especially in South Street, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html\"\u003EPaul Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/preston-street-demolished.html\"\u003EPreston Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/smythen-street.html\"\u003ESmythen Street\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/slum-clearance-of-stepcote-hill.html\"\u003EStepcote Hill\u003C\/a\u003E.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAccording to the report, Nos. 22, 23 and 24 once fomed a \"handsome structure\" that dated back to the 1560s having had \"400 years [of] uninterrupted existence.\" The report contains a brief description of the building: \"It is built in the light airy style of the day with bow windows, ornamented with scroll work, apparently carved in oak\", and then goes on to describe the process by which it had been converted into tenements: \"In the course of its 400 years, however, this once almost palatial edifice has passed through the vicissitudes of seedy splendour. Courts, crowded with industrious aritizans and their families, have grown up around it on all sides, occupied its gardens, and hemmed it in reducing its goodly proportions to such an extent that what was once the cynosure of all eyes has long since been scarcely noticed, except by those who looked at its upper stories, towering above the buildings by its sides. Its drawing rooms have been turned into bed chambers, its entrance hall partitioned off into shops\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs far as I know the only image of the house prior to 1862 appears in a drawing of North Street by the Exeter artist John Gendall, shown at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post © Devon County Council. It dates to c1840 and depicts the view down North Street towards the Iron Bridge (visible stretching away towards St David's in the distance). The magnificent twin-gabled facade of Nos. 19 and 20 appears on the left. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/nos-17-18-north-street.html\"\u003ENo. 18\u003C\/a\u003E, with its pedimented oriel windows, is just visible to the far left. Next to Nos. 19 and 20 is a brick-built facade, probably from the late 18th century. This was No. 21 North Street. The twin-gabled house, highlighted in red, must be the late-Elizabethan townhouse that was Nos. 22, 23 and 24. Unfortunately the drawing fails to show the house in any sort of detail.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the summer of 1862 No. 22 North Street, one of the three tenements carved out of the Tudor house, was purchased by a builder from Magdalen Street called Mr Knowling. Apparently Knowling bought the property for his son to use as a grocer's shop and quickly began to effect \"some alterations, with the view of enlarging the underground cellars\", work which necessitated the removal of a \"quantity of the foundations\". Work progressed with Knowling adding props underneath the building to secure it until the improvements had been completed. But the old house was having none of it. What the newspaper report refers to as \"several slips...in the structure\" should've indicated to the builder that he was fatally undermining his newly-acquired house. The report ruefully adds that \"Mr Knowling...seems to have trusted a little too much to the stability of the house\" and carried on the work \"beyond what might be considered either prudent or safe\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the early hours of Monday 30 June 1862 an old woman and her daughter, who were living on the upper floors of No. 22, noticed something was drastically wrong as the 400-year-old timber framework started to give way above its damaged foundations. They fled the building and within minutes one entire wing of the property \"came down with a crash, to the great dismay of the denizens of the neighbourhood.\" Neighbouring properties were evacuated, as was the still standing portion of the 16th century townhouse. No-one was injured, but in the aftermath of the collapse the rest of the building i.e. Nos. 23 and 24 was demolished.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEven if Knowling hadn't demolished his own house in 1862 it would almost  certainly have been removed as part of the local authority's  road-widening scheme in the 1890s. The mid-Victorian buildings that replaced the old house were either demolished then or in the 1960s in anticipation of the construction of the Mary Arches Street car park. Either way, the site today is occupied by the strikingly ugly car park, the Spaghetti House restaurant that cowers beneath the Brutalist structure marking the spot where the old townhouse once stood:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-t0MWX13Sjv8\/TXQU2xKR_lI\/AAAAAAAABXk\/R6r1_fvNCJM\/s1600\/North%2BStreet_2010.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581108769360838226\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-t0MWX13Sjv8\/TXQU2xKR_lI\/AAAAAAAABXk\/R6r1_fvNCJM\/s640\/North%2BStreet_2010.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/7528469828026643954\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=7528469828026643954","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7528469828026643954"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7528469828026643954"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/03\/nos-22-23-24-north-street.html","title":"Nos. 22, 23 \u0026 24, North Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ennbxjrd59Q\/TxSix1h2lrI\/AAAAAAAAEDc\/SLyNXtiqOng\/s72-c\/22%252C%2B23%252C%2B24%2BNorth_Street_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-2389629790129082905"},"published":{"$t":"2011-02-26T14:51:00.041+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-02T20:09:56.708+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Guildhall Shopping Centre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"North Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"St Kerrian's Church, North Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-_DtunbAkX5c\/TwWDHhnGtcI\/AAAAAAAADBE\/Qv89vkOpi9s\/s1600\/St%2BKerrian%2BLast%2BJudgement.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694101469184570818\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-_DtunbAkX5c\/TwWDHhnGtcI\/AAAAAAAADBE\/Qv89vkOpi9s\/s400\/St%2BKerrian%2BLast%2BJudgement.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"366\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EFirst mentioned in 1194 as 'Capella Sancti Kerani', the little church dedicated to St Kerrian that stood in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E until 1878 had one of the most unusual dedications of any church in Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately no-one seems to know exactly which Kerrian was the church's saint. There are numerous possibilities, including two Irish saints, Ciarán of Clonmacnoise and Ciarán of Saigir, and another Irish saint called St Piran (the patron saint of tin miners), much venerated in Cornwall and possibly an alternative name for either of the two Irish Ciaráns. The village of St Keverne in the far west of Cornwall has a large parish church dedicated to St Akeveranus who had been equated with St Ciarán of Saigir by the mid-13th century. Any of these are possible, 'Kerrian' being simply a corruption of the saint's name. Beatrix Cresswell, along with most other 19th and early 20th century historians, believed that the church in Exeter was dedicated to St Piran but had retained its authentic Irish spelling with a 'C' or 'K' and that it was used by tin miners who came to Exeter to sell the tin mined on Dartmoor and in Cornwall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe truth behind this unusual and rare dedication in Exeter is likely to remain unknown. The church almost certainly predated the Conquest of 1066 and was probably founded by Christianised Celts who are thought to have inhabited this part of Exeter after the collapse of the Roman city of Isca Dumnoniorum in the 5th century (other churches possibly founded by the Britons included St Petrock, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/parish-and-church-of-st-paul_21.html\"\u003ESt Paul\u003C\/a\u003E (of Leon), \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-arches-mary-arches.html\"\u003ESt Mary Arches\u003C\/a\u003E and St David). St Kerrian's is one of the churches mentioned by Peter de Palerna c1200.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-3_xxkJ9dCSE\/UVsqiLKifVI\/AAAAAAAAGI8\/IGcP6_2N7Ps\/s1600\/St+Kerrian+PM+1905.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-3_xxkJ9dCSE\/UVsqiLKifVI\/AAAAAAAAGI8\/IGcP6_2N7Ps\/s1600\/St+Kerrian+PM+1905.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E is based on the medieval parish boundary of St Kerrian's. It shows a 1905 map of the city overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBuildings that were once within the parish boundary but which have been demolished since 1905 are highlighted in red. Surviving properties which pre-date 1905 are shown in purple.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe surviving buildings on the south-west side of North Street were largely rebuilt in the late 19th century for road-widening, although several 17th century townhouses of some importance do survive behind later brick facades. The demolished\u0026nbsp; properties on the north-east side of the street was nearly all destroyed in the 1970s for the Guildhall Shopping Centre. The parish suffered minimal bomb damge in 1942.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe church was united with the church of St Petrock on the High Street after the Reformation and during the Commonwealth, on 11 May 1658, it was sold to its parishioners for just over £63. Despite being put back into use after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 the church appears to have gradually declined, but the parish itself was exceptionally wealthy. Hoskins believed that \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Stephen's\u003C\/a\u003E and St Kerrian's were the two richest parishes in Exeter at the end of the 17th century, a suggestion borne out by the existence of the towering \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/nos-19-20-north-street.html\"\u003Eearly 17th century merchant houses\u003C\/a\u003E that existed in North Street until the end of the 1800s. This was the area where the wealth of Exeter's cloth industry was centered and where merchants converted their money into immense timber-framed houses as proof of their financial success. But, as happened so often in Exeter, that money rarely enriched the city's parish churches which remained relatively modest. St Kerrian's was no different. The church only had one bell, recast from two earlier bells in 1758 by Thomas Bayley of Bridgwater and inscribed \"John Coombe Clerk of St Kerrian\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-PRL3M2f985s\/TwV-hXzs6zI\/AAAAAAAADAs\/fVRRGa9iptQ\/s1600\/1617%2BBraun%2Band%2BHogenberg_St%2BKerrian_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694096415671511858\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-PRL3M2f985s\/TwV-hXzs6zI\/AAAAAAAADAs\/fVRRGa9iptQ\/s1600\/1617%2BBraun%2Band%2BHogenberg_St%2BKerrian_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFew descriptions of the church survive and one of the very few images of the church is that shown on the 1587 map of Exeter by Braun and Hogenburg, highlighted in red\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E left\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E. Unfortunately no photographs or accurate illustrations survive of either the exterior or the interior. Jenkins has little to say about the building that is complimentary in his description of 1806: \"[The church] is dark and gloomy, and from its not being used for Divine Service, little attention is paid to its interior part; the tower, which is over the entrance, is low, and contains one bell and a clock, with a dial fronting the street; this church bears evident marks of antiquity.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's probable that the church Jenkins saw dated from the 1400s and would've been constructed from the local red sandstone known as Heavitree breccia. It measured 48ft in length with a width of just 18ft. It was aligned east\/west, the entrance being underneath the tower which faced onto North Street itself (this doorway is visible in the 1587 map). It seems that the only memorial of significance inside was a monument to Jonathan Ivie who died on 14 March 1717 \"on the base of which is an excellent carving in bas-relief, representing the resurrection at the day of judgement\" (Jenkins). This mural tablet was carved by a local sculptor called John Weston in the early 18th century and is regarded as one of the finest things of its kind in Exeter. (When St Kerrian's was demolished in 1878 this mural tablet, shown in the photograph at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post, was relocated to St Petrock's on the High Street where it can still be seen today. A similar example from Ashprington church in South Devon, also by Weston, was removed in the 1960s but in 1991 it was purchased by Exeter's Royal Albert Memorial Museum at auction for £4,680.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-aybdCUGBR6U\/TwWAyA1itEI\/AAAAAAAADA4\/T-JDQTUXxaA\/s1600\/Kerrian_Hedgeland.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694098900586247234\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-aybdCUGBR6U\/TwWAyA1itEI\/AAAAAAAADA4\/T-JDQTUXxaA\/s640\/Kerrian_Hedgeland.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"489\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows a detail from Caleb Hedgeland's wooden model of Exeter which he completed in 1824. It shows St Kerrian's, highlighted in red, facing onto North Street. Stylistically, there appears to have been relatively little change to the church since 1587.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy 1800 the church was surrounded on three sides by buildings but until the 14th century it had sat on the corner of North Street with a long narrow lane called Trichay Street. Trichay Street ran from North Street all the way to Pancras Lane, exiting almost opposite another tiny medieval church: St Pancras (now surrounded by the 1970s Guildhall Shopping Centre). Trichay Street had been in existence since at least 1349, the date when the rectory for St Kerrian's was constructed in the entrance from Trichay Street into North Street. The rectory effectively blocked Trichay Street at its western end. Hoskins writes that \"it is odd that the city fathers should have allowed the rector of St Kerrian's to block the street like this\", but apparently they demanded that right of way into the rectory be given to the city via \"a key in time of war or whenever the need or use of the city may demand it\". Hoskins believed that the little street's name was formed by the word 'hay', meaning 'enclosure' with the addition of an unknown prefix. Trichay Street survived until the early 1970s when it was totally obliterated by Exeter City Council to build the Guildhall Shopping Centre.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 1875 the City Council started to plan the demolition of St Kerrian's. The church hadn't been used for regular services for many years and it was a prime candidate for destruction given the Council's intentions regarding the widening of North Street. Trewman's 'Exeter Flying Post' on 06 October 1875 reported that the Council wanted \"to apply for power to take so much of the site of the Church of St Kerrian as might be required for widening of North Street at that point\". The stumbling block was that the church was still on consecrated ground. A report was sent to a Parliamentary Committee which in turn suggested that the consecrated ground would create unnecessary difficulties and that it might be better to shelve the plans to remove the church. The councillors however were determined, believing that \"the matter was rather more serious than the Committee might have first thought\". A motion to re-refer the matter to the Parliamentary Committee was passed and on 13 November 1878, just over three years later, the church was demolished.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z-6sIsYFiGA\/TW2FjcgaI-I\/AAAAAAAABW8\/sVuN48OCw60\/s1600\/1879%2BJuly%2B2%2BKerrian%2BClock%2BTower.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579262357375951842\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z-6sIsYFiGA\/TW2FjcgaI-I\/AAAAAAAABW8\/sVuN48OCw60\/s1600\/1879%2BJuly%2B2%2BKerrian%2BClock%2BTower.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAs happened at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/st-georges-church-south-street.html\"\u003ESt George's\u003C\/a\u003E in South Street, much of the site was fenced off with railings and a little commemorative stone was erected that recounted a brief history of the church. On 02 July 1879 a notice appeared in the 'Exeter Flying Post' \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E asking for tenders to construct a \"clock turret and house\" along with the installation of the railings. The clock tower was duly built of brick, with a small bell turret above and capped with a terracotta slate roof (a photograph of it can be seen \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.exetermemories.co.uk\/EM\/_story\/stories\/northstclock.jpg\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E). After nearly a century the tower was demolished by the local authority, along with the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/elephant-inn-no-37-north-street.html\"\u003EElephant Inn\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/no-38-north-street.html\"\u003ENo. 38 North Street\u003C\/a\u003E and nearly every other surviving building on the east side of North Street in order to build the Guildhall Shopping Centre, and today there is no sign that the church ever existed:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-QIDmm-BLxO0\/TW2Lq1zYAiI\/AAAAAAAABXM\/G8HN6jMWFfU\/s1600\/Site%2Bof%2BSt%2BKerrian_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579269081495241250\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-QIDmm-BLxO0\/TW2Lq1zYAiI\/AAAAAAAABXM\/G8HN6jMWFfU\/s640\/Site%2Bof%2BSt%2BKerrian_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"395\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2389629790129082905\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=2389629790129082905","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2389629790129082905"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2389629790129082905"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/st-kerrians-north-street.html","title":"St Kerrian's Church, North Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-_DtunbAkX5c\/TwWDHhnGtcI\/AAAAAAAADBE\/Qv89vkOpi9s\/s72-c\/St%2BKerrian%2BLast%2BJudgement.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4176976733440820189"},"published":{"$t":"2011-02-24T22:24:00.028+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T15:21:35.198+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Guildhall Shopping Centre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inns and Taverns"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"North Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"No. 37, North Street: The Elephant Inn"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-37CjaJhb2vk\/TxS2XK7KK1I\/AAAAAAAAEFI\/0_E0ltB3IT8\/s1600\/Elephant%2BInn%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698379937716251474\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-37CjaJhb2vk\/TxS2XK7KK1I\/AAAAAAAAEFI\/0_E0ltB3IT8\/s640\/Elephant%2BInn%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe engraving by Herbert Railton \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E dates to around 1896. It shows the view towards \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E from a narrow alley which ran between the Elephant inn and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/no-38-north-street.html\"\u003ENo. 38 North Street\u003C\/a\u003E and which led to the inn's stabling at the rear. The side wall and chimney stacks of No. 38 are on the left of the alley. On the right is the side wall of the Elephant inn itself. As can be seen in the distance, the inn spanned the alley at its entrance into North Street in two places creating a covered passageway.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately nobody seems to know the origin of its name, which dated to at least the 18th century. Robert Dymond, in his useful paper on Exeter's old inns and taverns from 1880, mentions the inn briefly: \"The Elephant, in North Street, another old inn presenting the characteristic feature of a covered way, is mentioned at least as early as the beginning of the last century [i.e. c1700].\" Hoskins put the date of the inn's construction back into the 17th century when, he wrote, it appeared \"to have been rebuilt\". The inn was sold at auction in 1819, an advertisement appearing in Trewman's 'Exeter Flying Post' announcing the event \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E. The advert states that the inn was \"roomy, commodious and well-accustomed\" having been established \"for considerably more than Half a Century\". It also mentions a yard and four stables, with stalls for up to 14 horses.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-RdCuzkP9Jdw\/TxS2wdhHnyI\/AAAAAAAAEFU\/ULovUw8-RHU\/s1600\/1819%2B21%2BOct%2BElephant%2BInn.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698380372204035874\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-RdCuzkP9Jdw\/TxS2wdhHnyI\/AAAAAAAAEFU\/ULovUw8-RHU\/s400\/1819%2B21%2BOct%2BElephant%2BInn.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 272px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 333px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe facade had been rebuilt c1900, probably as a consequence of the city's obsession with road-widening. I'm not aware of any images which show the original facade but it was replaced with a mock-Tudor arrangement of half-timbering although the rest of the inn seems to have remained essentially a 17th century building.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUp until the 1970s, the Elephant Inn sat amongst what Hoskins called \"an interesting little group of late fifteenth century houses\". Nos. 34 \u0026amp; 35 dated largely to c1600, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/medieval-merchants-at-no-36-north.html\"\u003ENo. 36 North Street\u003C\/a\u003E dated to the mid-1400s, No. 37, the Elephant Inn, was 17th century and adajcent to it, across the other side of the narrow passageway leading to the stables, was No. 38 North Street, one of Exeter's most important surviving historic domestic buildings and \"a good example internally of a fifteenth century dwelling house\" (Hoskins). Further up the road was No. 44 North Street, a Grade II listed building from c1800. Every single one of them was demolished by the local authority in 1972 to construct the Guildhall Shopping Centre. Today there is no sign that the inn, the stables, or the narrow covered passageway ever existed. The site sits somewhere to the left of the ramp shown in the photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-h25tLfbzKRY\/TWgf2iwJV7I\/AAAAAAAABWU\/_B2jkoRboVg\/s1600\/The%2BElephant%2BInn.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"392\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577743160400500658\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-h25tLfbzKRY\/TWgf2iwJV7I\/AAAAAAAABWU\/_B2jkoRboVg\/s640\/The%2BElephant%2BInn.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4176976733440820189\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4176976733440820189","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4176976733440820189"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4176976733440820189"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/elephant-inn-no-37-north-street.html","title":"No. 37, North Street: The Elephant Inn"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-37CjaJhb2vk\/TxS2XK7KK1I\/AAAAAAAAEFI\/0_E0ltB3IT8\/s72-c\/Elephant%2BInn%2BExeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-1125665984782082413"},"published":{"$t":"2011-02-14T13:12:00.069+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T15:19:39.827+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Eastgate"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inns and Taverns"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Devon and Exeter Subscription Rooms, London Inn Square"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-n1fSv4aMA58\/TxSofGeABxI\/AAAAAAAAEDo\/Uk2nKiUL_Fw\/s1600\/New%2BLondon%2BInn%2BSquare%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698364680796374802\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-n1fSv4aMA58\/TxSofGeABxI\/AAAAAAAAEDo\/Uk2nKiUL_Fw\/s1600\/New%2BLondon%2BInn%2BSquare%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EMore wartime destruction, this time of the late-Georgian Devon and Exeter Subscription Rooms \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E also known as the Royal Subscription Rooms or the Royal Public Rooms. As always in Exeter, the site upon which the Subscription Rooms were built had a long history stretching back many centuries. Prior to the Rooms' construction the land had been partially occupied by the old Bristol inn and three tenements. Adjacent to this group of buildings, closer to where Northernhay Place is today, were Hurst's Almshouses described by Jenkins in 1806 as \"six small houses, with a small garden behind, built for twelve poor tradesmen of this city, or their widows, built by William Hurst, Esq.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWilliam Hurst was a five-times mayor of the city who had endowed the almshouses on 13 October 1567. Situated outside of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\"\u003EEast Gate\u003C\/a\u003E, the gardens of the almshouses would've backed onto the exterior of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Ethe city wall\u003C\/a\u003E. A report on the demolition of the almshouses and the Bristol inn, and the subsequent building of the Subscription Rooms appears in a report made to the House of Commons in 1834. Since the East Gate had been demolished in 1784 it had, states the report, \"been in the contemplation of the [Exeter] chamber to improve the buildings on the outside of the gate, which were old and in a very dilapidated state.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-pEOx1ikSHzY\/TxSqu6CJ6BI\/AAAAAAAAED0\/87mu6ygjeGA\/s1600\/Braun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_Hursts%2BAlmshouses.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698367151359518738\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-pEOx1ikSHzY\/TxSqu6CJ6BI\/AAAAAAAAED0\/87mu6ygjeGA\/s400\/Braun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_Hursts%2BAlmshouses.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 324px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe 1587 Braun and Hogenberg map of Exeter \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows what are almost certainly the six almshouses mentioned by Jenkins, highlighted in red. Given that the almshouses were directly in the firing line during the English Civil War it seems likely that they would've been either deliberately slighted by the defenders to prevent them being used by the city's besiegers or they would've suffered damage from cannon fire and musket shot. It therefore seems probable that the physical bulk of the almshouses dated to the second half of the 17th century even if their foundation was much older.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe city's plans to rebuild the site of the Bristol inn, the three tenements and the six small almshouses soon ran into problems. The city chamber got its hands on the Bristol inn in 1795 but the three tenements appear to have been part of the original deed of 1567, their rents being used to help with the maintenance of the almshouses and occupied on a lease-for-life basis. The chamber could do nothing until the tenants in the three tenements died. The last tenant died in 1818, and from 1795 until then the Bristol inn had been leased out on a yearly contract. According to the parliamentary report, in 1818 the three tenements were found \"to be in a very ruinous and scarcely habitable state\". It was agreed between the chamber and the lessors that the three tenements would be demolished and new houses constructed in their place.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-JZxXcwkGs4E\/TxStvNcIKoI\/AAAAAAAAEEA\/RT0B_WdPfIk\/s1600\/Eastgate_2011_1905%2BSubscription%2BRooms.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698370455103613570\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-JZxXcwkGs4E\/TxStvNcIKoI\/AAAAAAAAEEA\/RT0B_WdPfIk\/s640\/Eastgate_2011_1905%2BSubscription%2BRooms.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"498\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image left shows a detail from the 1905 map of Exeter overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area. The oval bulk of the recent Next building is to the bottom. The Debenhams tower block is the top right. A wide range of interesting pre-war buildings can be seen around Eastgate. The \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/new-london-inn-new-london-inn-square.html\"\u003ENew London inn\u003C\/a\u003E is highlighted in purple. The \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/eastgate-arcade-and-coffee-tavern.html\"\u003EEastgate Arcade and Coffee Tavern\u003C\/a\u003E are highlighted in green and yellow respectively. Nos. 266 and 267 High Street, built in the 1770s from the recycled stones of the East Gate are highlighted in blue. The Subscription Rooms are highlighted in red. The area was totally rebuilt after it was bombed in 1942. It can be seen that the entrance into the Subscription Rooms was via London Inn Square and not the High Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe original intention seems to have been to keep the Bristol inn but, according to the same report, after the three tenements had been rebuilt the Bristol Inn \"formed such a contrast to them, that it could not with propriety be continued in its then state\". It was considered too expensive to modernise the Bristol inn but it is also apparent that from an architectural perspective the old inn, probably gabled with oriel windows and constructed from timber-framing under a stucco exterior, didn't fit into the modernising vision of the city chamber. In May 1819 the site of the Bristol Inn was offered up as a leasehold \"for the purpose of erecting public rooms thereon\". The report goes on to state that it \"appears to have been an essential  part of this proposal, that the almshouses should be removed, and their  site included in such a lease\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA letter in Trewman's 'Exeter Flying Post' on 08 April 1874 gives a brief description of the Bristol inn and almshouses prior to their demolition. Written by 'A Former Resident', the letter states that the Bristol inn had \"two entrances; one in the London Inn Square, wide enough for coaches to enter, the other in the High Street...Behind this inn was a very large yard and garden, running the whole [length] of the Subscription Rooms. In front of this stood some almshouses, and being very much decayed, were destroyed\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-1Afn5TgtwBs\/TxSw6rNvrVI\/AAAAAAAAEEY\/OVaMRQ9PbxA\/s1600\/London%2BInn%2BSquare.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"431\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698373950609796434\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-1Afn5TgtwBs\/TxSw6rNvrVI\/AAAAAAAAEEY\/OVaMRQ9PbxA\/s640\/London%2BInn%2BSquare.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe engraving \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E dates to c1830 and shows the Subscription Rooms within the context of London Inn Square, looking into the square from the High Street. To the right is Nosworthy's 1794 New London inn. To the immediate right of the neo-Classical facade of the Subscription Rooms is what looks like an empty plot of land, perhaps the original location of Hurst's Almshouses that hadn't yet been built on. Northernhay Place, which leads into Northernhay Gardens, has yet to be built. The scene remained almost unchanged until the demolition of the New London inn in 1936. The rest of the buildings were destroyed in 1942. Hurst's Almshouses were demolished in 1819 and twelve new almshouses were built in Belgrave Road, near Paris Street in 1821. (These almshouses stood until 1959 when, despite surviving the Blitz of 1942, they were demolished by Exeter City Council in order to build the new bus station.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt seems that some members of the city chamber questioned at the time whether the land on which the almshouses stood didn't actually belong to the city, implying that William Hurst didn't have the legal right to endow the almshouses in perpetuity (and therefore giving the chamber total claim to the land!). It's possible that the almshouses were constructed over the ditch which ran along the base of the city wall, technically the property of the city chamber. The parliamentary report dismissed the suggestion but did state that one of the new houses built near to the Bristol Inn already belonged to the chamber, \"the site of it being the spot where the [north] tower of the East Gate stood\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5S-MQ29ojAg\/TxSyYd3-cwI\/AAAAAAAAEEk\/LktxhSPokHw\/s1600\/1819%2B29%2BJuly%2BPublic%2BRooms_Exeter_FP.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698375561936532226\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5S-MQ29ojAg\/TxSyYd3-cwI\/AAAAAAAAEEk\/LktxhSPokHw\/s400\/1819%2B29%2BJuly%2BPublic%2BRooms_Exeter_FP.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 227px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAnyway, despite all of that the scene was set for the creation of the Subscription Rooms. Prior to their construction the only place for public events, concerts, exhibitions and dances within the city was in the assembly room at the Hotel i.e. the Royal Clarence Hotel in Cathedral Yard, which had opened in 1769. An advert in the 'Exeter Flying Post' on 29 July 1819\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E left\u003C\/span\u003E announced that a \"plan, specification and proposals for building these rooms\" could be seen at the New London inn from the 02 August 1819. The architect of the Devon and Exeter Subscription Rooms was William Burgess, a local man who had recently remodelled the medieval church of St Sidwell's just outside of the city walls (damaged in 1942 and later demolished). The Subscription Rooms were financed by subscription from members of the local gentry.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ywo_OeEybZc\/TxSzHa7TopI\/AAAAAAAAEEw\/0Ft48vixN9s\/s1600\/Subscription%2BRooms%2Bc1860%2BWCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698376368599048850\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ywo_OeEybZc\/TxSzHa7TopI\/AAAAAAAAEEw\/0Ft48vixN9s\/s400\/Subscription%2BRooms%2Bc1860%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 283px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe two chief architectural features of the Subscription Rooms were its huge neo-Classical facade and the ball room inside. The three-bay facade had a width of 44ft. The ground floor featured a large central arched entrance way with two tall, arched windows on either side. The central bay of the facade projected out slightly into London Inn Square and on either side of the central bay were gigantic columns with Ionic capitals. The second floor had rectangular windows surrounded by simple decorative mouldings with a third floor merely suggested by the use of three blind windows. The entablature had a cornice which ran across the entire facade. The whole was probably constructed from brick with stucco applied to the outer face, with 'joints' incised into the lower floor to resemble blocks of stone.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs can be seen on the map above, the Subscription Rooms were an 'L' shaped building with the ball room at a right angle to the main entrance. Internally, the building comprised several small exhibition rooms and the ball room itself. The ball room was 91ft long by 41ft wide with a height of over 40ft. At least one end of the ball room had two pairs of Ionic columns which matched the ones on the exterior while around the walls were pairs of Ionic pilasters. The room was illuminated by an arch-dome ceiling from the centre of which hung a large chandelier. As the 'Devon and Cornwall Illustrated' said in 1832, it was \"on a scale of magnitude and elegance commensurate with the city to which it belongs\". As far as I know, the illustration \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council is the only depiction of the interior of the Subscription Rooms which exists. It shows the ball room being used as a space for an art exhibition c1860.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-5IXIzHV2dNQ\/TV7fSVaVKSI\/AAAAAAAABTM\/NQSNuFkixs8\/s1600\/1820%2BOct%2B12%2BSubscription%2BRooms%2BConcert%2BAdvert%2B1.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575138894809475362\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-5IXIzHV2dNQ\/TV7fSVaVKSI\/AAAAAAAABTM\/NQSNuFkixs8\/s400\/1820%2BOct%2B12%2BSubscription%2BRooms%2BConcert%2BAdvert%2B1.jpg\" style=\"cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 265px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Subscription Rooms opened on 17 October 1820 with a \"Grand Musical Festival\" \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E which consisted of six separate performances spread over four whole days. The concert was organised by James Paddon, the organist at Exeter Cathedral who conducted the orchestra, soloists and choir from the piano. There were extended extracts from 'The Messiah', and music by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven (who was still alive in Vienna at the time). From its opening until 1908 the Subscription Rooms were the centre of the city's social, cultural and political life. For almost a century the regional newspaper is full of references to musical concerts, plays, talks, meetings, auctions, speeches, balls and exhibitions of everything from paintings and sculpture to archaeological remains. For example, the rooms were used as part of the city's celebrations to mark the coronation of George IV in 1821. According to the 'Exeter Flying Post', the decorated ball room presented a \"most magnificent appearance\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Subscription Rooms survived in their late-Georgian form until November 1908 when it was converted into a cinema called the Hippodrome. The Hippodrome survived until February 1931 when it reopened as The Plaza, another cinema. Throughout these changes the neo-Classical facade survived intact, and it's likely that much of the Regency interior survived too, hidden beneath the conversion. Surviving photographs from the 1930s show a sadly neglected and run down exterior although it is to be hoped that had the building survived it might've been restored to its former glory. All the other properties which had replaced the Bristol inn, the almshouses and the three tenements in the 1820s had also survived relatively unchanged.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe entire building was engulfed by a giant fireball during the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/baedeker-raids-why-exeter-was-targetted.html\"\u003EBaedeker Raid\u003C\/a\u003E of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E. By the following morning there was nothing to see except rubble. The area was rebuilt after the war and the site of the Subscription Rooms is now Boots the Chemist. London Inn Square has also ceased to exist following the construction of what is now Waterstones bookshop. The small covered passageway between Boots and Waterstones \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E, leading through from the High Street to Bailey Street and Northernhay Place, runs past the long-vanished facade of the Subscription Rooms, which would've been on the right. Today there is no sign that the building was ever there.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-zC-uh_ol7aA\/TV7nlSpwVRI\/AAAAAAAABTc\/2CaYTUMuy0I\/s1600\/Site_of_Public_Rooms_GE_SV_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575148016579400978\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-zC-uh_ol7aA\/TV7nlSpwVRI\/AAAAAAAABTc\/2CaYTUMuy0I\/s640\/Site_of_Public_Rooms_GE_SV_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1125665984782082413\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=1125665984782082413","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1125665984782082413"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1125665984782082413"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/devon-and-exeter-subscription-rooms.html","title":"Devon and Exeter Subscription Rooms, London Inn Square"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-n1fSv4aMA58\/TxSofGeABxI\/AAAAAAAAEDo\/Uk2nKiUL_Fw\/s72-c\/New%2BLondon%2BInn%2BSquare%2BExeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5397346758608745269"},"published":{"$t":"2011-02-10T17:18:00.046+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T15:17:11.508+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Eastgate"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Victorian Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Eastgate Arcade and Coffee Tavern, Eastgate"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-M--W0lLSpyk\/TxdeJakUaOI\/AAAAAAAAESE\/KlU0AuINSos\/s1600\/Eastgate_Arcade_Exeter_NC.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699127369304140002\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-M--W0lLSpyk\/TxdeJakUaOI\/AAAAAAAAESE\/KlU0AuINSos\/s400\/Eastgate_Arcade_Exeter_NC.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"328\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAlmost opposite \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/nos-266-267-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 266 and 267\u003C\/a\u003E was the Eastgate Arcade. Eastgate was the name of the small area immediately outside of the city wall that had built up over centuries in the shadow of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\"\u003EEast Gate\u003C\/a\u003E. Similar areas existed at the city's other gatehouses e.g. at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/demolition-at-magdalen-street-holloway.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESouthgate\u003C\/a\u003E. By the beginning of the 20th century Eastgate was almost indistinguishable as being anything other than an extension of the High Street. The East Gate had gone and much of the city wall which had stood on either side of the gatehouse was buried behind other buildings.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn the left side of Eastgate was the London Inn Square onto which fronted both the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/new-london-inn-new-london-inn-square.html\"\u003ENew London Inn\u003C\/a\u003E and the Regency \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/devon-and-exeter-subscription-rooms.html\"\u003ERoyal Subscription Rooms\u003C\/a\u003E with exits into Northernhay Place and Longbrook Street. A little further on, on the right, was the entrance into \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/brief-history-of-southernhay_16.html\"\u003ESouthernhay\u003C\/a\u003E and then the entrance into Paris Street before Sidwell Street began. Today the entire area has been so completely altered by post-war rebuilding that it is almost impossible to recognise how the old street plan fitted into the 21st century city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-DlMZXeiapbE\/Txdg4SkrvkI\/AAAAAAAAESQ\/2fGdWwggBXM\/s1600\/Eastgate_2011_1905%2BArcade.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699130373635292738\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-DlMZXeiapbE\/Txdg4SkrvkI\/AAAAAAAAESQ\/2fGdWwggBXM\/s400\/Eastgate_2011_1905%2BArcade.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"311\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows part of Eastgate as it existed at the beginning of the 20th century overlaid onto a modern aerial photograph of the same area. The site of the old East Gate fortification is marked with a cross. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/nos-266-267-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 266 and 267\u003C\/a\u003E, built from the remains of the gate, are highlighted in light blue. London Inn Square is to the north of Eastgate, with the New London Inn itself highlighted in purpe and the Royal Subscription Rooms of 1820 in red. The Eastgate Arcade, running parallel with the exterior face of the city wall, is coloured green and the Eastgate Coffee Tavern in yellow.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFrom c1770 until 1880 the site of both the Eastgate Arcade and the Eastgate Coffee Tavern had been occupied by the substantial residence of the headmaster of St John's Hospital School, later Exeter Grammar School. Attached to the back of the headmaster's house was a very large playground. The site of the school was sold in November 1879 and the headmaster's residence, along with the accompanying playground, was purchased for £4,500 by the Exeter Coffee Tavern Company.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-eM8nc0nk9T0\/TxdhyRixNfI\/AAAAAAAAESc\/pi8E_ys8c-Y\/s1600\/Headmasters%2BResidence_East_Gate_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699131369791239666\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-eM8nc0nk9T0\/TxdhyRixNfI\/AAAAAAAAESc\/pi8E_ys8c-Y\/s640\/Headmasters%2BResidence_East_Gate_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"353\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe plan \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft,\u003C\/span\u003E drawn in 1878, shows the 18th century headmaster's residence fronting onto the High Street, the ancient \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Ecity wall\u003C\/a\u003E acting as a physical boundary between the playground and the rest of the school. (This entire section of the wall, a Schedued Ancient Monument, was demolished by the local authority during the post-war redevelopment in the 1950s). This was the extent of the parcel of land purchased by the Exeter Coffee Tavern Company in 1879, a company backed by the Temperance Movement. The problem for the Company was that the site was  massive, occupying nearly three-quarters of an acre and it far exceeded  the amount of land they actually needed to build their new coffee  tavern.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe idea for an indoor shopping arcade in Exeter on the same site had first been raised several years earlier but had come to nothing. It was only after the site had been purchased by the Exeter Coffee Tavern Company that interest in creating an arcade similar to those still found in many other cities in Britain resurfaced. The Exeter Coffee Tavern Company needed to get rid of the land which was surplus to their requirements. As reported in Trewman's 'Exeter Flying Post', a \"company was then formed to purchase the remainder and build thereon an Arcade which should connect High Street with Southernhay\". The Exeter Arcade Company purchased the surplus land for £4,000.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows the completed Eastgate  Arcade c1910. The Arcade itself is to the left, its arched entrance  clearly visible with a clock set into the gable of the roof. Most of the  buildings shown were destroyed in 1942 and none survive today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-mdgBHv27e1I\/TxdiiH5_RuI\/AAAAAAAAESo\/iIo2U24uDW0\/s1600\/exeterhighstreetand%2Bpostoffice.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699132191837996770\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-mdgBHv27e1I\/TxdiiH5_RuI\/AAAAAAAAESo\/iIo2U24uDW0\/s640\/exeterhighstreetand%2Bpostoffice.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe headmaster's residence was demolished and by May 1880 work on the foundations of the new building was in progress. During these excavations the remains of one of the drum towers of the old East Gate was uncovered along with many animal bones which had thrown into the city's defensive ditch. Despite the fact that both the companies were two completely separate  entities they worked in tandem in creating both the Coffee Tavern and  the Arcade within a single, architecturally unified building. Its architect was James Crocker, a local architect who worked from Queen Street, although known to most Exeter historians now for his invaluable 1886 work 'Sketches of Old Exeter'.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-yEHjVUVGGxc\/TxdkXpMkyVI\/AAAAAAAAES0\/3UCXNT1g2oM\/s1600\/Eastgate%2BArcade_interior.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699134210819017042\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-yEHjVUVGGxc\/TxdkXpMkyVI\/AAAAAAAAES0\/3UCXNT1g2oM\/s1600\/Eastgate%2BArcade_interior.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe unusual postcard \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows a rare view into the interior of the Arcade c1900. The main facade on the High Street was shared by both the Coffee Tavern and the Arcade.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBuilt from red and white brick with limestone dressing, the facade was 40ft high, divided into three floors under a roof of Welsh slate. In the centre was the entrance into the arcade, a large archway above which was a limestone panel engraved with \"Eastgate Arcade\". To the left of the entrance, accessible from both the High Street and the Arcade was the Coffee Tavern. To the right of the entrance were two shops. The Coffee Tavern consisted of a basement containing the kitchens and storerooms. Above this, on the ground floor, was the coffee tavern, fitted out with a semi-circular mahogany and marble counter behind which were four floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Around the sides of the room were seats upholstered in maroon velvet with marble-topped tables. Next to the bar was a private members' room containing a billiard table. Access to the upper floors was via two staircases with mahogany handrails and wrought-iron balustrades.  The first floor had a large lecture room while the second floor contained five bedrooms and a committee room.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-bY_0ZogILbE\/TxdlIdthtWI\/AAAAAAAAETA\/gGaRyRKoPH4\/s1600\/Eastgate%2BArcade%2BAd_1882_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699135049549591906\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-bY_0ZogILbE\/TxdlIdthtWI\/AAAAAAAAETA\/gGaRyRKoPH4\/s400\/Eastgate%2BArcade%2BAd_1882_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 292px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 379px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Arcade was 225ft long with eleven shops on each side and with entrances from both the High Street and from Southernhay. The distance between the shops on either side was 15ft and the whole building was spanned by an ornamental glass and ironwork roof measuring 35ft from the floor to the apex. Set into the southern gable of the roof was a large glass and iron rose window while the interior of the atrium was given additional illumination by gasoliers i.e. gas-powered chandaliers. Each of the 22 shops had a basement, a plate-glass shop front on the ground floor with a dining room at the back and two rooms on the first floor. The foundation stones, one for the Coffee Tavern and one for the Arcade, were laid on 02 August 1880 accompanied by a \"numerous and influential company of ladies and gentlemen\" and a speech prepared by Robert Dymond on the long history of the East Gate site. The Arcade's foundation stone read: \"This Arcade was erected by the Exeter Arcade Company Ltd., and this stone was laid by the Mayor, chairman of the company, on the 2nd day of August 1880. James Crocker, architect; Stephens and Sons, builders\". The Bishop of Exeter laid the stone for the Coffee Tavern.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBoth the Coffee Tavern and the Arcade opened for business in 1881. The Arcade seemed to be particularly popular. Every year the Arcade was decorated for Christmas. An 1892 edition of the 'Exeter Flying Post' reported that \"a centre of much attraction just now is the very pretty decorations which, according to the usual custom, have been effected in the Eastgate Arcade.\" Evergreen foliage, stars, coloured lights and flags were festooned throughout the Arcade which, combined with the \"artistically set out shop displays\" would \"tend to popularise this much frequented avenue.\" One of the first shops to open was 'The Fernery' \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E which sold fresh flowers, ornamental fish and exotic birds.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z7Tiz3JWOwY\/TxdmTpfhWXI\/AAAAAAAAETQ\/t4BnRXN8OW8\/s1600\/Eastgate%2BHouse_Exeter_WCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699136341202262386\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z7Tiz3JWOwY\/TxdmTpfhWXI\/AAAAAAAAETQ\/t4BnRXN8OW8\/s1600\/Eastgate%2BHouse_Exeter_WCSL.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBoth the Arcade and the Coffee Tavern survived relatively intact until \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E when the entire building was severely damaged by high-explosive bombs and incendiaries. By the following afternoon the structure had collapsed and nothing remained except a smouldering pile of bricks, twisted iron and broken glass. The Victorian arcade was replaced with Eastgate House\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E right\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council, part of which consisted of the concrete Co-op building that had been built in the 1930s and which was the only building in the badly bomb-damaged section of the High Street which was reused in the post-war reconstruction of the area. A giant fibreglass statue of Henry VII stood high up on the side of the post-war building commemorating the king's visit to the city in 1497 and replacing an earlier statue that had stood in the High Street prior to 1942.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 2005 work began on the demolition of Eastgate House as part of Exeter City Council's redevelopment of the Princesshay area. The statue was taken down and put in storage and Eastgate House was replaced with the inappropriate glass behemoth which now squats on the corner of Paris Street and High Street \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E. I can't think of anything positive to say about it so I'll leave the story of the Eastgate Arcade there.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HtgST6ZNGuc\/TxdmxkU8AkI\/AAAAAAAAETY\/N6I-57ytl64\/s1600\/New_Eastgate_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"532\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699136855211770434\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HtgST6ZNGuc\/TxdmxkU8AkI\/AAAAAAAAETY\/N6I-57ytl64\/s640\/New_Eastgate_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5397346758608745269\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5397346758608745269","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5397346758608745269"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5397346758608745269"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/eastgate-arcade-and-coffee-tavern.html","title":"The Eastgate Arcade and Coffee Tavern, Eastgate"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-M--W0lLSpyk\/TxdeJakUaOI\/AAAAAAAAESE\/KlU0AuINSos\/s72-c\/Eastgate_Arcade_Exeter_NC.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-6634225611788219928"},"published":{"$t":"2011-02-08T20:37:00.033+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T15:03:41.701+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 266 \u0026 267, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TVHSNOf1hLI\/AAAAAAAABPs\/QiUQ0hFeQfQ\/s1600\/Mark_Rowe_Exeter_1915.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571465338705773746\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TVHSNOf1hLI\/AAAAAAAABPs\/QiUQ0hFeQfQ\/s1600\/Mark_Rowe_Exeter_1915.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBuildings that are historically interesting aren't necessarily the most architecturally important. A good example were Nos. 266 and No. 267, located just inside the boundary of the city walls at the eastern end of the High Street. From an architectural perspective this building, two shop fronts within a single structure, was a fairly unremarkable late-18th century townhouse, spread over three floors with a simple cornice at roof level. But it was exceptionally interesting and of great historic value because the facade had been constructed out of the building materials of the old \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\"\u003EEast Gate\u003C\/a\u003E, which, until 1784, had stood just a couple of metres away.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council shows Nos. 266 \u0026amp; 267 to the right, the statue of Henry VII just visible in its niche on the first floor, c1915.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TVHJzRCOU9I\/AAAAAAAABOs\/QAO-j8YyoYQ\/s1600\/Henry_VII_Exeter_Statue.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571456096617255890\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TVHJzRCOU9I\/AAAAAAAABOs\/QAO-j8YyoYQ\/s640\/Henry_VII_Exeter_Statue.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;\" width=\"414\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe East Gate, rebuilt in 1511, was demolished in 1784 to improve access into the city from the east, and someone had the brilliant idea of recycling the tough purple volcanic ashlar blocks from the early-Tudor gatehouse into a refined neo-Classical edifice. The blocks weren't the only element of the East Gate that found their way into Nos. 266 and 267. When the East Gate was rebuilt in 1511 a memorial to Henry VII had been placed in a niche over the arched entrance into the city (Henry VII had died in April 1509).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows a model of the East Gate with the Henry VII memorial in its original position.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe upper half of the memorial consisted of a two-thirds life-size statue, carved of limestone, showing the king dressed in robes and carrying an orb and sceptre with a crown upon his head. The lower half of the memorial, also carved from limestone, featured a series of heraldic details. In the centre was the royal arms of England, three lions quartered with the fleur-de-lis of France, above which was a large crown. Supporting the arms on either side was a collared greyhound and a dragon (the greyhound was often used by Henry VII as a replacement for the more usual lion as it was particularly associated with the House of Richmond). Framing the supporters were two decorated twisted columns. In the background were four portcullises. The portcullis was an heraldic device used by Henry VII's mother, Margaret Beaufort. Both the statue and the heraldic motifs were originally painted in bright colours. For example the dragon would've been red and the greyhound would've been silver with a red collar.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TVHLiueOChI\/AAAAAAAABO8\/2kGhEy_75t4\/s1600\/Elizabethan%2BGuild%2BHenry%2BVII.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571458011484785170\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TVHLiueOChI\/AAAAAAAABO8\/2kGhEy_75t4\/s1600\/Elizabethan%2BGuild%2BHenry%2BVII.JPG\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image left shows a drawing of the statue that appeared in \"An Elizabethan Guild of the City of Exeter\", printed in 1873.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen the East Gate was demolished both the statue and the coat of arms were carefully taken down and then reset within its original niche in the centre of the first floor of Nos. 266 and 267. From the beginning of the 19th century until 1942 many people writing about the city's history mentioned it: \"This Statue, and the Arms, are preserved, they are placed in the front of a house erected on the scite, and built with part of the materials of the old gate\", Jenkins (1806); \"A statue of Henry VII, which graced the East Gate, now decorates the front of a house in High Street\", History, Gazetteer and Directory of Devonshire (1850); \"Near the site of the East Gate in High Street we find a curious statue of Henry VII\", The Archaelogical Journal (1873); \"In a niche of the house opposite the new Post Office is a small statue of Henry VII, removed there from the ancient East Gate\", The Guide to Devonshire (1898). In 1880, in Trewman's 'Exeter Flying Post', Robert Dymond wrote that the statue \"now graces the front of Mr Mark Rowe's establishment\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council shows Nos. 266 \u0026amp; 267 looking down the High Street from the site of the East Gate. Every building shown on both sides of the street disappeared during World War Two.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TVHMc_TBCAI\/AAAAAAAABPE\/jNwPdOAE2-I\/s1600\/Mark_Rowe_HighSt_WCSL.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571459012433610754\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TVHMc_TBCAI\/AAAAAAAABPE\/jNwPdOAE2-I\/s1600\/Mark_Rowe_HighSt_WCSL.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EMark Rowe was a local entrepreneur whose name often appears throughout the commercial records of mid-to-late 19th century Exeter. During the last half of the 19th century he acquired Nos. 266 and 267 and the premises were used to sell drapery, curtains, sheets, bed linen, mattresses, and bed frames. The company, later known as Mark Rowe \u0026amp; Sons, also owned warehouses where space could be hired to store furniture. Mark Rowe was a shareholder in both the Exeter Coffee Tavern Company and the Exeter Arcade Company, and the company fitted out cabinets in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/eastgate-arcade-and-coffee-tavern.html\"\u003Ethe Arcade\u003C\/a\u003E as well as the carpet, seats and hangings in the rebuilt Theatre Royal in 1889.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENos. 266 and 267 were still in the possession of the company when the entire building was obliterated on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E. The facade built from the stones of the East Gate was completely destroyed as was the 431-year-old statue of Henry VII. The only part of the building to be salvaged was the bronze plaque set on the wall in the late 19th century to commemorate the site of the East Gate itself. Mark Rowe \u0026amp; Sons opened a new store on the site of the 18th century building in 1954. Today it is part of Boots the Chemists and naturally, either architecturally or historically, there is nothing to be seen of any interest whatsoever.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows the site of Nos. 266 and 267. The building stood almost exactly where the large window is in the current post-war structure.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TVHOg7BCSTI\/AAAAAAAABPM\/Md5Bq5YUTAA\/s1600\/Mark_Rowe_Boots_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"383\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571461279027185970\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TVHOg7BCSTI\/AAAAAAAABPM\/Md5Bq5YUTAA\/s640\/Mark_Rowe_Boots_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6634225611788219928\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=6634225611788219928","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6634225611788219928"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6634225611788219928"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/nos-266-267-high-street.html","title":"Nos. 266 \u0026 267, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TVHSNOf1hLI\/AAAAAAAABPs\/QiUQ0hFeQfQ\/s72-c\/Mark_Rowe_Exeter_1915.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4947480383037740955"},"published":{"$t":"2011-02-01T17:43:00.109+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-01T23:30:53.310+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Eastgate"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inns and Taverns"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Roman Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Walls and Gates"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The East Gate, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6Tl66wCTyDY\/TxS7t0FA_gI\/AAAAAAAAEFg\/K5sTl8qfc4o\/s1600\/East%2BGate_model_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698385824278707714\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6Tl66wCTyDY\/TxS7t0FA_gI\/AAAAAAAAEFg\/K5sTl8qfc4o\/s400\/East%2BGate_model_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"337\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAmong the great cathedral cities of England, Exeter must be almost unique in having none of it's medieval gateways surviving intact. Nothing remains above ground of the five gates into the city or of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html\"\u003Eseven 13th century gates\u003C\/a\u003E that gave access into the cathedral precinct. York is justifiably famous for the survival of most of its city gates. Several of Lincoln Cathedral's gateways survive. Canterbury still has it 14th century West Gate as well as the magnificent Christchurch Gate and St Augustine Gate. Salisbury has several of its city and cathedral gates intact. Winchester has both the Westgate and King's Gate. Even Gloucester, almost as comprehensibly shredded as Exeter, retains portions of its city and cathedral gateways.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAt Exeter all the gates had been demolished by 1825. A Roman gatehouse was located very close to the site of the medieval East Gate. It would've been a substantial structure, built of stone with perhaps two square towers projecting from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Ethe city wall\u003C\/a\u003E. Archaeological evidence suggests that this was the form of the South Gate which the Romans constructed c200 AD. It's also likely that the Roman structure was revitalised by the Britons following the end of Roman rule c410 and probably again by the Anglo-Saxon King Athelstan c920.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-y6It-QHMehA\/TxS9YI996fI\/AAAAAAAAEFs\/efcrnu6vePQ\/s1600\/City%2BWall_Exeter%2Bnumbers.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698387650952423922\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-y6It-QHMehA\/TxS9YI996fI\/AAAAAAAAEFs\/efcrnu6vePQ\/s400\/City%2BWall_Exeter%2Bnumbers.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 322px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOne of the first pieces of documentary evidence which cites the medieval East Gate appears in the 12th century writings of William of Malmesbury. The story goes that in the 10th century an Anglo-Saxon giant and Ealdorman of Devonshire called Ordulf travelled to Exeter with King Edward. Upon arriving at the East Gate, and finding the gates shut and the porter absent, Ordulf tore down a portion of the city wall before breaking the gates open with his foot. (Ordulf's bones were said to be buried under the floor at the church of Tavistock abbey which he completed in 981.) The aerial photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E shows the modern city with the remaining city walls outlined in purple, the gaps in the circuit highlighted in red. The location of the East Gate is at No. 1. The \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/07\/the-south-gate-south-street.html\"\u003ESouth Gate\u003C\/a\u003E is at No. 2.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-XwfEbGUplC0\/TxTDptvN3rI\/AAAAAAAAEF4\/3OxoTzqjm2k\/s1600\/Site%2Bof%2BEast%2BGate.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698394549950209714\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-XwfEbGUplC0\/TxTDptvN3rI\/AAAAAAAAEF4\/3OxoTzqjm2k\/s640\/Site%2Bof%2BEast%2BGate.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"498\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFortunately the site of the East Gate is marked on old maps of Exeter. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows part of the 1905 map of Exeter overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area. The site of the East Gate is clearly marked with a cross. It would've stood looking east into Sidwell Street, close to the western edge of the new Next building.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Anglo-Saxon fortifications were certainly put to the test after the Conquest of 1066. Gytha, the mother of the late King Harold took refuge at Exeter following the death of her son. The entire city went into open revolt against the Conqueror, perhaps instigated by Gytha or possibly because William demanded an increase in the £18 tribute the city paid to the monarch each year. Either way, and given Exeter's strategic importance in controlling the entire south-west peninsula, William the Conqueror had to return in person from Normandy to try and crush the rebellion. Camped beyond the East Gate, the new Norman king ordered a series of tunnels to be dug in an attempt to undermine both the city walls and the East Gate itself. Archaeological excavations in 1993 unearthed one of these tunnels still buried beneath the High Street, perfectly preserved and almost directly under the site of the East Gate. After an 18-day siege the city surrendered, possibly because a section of the city wall had been successfully undermined by the Norman sappers. And so the Conqueror rode into Exeter taking possession of one of the last places in England to resist the Norman Invasion. The result of the city's disobedience was Rougemont Castle, number six on the map \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-komm1CKqUbs\/TxTEQP_G6bI\/AAAAAAAAEGE\/uLpn3ZWiCc0\/s1600\/East%2BGate_Exeter_1785.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"406\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698395211978697138\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-komm1CKqUbs\/TxTEQP_G6bI\/AAAAAAAAEGE\/uLpn3ZWiCc0\/s640\/East%2BGate_Exeter_1785.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E shows an engraving of the exterior of the East Gate by John Hayman dating to 1785. The house on the left, dating to the first quarter of the 18th century was the residence of the headmaster of St John's Hospital School.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe East Gate was repaired or fully rebuilt after the siege. By c1200 there was a small chapel built into the gate itself. Dedicated to St Bartholomew it was one of the city's many chapels mentioned by Peter de Palerna at the beginning of the 13th century but there seems to be some confusion as to the exact location of the chapel. Was it next to the gate or actually inside it? The 19th century antiquarian, William Harding, believed that it adjoined the north side of the East Gate, but David Francis in his booklet entitled 'Lost Churches' wrote that \"recent archaeological evidence indicates that the chapel was actually in the gate.\" Either way, the little chapel was probably suppressed at the Reformation in the 1530s as nothing more is heard of it after the 16th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn 26 September 1459 the East Gate suddenly collapsed, taking the chapel of St Bartholomew with it. Samuel Izacke in his 'Remarkable Antiquities of Exeter' of 1723, itself based on the late-16th century writings of John Hooker, noted that \"the East Gate of this City, being in a ruinous condition by reason of its long standing, fell down in the middle of the day, without hurting any person.\" Perhaps one of William the Conqueror's long-forgotten tunnels finally gave way. The gate was rebuilt and the survival of a deed dated 25 June 1481 shows that the chapel was also rebuilt. Incredibly, this newly-built gatehouse survived just 38 years before being severely damaged in yet another siege after Perkin Warbeck decided to pay the city a visit.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-4qA0dHZ-650\/TxTGEGSjyLI\/AAAAAAAAEGQ\/1o_fuwJFBbA\/s1600\/Henry%2BVII_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698397202240751794\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-4qA0dHZ-650\/TxTGEGSjyLI\/AAAAAAAAEGQ\/1o_fuwJFBbA\/s400\/Henry%2BVII_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 310px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EPerkin Warbeck was one of two pretenders to the English throne who emerged at the end of the 15th century to challenge the reign of the usurping Henry VII \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. Perkin Warbeck claimed to be Richard, Duke of York, the youngest son of Edward IV, the nephew of Richard III and the brother of Henry VII's own queen, Elizabeth of York, and one of the two princes who were allegedly killed in the Tower of London in 1483.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHaving taken the crown of England from Richard III at the battle of Bosworth in 1485, Henry Tudor's own claim to the throne was tenuous and so the appearance of Warbeck in 1490 was a major threat. (Richard III himself had entered Exeter via the East Gate in 1483, having been given 200 gold nobles and the keys to the city by the mayor.) On 07 September 1497 Warbeck landed in Cornwall with just two ships and 120 men and agitated an already rebellious Cornish population into declaring him Richard IV on Bodmin Moor. He soon had an army of 6000 people behind him and, according to Sir Francis Bacon writing in 1622, took the advice of his counsellors who \"advised him to make himself master of some good walled town...and went on, and beseiged the city of Exeter, the principal town for strength and wealth in those parts.\" Warbeck and his army first \"made continual shouts and outcries to terrify the inhabitants\" and then talked to them \"under the walls, to join with them and be of their party\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ia2pvzXpDwU\/TxTG9xdE1xI\/AAAAAAAAEGc\/_UVmDxGDgw4\/s1600\/East_Gate_Interior_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"497\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698398193080129298\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ia2pvzXpDwU\/TxTG9xdE1xI\/AAAAAAAAEGc\/_UVmDxGDgw4\/s640\/East_Gate_Interior_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe engraving \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E shows the interior view of the East Gate in the late-18th century. St Bartholomew's chapel was probably in the room above the archway, behind the wall with the dial set into it. The clock and dial were both later put above the entrance to St John's Hospital School, the chapel of which is visible to the right of the gatehouse. Remarkably, the clock that was once in the East Gate still survives today. In the 1870s the school relocated to a new site and the old school buildings were demolished. The clock was removed at the time of the demolition and stored at the school's new campus (now Exeter School on Victoria Park Road). It remained unused until it was recently refurbished and placed on a new building at the site. Apart from the foundations, this clock, which probably dates to the late 18th century, is the only piece of the East Gate still in existence.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENone of Warbeck's initial attempts to gain access worked so he \"resolved to use his utmost force to assault the town\", using \"scaling-ladders in divers places upon the walls\", \"ramming with logs of timber\" and using \"iron bars, crow bars and such other means at hand\" to try and force the gates. When all of this still had no effect the gates themselves were set on fire. The North Gate was a particular target. According to Jenkins the \"citizens repulsed [the Rebels] as often as they returned to the assault, opening their gates and discharging their \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eportpieces\u003C\/span\u003E, charged with pieces of glass, old iron and musquet balls, which made a great slaughter of the assailants\". At one point Warbeck and his Cornish army managed to breach the East Gate which, writes Hooker, \"they brake upon with force and entered into the city\". Having gained access the Rebels fought in hand-to-hand combat with the city's militia down through the High Street as far as Castle Street before being repulsed by the defenders. Dejected after suffering significant losses, the Warbeck army eventually gave up and lifted the siege. Fearful that the king's army was heading towards Exeter the Rebels moved on to Taunton where Warbeck abandoned his followers and fled.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-mwr1bMm4DnI\/TxTHzBlQDnI\/AAAAAAAAEGo\/R8G2txCnQPs\/s1600\/Henry_VII_Sword_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698399107942452850\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-mwr1bMm4DnI\/TxTHzBlQDnI\/AAAAAAAAEGo\/R8G2txCnQPs\/s400\/Henry_VII_Sword_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"296\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe citizens had indeed sent messengers to Henry VII, lowered down from the walls of the embattled city on ropes, who carried messages for the king appealing for him to come to the city's aid. A royal army assembled in London and began to march on Exeter. An army made up of the local gentry who weren't at court was also assembled, led by Edward Courtenay, the Earl of Devonshire. (Warbeck was eventually captured at Beaulieu Abbey in Hampshire and was executed in 1499 at Tyburn in London.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAfter Warbeck's capture Henry VII continued on to Exeter where many of the Cornish prisoners had been taken and where \"he made a joyful entrance\". He lodged at the Treasurer's House, once attached to the north transept of the Cathedral. It was while staying at Exeter that the king presented the city with two of its most important pieces of ceremonial regalia, the Ceremonial Sword and the Cap of Maintenance, to show his gratitude at the loyalty displayed by the city during the Warbeck revolt. He also ordered that a swordsman be appointed to carry the sword before the mayor on all civic occasions, a tradition that continues to this day. Both the sword and the cap can be seen at the Guildhall. The Cornish ringleaders were executed at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/brief-history-of-southernhay_16.html\"\u003ESouthernhay\u003C\/a\u003E. The rest were granted clemency and freed. The photo \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E shows the hilt of the sword which Henry VII gave to the city in 1497 and which is still used during civic events. It was probably the same sword that the king carried with him when he first entered the city. Exeter also has another ceremonial sword, given by Edward IV when he visited in the 1470s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe damage caused to the East Gate by Warbeck's assault as well as fears of a prolonged war with France resulted in the entire structure being rebuilt yet again. Work began in 1511, at the beginning of the reign of Henry VIII. Six acres of woodland at Duryard (a former hunting ground of the Anglo-Saxon kings near to the city) was sold off in order to fund the reconstruction, the work being contracted out to a mason called Robert Poke from Thorverton.  It was this final manifestation of the East Gate that survived until 1784, despite yet more significant assaults on the city during the sieges of the English Civil War in the 1640s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-qqD1q1l6XbQ\/TxTJYsd9tlI\/AAAAAAAAEG0\/1g5RRr9n44w\/s1600\/Braun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_%2BEast%2BGate.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698400854621402706\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-qqD1q1l6XbQ\/TxTJYsd9tlI\/AAAAAAAAEG0\/1g5RRr9n44w\/s1600\/Braun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_%2BEast%2BGate.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe 1587 map of Exeter \u003Ci\u003Eright\u003C\/i\u003E shows a simplified representation of the rebuilt East Gate at the top of the High Street. When the Tudor scholar John Leland visited Exeter in 1542 he called the East Gate and the West Gate \"the best\", although he was probably mistaken in his judgement of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/west-gate-west-quarter.html\"\u003Ethe West Gate\u003C\/a\u003E. It's possible that the six little houses shown outside the gate were endowed by former mayor William Hurst as almshouses in 1567. This was the site of the later \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/devon-and-exeter-subscription-rooms.html\"\u003ESubscription Rooms\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFortunately, in 1806 Jenkins left a description of the East Gate based on his own memory of having seen it. The East Gate \"consisted of a curtain flanked by two bulwarks. The exterior arch was very strong and lofty. Near the bottom of the flanking towers, were port-holes for the great port cannons, and look-outs on each story. In the centre of the gateway was a strong semicircular arch, apparently very ancient\". Jenkins also recalled seeing one of the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eportpieces\u003C\/span\u003E, or cannon, that he believed had been used to repel Perkin Warbeck's army in 1497, which was \"laid on the left side of the passage under the East Gate\". \"Composed of flat iron bars, strongly hooped together with iron (similar to a Cask)\" it was 12ft long and approximately 12 inches in diameter. It wasn't set on wheels but had \"strong iron rings on the sides for the purpose of moving it from place to place.\" According to Jenkins the cannon was sold by a city receiver being \"eat out with rust\". During the rebuilding of the East Gate in 1511 a large stone statue of  Henry VII holding a globe and a sceptre and surrounded with various  heraldic devices was placed in a niche over the entrance way, visible to  anyone entering the city from the east and probably erected as a  memorial to the king who had shown his gratitude for the city's loyalty  in 1497.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-EwYafMWBk0o\/TxTJ40s9-mI\/AAAAAAAAEHA\/VuQ0ZVCdH7k\/s1600\/East%2BGate%2BFoundations%2BUnderground%2BPassages.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698401406587632226\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-EwYafMWBk0o\/TxTJ40s9-mI\/AAAAAAAAEHA\/VuQ0ZVCdH7k\/s1600\/East%2BGate%2BFoundations%2BUnderground%2BPassages.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows part of the foundation for the East Gate which still exists underneath the modern-day High Street. Built from blocks of volcanic ashlar, the foundation is visible from a section of the medieval underground passages which criss-cross Exeter and which were built to carry water around the city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 1880, nearly a century after the gateway had been demolished and during the digging of the foundations for the Eastgate Arcade, the \"base of one of the round side towers of the ancient East Gate\" was unearthed by builders. A report on the discovery appeared in Trewman's 'Exeter Flying Post', written by the antiquarian Robert Dymond. According to Dymond the remnant of the tower base was \"formed of large ashlar blocks of reddish trap rock from Rougemont, carefully squared and fitted in regular horizontal courses, and accurately cut to the circular form of the tower, as if intended to be exposed to view.\" He continued, \"the towers projected beyond the external face of the city walls and the moat or ditch abutted on them.\" Dymond then went on to give a general description of the gatehouse: \"Two tall round towers, each about twenty-four feet in diameter, projected about thirty-five feet beyond the general line of the city walls, and were united by a flat wall or curtain, in the centre of which was the arched passage of the gate, only fourteen feet wide. Over it were guard rooms\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-srBJrMtDICU\/TxTLaWtvfFI\/AAAAAAAAEHM\/_qTT-Eb6vrI\/s1600\/PB041938.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698403082164993106\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-srBJrMtDICU\/TxTLaWtvfFI\/AAAAAAAAEHM\/_qTT-Eb6vrI\/s400\/PB041938.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"291\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe images at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E and \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post shows a model of the last manifestation of the East Gate. Although rebuilt in 1511 it's likely that it followed a similar design to its medieval predecessors.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe two enormous drum towers, the entrance way and the wall above were all constructed from the purple volcanic trap mentioned by Dymond. The trap was exceptionally hard-wearing, expensive, scarce and difficult to cut. The Romans had quarried most of it from the extinct volcanic cone at Rougemont in the north-eastern corner of the city and it's likely that the material used in 1511 was the recycled remains of the gate damaged by Warbeck in 1497.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEach tower was built with three floors, gunloops studding the lower courses, with windows in the upper levels overlooking the approach into the city. Both the towers and the exterior wall were crenellated. The passageway through into the High Street consisted of a series of pointed arches. There were arched doorways within the passageway that gave access directly into the gatehouse interior, probably with spiral staircases leading up into the guard rooms. Projecting from the back of the gate, over the arched passageway and safe behind the towers was probably where the chapel dedicated to St Bartholomew was located. Above the interior entrance was a clock and a dial. Interestingly, and perhaps in an effort to save money, it seems as if the early-16th century chapel building was constructed from the much softer, cheaper and more plentiful Heavitree breccia rather than the purple volcanic trap. If the chapel were in a position where it was being seriously damaged by an assault then the drum towers had failed anyway and the fall of the gate would've been imminent.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDuring the 18th century, their defensive importance long-forgotten, the drum towers and the rooms above the entrance were used as the Salutation inn. In 1784, \"in order to improve the entrance into the City, it was deemed expedient to take down the Eastgate, by which a beautiful vista was opened from St Sidwell's into the High Street; a very great and necessary improvement.\" So wrote Jenkins in 1806. When reading accounts left by 19th century antiquarians and historians it is impossible not to be shocked by their cavalier attitude towards the demolition of structures of the greatest historical significance.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Wy5YqhWA-ok\/TxTMRKGvc7I\/AAAAAAAAEHY\/o-Oxx2ikbhk\/s1600\/High%2BStreet%2BEast_Gate_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"486\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698404023672992690\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Wy5YqhWA-ok\/TxTMRKGvc7I\/AAAAAAAAEHY\/o-Oxx2ikbhk\/s640\/High%2BStreet%2BEast_Gate_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe composite image \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E shows how the the East Gate fitted into the townscape had it survived into the early 20th century. The perspective is looking out of the city towards Sidwell Street. Most of the buildings shown were destroyed in 1942. None survive today. The \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/eastgate-arcade-and-coffee-tavern.html\"\u003EEastgate Arcade\u003C\/a\u003E is out of view, beyond the limit of the city walls and hidden behind the gatehouse itself. The entrance to Castle Street, where Warbeck's army reached in 1497, is visible to the left, near the street light.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFollowing its demolition bits of the East Gate found itself spread across the city. The clock and dial were both placed above the entrance into the nearby St John's Hospital School but most significant was the fate of the building materials and the statue of Henry VII. At the same time that the gate was demolished a new building was constructed just to the north of it, facing onto the High Street. The facade of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/nos-266-267-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 266 \u0026amp; 267 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E was built from the purple ashlar blocks that had once been the outer face of the East Gate. Placed in the centre of the first floor of the new building, still in its niche, was the early-16th century statue of Henry VII and the heraldic devices. (This late-18th century building, along with the statue, was totally destroyed by bombs in 1942.) St John's Hospital School that was on the south side of the East Gate was demolished in 1880 and the wrought-iron and glass Eastgate Arcade and the city's new Post Office were built on the site of the ancient school.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-PBFIWneSZvE\/TxTNH9GjgwI\/AAAAAAAAEHk\/Pb6dV9n2tKo\/s1600\/East%2BGate%2B2011_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"497\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698404965075354370\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-PBFIWneSZvE\/TxTNH9GjgwI\/AAAAAAAAEHk\/Pb6dV9n2tKo\/s640\/East%2BGate%2B2011_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe composite image \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E shows how the inside of the East Gate might've looked if it had survived into the 21st century, surrounded by the post-war buildings that were thrown up after World War Two. The entire area was heavily damaged during the Blitz of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E and today there is nothing of historic interest to be seen above ground or any sign that the East Gate ever existed. A plaque was placed on the front of No. 266 High Street in the 1880s which commemorated the site of the East Gate. It read: \"Rebuilt by Athelstan. Finally Removed 1784. Here the Citizens Repelled the Assaults of William the Conqueror and Perkin Warbeck\". The plaque was salvaged after World War Two from the ruins and relocated onto a post-war building called Eastgate House. During the recent redevelopment Eastgate House was demolished and the plaque was removed, and today Jenkins' \"beautiful vista\" from St Sidwell's into the High Street looks like this:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TU3TH86ppMI\/AAAAAAAABN0\/0CrqKbJQZRQ\/s1600\/East_Gate_GE_SV_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570340447691842754\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TU3TH86ppMI\/AAAAAAAABN0\/0CrqKbJQZRQ\/s640\/East_Gate_GE_SV_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4947480383037740955\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4947480383037740955","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4947480383037740955"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4947480383037740955"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html","title":"The East Gate, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6Tl66wCTyDY\/TxS7t0FA_gI\/AAAAAAAAEFg\/K5sTl8qfc4o\/s72-c\/East%2BGate_model_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-7059809676999832218"},"published":{"$t":"2011-01-28T19:45:00.035+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T14:52:29.138+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Other Streets"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Disappearance of George Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-qjBs88pU7rg\/TweqMG1MmMI\/AAAAAAAADHc\/KV2MFtqVUMg\/s1600\/Hedgeland%2BGeorge%2BStreet.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694707378802170050\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-qjBs88pU7rg\/TweqMG1MmMI\/AAAAAAAADHc\/KV2MFtqVUMg\/s640\/Hedgeland%2BGeorge%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ELittle seems to be known about the origins of George Street, also known as St George's Lane. The name itself derived from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/st-georges-church-south-street.html\"\u003Ethe church dedicated to St George the Martyr\u003C\/a\u003E which stood on the corner of George Street and South Street for over a thousand years until its demolition in 1843. The street was really little more than a narrow alley leading from South Street, past the south elevation of the church and into \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/milk-street-west-quarter.html\"\u003EMilk Street\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorge Street appears on Hedgeland's model of Exeter depicting the city in 1769 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. South Street runs from left to right at the top. The street's buildings, including the church of St George, are highlighted in red.. The model is one of the very few surviving visual representations of the street and shows that it was lined with houses on both sides, despite its narrowness. Until the mid-19th century at least, many of these properties would've been of timber-framed construction, the street remaining little changed since the 15th or 16th centuries. The name itself seems to have been a relatively recent invention appearing for the first time only in the 19th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt must've been known by other names although it's possible that these haven't been documented. But how old was it and when did it originate? It appears on both the Rocque map of 1744 and the Tozer map of 1793 and a street in exactly the same position also appears on Hooker's map of 1587. A Saxon church from the 9th or 10th century stood on the site of the later medieval church of St George. It's possible that George Street itself was also Saxon in origin and provided access to Saxon buildings that once fronted onto South Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-RdjQSmODFC4\/TwesyyQnmWI\/AAAAAAAADHo\/-WUbQdW0AnU\/s1600\/George%2BSt%2BExeter%2Bc1920%2BWCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694710242318195042\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-RdjQSmODFC4\/TwesyyQnmWI\/AAAAAAAADHo\/-WUbQdW0AnU\/s400\/George%2BSt%2BExeter%2Bc1920%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council shows a sketch executed in 1920 by the Canadian artist Gyrth Russell which purports to show George Street. The view is looking towards South Street. It is too vague to make out many details but there are a few hints of timber-framed buildings with jettied upper stories oversailing the street. I've never seen a photograph of George Street although presumably some do exist somewhere.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe narrowness of the street is cited in a report from the 'Exeter Flying Post'. At a meeting of the Commissioners for Improvement in 1833 one of the commissioners, John Cooke, proposed the idea that £300 should be spent on \"widening and improving\" the thoroughfares of \"St George's Lane, Milk Street and the entrance into the country Butcherow.\" \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/smythen-street.html\"\u003EButchers' Row\u003C\/a\u003E were the late-15th century butcher shops which were demolished when the Lower, or Western, Market was constructed in the late 1830s. Cooke wondered whether it was fair, given the \"portly appearance\" of the city's butchers and their wives, for them to have to access St George's church via the \"extreme narrowness of George's Lane\". In Cooke's opinion, two people \"possessing anything like rotundity\" could not walk abreast down George Street. How flattering.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-yPWYj823j6U\/TweuYPvG3jI\/AAAAAAAADH0\/UqYQSSS0yNk\/s1600\/St%2BGeorge%2BChurch%2BTownsend%2BWCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694711985397489202\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-yPWYj823j6U\/TweuYPvG3jI\/AAAAAAAADH0\/UqYQSSS0yNk\/s400\/St%2BGeorge%2BChurch%2BTownsend%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 294px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe drawing \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council is by George Townsend and depicts George Street from South Street c1840, looking down towards the arches in the side wall of the Lower Market. The tower of St George's church is on the right.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECooke's road-widening idea seems to have been put on the backburner because the Commissioners already had plans to move the public water conduit in South Street to an area near George Street and they expected some alterations to take place when the new conduit was built. This happened just a few years later, when the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/lower-market-fore-street.html\"\u003ELower Market\u003C\/a\u003E was built. The corner of Milk Street and George Street was demolished in 1835 and a small public square was created, the site of the new water conduit which supplied both the Lower Market and the surrounding neighbourhood.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe conduit consisted of three brick cisterns which could hold up to 100 hogsheads of water (nearly 24,000 litres), housed within a brick building \"and conveyed in pipes to an obelisk of granite\". The granite obelisk stood in the centre of the square, the cisterns also providing water for a second conduit in Mary Arches Street, built in 1839. The water originally came from the natural spring at Lion's Holt in the parish of St Sidwell but by the 1870s the water was piped in from a reservoir at Dane's Castle, some distance beyond the city walls. In 1874 a major leak in the pipes lead to the city surveyor having to \"open the whole of Milk Street\" in search of the leak, eventually found near the junction of Milk Street with Fore Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA plan of 1904 shows at least 11 properties still fronted onto the  street itself. The entire area around George Street was completely  destroyed by \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003Ebombs in 1942\u003C\/a\u003E.  Almost nothing seems to have survived except the remains of a Saxon  doorway that was once embedded within a house in George Street and which  was later moved to the ruins of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/hall-of-vicars-choral-south-street.html\"\u003EHall of the Vicars Choral\u003C\/a\u003E. The doorway was probably associated with a Saxon church.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TUXWpR3ccQI\/AAAAAAAABLA\/t5WbaVAevnM\/s1600\/Old_George_St_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"401\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568092518972420354\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TUXWpR3ccQI\/AAAAAAAABLA\/t5WbaVAevnM\/s640\/Old_George_St_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EDuring the post-war reconstruction the City Council decided against rebuilding the street and every trace of it was obliterated by the construction of new shops in South Street. The route of George Street lay at a right-angle near to the green-lidded dustbins in the photo\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E above\u003C\/span\u003E. In fact much of the area's historic street plan was changed completely. George Street disappeared, as did Sun Street. The length of Guinea Street was reduced by 50% and the route of Milk Street was hardly reinstated at all. A new road was created nearby that ran parallel with South Street and Market Street and this was named George Street \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E, although it has nothing to do with its ancient predecessor. Today it's all remarkably dismal and grim.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TUXVutLA9RI\/AAAAAAAABKo\/9GhCJNooats\/s1600\/New%2BGeorge%2BStreet_GE_SV_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568091512689980690\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TUXVutLA9RI\/AAAAAAAABKo\/9GhCJNooats\/s640\/New%2BGeorge%2BStreet_GE_SV_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/7059809676999832218\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=7059809676999832218","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7059809676999832218"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7059809676999832218"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/george-street.html","title":"The Disappearance of George Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-qjBs88pU7rg\/TweqMG1MmMI\/AAAAAAAADHc\/KV2MFtqVUMg\/s72-c\/Hedgeland%2BGeorge%2BStreet.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5943914081437465209"},"published":{"$t":"2011-01-23T17:08:00.069+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-03T21:19:44.212+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Roman Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Saxon Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"South Street"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"St George's Church, South Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NeYb8oaG9zI\/TxR_NuC8G5I\/AAAAAAAAECg\/XB-dbW7mkIo\/s1600\/St%2BGeorge%2BChurch%2BTownsend%2BWCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"476\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698319302205905810\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NeYb8oaG9zI\/TxR_NuC8G5I\/AAAAAAAAECg\/XB-dbW7mkIo\/s640\/St%2BGeorge%2BChurch%2BTownsend%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EI wonder how many hundreds of buildings have been demolished in Exeter under the pretext of 'road-widening', what Cresswell called in 1908 \"Exeter's perpetual excuse for destroying old buildings\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESeveral hundred pre-war properties at least came down in the 1960s and 70s to build the inner bypass road system, but the church dedicated to St George the Martyr was an early victim of the same mindset, back in 1843. The image\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E above \u003C\/span\u003E© Devon County Council is a depiction of St George's from South Street by George Townsend prior to its demolition. It shows the east face of the church, the chancel on the right, the south aisle on the left with the western bell tower. The arches just visible in the distance, at the end of George Street, is the side elevation of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/lower-market-fore-street.html\"\u003ECharles Fowler's neo-Classical Lower Market\u003C\/a\u003E. The church was sited on the west side of South Street, nearly opposite the 14th century \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/medieval-college-of-vicars-choral-at.html\"\u003EHall of the Vicars Choral\u003C\/a\u003E and on the corner of South Street with a narrow alleyway called \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/george-street.html\"\u003EGeorge Street\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe foundation itself was ancient and a church dedicated to St  George had probably been on this same location since at least the 9th or  10th century. This early Saxon church, constructed long before the  Norman Conquest of 1066 was even thought of, was built of coarse rubble  masonry, with a simple floor plan of a single aisle and chancel. At the  very least, the stone-built Saxon St George's shows that Exeter was a  flourishing Anglo-Saxon settlement with some relatively high status  buildings in the early Middle Ages. (St George didn't become the patron  saint of England until Edward III created the Order of the Garter in  1348.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-6GJ9pGvkmTg\/TxR_0nObltI\/AAAAAAAAECs\/8d-urOPfIVk\/s1600\/Hedgeland%2BSt%2BGeorge.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698319970389956306\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-6GJ9pGvkmTg\/TxR_0nObltI\/AAAAAAAAECs\/8d-urOPfIVk\/s1600\/Hedgeland%2BSt%2BGeorge.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright \u003C\/span\u003Eshows a detail from Caleb Hedgeland's early-19th century \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\"\u003Ewooden model of Exeter\u003C\/a\u003E. The appearance of the church, highlighted in red, closely matches the drawing by Townsend \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E. The dining hall of the Vicars Choral, highlighted in purple, is on the opposite side of South Street \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs with so many of Exeter's churches, the first documented reference to St George's appears in a Deed of Assignment (similar to a will) made by a wealthy Exeter citizen called Peter de Palerna sometime between 1200 and 1216. Peter de Palerna left money to 28 of Exeter's existing churches and chapels and fortunately the Deed mentions them all by name. St George's church was one of those that received one penny, to be paid on 04 February every year.  According to Cresswell, during the Middle Ages St George's was appropriated to the mother church of Plympton Priory near Plymouth but it became a parish church in its own right in 1222. (In fact the medieval priors of Plympton had a townhouse nearby in South Street. Until it was partially destroyed by fire in the 1870s, part of the Priors' residence survived as the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/black-lions-inn-no-78-south-street.html\"\u003EBlack Lions inn\u003C\/a\u003E. The inn stood nearly opposite the Bear Inn, once the townhouse of the medieval abbots of Tavistock, also long since vanished.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-qK1gyP_M1gs\/TxSCHJkGDtI\/AAAAAAAAEC4\/NgjdiPIuCc0\/s1600\/St_George%2BBraun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_1587.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698322487868526290\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-qK1gyP_M1gs\/TxSCHJkGDtI\/AAAAAAAAEC4\/NgjdiPIuCc0\/s1600\/St_George%2BBraun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_1587.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows St George's church depicted on a map of 1587 by Braun and Hogenberg. After the English Civil War the church was sold to its parishioners for £100 on 11 May 1658 and seems to have remained relatively untouched until the 19th century. Jenkins visited in 1806 and left the following description: \"the church is small, consisting of a nave, chancel, and small aisle under the tower, from this aisle there is an aperture made thro' the wall, for the convenience of that part of the congregation to behold the elevation of the host, (the custom before the Reformation). The church is kept in good repair, and is neatly seated; the tower is large but not lofty\". Jenkins also noted that the tower had \"a clock without a dial\". This seems to suggest that the clock was used to strike the time on a bell rather than show the time on a dial.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's likely that at least the footprint of the 14th century chancel and the nave respected the outline of the Saxon church. Even with the addition of a south aisle in the 1400s it wasn't a big building. The nave was 33ft by 15ft; the chancel 11ft by 15ft, and the aisle was 30ft by 16ft making it almost as large as the nave itself. It's interesting that the pre-Reformation arrangement survived. The \"aperture made thro' the wall\" was a squint or a hagioscope. The tower was 15th century in date and contained five bells recast from three earlier bells in 1740. Entrance into the church was either via a short flight of steps under an early-18th century hood from South Street or through a door near the tower in the south wall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe church was constructed from the ever-present red Heavitree breccia which was typical of all of Exeter's medieval parish churches. Inside was a large depiction of the coat of arms of Charles II, probably put there after the Restoration in 1660 when the church regained its parochial status. The church had a number of monuments and memorial tablets, including one to Richard Vivian from 1740, another to Thomas Baron, a former Exeter mayor who died in 1708 and one to a former Rector of St George's, William Chilcote, who died in 1711. The ceremonial cup and paten (used to hold the Eucharistic wine and bread) dated to 1684.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-4IoLoGNFSgU\/UVyNtWHyhPI\/AAAAAAAAGKE\/7Vv_37dbunU\/s1600\/St+George+PM+1905.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-4IoLoGNFSgU\/UVyNtWHyhPI\/AAAAAAAAGKE\/7Vv_37dbunU\/s640\/St+George+PM+1905.jpg\" width=\"498\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe parish boundary of St George's church was very strange. The vast bulk of the West Quarter, which should've been the natural catchment area of St George's, actually fell within the boundary of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003ESt Mary Major\u003C\/a\u003E on the other side of South Street. From what I can ascertain St George's church was not contiguous with its own parish but was actually situated within the parish of St Mary Major too.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe parish itself was sited further south, adajcent to the parish of St John. It took in the south side of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/smythen-street.html\"\u003ESmythen Street\u003C\/a\u003E, part of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/slum-clearance-of-stepcote-hill.html\"\u003EStepcote Hill\u003C\/a\u003E and half of King Street before returning, since the 1830s, to the Lower Market. The image \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E is based on the medieval parish boundary of St George's Church. It shows a 1905 street plan of the parish overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area. St George's Church is far away in the top right corner. Buildings highlighted in red have been demolished since 1905, most of them as a consequence of pre-war slum clearances, although further demolition in the area took place in the 1950s and 1960s. Only one solitary building, highlighted in purple, remains that is older than 1905. This is the nondescript former Wesleyan School on King Street, built in 1862.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe top of South Street, one of Exeter's four main roads, was widened in 1830 but the portion of the street onto which St George's fronted was still very narrow. A later 19th century account reported that in places the street was so narrow that \"the upper parts of some of the houses were just within shaking hands distance\", a product of timber-framed, multi-jettied houses from the 16th and 17th centuries teetering towards each other across the carriageway. It was into this thoroughfare that the \"church projected very much\". The projection into the street is depicted on Hedgeland's model of the area.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Reverend John Kingdon Cleeve was appointed as the Rector of St George's in 1818 and in the late 1830s entered into a battle with the Exeter Improvement Commissioners who wanted the church removed. An account left by his grand-nephew, Mr G Dunsford of Mount Radford, describes what happened next. The Commissioners \"made several applications to the rector to set back the building\", and he in turn asked to be given two feet at the rear of the church for every foot that was lost at the front. Naturally, the Commissioners rejected the terms and waited, the Rector insisting that \"as long as he lived his Church should not be touched\". Fateful words indeed, as the Reverend Kingdon Cleeve died in 1842 and the church of St George came tumbling down in 1843.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESome of the monuments were transferred to St John's church in Fore Street, with which the old parish of St George was united, along with the five bells from the tower (St John's itself was demolished 1937, after which the monuments were transferred to the church of St Mary Major in Cathedral Yard, which was in turn demolished in 1971!). Until 1942, most of the area where St George's church had stood was preserved as a small garden, bounded by iron railings with some of the other memorial floor tablets from set into the ground. During the post-war reconstruction of the area in 1953 a number of burials from the site of the old church were dug up and reinterred at the Higher Cemetery.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-sDSbThWX71s\/TxSF2mdLGTI\/AAAAAAAAEDQ\/CCAuEpkQuhs\/s1600\/St%2BGeorge%2BAnglo-Saxon%2BDoorway_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"587\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698326601612859698\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-sDSbThWX71s\/TxSF2mdLGTI\/AAAAAAAAEDQ\/CCAuEpkQuhs\/s640\/St%2BGeorge%2BAnglo-Saxon%2BDoorway_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBut it seems that not all of the church was actually destroyed in 1843 after all. Only the south wall and the east wall were completely demolished as parts of the west wall and the north wall appear to have survived, reused within later, mid-19th century buildings. When South Street was bombed on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E part of the medieval church's west wall was exposed, and there within the rubble were significant fragments of the Saxon church that had stood on the same site over 1000 years earlier.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOf particular interest were the remains of the west door of the Saxon building \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E, blocked up long ago but clearly identifiable as such by the distinctive use of the so-called 'long and short' work in the quoins of the doorway. The wall was constructed of local purple volcanic trap, probably pinched by the Saxons from the remains of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003ERoman city wall\u003C\/a\u003E. Also embedded in the wall was the recycled debris of other Roman buildings which had been built in Exeter in the 3rd and 4th centuries, including part of a limestone column 9 inches in diameter, Roman terracotta roof tiles and the moulded base or capital of another column. Tests later showed that the Saxon mortar contained ground up fragments of more Roman roof tiles.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe historical importance of the find was identified after the bombing by two distinguished local historians: Ethel Lega-Weekes and Arthur Everett and they persuaded the Ministry of Works to try and salvage the remains. Unfortunately the very substantial north-west corner of the ruins fell down in 1945 and only the doorway and part of the west wall were eventually preserved. It's incredible though, to think of the Saxons in 9th or 10th century Exeter digging up pieces of classical Roman buildings and fashioning their own church out of what they found, and then a thousand years passing by before their work was suddenly revealed again in such destructive circumstances. In 1954 the Saxon remains were moved across South Street and relocated in the middle of the ruined 14th century Hall of the Vicars Choral. And there they sit today, possibly unique in the city, one of the very few architectural links with Exeter's Saxon past. During the post-war reconstruction of South Street the road was widened to 44ft, almost double it's pre-war width, and the site where the church once stood was irretrievably lost.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5943914081437465209\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5943914081437465209","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5943914081437465209"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5943914081437465209"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/st-georges-church-south-street.html","title":"St George's Church, South Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NeYb8oaG9zI\/TxR_NuC8G5I\/AAAAAAAAECg\/XB-dbW7mkIo\/s72-c\/St%2BGeorge%2BChurch%2BTownsend%2BWCSL.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5963421617291704668"},"published":{"$t":"2011-01-20T00:35:00.016+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T14:44:32.844+01:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Lost Jacobean Plasterwork Ceilings I"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd1mAq3UhI\/AAAAAAAABGA\/150EKNVrxX8\/s1600\/Ceiling%2BSt%2BNicholas%2BPriory_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"248\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564045160514802194\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd1mAq3UhI\/AAAAAAAABGA\/150EKNVrxX8\/s640\/Ceiling%2BSt%2BNicholas%2BPriory_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn  1909 a book was published, written by George Bankart and entitled    'The Art of the Plasterer'. It was a comprehensive survey of the art of    plasterwork decoration in England from the 16th to the 18th century,    extensively illustrated with numerous plans and photographs. In    researching the book Bankart visited Exeter and wrote the following,    prophetic words: \"Exeter is rich in examples of seventeenth-century    plasterwork. Numerous examples of the interlacing square and kite-shaped    panels formed by single moulded beams abound in this city\" but which,    he added, were \"rapidly disappearing\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBankart selected the    city's finest remaining examples for use as illustrations in his book.    He left out some notable ceilings, including the late-17th century    examples at the Custom House, at the Half Moon Inn and the 'Apollo'  ceiling at the New Inn, but he did include what were Exeter's greatest    surviving Jacobean decorated ceilings, at No. 229 High Street,  Bampfylde   House, No. 38 North Street, St Nicholas's Priory, the  'Courtenay Arms'   in Mary Arches Street, No. 171 Fore Street, No. 79  Fore Street (part  of  the 'Chevalier Inn') and No. 67 South Street.  Shockingly, only two  of  these buildings survive today (part of the  Benedictine priory and  No. 67  South Street), the rest having been  either demolished or  destroyed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe   ceiling in the parlour at St Nicholas's Priory is  Elizabethan and is   probably the earliest surviving decorative  plasterwork ceiling in   Exeter \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E. Some of the  Priory's buildings were  converted into a townhouse  at the time of the  Reformation in the 1530s  and later additions in the  1580s included the  insertion of the ceiling. The design is relatively  simple: a series of large quatrefoils  delineated by narrow raised ribs and   spread out over the ceiling at  regular intervals, the internal corners   blossoming into sprays of  foliage and variations on the fleur-de-lis motif.   The  quatrefoils are joined  together with rhombuses, elaborated with  further  bursts of foliage,  inset into which are little four-petalled  stylised  flowers. Another  motif is the Tudor rose which appears six  times and the  presence of  which helped to give the parlour its  alternative name: the  Tudor Room.  The ceiling has survived intact and  can be visited at Exeter  today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd3Xp3RfUI\/AAAAAAAABGQ\/Mur_nVEZjVY\/s1600\/67%2BSouth%2BStreet%2BPlaster%2BCeiling_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564047112897920322\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd3Xp3RfUI\/AAAAAAAABGQ\/Mur_nVEZjVY\/s640\/67%2BSouth%2BStreet%2BPlaster%2BCeiling_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;\" width=\"454\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EA second  early ceiling to survive is the one at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/no-67-south-street.html\"\u003ENo. 67 South Street\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E.  This dates  probably to the early years of the 17th  century. The  decorative  plasterwork displayed here is minimal. The  ceiling is  divided into two  panels by a beam. The edges of each panel  feature a  moulded cornice and  where the cornice meets a spray of flowers  blooms  from each mitred  corner. Bankart states that the modelling of  the  sprays in particular  are \"of much interest\". This ceiling is not   accessible to the public,  but at least it still exists.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOf the  greatest architectural and  historic importance was \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/no-229-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 229 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E,  a  treasure store of  late-Elizabethan and Jacobean interior design. In  one  of the rooms was a  large decorative plasterwork ceiling measuring  20ft  by 20ft \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E.  This was  probably created c1585 for the building's  exceptionally  wealthy owner,  George Smith. It was infinitely more  complex than the  ceiling at St  Nicholas's Priory. The design was based  on a series of  geometric  shapes, squares and triangles joined together  with curves  and loops and  all picked out by raised ribs. There were  flourishes of  fleur-de-lis  and other floral motifs, and in each corner,  set into a  square, was the  profile of a lion passant.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd4MhORe3I\/AAAAAAAABGY\/R7mYnBLQ_yo\/s1600\/No229%2BHigh%2BStreet_ceiling_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564048021111536498\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd4MhORe3I\/AAAAAAAABGY\/R7mYnBLQ_yo\/s640\/No229%2BHigh%2BStreet_ceiling_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;\" width=\"514\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAppearing  no less  than six times within the  design were the initials of Queen  Elizabeth the First:  ER. No. 229 was  demolished in 1930 and the  interiors were flogged off to  William  Randolph Hearst in the United  States.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe loss of No. 229 is  succinctly  summarised by Peter Thomas  in his book 'The Changing Face of  Exeter':  \"The destruction of many of  Exeter's buildings is more than   regrettable, being an indictment of  attitudes towards the city's   historical fabric. The utter destruction  of No. 229 High Street was   perhaps one of the worst examples.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo.  229 High Street had a   number of late-Tudor plasterwork ceilings. At  least one was salvaged and   appears today in the Nelson Atkins Museum  of Art in Kansas City along   with intricately carved Jacobean panelling  and a magnificent early-17th   century fire surround and overmantel, also  from No. 229, but the fate of   the ceiling with the initials of  Elizabeth the First and illustrated  by  George Bankart is unknown. It  was either salvaged and sold or it was   destroyed during the  demolition.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPart two of this post can be found \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/lost-jacobean-plasterwork-ceilings-ii.html\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5963421617291704668\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5963421617291704668","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5963421617291704668"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5963421617291704668"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/lost-jacobean-plasterwork-ceilings-i.html","title":"Lost Jacobean Plasterwork Ceilings I"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd1mAq3UhI\/AAAAAAAABGA\/150EKNVrxX8\/s72-c\/Ceiling%2BSt%2BNicholas%2BPriory_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-2038535081343255207"},"published":{"$t":"2011-01-20T00:34:00.016+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T14:40:58.641+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bampfylde House"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Lost Jacobean Plasterwork Ceilings II"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd5uLEmcFI\/AAAAAAAABGg\/X-U73lEIoQg\/s1600\/Bampfylde%2BHouse%2Bbed%2Bchamber%2Bceiling_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564049698792566866\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd5uLEmcFI\/AAAAAAAABGg\/X-U73lEIoQg\/s640\/Bampfylde%2BHouse%2Bbed%2Bchamber%2Bceiling_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;\" width=\"318\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe example \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E was a  plasterwork ceiling found in one of the bed  chambers at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/bampfylde-house-elizabethan-mansion-in.html\"\u003EBampfylde House\u003C\/a\u003E   and covered an area approximately 20ft by  10ft. This ceiling either   dated from the first few of decades of the  17th century or, more  likely,  from the time of the building's  construction in the 1590s. In  some  respects it was similar to the  ceiling in the Tudor Room of St   Nicholas's Priory. Quatrefoils, a  standard motif in both Gothic and   Renaissance design are used once  again, outlined by thin ribs, but now a   square has been added to the  centre of each quatrefoil leading to a   greater complexity in the  overall design.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPlain plasterwork  beams  divided the ceiling into four  panels. In the two larger panels  the  quartefoils merge, with sprays of  flowers festooning the corners  of the  each of the central squares. The  two smaller panels both held a  slightly  different design, a single  quatrefoil and square, but with a  greater  abundance of floral motifs.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA  similar ceiling existed in the  dining  room, but both that one and the  ceiling in the bed chamber were   completely destroyed during the  \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003Eair-raid of 01 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAn  even  greater loss at Bampfylde House  was the elaborate Jacobean  plasterwork  ceiling in the parlour, also  known as the Oak Room. It  measured  approximately 20ft by 15ft and was  certainly one of the  greatest  examples of its type that had ever been  constructed in Exeter \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E. It dated  to the  1620s or 1630s when the skill of  the Jacobean plasterer was at  its  height and when the most elaborate  designs were being executed all   across England. Now the emphasis was on  the geometric complexity of the   pattern and the plainer ribs used in  the above-mentioned ceilings had   been replaced with what was known as  strapwork, heavily decorated   plaster ribs that criss-crossed the  ceilings in an exuberant display of   craftsmanship.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd6QkxuRgI\/AAAAAAAABGo\/PigZZhxE3Sw\/s1600\/Bampfylde%2BHouse_ceiling_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564050289808262658\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd6QkxuRgI\/AAAAAAAABGo\/PigZZhxE3Sw\/s640\/Bampfylde%2BHouse_ceiling_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;\" width=\"441\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ECeilings such as  this were both extremely expensive  and  time-consuming and were a sign  of high status. The  techniques  would differ from ceiling to  ceiling but the general idea  was to plaster  the ceiling as normal over a series of oak  lathes. Once done  the plasterer could  begin to draw the outline of the  design directly  onto the flat ceiling  before building up the  strapwork itself, using  moulds to create the  cornices and to give each  rib a finished  appearance. Once the strapwork  was complete the  application of various  motifs could take place. These  would all have  been prepared from moulds  and then applied individually  onto the  strapwork by hand. In the Oak  Room at Bampfylde House most of  the  strapwork was enriched with a  running foliage design but also  included  the sprays of foliage familiar  from other ceilings in Exeter,  growing  out of the geometric shapes like  two-dimensional bunches of  flowers.  The entire ceiling was destroyed in  1942.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd7W2OaH6I\/AAAAAAAABGw\/c8TaNG7T5XU\/s1600\/Courtenay%2BArms_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564051497082822562\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd7W2OaH6I\/AAAAAAAABGw\/c8TaNG7T5XU\/s400\/Courtenay%2BArms_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;\" width=\"351\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe  next  ceiling illustrated by Bankart is a slight  mystery. It was part  of the  public house known as the 'Courtenay Arms'  which, at least in  1909, was  situated near to the church on the eastern side of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/mary-arches-street.html\"\u003EMary Arches  Street\u003C\/a\u003E but at the moment I know little about the building or its origins. This is perhaps the  most immediately attractive  of all of the Exeter ceilings illustrated  by Bankart \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E.  The strapwork was  slightly less ornate than that seen in the  Oak Room at Bampfylde House  but all the spaces within the geometric  design  were flooded with  masses of curling flowers and foliage.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd in   amongst the thicket of  leaves were beautifully naive depictions of  birds  and animals: a horse;  a very cheerful lion with a long,  straggling  mane; two falcons and a  deer; three intertwined fish; dogs  with short  ears; dogs with long  ears; a rabbit; a snake and a very  strange creature  that looks like a  griffin or a dog with wings.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt  was an incredible  piece of work. It  measured approximately 18ft by  15ft and was divided  into two panels by a  beam, each panel being a  rough mirror image of its  neighbour. I have  no idea what happened to  it. The building that housed  the ceiling was  gone well before World  War Two and it's almost certain  that the ceiling  was destroyed within a  few years of its being recorded  by Bankart. As  far as I'm aware  Bankart's illustration is the only  depiction of this  wonderful ceiling  that exists.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd8oAP4FlI\/AAAAAAAABHA\/8C_XQYXFgsk\/s1600\/No80%2BFore%2BStreet_ceiling_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564052891342739026\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd8oAP4FlI\/AAAAAAAABHA\/8C_XQYXFgsk\/s640\/No80%2BFore%2BStreet_ceiling_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;\" width=\"298\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe next example is from No. 79  Fore Street, one of the two 17th-century timber-frame houses that  together were known as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/chevalier-inn-fore-street-destroyed-in.html\"\u003E'The Chevalier Inn'\u003C\/a\u003E  and which stood near the  junction of South Street with Fore Street.  Like the Oak Room ceiling in  Bampfylde House, this ceiling at No. 79 Fore  Street featured enriched  strapwork but within a slightly less complex  geometric design. The date  of its installation was somewhere around  1630, soon after the house had  been constructed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe main feature of the design \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E  were three over-lapping  quatrefoils but, compared with earlier  examples, these quatrefoils were  hardily recognisable as such. The  curves had been replaced with sharp  corners, but the abundance of  foliage springing from both the corners of  the quatrefoils and the  inset squares are very familiar. As at  Bampfylde House, the strapwork  itself was decorated with a profusion of  running leaves that snaked  across every part of the corniced ribs. It  measured approximately 10ft  by 20ft.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Chevalier Inn had a number of  other decorated ceilings of a  similar date but with simpler narrow ribs  instead of the ornate  strapwork highlighted by Bankart. Both of the  houses that comprised the inn were totally destroyed in the bombing of  04 May 1942 and all the  ceilings were lost forever.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPart three of this post can be found \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/lost-jacobean-plasterwork-ceilings-iii.html\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2038535081343255207\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=2038535081343255207","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2038535081343255207"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2038535081343255207"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/lost-jacobean-plasterwork-ceilings-ii.html","title":"Lost Jacobean Plasterwork Ceilings II"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd5uLEmcFI\/AAAAAAAABGg\/X-U73lEIoQg\/s72-c\/Bampfylde%2BHouse%2Bbed%2Bchamber%2Bceiling_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5309600943291316773"},"published":{"$t":"2011-01-20T00:33:00.011+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T14:37:47.172+01:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Lost Jacobean Plasterwork Ceilings III"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd94I60qXI\/AAAAAAAABHI\/9Y9GV1tvq9Y\/s1600\/No%2B171%2BFore%2BStreet_ceiling_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564054268059887986\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd94I60qXI\/AAAAAAAABHI\/9Y9GV1tvq9Y\/s640\/No%2B171%2BFore%2BStreet_ceiling_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;\" width=\"317\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBankart's  penultimate example was to be found at No. 171 Fore Street  which stood  near the junction of Fore Street with Mary Arches Street.  Similar to  No. 229 High Street but less well-documented, No. 171 Fore  Street was  one of the pre-eminent Jacobean townhouses in the city. On  the first  floor was a magnificent plaster ceiling (\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E)  measuring  approximately 14ft by 28ft. Described in 1901 as being \"in  the style of  Inigo Jones\", the ceiling was very similar to the  strapwork ceiling in  the Oak Room at Bampfylde House and was certainly  its equal in terms of  size, quality and the complexity of the geometric  design. As at  Bampfylde House, the strapwork ribs on the ceiling at  No. 171 were  lavishly decorated with a running leaf motif accompanied  by intricately  modelled sprays of flowers and foliage that sprung from  nearly every  corner. The ceiling dated from the 1620s or 1630s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn  the early 1930s the entire house was demolished. Ironically, the   building that replaced it was itself destroyed in 1942 and so the   destruction of the Jacobean building was inevitable one way or another. A   few bits of carved woodwork from the facade found their way into the   city museum. The early-17th century fittings, including an oak-panelled   dining room, were probably sold off although the whereabouts of the   panelling is currently unknown. The fate of the magnificent strapwork  plaster  ceiling is also unknown. It was either taken down in sections  and sold  or it was destroyed during the demolition, which is exactly  what  happened to the last of Bankart's featured ceilings.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn  1909, the same year that Blankart's book was published, an edition of the   'The Connoisseur' fine arts periodical featured an article on   Exeter's civic plate, regalia and seals. The author also made the   following comment: \"Among the other sights of Exeter I must mention a   portion of a fine sixteenth century ceiling, consisting of panels with   floral insets and a coloured frieze showing birds and bosses, which can   be seen in its original setting at 38, North Street\". My original post   on No. 38 North Street can be found \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/no-38-north-street.html\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E  but to recap it was a  merchant's house from the 1400s that was  remodelled as a Jacobean  mansion in the early-17th century. A number of  15th century features  survived intact, including windows, fireplaces  and the original hall  roof, as well as much of the Jacobean  remodelling. The entire building,  along with its 15th century and  late-17th century neighbours, was  demolished by Exeter City Council in  1972 to make way for a shopping  centre. One of the casualties was the  plasterwork ceiling mentioned in  'The Connoisseur'.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd_AqWgXWI\/AAAAAAAABHQ\/H3oC3gjXTSI\/s1600\/No%2B38%2BNorth%2BStreet_ceiling_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564055513984949602\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd_AqWgXWI\/AAAAAAAABHQ\/H3oC3gjXTSI\/s640\/No%2B38%2BNorth%2BStreet_ceiling_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;\" width=\"437\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBlankart's plan (\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E)  shows only part of the original ceiling. When the  building was  modified for road-widening the front of the property was  taken down and  a portion of the front rooms was removed before the  original facade  was reinstated. This action included the removal of half  of the  original ceiling. The lost portion was salvaged by the renowned   antiquarian and scholar, the Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould, and installed   at his ancestral home at Lew Trenchard, a small village in West Devon,   where it still exists today. (Baring-Gould's Regency birthplace near \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/dixs-field-southernhay-east.html\"\u003EDix's   Field\u003C\/a\u003E in Exeter was destroyed during World War Two.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's now  believed that the ceiling at No. 38 North Street dated to the 1620s rather than being late-16th   century, as 'The Connoisseur' suggested. The portion that survived   until 1972 consisted of two panels, measuring approximately 24ft by   14ft, divided by a plasterwork beam decorated with vines and leaves,   birds and animals. The geometric design was a complex mix of kites and   squares infilled with a prodigious display of foliage and fleur-de-lis.   Instead of removing it in sections the ceiling was hacked down in 1972   on the orders of the local authority and small fragments found their  way  into the local museum.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy 1972 the ceiling at No. 38 North  Street was the best of its type left  in the city, even in its truncated  condition. In fact, given the  demolitions of the 1930s and the  destruction of World War Two, it was  one of the very few that were left  of \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eany\u003C\/span\u003E  type. Today the only  decorated Elizabethan\/Jacobean plasterwork  ceilings left in Exeter are  the ones at the Priory and South Street,  both mentioned by Bankart, a relatively complex ceiling at No. 144 Fore Street featuring a camel, monkey and lion, along with other exotic creatures, two at No. 7 Cathedral Close, and  a relatively simple, geometric,  narrow-ribbed ceiling at  \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/no-1-cathedral-close-mols-coffee-house.html\"\u003ENo. 1 Cathedral Close\u003C\/a\u003E  but which has none of the lavish  adornments that made  Jacobean ceilings such works of art. There are none  that exhibit  the  highly ornate Jacobean strapwork once found in Bampfylde House, No.  80  Fore Street or No. 171 Fore Street. There are none that display the   abundance of flowers and animals found at No. 38 North Street or the   Courtenay Arms.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd_u3MYRdI\/AAAAAAAABHY\/92YQV5KNPNM\/s1600\/Ceiling%2Bin%2BPaul%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"556\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564056307706119634\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd_u3MYRdI\/AAAAAAAABHY\/92YQV5KNPNM\/s640\/Ceiling%2Bin%2BPaul%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBut  there were other ceilings not mentioned by Bankart. In 1915 a group  of  local antiquarians toured Exeter during their annual meeting. A part  of  their itinerary included a walk down \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html\"\u003EPaul Street\u003C\/a\u003E,  during which they  noted that the north side \"is in process of  demolition - several ancient  houses, including Oriental plastered  ceilings and half-timbered fronts,  already having been pulled down.\"  The 'Oriental' ceilings were either  Elizabethan or Jacobean. An amateur  artist recorded one of the Paul  Street ceilings in 1915, just prior to  its destruction, \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon  County Council. Her  illustration shows an exceptional coved ceiling  from the early 17th  century complete with the now-familiar enriched  Jacobean strapwork and  geometric design. No-one kept a record of the  demolition of the medieval  and Tudor buildings in Paul Street so it's  impossible to say what else  came tumbling to the ground.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTeAcC-yGDI\/AAAAAAAABHg\/3Qmc5FBQY9w\/s1600\/King%2BSt%2BPlaster%2BCeiling%2Bfrom%2BOld%2BHouse%2BC17%2Bc1912%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"518\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564057083964430386\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTeAcC-yGDI\/AAAAAAAABHg\/3Qmc5FBQY9w\/s640\/King%2BSt%2BPlaster%2BCeiling%2Bfrom%2BOld%2BHouse%2BC17%2Bc1912%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAnd there was another large ceiling in King Street, probably located in a  late-Tudor building that actually stood on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/slum-clearance-of-stepcote-hill.html\"\u003EStepcote Hill\u003C\/a\u003E. It too was  recorded by the same amateur artist, in 1912, and whose plan (\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E  © Devon County Council) shows yet  another geometric design picked out  in narrow plaster ribs with sprays  of foliage and a single Tudor rose,  the four panels separated by wide  plaster beams. This ceiling almost  certainly survived until the 1930s at  which point, along with almost  every other historic feature in the West  Quarter, it was demolished as  part of the slum clearances. Again, no records were  made of the demolition so the historic and  architectural losses can  only be a matter of conjecture.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd there were others, from the late-17th century, including the  ceilings at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/half-moon-inn-high-street.html\"\u003Ethe Half Moon Inn\u003C\/a\u003E (demolished in 1912) and the 'Apollo'  ceiling at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/nos-25-26-high-street-new-inn.html\"\u003Ethe New Inn\u003C\/a\u003E (destroyed in 1942).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn  1909 'The Connoisseur' wrote that \"Exeter has indeed has much to be proud   of - in her possessions, her history, her cathedral and many beautiful   buildings, shops, streets and gardens, and her surroundings. Those who   once visit this ancient and loyal city will assuredly not fail to   retrace their steps again and yet again to this fascinating spot\".   Unfortunately, with a few notable exceptions, the fabric of the historic   city that survived even as recently as 1909 has \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/destruction-of-exeter-in-20th-century.html\"\u003Ealmost completely ceased  to exist.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPart one of this post can be found \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/lost-jacobean-plasterwork-ceilings-i.html\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5309600943291316773\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5309600943291316773","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5309600943291316773"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5309600943291316773"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/lost-jacobean-plasterwork-ceilings-iii.html","title":"Lost Jacobean Plasterwork Ceilings III"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TTd94I60qXI\/AAAAAAAABHI\/9Y9GV1tvq9Y\/s72-c\/No%2B171%2BFore%2BStreet_ceiling_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-7969144059215060816"},"published":{"$t":"2011-01-12T22:40:00.026+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T14:35:01.724+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Southernhay"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Southernhay Baths, Southernhay East"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ow2lELuUwSs\/ToeaXBYj5MI\/AAAAAAAACL8\/3fWShWj2Af8\/s1600\/SouthernhayBaths.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658661177113437378\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ow2lELuUwSs\/ToeaXBYj5MI\/AAAAAAAACL8\/3fWShWj2Af8\/s640\/SouthernhayBaths.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAn extraordinary building, and a very short-lived one, the public bath house in Southernhay East was one of Exeter's earliest experiments in Greek Revival architecture. The story begins with the construction of the late-18th century townhouses of Barnfield Crescent, another Georgian housing scheme planned by Matthew Nosworthy in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/brief-history-of-southernhay_16.html\"\u003ESouthernhay\u003C\/a\u003E. According to Alexander Jenkins, \"in digging a drain behind these buildings, the labourers discovered a Bath\". The remains of the bath were angular in shape and \"built with grey bricks, very hard burnt, and strongly cemented together.\" Steps led down into the bath but apparently no-one, including Jenkins, had the slightest idea where it had come from for \"it did not seem to be of a very ancient date\". Roman is the obvious answer but I assume Jenkins discounted this possibility (a large Legionary bath house from the 1st century AD  is buried outside the West front of the Cathedral).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HiocAFvQMyo\/TxIqoqEp-dI\/AAAAAAAADyM\/8ALWPtMyglg\/s1600\/Thrasyllus%2BMonument.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697663356554050002\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HiocAFvQMyo\/TxIqoqEp-dI\/AAAAAAAADyM\/8ALWPtMyglg\/s400\/Thrasyllus%2BMonument.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 304px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe fact that the old bath at Barnfield was being fed from a natural spring suggested \"to the architect\" the possibility of creating a public bath house, the absence of which in the city had \"been long complained of\". Jenkins writes that the area was \"abounding in fine springs\" and \"a handsome and very commodious [bath house] is now erected\". The problem is that Jenkins' \"now\" is in 1806 and the Greek Revival bath house shown above wasn't built until the 1820s. Perhaps Nosworthy built a temporary structure that was later elaborated into something else. Who knows.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Greek Revival Southernhay Baths were constructed between the corner of Dix's Field and the site where a year or so later William Hooper would construct the colonnaded expanse of Chichester Place. The bath's architect was John Lethbridge, one of the founder members of the Institution of Civil Engineers. For inspiration he took one of the most-quoted buildings from antiquity: the choragic monument of Thrasyllus which stood in Athens until its destruction by the Turks in 1827.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ImXl2KOobuY\/TxIq1W1_TjI\/AAAAAAAADyY\/nrhLybJZAPE\/s1600\/Northington%2BGrange%2BThrasyllus.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697663574730559026\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ImXl2KOobuY\/TxIq1W1_TjI\/AAAAAAAADyY\/nrhLybJZAPE\/s640\/Northington%2BGrange%2BThrasyllus.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"438\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn 1789 a plan of the monument's facade \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E appeared in volume two of 'Antiquities of Athens' and over the next 60 years the monument, both in its overall design and in its details, was referenced in buildings across Europe. For example, in the early 1800s William Wilkins used the Thrasyllus monument as a model for the side elevation of Northington Grange in Hampshire \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELethbridge's bath house consisted of three large entrance porticos, each supported at the corner with pairs of square columns. The entablature was a mixture of angular blocks with balsutrading creating in effect an Attic storey. On the frieze, at the corners of each portico, were classical wreathes. The wreathes, the square columns, the angular blocks of the entablature, all were lifted directly from the monument of Thrasyllus. Surmounting the central portico was an enormous statue of Poseidon, holding a trident and flanked by a sea horse, a suitably watery god to use on a bath house. The bath house opened to the public for the first time on 03 December 1821.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA guide to Exeter published in 1828 stated that the baths offered \"cold, hot, plunge, shower, vapour and medicated baths\" with an \"elegant\" interior. In 1828 at least the baths were open from 7am until 10pm during the summer and from 8am until 10pm in the winter but, \"in cases of emergency, at any hour\"?! However it seems as though the baths quickly ran into difficulties. In 1829 another guide included the following statement: \"The public baths...exhibit a classical exterior, and are replete with every internal accommodation, but, unfortunately, the establishment has not met with that success which it so fully deserves\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lguWbULVdk8\/TxIq-NdsgPI\/AAAAAAAADyk\/cj-0lLbEdMM\/s1600\/Congregational_Church%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697663726831567090\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lguWbULVdk8\/TxIq-NdsgPI\/AAAAAAAADyk\/cj-0lLbEdMM\/s640\/Congregational_Church%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBy 1868 the bath house had proved to be a failure and the entire building was demolished. Robert Dymond, writing in Trewman's 'Exeter Flying Post' in 1879, recollected that \"the classical architecture design had some merit, but was ruined...by being carried out in stucco, or rather plaster, which had become extremely shabby for some years before the removal of the structure.\" On the empty plot arose the Neo-Gothic, Noncomformist Southernhay Congregational Church, now the Southernhay United Reform Church.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe church was \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003Edestroyed by bombs in 1942\u003C\/a\u003E and only the octagonal 180ft spire and tower survived. The rest of the church was rebuilt in 1956 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E using brick, with a shallow copper pitched roof, and in a modernist style totally at odds with both the church it replaced and the late-Georgian terraces that survive nearby. Of the bath house from 1821 nothing remains at all.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/7969144059215060816\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=7969144059215060816","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7969144059215060816"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7969144059215060816"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/southernhay-baths-southernhay-west.html","title":"Southernhay Baths, Southernhay East"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ow2lELuUwSs\/ToeaXBYj5MI\/AAAAAAAACL8\/3fWShWj2Af8\/s72-c\/SouthernhayBaths.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-1995609023689416768"},"published":{"$t":"2011-01-09T23:19:00.046+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T14:32:56.399+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"No. 237, High Street: The West of England Fire and Life Insurance Company"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-VgsiPEwNTr8\/TwLqg3nD8HI\/AAAAAAAAC94\/Rt33o8u9_1A\/s1600\/pho_west_england_ExteriorHighStreet.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693370729354227826\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-VgsiPEwNTr8\/TwLqg3nD8HI\/AAAAAAAAC94\/Rt33o8u9_1A\/s1600\/pho_west_england_ExteriorHighStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBefore 1942 one of the most impressive neo-Classical facades in the city was at the former head office of the West of England Fire and Life Insurance Company \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E © Aviva.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe company was founded in Exeter in 1807 by Samuel Milford, a Deputy Lieutenant of Devonshire, as a response to a devastating fire in the small town of Chudleigh, about 10 miles west of the city. On 22 May 1807, at a bakehouse in Culver Street, a pile of dried gorse that was used to stoke the ovens caught on fire.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAfter weeks without rain the town rapidly went up in smoke as the fire spread through the narrow streets igniting the thatched roofs of the houses. Within just four hours the town had been almost completely destroyed with only the church and seven houses left intact. The West of England Company bought their first fire engine in Exeter in late 1807 and named it 'Little West' and was soon issuing both fire insurance and life insurance, backed by the enormous sum of £600,000.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was the first company to issue life insurance policies outside of London and operated primarily throughout Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset, but by the 1820s it had agents in most of the major towns in England. The head office was initially situated on the corner of the High Street and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E, but in 1821 the Company moved to No. 237 High Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KCviG3Lwhb8\/TxRfgSqhK1I\/AAAAAAAAEBk\/9yMPk5fKDTM\/s1600\/WoE%2Bmap%2Baerial.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698284436901145426\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KCviG3Lwhb8\/TxRfgSqhK1I\/AAAAAAAAEBk\/9yMPk5fKDTM\/s1600\/WoE%2Bmap%2Baerial.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows a detail from the 1905 map of Exeter overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area. The West of England Fire and Life Company's location on the High Street is highlighted in red, almost opposite \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Stephen's church\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs with so many of Exeter's buildings which no longer exist, accurate information concerning the Company's offices is as rare as hen's teeth and I can find only two descriptions of the building itself. The first as a footnote in a book entitled 'Domestic Architecture' published in 1841: \"The front of the West of England Fire Office in High Street, Exeter,  though inappropriate in its style of architecture, is an exceeding good  copy from Sir John Soane, particularly the rotund hall within the  building. It was composed by the late Mr. Paty, a native architect of  great taste, but he being a copyist cannot rank high.\" The second comes from the 'History, Gazetteer and Directory of the County of Devon' from 1879: \"[The Company's] chief office is a large and elegant building at 237 High Street, erected in 1833. The facade of this edifice is of Portland stone, and is about 50 feet wide and 26 high. It has a portico in the centre surmounted by a pedestal, on which stands a figure of King Alfred. Behind this is a large building, erected in 1820, and containing an excellent board-room and the secretary's residence.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-I1mwvbcd_Vw\/TxRgQVDyF8I\/AAAAAAAAEBw\/sVfvEVTUtJg\/s1600\/W%2Bof%2BEng%2BPlaque_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698285262177703874\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-I1mwvbcd_Vw\/TxRgQVDyF8I\/AAAAAAAAEBw\/sVfvEVTUtJg\/s400\/W%2Bof%2BEng%2BPlaque_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 306px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows a tin plaque issued to policy holders and which were attached to properties covered by the Company. The figure represents King Alfred, the emblem of the West of England Fire and Life Insurance Company.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe \"late Mr. Paty\" was actually Andrew Patey*, a local architect who designed a significant number of buildings in Devon, including St Leonard's church in Exeter, and the Assembly Rooms and the neo-Norman St Michael's in Teignmouth. Andrew Patey also submitted a design for Exeter's Higher Market building which earned him third place in the architectural competition and the sum of £25.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPatey certainly designed the 1833 neo-Classical facade in the High Street but what about the rest of the building? It's clear that the West of England Fire and Life Insurance Company commissioned a new building on the site c1820, prior to its departure from its premises on the corner with North Street, and that must've been when the \"excellent board-room and secretary's residence\" was built. But was the \"rotund hall\" mentioned in the first quote a circular board room? Or was the author referring to a rotunda used as a public space behind the facade? Was Andrew Patey also the architect of the 1820 building? Or was he brought in just to design the facade 13 years later?  The 1905 map of Exeter shows a building of two halves divided by a central courtyard. Maybe the portion of the building north of the courtyard was the 1820 structure with Patey's design being the remaining half which fronted onto the street. As far as I am aware there are no photographs or plans of the interior  prior to its destruction. I contacted the archivist for Aviva and she said that the archives don't contain any images showing the interior.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-c3q2GsMQ580\/TxRhbNur5sI\/AAAAAAAAEB8\/IY_xkmfQYL8\/s1600\/P1163111.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698286548700358338\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-c3q2GsMQ580\/TxRhbNur5sI\/AAAAAAAAEB8\/IY_xkmfQYL8\/s1600\/P1163111.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe 1833 facade was certainly a great stylistic change from everything else which had been built in the High Street up until then, and nearly all of Exeter's great neo-Classical public buildings, including the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/lower-market-fore-street.html\"\u003ELower Market\u003C\/a\u003E, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/higher-market-queen-street.html\"\u003EHigher Market\u003C\/a\u003E and the new Post Office in Queen Street were still several years in the future (although the Royal Subscription Rooms, destroyed in 1942, were constructed in 1820).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EClearly the owners of the company wanted something prestigious. As a building material, Portland stone was almost unheard of in Exeter at the time and much of the High Street would still have contained a significant number of timber-framed houses from the 16th and 17th centuries (the building next door, to the east, was the mid-17th century timber-frame \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/no-241-high-street-town-house-of-earls.html\"\u003Etownhouse of the Earls of Morley\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe single-storey facade consisted of six fluted limestone columns crowned with Corinthian capitals supporting a plain architrave with a modillion cornice above. The central portion of the facade \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E projected slightly towards the High Street and served as the main entrance. The entrance was framed with pairs of columns behind which was the enormous doorway topped with a classical triangular pediment. Ranged along the top of the building was a series of limestone blocks with mouldings and a cornice, an Attic storey, interspersed with sections of stone balustrade. Perched on top of this, like miniature radar dishes, were a number of circular and semi-circular medallions inset with scallop shells and flowers. And finally, in the centre, with one hand on his sword and looking over the city towards the east, was a colossal, almost twice-life sized statue of King Alfred the Great, the Company's emblem.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-4ryPyjoPKRQ\/TwLrn7jzzpI\/AAAAAAAAC-E\/3zweezIGXtk\/s1600\/High%2BSt%2B1942%2Biii%2BWCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693371950185041554\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-4ryPyjoPKRQ\/TwLrn7jzzpI\/AAAAAAAAC-E\/3zweezIGXtk\/s400\/High%2BSt%2B1942%2Biii%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 300px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photo \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E © Express \u0026amp; Echo shows the view down the bomb-damaged High Street towards the Guildhall, the remains of the 1833 facade visible on the right.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe rotunda, the board-room, the secretary's residence and all the other rooms were totally destroyed by fire during the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003Eair-raid on Exeter in 1942\u003C\/a\u003E. But the flamboyant facade was still standing, almost completely undamaged and it could easily have been salvaged if the city council had chosen to do so. Instead, as happened with nearly all the war-damaged buildings in the city centre, under the council's orders the entire facade was smashed to pieces and demolished. Only the head of the statue survived, apparently being knocked off when the edifice came tumbling to the ground.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDuring the post-war reconstruction the High Street was massively widened, the north side being set back considerably. Today the former location of the facade of the West of England Fire and Life Insurance Company is actually in the middle of the pavement close to the current Lloyd's bank building \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-8qC-IqfXvUk\/TxR54tDblEI\/AAAAAAAAECU\/7R2NF089OyE\/s1600\/West%2Bof%2BEngland%2B2010%2Bedit.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"512\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698313443604141122\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-8qC-IqfXvUk\/TxR54tDblEI\/AAAAAAAAECU\/7R2NF089OyE\/s640\/West%2Bof%2BEngland%2B2010%2Bedit.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E*Andrew Patey died of consumption in Exeter on 01 September 1836 just  three years after the facade of the building was completed. The West of England Fire and Life Insurance Company merged with the Commercial Union Fire Insurance Company in 1894 (Commercial Union was still operating out of the building on the High Street in 1942). Today Commercial Union is part of the Aviva insurance group. The Exeter Company's first fire engine, 'Little West', still exists.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1995609023689416768\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=1995609023689416768","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1995609023689416768"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1995609023689416768"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/west-of-england-fire-and-life-insurance.html","title":"No. 237, High Street: The West of England Fire and Life Insurance Company"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-VgsiPEwNTr8\/TwLqg3nD8HI\/AAAAAAAAC94\/Rt33o8u9_1A\/s72-c\/pho_west_england_ExteriorHighStreet.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-1319874289415957239"},"published":{"$t":"2011-01-08T17:55:00.039+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-02T18:12:24.932+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"St Lawrence's Church, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-SJg18n73-NE\/TwLlqm9teNI\/AAAAAAAAC9U\/4EfN49hHpaA\/s1600\/St%2BLawrence%2BBC.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693365399126374610\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-SJg18n73-NE\/TwLlqm9teNI\/AAAAAAAAC9U\/4EfN49hHpaA\/s640\/St%2BLawrence%2BBC.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"495\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ELocated in the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/high-street-from-1900-to-1942.html\"\u003EHigh Street\u003C\/a\u003E, the 15th century church of St Lawrence \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E was the only medieval parish church within the city walls that was destroyed as a direct consequence of World War Two.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA church was definitely in existence on the same site at the start of the 13th century, and it's possible that the foundation itself pre-dated the Norman Conquest of 1066.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorge Oliver, in his History of the City of Exeter, cites a deed of c1202 showing that the church belonged to the abbot and convent of St Mary de Valle in Bayeux, France. During the reign of Henry III, in 1272, the French abbey surrendered its possession of St Lawrence and ownership of the church was granted to the Augustinian priory at Merton in Surrey. In the late-13th century the then Bishop of Exeter, Peter Quivel, requested that the church be given to the diocese of Exeter in exchange for an interest in St John's Hospital, a short way up the High Street towards the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\"\u003EEast Gate\u003C\/a\u003E and on the opposite side of the road. This rather tortuous series of transfers and exchanges enabled the church of St Lawrence to fall within the ecclesiastical grasp of the Bishops of Exeter. Like many of the city's parish churches, the church of St Lawrence was sold-off during the Commonwealth but it was purchased for its parishioners on 21 September 1658 for £100 by a wealthy Exonian.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Squ5l3bwhwo\/TwLl2TD9l2I\/AAAAAAAAC9g\/v7Nuw7zWH0A\/s1600\/St%2BLawrence_High_Street_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693365599942317922\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Squ5l3bwhwo\/TwLl2TD9l2I\/AAAAAAAAC9g\/v7Nuw7zWH0A\/s1600\/St%2BLawrence_High_Street_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe church was rebuilt in the mid-15th century in a style typical of Exeter's parish churches, the walls and tower constructed from the red Heavitree breccia with decorative mouldings, windows and tracery in white limestone. The south wall was rebuilt in 1674 and the west wall in 1830, but apart from those renovations much of the church in 1942 dated to the 1400s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe south wall, that faced onto the High Street, was pierced by three large 15th century Perpendicular windows. The large bell tower to the south-west originally held three bells but two of these were sold in 1780 to raise funds for repairs to the fabric of the church. By 1942 only one bell remained, a late medieval one cast by the Exeter bell-founder, Robert Norton. Jenkins was very dismissive of the tower, complaining that it was \"a clumsy ill-proportioned building, much too large for its height\". He also stated that it was finished at the top with only a \"coping wall without battlements\" which gave it \"a very odd appearance\". Later photographs of the church show that both the south wall and the tower were crenellated so at least the tower decoration must've been added later, perhaps during the renovations of the 1850s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-s35C0I23ei8\/UVsO7ftXKRI\/AAAAAAAAGIw\/K_PFQlq0RYI\/s1600\/St+Lawrence+PM+1905.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-s35C0I23ei8\/UVsO7ftXKRI\/AAAAAAAAGIw\/K_PFQlq0RYI\/s1600\/St+Lawrence+PM+1905.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows a 1905 map of the city overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOnly those buildings that lay within the parish boundary of St Lawrence are highlighted. Buildings destroyed since 1905, the vast majority during the Exeter Blitz of 1942, are highlighted in red.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESurviving properties that pre-date 1905 and which once lay within the parish of St Lawrence are highlighted in purple. The site of the church itself is marked 'Ch' with the little graveyard clearly visible at the rear.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe most interesting aspect of the exterior was the south porch which allowed access into the church. In 1590 a new water fountain, or conduit, had been constructed in the High Street near to St Lawrence's (not to be confused with the medieval Great Conduit that stood at the Carfoix near the South Street\/North Street crossroads). Built from pale Beer limestone, like so much of the Cathedral itself, the conduit was decorated with statues of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I as well as Exeter's coat of arms. The conduit was demolished in 1694 and the materials were reused to construct the south porch of the church. Standing above the arched entrance of the porch, in a Gothic niche, was the statue of Elizabeth I.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-rsxY_arlick\/TwLmDUwAKZI\/AAAAAAAAC9s\/K72Bof3iRpI\/s1600\/St%2BLawrence%2BStalls%2BWCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693365823733770642\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-rsxY_arlick\/TwLmDUwAKZI\/AAAAAAAAC9s\/K72Bof3iRpI\/s640\/St%2BLawrence%2BStalls%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"462\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe interior lay-out was simple, consisting of just a nave and a sanctuary (with a small niche that held the organ in the north wall at the eastern end). Dividing the nave and the sanctuary was the church's greatest treasure: an exceptionally fine screen with stalls, carved in oak, with ogee arches and ball-flower pinnacles which dated from the 1400s \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council. The woodwork was part of the 14th century choir stalls at Exeter Cathedral which were removed during the mid-17th century. Jenkins doesn't mention it so it's not known exactly when the carving arrived at St Lawrence's.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESpanning the nave and sanctuary was a 15th-century barrel-vaulted roof complete with painted oak bosses \"carved with faces, knots and foliage\" (Cresswell). Where the ribs terminated at the walls there were carved angels holding shields. The massive hexagonal stone font was decorated with quartefoils with blind Gothic arches around the base. It was probably installed in the 1850s. A letter in The Ecclesiologist from 1842 suggested that prior to the installation of the stone font a glass jar, like a pot-pourri bowl, and kept in a recess in the west wall, was used for baptisms! There was also some Jacobean oak panelling near the altar that Cresswell dated to between 1621 and 1626 and which she believed originated from the Cathedral because of the inclusion of the coat of arms of Valentine Cary, Bishop of Exeter during the reign of Charles I.  Also inside the church were a number of wall memorials and memorial slabs dating from the end of the 1600s to the 19th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VOhUHkU9WH4\/TxIriBeUgdI\/AAAAAAAADyw\/apGHCE4p43Q\/s1600\/High%2BSt%2Blooking%2BEast%2B1942%2BWCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"435\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697664342088253906\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VOhUHkU9WH4\/TxIriBeUgdI\/AAAAAAAADyw\/apGHCE4p43Q\/s640\/High%2BSt%2Blooking%2BEast%2B1942%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E © Express \u0026amp; Echo shows the High Street following the Baedeker Raid of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E. The crenellated tower of St Lawrence's can be seen about halfway up on the left, behind the neo-Classical facade of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/west-of-england-fire-and-life-insurance.html\"\u003EWest of England Fire and Life Insurance Company building\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESt Lawrence's was one of the few parish churches with its own cemetery. Until the 19th century most of the residents of the city who died were either buried in the Cathedral Close or, after 1636, at a new burial ground at Bartholomew Street West. The little churchyard at St Lawrence's was opened in 1692 having previously been a parishioner's garden. It was accessed from the High Street down a very narrow lane that ran underneath the house adjacent to the church's tower: \"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.\" So wrote Beatrix Cresswell in her 1927 book 'Rambes in Old Exeter'. She called the courtyard \"a delicious corner of the old city, with the red wall and cusped windows of the old church at one side of it\". It was all destroyed in 1942.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-t14Zh3kgHRM\/UVg53oL9fAI\/AAAAAAAAGGA\/zfEsvAELxu8\/s1600\/St+Lawrence+1945+Exeter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-t14Zh3kgHRM\/UVg53oL9fAI\/AAAAAAAAGGA\/zfEsvAELxu8\/s1600\/St+Lawrence+1945+Exeter.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EOn 04 May 1942, along with many of Exeter's other historic buildings, the church of St Lawrence was severely damaged by a German bombing raid.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAll the shops and houses both opposite and next to the church were destroyed. The church itself was completely gutted by fire with only the south wall and the tower left standing. Nothing at all survived of the interior, the medieval roof or the 15th century oak screen. The remains \u003Ci\u003Eabove left\u003C\/i\u003E were cleared away as part of the post-war reconstruction. The approximate site of the church became part of the Commercial Union building with only a plaque on the wall to remind pedestrians of St Lawrence's existence.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAn interesting footnote relates to the statue of Elizabeth I that once stood in the south porch. The porch itself survived the Blitz but was demolished along with the rest of the ruined church, at which point the statue found a new home in the Commercial Union building that arose on the site. It was displayed inside the building until the company moved to new premises in Barnfield Road in 1973. After the move the statue disappeared until it was traced by Peter Thomas, one of Exeter's most prominent historians, to the company's warehouse in Southampton. Following efforts made by Peter Thomas, the late-16th century statue was donated by Commercial Union to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter and can be seen today in the interpretation centre at the Underground Passages.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-1-dTn-YwxmY\/TxIrt1hnFkI\/AAAAAAAADy8\/GkzO73BwhEI\/s1600\/St_Lawrence_Plaque_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"407\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697664545039259202\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-1-dTn-YwxmY\/TxIrt1hnFkI\/AAAAAAAADy8\/GkzO73BwhEI\/s640\/St_Lawrence_Plaque_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1319874289415957239\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=1319874289415957239","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1319874289415957239"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1319874289415957239"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/st-lawrences-church-high-street.html","title":"St Lawrence's Church, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-SJg18n73-NE\/TwLlqm9teNI\/AAAAAAAAC9U\/4EfN49hHpaA\/s72-c\/St%2BLawrence%2BBC.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-9012755253809239802"},"published":{"$t":"2011-01-07T17:28:00.071+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T14:17:48.021+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exe Bridge"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inner Bypass"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Victorian Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Demolition of the Edwardian Exe Bridge"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-oLQl7FPAqkg\/TwrayHYjlHI\/AAAAAAAADQQ\/GCKFM0Mf0FM\/s1600\/ExeBridge_colour.JPG\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"395\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695605233273771122\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-oLQl7FPAqkg\/TwrayHYjlHI\/AAAAAAAADQQ\/GCKFM0Mf0FM\/s640\/ExeBridge_colour.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\"Where else but in Exeter during the 1960s, a decade notorious for civic destruction of Blitz proportion, would an elegant Edwardian steel bridge be irretrievably broken up, the shady banks of the river beneath it ironed out between concrete barriers and the whole meshed into a cat's cradle of busy roads?\" So writes Hugh Meller in his book on Exeter's remaining fragments of historic architecture. \"Where else but in Exeter?\" It's a question with an almost infinite number of continuations, and unfortunately most of them are negative.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-CYLo68RvnT8\/Twrc2lZb3bI\/AAAAAAAADQc\/3xZ2kxI6AyA\/s1600\/Exe%2BBridge_colour.JPG\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"413\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695607509073255858\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-CYLo68RvnT8\/Twrc2lZb3bI\/AAAAAAAADQc\/3xZ2kxI6AyA\/s640\/Exe%2BBridge_colour.JPG\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe postcard \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E shows the view  across the river looking west out of Exeter. At the multi-gabled building in the background it was possible to turn left in Alphington Street or right into Cowick Street. Nearly every building  shown was demolished between 1963 and 1972 and nothing of the scene survives today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Edwardian bridge which was destroyed in 1972 was built between 1904 and 1905 as a replacement for the beautiful \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/georgian-exe-bridge.html\"\u003Elate-18th century bridge\u003C\/a\u003E that stood on exactly the same site. (More about the medieval Exe Bridge can be found \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/the-medieval-exe-bridge.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.) The Georgian bridge was demolished in 1904 for several reasons e.g. an increase in traffic crossing in and out of Exeter to the west but also because of the need to allow electric trams to cross the river. The inaugural journey of the first electric tram in Exeter coincided almost exactly with the opening of the new steel bridge. A temporary wooden bridge was erected parallel to the beautiful three-arched bridge from the 1770s, then the Georgian bridge was demolished and the new steel bridge was constructed on exactly the same alignment as its predecessor, in line with the 18th century entrance into the city known as New Bridge Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-8gMns8PfOZE\/Twrd0GRDAAI\/AAAAAAAADQo\/D3XHbOZQfQ4\/s1600\/ExeBridge%2BAllhallows%2Bon%2Bthe%2BWall.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"413\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695608565868462082\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-8gMns8PfOZE\/Twrd0GRDAAI\/AAAAAAAADQo\/D3XHbOZQfQ4\/s640\/ExeBridge%2BAllhallows%2Bon%2Bthe%2BWall.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E shows the view into Exeter via New Bridge Street and Fore Street with the Edwardian Exe Bridge in the foreground. Once again, nothing of this scene survives today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt seems that at least some people were dismayed at the prospect of the old bridge's demolition. The Exeter Diocesan Architectural and Archaeological Society, as early as 1894, had stated their preference for the new bridge to be built \"a little below [the Georgian bridge] to take the heavy traffic\". Naturally such ideas were rejected out of hand. An Act of Parliament was passed in 1900 authorising the rebuilding of the Exe Bridge and the old bridge came down, but its replacement was a significant structure in its own right.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-W_ZwfzeTxUs\/Twrg_HKkpwI\/AAAAAAAADQ0\/suMBzCrc9so\/s1600\/Exe%2BBridge_profile.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"468\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695612053623187202\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-W_ZwfzeTxUs\/Twrg_HKkpwI\/AAAAAAAADQ0\/suMBzCrc9so\/s640\/Exe%2BBridge_profile.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Edwardian bridge of 1905 was designed by Sir John Wolfe-Barry, the youngest son of Sir Charles Barry, the architect behind much of the present-day Houses of Parliament. Today Wolfe-Barry is best remembered as the engineer responsible for Tower Bridge that crosses the Thames in London. The new Exe Bridge was designed with a three-hinged arch. The trusses were secured at the base with steel pins and another pin was used to secure them in the centre where they met. This method allowed the bridge to contract and expand without jeopardising its structural integrity. What made the bridge at Exeter special though was the care and attention that had gone into its Gothic detailing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-KufFo1zJ4nc\/TwriboiMyQI\/AAAAAAAADRA\/pFfR13koSeg\/s1600\/Lamp%2BStand_Exe_Bridge.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695613643128621314\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-KufFo1zJ4nc\/TwriboiMyQI\/AAAAAAAADRA\/pFfR13koSeg\/s400\/Lamp%2BStand_Exe_Bridge.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 272px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe balustrade on both sides was intricately decorated with Gothic quatrefoils. At regular intervals along the balustrades there were blind Gothic arches, in the centre of which was the three-castle motif derived from the city's coat of arms. The huge spandrels of the bridge were covered in richly-wrought details, with Art Nouveau swirls and scrolls combined with a direct reference to  a pattern of 14th century tracery found in the windows of Exeter Cathedral. The crossing was lit with superbly-crafted lamp stands: two on either side of the carriageway at each end and with a further two in the centre. The Gothic details extended even to these lamps with the use of pointed Gothic arches and ball-flower pinnacles with more references to Exeter's three-castle motif.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows one of the two surviving lamp stands, now relocated to the Quay. These two exceptional stands are the only parts of the Edwardian Exe Bridge which still exist and provide some indication of the high quality of its decoration. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E shows some of the swirling Gothic detailing in the spandrels of the bridge under which is the exact same design as seen in one of the 14th century Decorated Gothic windows in Exeter Cathedral.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-kFimgyTDLA4\/TwrjZe1N9rI\/AAAAAAAADRM\/wJGuRz9-E0k\/s1600\/Bridge%2Band%2BCathedral%2BTracery.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695614705675925170\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-kFimgyTDLA4\/TwrjZe1N9rI\/AAAAAAAADRM\/wJGuRz9-E0k\/s400\/Bridge%2Band%2BCathedral%2BTracery.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 212px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn appearance at least the Edwardian Exe Bridge at Exeter closely resembled the great Lendal Bridge which crosses the river Ouse at York, even down to the lamp stands and the quatrefoil detailing on the balustrades. Fortunately the Lendal Bridge still exists. The bridge at Exeter cost around £25,000 to complete and was opened on 29 March 1905. I don't know exactly when the city council started to plot its destruction. Plans for a new inner bypass to the south of the city, towards the bridge, were being hatched as early as 1949, but in 1959 it was announced that a second bridge was going to be installed across the river, leaving the Edwardian bridge intact. However in 1960 an event occurred which provided the perfect excuse for the bridge's demolition.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe river Exe has always flooded as rainwater and river water drain from the hills of North Devon and Exmoor and force their way past the crossing point at Exeter. Floods have been recorded throughout Exeter's history e.g. in 1286 part of the medieval Exe Bridge was washed away by flood water. With the encroachment of residential and industrial areas onto what was formerly marshland, flooding of businesses and homes was inevitable. On 27 October 1960, after torrential rain, 42,000 tons of water every minute flowed through the river Exe. The river burst its banks and innundated 2500 buildings. Just a few weeks later, on 03 December, a similar deluge occurred.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-9UAOYXb-cKo\/TwrmqgT8RHI\/AAAAAAAADRY\/v1CSPncQ2yQ\/s1600\/Exe%2BBridges%2Bc1970s_Aerial.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695618296665883762\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-9UAOYXb-cKo\/TwrmqgT8RHI\/AAAAAAAADRY\/v1CSPncQ2yQ\/s400\/Exe%2BBridges%2Bc1970s_Aerial.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 259px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt was thought that the Edwardian bridge had held the water back, causing it to bottleneck and flood into the nearby roads. The decision was therefore taken to unite the newly-complete inner bypass system with a new project: the Exeter Flood Prevention Scheme. The scheme was carried out between 1964 and 1977 at enormous cost, both financially and for its impact on Exeter's cityscape. Various schemes were proposed, including one which would've involved  constructing tunnels to carry away surplus water from the river, but obviously these less destructive alternatives came to nothing and  Wolfe-Barry's bridge was replaced with two concrete road bridges. (Ironically, many of the properties affected by the 1960s' flooding were subsequently demolished anyway as part of the wider redevelopment!)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe aerial view\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E above\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the area affected by the construction of the two new Exe Bridges and accompanying road system, with the former location of the Edwardian Exe  Bridge highlighted in red. Prior to the construction of the road system  there were properties and streets extending up to the edge of the  river. By the early-1970s huge tracts of the city had been bulldozed in  order to implement the scheme.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-fIAFGLviq7Q\/TwrshqNpbkI\/AAAAAAAADRk\/z-Zruq_Odcc\/s1600\/Renslade%2BHouse_Western_approach.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"453\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695624741774782018\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-fIAFGLviq7Q\/TwrshqNpbkI\/AAAAAAAADRk\/z-Zruq_Odcc\/s640\/Renslade%2BHouse_Western_approach.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E The inner bypass was extended on both sides of the river and hundreds of buildings dating from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries were demolished in the process. It must be remembered that unlike the eastern side of the city, \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ethis\u003C\/span\u003E side of Exeter had escaped the destruction of World War Two almost completely unscathed. The results have been predictably appalling. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E shows the dismal western approach into the centre of Exeter today via one of the two current bridges. What a lovely welcome it makes to the city...\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Edwardian Exe Bridge was cut into pieces and removed, and today nothing remains of it except for the two ornate lamp stands which once adorned the crossing. Having lived in York for four years I know that the Ouse sometimes floods and inundates riverside properties, but York is fortunate that the local authority there didn't decide to adopt Exeter's solution in an attempt to remedy the problem. The bridges over the Exe at Exeter now look like this:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TSe0bNloUPI\/AAAAAAAABB4\/fQdaAcB4Vhs\/s1600\/New_Exe_Bridge.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"507\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559610644609126642\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TSe0bNloUPI\/AAAAAAAABB4\/fQdaAcB4Vhs\/s640\/New_Exe_Bridge.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/9012755253809239802\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=9012755253809239802","title":"9 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/9012755253809239802"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/9012755253809239802"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/edwardian-exe-bridge.html","title":"The Demolition of the Edwardian Exe Bridge"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-oLQl7FPAqkg\/TwrayHYjlHI\/AAAAAAAADQQ\/GCKFM0Mf0FM\/s72-c\/ExeBridge_colour.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"9"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-190744188280511986"},"published":{"$t":"2010-12-31T16:18:00.075+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T14:13:39.498+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inner Bypass"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Roman Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Saxon Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Walls and Gates"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"West Quarter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The West Gate, West Quarter"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-15PfZBiCadg\/TxRMMZCyzNI\/AAAAAAAAD_s\/RppagDTKevk\/s1600\/West_Gate_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"542\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698263204295265490\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-15PfZBiCadg\/TxRMMZCyzNI\/AAAAAAAAD_s\/RppagDTKevk\/s640\/West_Gate_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFirst built by the Romans in the 2nd century AD, the West Gate \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E was one of five defensive stone gatehouses set within the perimeter of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003EExeter's city wall\u003C\/a\u003E. North Gate, East Gate, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-19000273\"\u003ESouth Gate\u003C\/a\u003E and West Gate all roughly aligned with the cardinal points of the compass but Water Gate, probably medieval in origin, was located near the Quay and straddled a route through the city wall from Exeter's port. Accurate information on the structural details of all of Exeter's gates is frustratingly sparse. It seems certain that there was a Roman gate in the vicinity which gave access to what was probably a timber bridge over the river Exe and the surrounding marshes. Despite the fact that Exeter was one of the most westerly outposts of the Roman Empire in Northern Europe, there were a number of small forts and Romano-British settlements west of Exeter which extended into Cornwall. A Roman road is believed to have lead from the West Gate, over the timber Exe bridge and into South Devon via Haldon, although most of these roads were probably little more than trackways perhaps first used by the Celts in prehistory.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-958DX1YbjNA\/TxRM0T71bnI\/AAAAAAAAD_4\/4PO9RrG10XQ\/s1600\/Rougemont_Ashlar_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698263890118667890\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-958DX1YbjNA\/TxRM0T71bnI\/AAAAAAAAD_4\/4PO9RrG10XQ\/s640\/Rougemont_Ashlar_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"440\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Anglo-Saxons reused and refortified the original Roman West Gate during Athelstan's overhaul of the city's defences in the early 10th century, but the West Gate which was known to 19th century antiquarians probably dated to the 14th or 15th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was constructed from the exceptionally durable purple volcanic lava first quarried by the Romans within the city at Rougemont and, from the late-Middle Ages onwards, at other sites outside of the city e.g. Thorverton.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\"\u003EThe East Gate\u003C\/a\u003E was largely rebuilt in the 16th century and volcanic ashlar was used in the rebuilding so it seems likely that the other gates were built of a similar material. The local Heavitree breccia familiar from Exeter's parish churches was altogether too soft and friable for such strategically important locations. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E shows a section of the city wall that still contains some of the volcanic ashlar blocks quarried by the Romans at Rougemont in the 2nd century. Little holes left by bubbles of gas which coursed through the lava when it was first erupting are easily visible.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBefore the construction of a \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/georgian-exe-bridge.html\"\u003Enew bridge\u003C\/a\u003E over the river Exe in the 1770s, the West Gate was still the main entrance in and out of Exeter for anyone arriving or departing on this side of the city. Access from the far side of the river into Exeter was over a huge 700ft long, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/the-medieval-exe-bridge.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E13th century stone bridge\u003C\/a\u003E which ended not far from the walls of the West Gate itself. An archway then lead through the gatehouse before a traveller had to make the long haul 150ft up to the city centre either via West Street and Fore Street or, at least during the Middle Ages, via the steep climb of Stepcote Hill and Smythen Street. The creation of the new Exe Bridge in the 1770s on a different alignment to its medieval forerunner also saw the building of a new access road into Exeter, rather uncreatively known as New Bridge Street, which literally bypassed the West Gate completely. Jenkins described the old route through the West Gate as \"intricate and inconvenient\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-knffwXgokhw\/TxROg_pAj3I\/AAAAAAAAEAE\/obpjFZoaSUg\/s1600\/West%2BGate_Hogenberg_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698265757276737394\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-knffwXgokhw\/TxROg_pAj3I\/AAAAAAAAEAE\/obpjFZoaSUg\/s400\/West%2BGate_Hogenberg_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 327px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Tudor scholar, John Leland, visited Exeter in 1542 and left a brief description of the city's gates, stating that \"the east and west gates are built in similar style and are now the best\". Leland's note-taking is clearly in error though. The architectural form of the East Gate, a central gateway framed by two enormous drum towers, was radically different to that of the West Gate and the West Gate was far from being \"the best\", a term more appropriate for the great South Gate or East Gate. One of the earliest known representations of the West Gate appears in the Braun and Hogenberg map of 1587 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E left\u003C\/span\u003E. The arches of the medieval Exe Bridge are just visible at the bottom with Frog Street on the left. The West Gate itself is shown as a simple crenellated structure. Almost on top of the city wall to the right is Allhallows-on-the-Wall, a medieval church that was almost totally destroyed during an assault on the city during the English Civil War. West Street runs to the left and right inside the City Wall and almost immediately behind the West Gate is the church of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/st-mary-steps-church-west-street.html\"\u003ESt Mary Steps\u003C\/a\u003E with Stepcote Hill shown ascending past the church towards the centre of Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-XB5D8H3NSn8\/TxRPS8X9KKI\/AAAAAAAAEAQ\/KadyZCNjzCg\/s1600\/West_Gate.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698266615393364130\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-XB5D8H3NSn8\/TxRPS8X9KKI\/AAAAAAAAEAQ\/KadyZCNjzCg\/s400\/West_Gate.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 283px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows a drawing of the West Gate executed long after the gate had been demolished. It is almost certainly based on the etching shown at the top of this post. From the 16th century onwards a small undercroft at St Mary Steps functioned as lodgings for the West Gate's porter. Jenkins recalls that all of the city gates were \"constantly shut during the night; in winter, from nine in the evening to six in the morning; in summer, from ten to five\". It was the porter's job to open and close the West Gate at the correct time and to quiz people who wanted to leave or enter the city outside of these hours. In 1330 the porter of the West Gate was apparently punished and removed from his position for leaving the gate open during the night against the mayor's instructions.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlthough post-dating the West Gate's demolition in 1815, the image at the top of this post gives what is probably the most accurate depiction of the building itself. It shows a very simple structure built into the city wall consisting of little more than an arched entrance surmounted by a square crenellated tower. Through the archway can just be seen the corner of the church of St Mary Steps and the beginning of Stepcote Hill. Jenkins was less than complimentary when he recorded his impressions of the West Gate at the beginning of the 19th century:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"A very ancient but mean structure, and inferior in point of architecture to the other City gates; it consists of a square tower, something loftier than the walls, without any projection on the outside, or flanking bulwarks; in this tower is an ill-contrived room with a small window looking towards the suburbs; on the interior front is the remains of an inscription now obliterated: the entrance into the City is through an irregular pointed arch, and the whole has the appearance of remote antiquity; it has no insignia of arms or ornament remaining on it, and being now in a very ruinous state, will, in all probability, be soon taken down.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-V1d-FA-qymc\/TxRP2derZCI\/AAAAAAAAEAc\/A-JWkebbBas\/s1600\/Edward%2BVI_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698267225575351330\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-V1d-FA-qymc\/TxRP2derZCI\/AAAAAAAAEAc\/A-JWkebbBas\/s400\/Edward%2BVI_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 299px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe West Gate might've been unimpressive as military architecture but it had played a role in some of the most important events in British history. During the reign of Edward VI \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E the city was placed under siege by Catholic rebels from Devon and Cornwall during an event known as the Prayer Book Rebellion. The rebels were opposed to the implementation of a new prayer book written by Thomas Cranmer and published in English rather than Latin. After amassing in Credition the rebels turned their attention to Exeter. The city's mayor, John Blackaller, was approached by the rebels and asked to open the city gates to give them free access. Blackaller refused and, according to John Hooker, who left an eyewitness account, on 02 July 1549 up to 2,000 rebels besieged Exeter, \"in order to take by force that which by words they could not obtain.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe mayor ordered \"great pieces of ordnance planted at every gate, and in all convenient places along the walls\". The rebels proceded to fell all the large trees surrounding the city, demolishing several bridges and posting guards on every road leading to and from Exeter. They tried setting fire to the gates. They broke the pipes which led into the Underground Passages and which delivered fresh water to the Great Conduit in the High Street, and recycled the lead from the pipework to make bullets. Another rebel scheme involved undermining the city wall. Hooker writes that at the West Gate, having first tunnelled under the foundations of the gate itself, \"the besiegers had placed a large quantity of gunpowder, pitch and other combustible matter\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TSHu4lz3W0I\/AAAAAAAABAI\/g91Sy6fxUBg\/s1600\/Stepcote_Hill_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557986071141636930\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TSHu4lz3W0I\/AAAAAAAABAI\/g91Sy6fxUBg\/s640\/Stepcote_Hill_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;\" width=\"404\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EA tinner from Teignmouth, John Newcombe, happened to be within the besieged city and noticed the rebels' excavations. Using a pan of water he was able to assess exactly where the rebels were mining \"by the shaking of the water in the pan\", and then \"set about counter-mining them\" i.e. digging a shaft directly above where the rebels had laid the explosives. As previously mentioned, the West Gate stood 150ft below the plateau upon which the centre of Exeter lies. The steepness of the descent became part of the city's attempt to foil the rebel plans.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe order was given for everyone living in the steep streets around the West Gate i.e. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/slum-clearance-of-stepcote-hill.html\"\u003EStepcote Hill\u003C\/a\u003E, shown\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E right \u003C\/span\u003Eprior to its demolition in the 1930s, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/smythen-street.html\"\u003ESmythen Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/preston-street-demolished.html\"\u003EPreston Street\u003C\/a\u003E and West Street, to place large tubs of water outside their houses. Upon the given order, all the tubs were upturned at the same time sending a torrent down the streets towards Newcombe's shaft, flooding the tunnels dug by the rebels and rendering the explosives useless. Hooker writes that \"the rebels, being thus disappointed, attempted nothing more of this kind\". The siege lasted for five weeks. The Prayer Book Rebellion was a serious challenge to the religious policy of Edward VI and involved many thousands of people. Over 5500 rebels were killed during its suppression, most of them from Cornwall. Numerous battles took place around Exeter, and it wasn't until the rebels were repulsed by John Russell, the owner of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/bedford-house-and-dominican-friary.html\"\u003EBedford House\u003C\/a\u003E, that the siege was finally lifted.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe West Gate also saw a lot of action during the English Civil War. In July 1643 when Exeter was under siege by Royalists loyal to Charles I, over 1000 Parliamentarians rode out from the West Gate, dragging cannon behind them, crossed the medieval Exe Bridge and attacked Royalist soldiers who were holed up in the late-medieval manor house of Hayes Barton on the opposite bank of the river Exe. The Royalists were eventually forced to retreat but the house itself was destroyed during the battle.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-qJ1qmMvPGcY\/TxRRqitoTZI\/AAAAAAAAEA0\/NvjiZHUI43I\/s1600\/William%2BIII_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698269219845066130\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-qJ1qmMvPGcY\/TxRRqitoTZI\/AAAAAAAAEA0\/NvjiZHUI43I\/s400\/William%2BIII_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 315px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe West Gate was also the scene of the entry into the city of William of Orange \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders and Overjissel, later crowned as King William III of England, Scotland and Ireland. William of Orange was the son of Mary Stuart, the eldest daughter of Charles I, and William II, Prince of Orange, and he later married Mary, the daughter of James II. The Catholic James II was ousted from the throne of England and was replaced by William of Orange who landed with an expeditionary force at Brixham in South Devon on 05 November 1688. Exeter was the first city he arrived at.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was by no means certain that Exeter would welcome the Prince. Some of William's attendants, including Lord Charles Mordaunt, the 3rd Earl of Peterborough, rode ahead of the huge convey moving towards the city from Brixham. Jenkins writes that \"when they arrived at the West Gate they found it shut against them; upon which Lord Mordaunt ordered the porter to open the gate upon pain of death, which being presently done he required him on the same penalty not to shut it again\". Despite the mayor's refusal to greet William of Orange at the West Gate, the Prince's entrance into the city was triumphant. The \"streets were thronged, and the windows filled with joyful spectators\". William of Orange stayed in Exeter for twelve days, lodging at the Deanery, before departing for London where he was eventually crowned on 11 April 1689.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-yI7ZfoUrE2Y\/TxRSSL417EI\/AAAAAAAAEBA\/AjZKVxRqlWI\/s1600\/West_Gate_Plaque_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698269900912847938\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-yI7ZfoUrE2Y\/TxRSSL417EI\/AAAAAAAAEBA\/AjZKVxRqlWI\/s1600\/West_Gate_Plaque_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EUnfortunately Jenkins' prediction turned out to be accurate as the gatehouse was demolished in 1815 after almost 1600 years of existence. In the late-19th century the position of the gate was marked with a commemorative plaque \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt reads: \"Site of West Gate. Successfully defended against the Rebel attacks in 1549. William Prince of Orange with his army entered the city in 1688 through this gate which was removed in 1815.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe only part of the gatehouse to survive is the key that was used to lock the doors and which is currently in the local Royal Albert Memorial Museum. Unfortunately, all of the main entrances into the walled city Exeter have been destroyed or disfigured either by war-time bombing, post-war reconstruction or road-building.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows the area outside of the West Gate as it appears today, the plaque marking the location of the gate outlined with a red circle. The inner bypass now carves through the city almost at the exact point  where the Rebels in 1549 started digging to lay their gunpowder.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z4SGP73j9Ks\/TxRUqfuJYaI\/AAAAAAAAEBY\/7pme8lwUHR0\/s1600\/West_Gate_Entrance_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"472\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698272517576810914\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z4SGP73j9Ks\/TxRUqfuJYaI\/AAAAAAAAEBY\/7pme8lwUHR0\/s640\/West_Gate_Entrance_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TR-KEYf3beI\/AAAAAAAAA_o\/Lb0I1PpBueg\/s1600\/West_Gate_Plaque_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/190744188280511986\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=190744188280511986","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/190744188280511986"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/190744188280511986"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/west-gate-west-quarter.html","title":"The West Gate, West Quarter"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-15PfZBiCadg\/TxRMMZCyzNI\/AAAAAAAAD_s\/RppagDTKevk\/s72-c\/West_Gate_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4967510401386128099"},"published":{"$t":"2010-12-23T16:27:00.039+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T14:04:06.671+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"West Quarter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Automaton Clock at St Mary Steps Church, West Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-lWkQqgH-bEE\/TxLYEdE2z0I\/AAAAAAAAD3Q\/bEOTeEp4RlM\/s1600\/Matthew_the_Miller_Clock_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697854049613172546\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-lWkQqgH-bEE\/TxLYEdE2z0I\/AAAAAAAAD3Q\/bEOTeEp4RlM\/s640\/Matthew_the_Miller_Clock_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"431\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAlso known as the 'Matthew the Miller' clock, this interesting relic sits high up on the side of the bell tower at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/st-mary-steps-church-west-street.html\"\u003ESt Mary Steps\u003C\/a\u003E, and has done so ever since its creation in the early 17th century. According to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter, it was probably created by a local clockmaker named Matthew Hopping between 1619 and 1621.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe movement is contained within a small room about halfway up the tower, accessed via a spiral staircase from inside the church. The time is shown on a dial, carved from Beer limestone, above which are three automatons housed within a Gothic niche decorated with ballflower pinnacles. Jenkins recorded the workings of the automaton in the early-19th century as follows: \"Over the dial is a small statue of Henry VIII in a sitting posture which, on the clock striking the hour, bends forward its body; on each side is a statue, in ancient military habit, their morions crowned with feathers; they hold in their right hands javelins, and in their left small hammers with which they alternately strike the quarter hours on two small bells placed beneath their feet\". (Jenkins isn't entirely accurate here as the two statues either side of the central figure, known as Jacks or Jack o' The Clocks, are mirror opposites so one actually holds his javelin in his left hand and the hammer in his right.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe two soldiers are made of lead, the sitting figure that Jenkins calls  a statue of Henry VIII was originally made of wood and holds a sceptre  in his hand. The problem is that no-one really knows if the figure is  supposed to represent Henry VIII or not. Apart from the fact that 1619  was the 110th anniversary of Henry VIII's succession to the throne, there seems little reason why a representation of him should've found its way into the clock at St Mary Steps.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-BaSnxBy4PFs\/TxLYU7kMjOI\/AAAAAAAAD3c\/eqBP5CtkQR8\/s1600\/Matthew_the_Miller_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"517\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697854332675591394\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-BaSnxBy4PFs\/TxLYU7kMjOI\/AAAAAAAAD3c\/eqBP5CtkQR8\/s640\/Matthew_the_Miller_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe dial \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E is a replica of one of the earliest surviving dials of its type in Devon (like the statue of Henry VIII, the original was replaced with a copy during restoration carried out in 1980 and now resides in the local museum). It is very ornate. In the centre is a single gilt-metal hand, one end terminating in a crescent moon and behind which is a blue disc emblazoned with five golden stars and a small sun carved with a human face. Surrounding this are Roman numerals from one to twelve.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-vKlpUTH8pXw\/TxLYi6UoQwI\/AAAAAAAAD3o\/qVTM5LNszr4\/s1600\/Clock_Dial_St_Mary_Step_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697854572860031746\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-vKlpUTH8pXw\/TxLYi6UoQwI\/AAAAAAAAD3o\/qVTM5LNszr4\/s400\/Clock_Dial_St_Mary_Step_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; height: 325px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ECarved into the spandrels are the four seasons represented by the Roman god Apollo with his lyre (Winter), Mars (Spring), perhaps Aestas, often depicted carrying sheaves of wheat, for Summer and finally Ceres holding a cornucopia (Autumn) . The quarterly-hour points are marked with miniature cherubim.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESince at least the mid-18th century the three automatons have been known locally as Matthew the Miller and his two sons. According to Jenkins and numerous other historians, Matthew was a rather corpulent miller who worked at Cricklepit Mill situated on Exe Island just west of the church of St Mary Steps itself. His punctuality in passing the church on his way to work was so acute that the residents of the parish named the clock after him and his two sons. One 19th century source even claims that the church was known as 'Matthew's Church'. Several local rhymes sprung up around Matthew the Miller in the 18th and 19th centuries, such as:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"Matthew the Miller's alive\u003Cbr \/\u003EMatthew the Miller's dead\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor every hour in West-gate tower\u003Cbr \/\u003EMatthew the Miller nods his head\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECharles Dickens, a frequent visitor to the city, recorded another version in his periodical \"All the Year Around\":\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"Adam and Eve would never believe,\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat Matthew the Miller was dead,\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor every hour in Westgate tower\u003Cbr \/\u003EOld Matthew nods his head\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDickens goes on to write: \"If Exeter had been a Spanish city we should have had a hundred legends about these figures, the magicians who framed them and the goblins that haunted them\". The precise identification of Matthew the Miller will probably always remain a mystery.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-fK8Idpt0JzM\/TxLYvqDqq3I\/AAAAAAAAD30\/-wfQCRqjjKE\/s1600\/St%2BMary%2BSteps_Exeter_1900.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697854791832218482\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-fK8Idpt0JzM\/TxLYvqDqq3I\/AAAAAAAAD30\/-wfQCRqjjKE\/s640\/St%2BMary%2BSteps_Exeter_1900.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"421\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe postcard view\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E left\u003C\/span\u003E shows the church of St Mary Steps c1900. One last mystery surrounding the clock is simply why it was placed here in the first instance. On the edge of Exeter's medieval industrial zone, St Mary Steps was by the 1620s one of the city's poorer parishes and yet the clock would've been a very expensive piece of kit. The Royal Albert Memorial Museum suggests that perhaps the clock was originally intended for Exeter Cathedral but, for whatever reason, it was assembled at St Mary Steps instead. The museum cites a similar automaton called 'Jack Blandifer' at the cathedral at Wells as evidence for the theory.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother possibility is that the clock was funded by a wealthy private donor, but the most wealthy parts of the West Quarter lay within the parish of St Mary Major not that of St Mary Steps. The clock just seems to appear in the early-17th century, and unless some documentary evidence turns up, the exact origins of the clock will also remain a mystery. The maintenance of the clock today is partially funded by the Exeter Civic Society. It is a pity that such a colourful piece of history should be squirrelled away next to the inner bypass where only the most determined tourist or sightseer ever ventures.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne of the original figures and the dial are shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E as displayed at the local museum.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-aIw7y0swkX8\/TxLZj7EZzJI\/AAAAAAAAD4A\/cweYnkxyWM0\/s1600\/P1043062.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697855689751907474\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-aIw7y0swkX8\/TxLZj7EZzJI\/AAAAAAAAD4A\/cweYnkxyWM0\/s640\/P1043062.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"514\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4967510401386128099\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4967510401386128099","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4967510401386128099"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4967510401386128099"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/automaton-clock-of-st-mary-steps-west.html","title":"Automaton Clock at St Mary Steps Church, West Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-lWkQqgH-bEE\/TxLYEdE2z0I\/AAAAAAAAD3Q\/bEOTeEp4RlM\/s72-c\/Matthew_the_Miller_Clock_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-6959654792913178097"},"published":{"$t":"2010-12-21T15:53:00.071+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T14:00:25.423+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"West Quarter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"St Mary Steps Church, West Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-QwstC16E9Vo\/TxLxuMqtnRI\/AAAAAAAAD4M\/WiDqd5C5voc\/s1600\/St_Mary_Steps_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697882254553750802\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-QwstC16E9Vo\/TxLxuMqtnRI\/AAAAAAAAD4M\/WiDqd5C5voc\/s400\/St_Mary_Steps_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"322\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EStaying on the theme of the West Quarter, and the Church of St Mary Steps on West Street vies with St Martin's in the Cathedral Close as Exeter's most attractive surviving medieval parish church. Both have extremely picturesque locations, but the medieval charm of the surrounding timber-framed houses, as well as the addition of an unusual clock in the tower, probably gives St Mary Steps the edge despite its close proximity to the city's inner bypass. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows the church with \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/nos-5-7-west-street-west-quarter.html\"\u003ENos 5 \u0026amp; 7 West Street\u003C\/a\u003E to the right.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETwo theories have sprung up to explain the name by which the church is known locally. It is dedicated to St Mary but at some point acquired the epithet of St Mary Steps, probably to distinguish it either from the great church of St Mary near the Cathedral or the church of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-arches-mary-arches.html\"\u003ESt Mary\u003C\/a\u003E in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/mary-arches-street.html\"\u003EMary Arches Street\u003C\/a\u003E. Cresswell stated that the name derives from the close proximity of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/slum-clearance-of-stepcote-hill.html\"\u003EStepcote Hill\u003C\/a\u003E, with its sequence of steps either side of what was once an open gutter. Jenkins however thought that the name originated from the fact that the church was built into a steep slope. The floor of the church is therefore elevated above street level and accessed via a flight of steps beyond the entrance door at the base of the tower.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-4UL_44XYiJY\/TxLx5tTEJuI\/AAAAAAAAD4Y\/s3MR3nL-3tI\/s1600\/St_Mary_Steps_South_Wall.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697882452291495650\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-4UL_44XYiJY\/TxLx5tTEJuI\/AAAAAAAAD4Y\/s3MR3nL-3tI\/s400\/St_Mary_Steps_South_Wall.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 300px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThere has been a church on the site since at least 1199. Cresswell believed that it was founded before the Conquest of 1066 but the exact date of the foundation is unknown. Nothing of the 12th century church remains, except perhaps the font, as it was rebuilt in the 15th century from the local red Heavitree breccia. The photograph\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E  shows the south wall and tower of St Mary Steps looking up towards the  surviving remnant of West Street. The entrance into the church is via  the arched doorway under the tower. The small doorway to the right leads  into the vaulted undercroft which receives light from the adjacent  stone mullioned window.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFrom the 12th century until the 1400s the church probably retained a basic plan consisting solely of a nave and a chancel. The exact chronology of the later additions is uncertain. The south-west tower was probably either added or rebuilt first, followed by the south aisle. In 1462 a wealthy parishioner called Felicia Selman bequeathed money and property to St Mary Steps so that a priest could commemorate the anniversary of her death. Any money left over was to be used on the fabric of the church itself. One interesting possibility is that the south-east corner of the south  aisle was originally built separately as a chantry chapel dedicated to Felicia Selman. Whatever the truth, the church had attained its current dimensions by 1500.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ptjU1myGGic\/Tx81B5IFkpI\/AAAAAAAAEbI\/Sf5kLasQ_uo\/s1600\/Mary%2BSteps%2Binterior.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701333959905219218\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ptjU1myGGic\/Tx81B5IFkpI\/AAAAAAAAEbI\/Sf5kLasQ_uo\/s400\/Mary%2BSteps%2Binterior.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 300px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe steep inclination on which the church is located allowed the construction of a vaulted undercroft. This undercroft, accessed now via an arched doorway in the south  face of the church, was once used as a lodging for the porter of the  long-vanished West Gate. It is believed to have been constructed c1600 but the undercroft only extends under the south-west portion of the south aisle. Is it possible that it was originally a crypt added in the mid-15th century when the church was extended and related in some way to the potential Selman chantry chapel? It's an intriguing idea but remains unproven.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 1805 Jenkins reported that, at least since the 18th century, a  stone bench formerly ran along the face of the south wall, \"designed for  the accommodation of the soldiers\". He continued: \"[T]his seat being  much resorted to by idle and disorderly persons obtained the name of the  pennyless bench, and at length becoming a public nuisance it was taken  down, about the year 1757\". Opposite the east end of the church, on the  other side of Stepcote Hill and running along the back of Nos. 5 \u0026amp; 7  West Street, was a very narrow alley called Parson's Lane, at the end  of which was \"a small ancient house\", now demolished, which was where  the rector lived.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-3joZBzl47Zc\/Tx84TC21kZI\/AAAAAAAAEbU\/adwZw1gL0oA\/s1600\/Font%2BMary%2BSteps.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701337553109881234\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-3joZBzl47Zc\/Tx84TC21kZI\/AAAAAAAAEbU\/adwZw1gL0oA\/s400\/Font%2BMary%2BSteps.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 300px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E shows the view from the nave looking towards the south-west tower. The base of the tower opens into the church through two arches. Part of one of the wide, very depressed arches dividing the south aisle from the rest of the church can be seen to the left.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe interior of the church is full of interesting things. Perhaps most notably there is a 12th century Norman tub font \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E,  one of the finest of its type in Devon. It's cylindrical design makes it unusual in the county where the majority of surviving Norman fonts are cuboid. It's very likely that the font was part of the fittings of the remodelled 12th century church and retained for use  in the new structure. It makes the font a contemporary of the two great Norman towers of the Cathedral. The font is decorated with a striking vine and leaf motif which encircles the upper part. Beneath the vine is a sequence of arcading and under that is a band of plaited moulding, all carved out of one giant block of limestone. It's remarkable that the same font has probably been used in the same building for eight hundred years.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Pmg37t-NRvE\/Tx88FvJf7VI\/AAAAAAAAEbg\/1sYpwc2ve5c\/s1600\/Font%2Bcover_Mary%2BSteps.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701341722527657298\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Pmg37t-NRvE\/Tx88FvJf7VI\/AAAAAAAAEbg\/1sYpwc2ve5c\/s400\/Font%2Bcover_Mary%2BSteps.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 297px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOn top of the font is a very beautiful conical wooden cover \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. This is often attributed to the prodigiously talented sculptor Harry Hems who worked in Exeter throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. The little figure of the Virgin and Child which perches on top is probably Hems' work but it's more likely that the cover is Hems's restoration of an existing 17th century piece of woodwork. The crispness of the carved pierced leaf motifs is wonderful. It was well within Hems' ability to execute the carving but there are signs at the base of the cover that it is older than the 19th century. The little hatch in the side enabled the rector to access the water without having to remove the heavy cover itself. The first recorded rector of the church was Alan de Baucumbe, appointed by Bishop Bronescombe in 1273.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlong with the font, the most important medieval relic is undoubtedly part of the rood screen that was brought here from the ancient  church of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003ESt Mary Major\u003C\/a\u003E  when it was demolished in 1865. From around 1215 onwards, a rood screen divided the nave and chancel to maintain the sanctity of the Eucharist. The name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word 'rood' meaning 'cross'. Until they were destroyed in the Reformation, large sculptures of the crucified Christ were often affixed above the rood screens. These sculptures were known as the 'rood', hence the name of the screen which supported them, although in Protestant countries most of these statues were destroyed during the Reformation. A rood loft often ran above the screen where candles could be placed during services or from where a choir could sing. The doorway which led via some stairs to the rood loft can be seen behind the pulpit at St Mary Steps. A surviving document from the church's Wardens' account book shows that the rood was restored in 1557 during the reign of the Catholic Queen Mary.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ytLZtma7b0A\/Tx9INSL3l_I\/AAAAAAAAEbs\/QT0ncHbZ2D4\/s1600\/Rood%2Bscreen%2BSt%2BMary%2BSteps.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701355046331455474\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ytLZtma7b0A\/Tx9INSL3l_I\/AAAAAAAAEbs\/QT0ncHbZ2D4\/s400\/Rood%2Bscreen%2BSt%2BMary%2BSteps.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 303px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOnly three bays of the original screen from St Mary Major were installed at St Mary Steps \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E. It extends across the south aisle. Dating from the 15th century, the screen is of a high quality with much finely carved tracery. At the base of the screen are 12 surviving painted panels depicting various saints.  According to Hugh Meller, the rector of St Mary Steps \"enlisted an  inexpert parishioner to repaint [the panels], thereby destroying much of  [their] charm\". Cresswell agreed that the panels have been \"much  over-restored\" but enough remains to suggest the vibrancy of the original paintwork.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe screen itself poses another mystery. Because the portion from St Mary Major only filled the south aisle, it is widely-believed that the rector commissioned Harry Hems in the 1860s to create a copy of the medieval screen to stretch across the nave. The nave screen is five bays wide and does look very similar to the medieval original. As Bridget Cherry states, \"it is quite an accomplished copy\". Cresswell goes further: \"The copy is wonderful, neither from the carving nor the colouring could one suspect that this piece was quite recent work.\" The design of the tracery and the style of the carving are almost identical but close examination of the Hems' alleged copy reveals a problem: it doesn't fit.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Q3rDwmBDoUg\/Tx9Mv0lW2FI\/AAAAAAAAEb4\/Qs1uM6kqCEk\/s1600\/Screen%2BMary%2BSteps.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701360037727230034\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Q3rDwmBDoUg\/Tx9Mv0lW2FI\/AAAAAAAAEb4\/Qs1uM6kqCEk\/s640\/Screen%2BMary%2BSteps.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E shows interior of the church looking east towards the altar. The full extent of the screen can be seen. The three bays to the right, separated from the rest by the arch of the south aisle, are the medieval section brought in from St Mary Major. The other five bays in the nave are Hems's copy. Not only are the five bays of different widths but they don't fit the width of the nave.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EExamination of the end of the screen which abuts the wall nearest to the pulpit also reveals notches and what appear to be the remains of mortise and tenon joints. If Hems's work really was merely a bespoke copy for a specific location then you would expect it to fit that location exactly. Hems was undoubtedly responsible for the screen but he was also a great collector of ecclesiastical architectural fragments. Perhaps he reworked some medieval timbers into the new screen or adapted an old screen which he reclaimed from elsewhere. It's a bit of a mystery but either way, the surviving medieval work at St Mary Steps is the only pre-Reformation chancel screen surviving in any parish church in Exeter. Incidentally, the screen once again has its 'rood'. A figure of Christ on the crucifix, carved by Harry Hems in 1907 and recycled when a reredos was dismantled in 1966, can now be seen above the screen.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-kH-PKZqKhZ8\/Tx9Tg44jkAI\/AAAAAAAAEcE\/lYAByhXn0rc\/s1600\/Belfry%2BMary%2BSteps.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701367477764853762\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-kH-PKZqKhZ8\/Tx9Tg44jkAI\/AAAAAAAAEcE\/lYAByhXn0rc\/s400\/Belfry%2BMary%2BSteps.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"312\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAnother fascinating feature of the church are its bells. A narrow spiral staircase leads up through the tower into a small chamber containing the mechanism for the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/automaton-clock-of-st-mary-steps-west.html\"\u003Eearly-17th century clock with automatons\u003C\/a\u003E  which sits high up on the southern  face of the bell tower. From here the staircase ascends in almost total darkness to the belfry at the top of the tower. There, hanging in the gloom and affixed to a web of enormous oak beams, are four large bronze bells, all cast by John Pennington in Exeter in 1656 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E. The belfry has barely been touched for decades. It is indescribably atmospheric and the four bells have tremendous presence. It's one of the most memorable things I've seen in Exeter.The mouth of each bell must be around 30 inches in diameter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe bells are inscribed as follows i) When I Call Follow Me All I.P 1656 ii) Gloria Soli Deo Detur (Let Glory be Given to God Alone) iii) Richard Meredith John Ball Churchwardens, 1656 and iv) John Pennington of Exon Cast Us Four 1656. It's quite something, to think of the bells hanging here since the time of Cromwell and the Civil War and the changes which have swept across the world in the subsequent 350 years. The bells can still be rung via ropes which descend into the lower chamber (one of these ropes can be seen in the photograph). The ropes move the clapper rather than the bell itself but they can still make a very loud sound. Just two years later, on 14 September 1658 and at the time of the Commonweath, the church was sold for £100 but was bought back by its parishioners after the Restoration of Charles II.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VwzAPUQmUaM\/Tx9gzWHCwwI\/AAAAAAAAEcQ\/uIMbGswv0lg\/s1600\/Boss%2BMary%2BSteps.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701382088499053314\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VwzAPUQmUaM\/Tx9gzWHCwwI\/AAAAAAAAEcQ\/uIMbGswv0lg\/s400\/Boss%2BMary%2BSteps.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 312px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn 1865 the Rector of St Mary Steps appealed for funds to restore \"the ancient and dilapidated parish church\". Plans by the architect Edward Ashworth had already been drawn up but £700 was needed to implement the restoration. The restoration eventually lasted at least until 1872. In 1870 the tower was overhauled with the removal of old plaster from the exterior and new battlements and parapet added. In December 1872 the rector wrote to the city council announcing that \"they were about to lower the floor of the church, and in commencing the work they had found human bones\". Permission was needed to rebury the remains in the city's Higher Cemetery. The tracery in the south windows was replaced and the 15th century waggon roofs over both the aisle and the nave were restored. Some of the carved medieval bosses \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E were replaced but others were retained. One depicts  the ceremonial sword and cap gifted to the city by Henry VII in 1497. Cresswell found it difficult to decide which ones were genuinely medieval and which ones were Victorian copies but they're all well carved and some are very inventive.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Zmry1RqDf2k\/Tx9nIHD-5PI\/AAAAAAAAEcc\/yf5WFy1u2dc\/s1600\/Bench%2Bend%2BMary%2BSteps.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701389042306704626\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Zmry1RqDf2k\/Tx9nIHD-5PI\/AAAAAAAAEcc\/yf5WFy1u2dc\/s400\/Bench%2Bend%2BMary%2BSteps.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 285px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe stone pulpit is Victorian replacing the earlier one seen by  Jenkins, described by him as a \"fine piece of workmanship\". It featured  a gilt statue of an angel blowing a trumpet and was probably regarded as being too Baroque for a small medieval parish church. The pews also date from the 19th century restoration. During the rebuilding work a carved bench end was discovered under the floor. Probably dating to the 15th century, this bench end was used as a template for some of the new pews. Once again, the Victorian craftsmanship is of an impressive quality \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E, and although the Gothic template remains the same on all of the bench ends each one is characterised by individual details so that no two are exactly the same. The altar was another piece by Harry Hems which was installed in 1888. A further restoration took place in 1966 which is when the glass in the east window was replaced. The red and blue colouring of the roofs was added at the same time.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI've not yet mentioned the two oak coffers of c1600 or the lovely little metal strong box which might've once been a poor box and which is decorated with painted flowers and birds. St Mary Steps really is one of Exeter's most rewarding parish churches. Irrespective of the proximity of the inner bypass this tiny corner of old Exeter, with its handful of medieval buildings, remains one of city's most lovely locations, a remarkably atmospheric survival when so much else has gone. On a Sunday, in the summer and late in the afternoon, when the traffic flows less frenetically, the fabric of the church glows a deep red against the blue sky and with the Cathedral bells tolling in the distance the sense of stillness and timelessness is absolutely magical.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TRESRsZepWI\/AAAAAAAAA9E\/Ik8eBEGJLmY\/s1600\/Entrance_to_Stepcote_Hill_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553239910709634402\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TRESRsZepWI\/AAAAAAAAA9E\/Ik8eBEGJLmY\/s640\/Entrance_to_Stepcote_Hill_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"483\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6959654792913178097\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=6959654792913178097","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6959654792913178097"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6959654792913178097"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/st-mary-steps-church-west-street.html","title":"St Mary Steps Church, West Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-QwstC16E9Vo\/TxLxuMqtnRI\/AAAAAAAAD4M\/WiDqd5C5voc\/s72-c\/St_Mary_Steps_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-2851323886973838820"},"published":{"$t":"2010-12-16T19:59:00.063+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T13:03:59.193+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inner Bypass"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Slum Clearance"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"West Quarter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 5 \u0026 7, West Street, West Quarter"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ueZMtY5SZw4\/TxLQRde0XUI\/AAAAAAAAD2U\/3LZBr0MCYLs\/s1600\/Nos%2B5%2Band%2B7%2BWest%2BStreet_Exeter_ii.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697845476967341378\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ueZMtY5SZw4\/TxLQRde0XUI\/AAAAAAAAD2U\/3LZBr0MCYLs\/s640\/Nos%2B5%2Band%2B7%2BWest%2BStreet_Exeter_ii.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"492\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EPoint the camera in the right direction and this little ensemble in  West Street, with the lovely \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/st-mary-steps-church-west-street.html\"\u003E15th century church of St Mary Steps\u003C\/a\u003E as the centre-piece and the so-called \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/house-that-moved-west-street.html\"\u003EHouse That Moved\u003C\/a\u003E, is the single most evocative remaining fragment of Exeter's medieval  past outside of the Cathedral Close.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp;No. 5 and No. 7 West Street are only two of dozens of  similar buildings which were unfortunately swept away between 1900 and 1935 during the  city's mammoth slum clearance operations around \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/smythen-street.html\"\u003ESmythen Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/slum-clearance-of-stepcote-hill.html\"\u003EStepcote  Hill\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html\"\u003EPaul Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/preston-street-demolished.html\"\u003EPreston Street\u003C\/a\u003E, Coombe Street and  \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/frog-street-west-quarter.html\"\u003EFrog Street\u003C\/a\u003E. No. 5 and No. 7 West Street were spared. No. 5 was built in the 15th century on the corner of West Street with Stepcote Hill and originally stood just inside the city's West Gate.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor centuries, every person who crossed the medieval Exe Bridge and passed under the West Gate would've seen this house as they climbed into Exeter via Stepcote Hill. According to Pevsner and Cherry, No. 5 comprised three quite separate units. There was a shop on the ground floor with another room behind. Above these were another two shops which were accessed via a still-existing passageway at the rear. The ground floor is constructed from the local Heavitree breccia. The second floor oversails the first floor on brackets. The side which faces into Stepcote Hill has two small, two-light cusped windows in oak. Apparently some original features remain internally and despite some significant restoration, which replaced much of the wooden timbering, it remains a very picturesque building.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo. 7 (to the right in the photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E)  is also allegedly from the 15th century. It too has a ground floor  of  Heavitree breccia but is built on four floors rather than three. The   slightly larger proportions have allowed an extra floor to be squeezed   into the cockloft where a small window peeps out from under the gable.   No. 7 has been significantly restored with much replacement of old   timber and the complete reconstruction in modern brick of the southern   side wall. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-AFjERz6Upso\/TxLWfgyz8NI\/AAAAAAAAD24\/6ZMOpVk7nTI\/s1600\/west%2Bst%2Bmore.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"418\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697852315444441298\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-AFjERz6Upso\/TxLWfgyz8NI\/AAAAAAAAD24\/6ZMOpVk7nTI\/s640\/west%2Bst%2Bmore.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe postcard view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E shows the area around the houses c1900 before many of the surrounding timber-framed buildings were demolished. Nos. 5 and 7 are visible in the centre of the photograph, prior to their restoration and when the timber-framing was still covered in render (as it probably would've been when first built). Unfortunately the historical context of Nos. 5 and 7 has been almost completely destroyed, firstly by the slum clearances and then by road-building in the 1960s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis entire area of Exeter escaped significant war-time bombing and had retained much of its pre-war character until the 1950s when the local authority decided to build the highly destructive inner bypass, known as Western Way, which tore through much of the city that had been left untouched by German bombs. The view shown in the photograph at the top of this post is a favourite for those wishing to promote the historic aspect of Exeter to tourists, but turn the camera in the other direction and the view is quite different as the medieval houses stand just metres away from a four-lane highway of fast-moving traffic.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TQvRXItuLSI\/AAAAAAAAA70\/-Mp9eKJDDY8\/s1600\/Nos.%2B5%2Band%2B7%2BWest%2BStreet%2BWestern%2BWay_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"385\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551761161070718242\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TQvRXItuLSI\/AAAAAAAAA70\/-Mp9eKJDDY8\/s640\/Nos.%2B5%2Band%2B7%2BWest%2BStreet%2BWestern%2BWay_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2851323886973838820\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=2851323886973838820","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2851323886973838820"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2851323886973838820"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/nos-5-7-west-street-west-quarter.html","title":"Nos. 5 \u0026 7, West Street, West Quarter"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ueZMtY5SZw4\/TxLQRde0XUI\/AAAAAAAAD2U\/3LZBr0MCYLs\/s72-c\/Nos%2B5%2Band%2B7%2BWest%2BStreet_Exeter_ii.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5487780532803461634"},"published":{"$t":"2010-12-14T16:10:00.058+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T12:50:35.393+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exe Island"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inner Bypass"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Other Streets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Slum Clearance"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"West Quarter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Frog Street, West Quarter"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-IHC5wma7iwQ\/TxLzAD4iAxI\/AAAAAAAAD48\/yOAceKOSZOY\/s1600\/Frog%2BStreet%2Bc1900%2BAlfred%2BLeyman.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697883660945064722\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-IHC5wma7iwQ\/TxLzAD4iAxI\/AAAAAAAAD48\/yOAceKOSZOY\/s640\/Frog%2BStreet%2Bc1900%2BAlfred%2BLeyman.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"470\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EA number of cities, towns and villages across England had a 'Frog Street' or 'Frog Lane', including London, Sheffield, Trowbridge, Lichfield, Worcester, Bristol, Swansea, Minehead, Cannington and the nearby market town of Tiverton.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn many instances the streets were located close to water, either mill ponds, rivers or lake. The example in Tiverton is near the moat of the castle and the watery connection seems to appertain to the example in Exeter too as Frog Street was located very close \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/the-medieval-exe-bridge.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethe medieval bridge\u003C\/a\u003E that once spanned the river Exe and surrounding marshes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe watercolour of c1900, \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E, shows the entrance into Frog Street from Edmund Street. At the end of the 19th century the street retained much of its medieval appearance and a remarkable number of timber-framed properties still existed from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDuring the Middle Ages the marshy ground was gradually reclaimed and became known as Exe Island. As Hoskins says, \"before that [Frog Street] was simply the swampy bank of the wider river Exe, frequented by frogs which gave their name to the new medieval street.\" Archaeological evidence proves that until the 1960s Frog Street had been continuously inhabited since at least the 13th century. One particularly large assemblage of medieval pottery discovered on the site of the tenements that once fronted onto Frog Street dates to c1230.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-sZ6t6rVa_kc\/TxLzJDcblHI\/AAAAAAAAD5I\/OcUuRIpd6Us\/s1600\/Frog%2BStreet%2BElizabethan%2BGuild.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697883815446025330\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-sZ6t6rVa_kc\/TxLzJDcblHI\/AAAAAAAAD5I\/OcUuRIpd6Us\/s1600\/Frog%2BStreet%2BElizabethan%2BGuild.JPG\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe illustration, \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E, is based on an 1851 drawing by George Townsend. It shows the view from inside Frog Street looking out towards Edmund Street. The house with the cockloft window in the roof\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E,\u003C\/span\u003E far left, is the same one visible to the left in the image at the top of this post and eventually became known as 'The House That Moved'. The four gabled houses almost certainly dated to the 1500s, their timber-framing hidden behind rendered facades. They were demolished c1870.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe postcard view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E, dating to the 1930s, shows that between 1900 and 1930 many of the timber-frame properties have been demolished, probably as a result of the slum clearance initiative that laid waste to medieval architecture in Stepcote Hill, Paul Street, Smythen Street and Preston Street. At least three remained in Frog Street though, the house on the left, (formerly 16 Edmund Street and later known as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/house-that-moved-west-street.html\"\u003EThe House That Moved\u003C\/a\u003E), the jettied three-storey house halfway down on the right, dating at least to the 1500s and another 16th century property out of view at the end of the street. In the early 1960s pressure from local archaeologists forced the City Council to relocate No. 16 Edmund Street when the decision was made by the Council to drive an inner bypass road through the city's old West Quarter. No. 16 was duly moved to its new position on West Street, unfortunately the other buildings weren't so fortunate.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Y4ZYU6lRnzg\/TxLzze2J9wI\/AAAAAAAAD5U\/qR1iGYRJKN8\/s1600\/frog%2Bstreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697884544356185858\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Y4ZYU6lRnzg\/TxLzze2J9wI\/AAAAAAAAD5U\/qR1iGYRJKN8\/s1600\/frog%2Bstreet.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/no-15-frog-street.html\"\u003ENo. 15 Frog Street\u003C\/a\u003E, a two-storey timber-frame house from c1570 with an over-sailing upper floor was demolished and the rest of Frog Street was bulldozed out of existence, along with Edmund Street, most of West Street, most of Tudor Street, most of Coombe Street, and a huge swathe of 17th and 18th century properties at the entrance into South Street at Magdalen Street and Holloway Street, to name just a few of the affected areas; and this was after the huge demolition and redevelopment of the slum clearances of the 1930s and after the massive destruction and reconstruction of World War Two.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is easy to understand why so little of Exeter's historic cityscape made it into the 21st century. Four waves of demolition washed over the city from 1900 to 1980 involving slum clearances, World War Two bombing, post-war rebuilding and post-war redevelopment in the 1960s and 1970s. The problem was that each of these phases affected different parts of the city. For example, the areas most affected by the slum clearances were also the areas which escaped the Blitz of 1942 largely unscathed. A more difficult question to answer is exactly how it was allowed to be lost in the first place as Exeter has been subjected to the sort of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/destruction-of-exeter-in-20th-century.html\"\u003Ealmost total clearance\u003C\/a\u003E usually associated either with Haussmann's Paris, Ceausescu's Bucharest or with certain old towns which fell into Communist hands at the end of World War Two.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe map \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows a modern aerial view of Frog Street's former location overlaid onto which is a street map of 1905. It shows a tiny portion of the area which was demolished to build the inner bypass and the Exe Bridges road and river management system. The only surviving remnant of Frog Street today is the relocated house in West Street. Formerly No. 16 Edmund Street, its original location is highlighted in purple. Its present location is highlighted in yellow. The rest of Frog Street sits underneath a twin-lane carriageway. The section of the inner bypass which replaced the ancient street is still called Frog Street. What an insult to its medieval forerunner!!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-k4TR5jZhW0E\/TxL5NyzjzmI\/AAAAAAAAD5g\/oEbZboR9FeA\/s1600\/Map%2BFrog%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"504\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697890493948743266\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-k4TR5jZhW0E\/TxL5NyzjzmI\/AAAAAAAAD5g\/oEbZboR9FeA\/s640\/Map%2BFrog%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TQfZHGE7EDI\/AAAAAAAAA68\/VE-YduKD4xk\/s1600\/Modern%2BFrog%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5487780532803461634\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5487780532803461634","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5487780532803461634"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5487780532803461634"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/frog-street-west-quarter.html","title":"Frog Street, West Quarter"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-IHC5wma7iwQ\/TxLzAD4iAxI\/AAAAAAAAD48\/yOAceKOSZOY\/s72-c\/Frog%2BStreet%2Bc1900%2BAlfred%2BLeyman.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-1824219403681004082"},"published":{"$t":"2010-12-11T22:43:00.133+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T12:45:57.056+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inns and Taverns"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Other Streets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Slum Clearance"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"West Quarter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Preston Street Demolished"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv style=\"font-weight: bold; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-VnGv4jm2Ovc\/Tv5K2icsOwI\/AAAAAAAAC4o\/zdcGg0DSlpY\/s1600\/Preston%2BStreet.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692069279863421698\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-VnGv4jm2Ovc\/Tv5K2icsOwI\/AAAAAAAAC4o\/zdcGg0DSlpY\/s640\/Preston%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"461\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ELike Smythen Street, Stepcote Hill, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html\"\u003EPaul Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E, Paris Street, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/mary-arches-street.html\"\u003EMary Arches Street\u003C\/a\u003E, South Street, Sidwell Street, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/destruction-of-guinea-street_20.html\"\u003EGuinea Street\u003C\/a\u003E, Bear Street, John Street, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/medieval-college-of-vicars-choral-at.html\"\u003EKalendarhay\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/george-street.html\"\u003EGeorge Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E, Pancras Street, Frog Street, Rack Street, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/milk-street-west-quarter.html\"\u003EMilk Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/destruction-of-sun-street.html\"\u003ESun Street\u003C\/a\u003E and much of the High Street, Preston Street is another of Exeter's medieval streets which today shows very few traces of its lengthy history.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUntil the end of the 19th century, the old West Quarter was particularly rich in surviving timber-framed domestic  houses from the late-Middle Ages to the 17th century, most notably in  Coombe Street, Rack Street, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/frog-street-west-quarter.html\"\u003EFrog Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/slum-clearance-of-stepcote-hill.html\"\u003EStepcote Hill\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/smythen-street.html\"\u003ESmythen Street\u003C\/a\u003E and Preston Street as well as in many small courts and alleys. Almost none of them have survive today, mostly the victim of slum clearances between c1880 and the 1930s. By the time the bombs fell in 1942 nearly all of them had already gone.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe West Quarter was a sprawling jumble of alleyways, courtyards, lanes and streets, full of inns, workshops and houses, the commercial and, to a large extent, residential heart of medieval Exeter. By the 1800s, following a process started in the 16th century, the wealthier citizens of Exeter had moved from the West Quarter up into the High Street and, in the late-18th century, to Bedford Circus, Southernhay and the suburbs beyond the city walls at St Leonard's and Pennsylvania. In the 19th century the West Quarter had become a slum comprising dozens of rotting tenements, many of which had been carved out of what were once the dwellings of some of Exeter's wealthiest medieval and Tudor citizens. The poor lived in the cast off houses of the rich.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-DAewvNyUgOs\/T0N7msJkwgI\/AAAAAAAAE84\/UR-H5BSib70\/s1600\/Preston%2BStreet_Hedgeland.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711544657052484098\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-DAewvNyUgOs\/T0N7msJkwgI\/AAAAAAAAE84\/UR-H5BSib70\/s640\/Preston%2BStreet_Hedgeland.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"444\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows Preston Street as it appears on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\"\u003ECaleb Hedgeland's wooden model of Exeter\u003C\/a\u003E. The model was built between 1817 and 1824 but depicts the city as it was in 1769.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAll of the houses which made up Preston Street are highlighted in red. Up until the mid 19th century most of the street consisted of timber-framed frontages dating from the 15th to the 17th centuries.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was a narrow, straggling street, one of the longest in the medieval city, starting at its junction with West Street in the west and exiting into South Street. (Although included in the highlighted properties, the upper quarter of the street was known as Billiter Lane, later Sun Street, and was eventually regarded as a street in its own right. More information about Sun Street can be found \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/destruction-of-sun-street.html\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.) Even if there is no trace of its antiquity today, Preston Street is ancient, probably dating to the 9th century and the time of Alfred the Great.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe name of the street itself is self-explanatory being simply \"the street of the priests\". Hoskins cites the name as being as early as the reign of Henry II in the mid-to-late 12th century. He goes on to suggest that, because there were no parishes of the sort which are familiar today, the priests of Exeter's numerous churches and chapels congregated in one area, much like the blacksmiths did in Smythen Street and the milk sellers in Milk Street. This theory is borne out by George Oliver in his 'History of Exeter' in which he quotes a lease of 1296 which mentions Prustene-Street or Vicus Presbyterorum (literally, \"the street of priests\").\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Y_n8gHT9v4M\/T0N9Bwv8xiI\/AAAAAAAAE9E\/eQCwqHfsyM8\/s1600\/Almshouses_Preston%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711546221655279138\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Y_n8gHT9v4M\/T0N9Bwv8xiI\/AAAAAAAAE9E\/eQCwqHfsyM8\/s400\/Almshouses_Preston%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 314px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E, a detail from Hedgeland's model, shows the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/grendons-almshouses-preston-street.html\"\u003EGrendon Almshouses\u003C\/a\u003E on Preston Street, also known as the 'Ten Cells'. Founded c1404, they were demolished in 1878. By the late-13th century Exeter had acquired a network of parishes and the priests would've lived within each parish, but clearly the name had stuck. Over 800 years later it is still called Preston Street. It is continuity like this which makes living in a historic city so enjoyable, although unfortunately in Exeter the street names are frequently the only historic element of the townscape that still survive.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPreston Street fell within the huge ecclesiastical parish boundary of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003ESt Mary Major\u003C\/a\u003E, and a number of interesting properties once stood on the street including the Grendon Almshouses, endowed by Simon Grendon at the beginning of the 15th century. The Dolphin inn was located on the corner of Preston Street with Market Street. The Dolphin was an ancient tavern once owned by the Earls of Devonshire and the Guild of the Merchant Adventurers. It dated to before the 16th century but, according to Dymond writing in 1880, it had been significantly rebuilt and was later destroyed in 1942. Another inn of great historical interest was the Mermaid, accessed from Preston Street. Dymond states that, as an inn, it was almost the equal of the New Inn on the High Street in terms of its importance. It was a sprawling, rambling building. Features inside included a large oak staircase with a carved handrail and a huge room, 56ft by 17ft, frequently used as an assembly room in the 19th century, which had an arched and moulded ceiling, \"enriched with gold and colour\", and a stone chimneypiece dated 1632, emblazoned with the arms of the Shapleigh and Slanning families. It had been completely demolished by 1880. The Mermaid inn was described T.J. Toce as \"the house of Tudor days and personalities, down to recent times, and a noble and old building. The destruction and wrecking of its goodly timbers was a grievous loss to Exeter\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-itrin8aeGyw\/Twieac3L4qI\/AAAAAAAADJs\/NvomcDiL9pI\/s1600\/Old%2BHouse%2BKing%2BSt%2B1915%2BWCSL%2Biii%2BFront%2BView.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694975906071437986\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-itrin8aeGyw\/Twieac3L4qI\/AAAAAAAADJs\/NvomcDiL9pI\/s1600\/Old%2BHouse%2BKing%2BSt%2B1915%2BWCSL%2Biii%2BFront%2BView.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFurther down, on the corner of Preston Street and King Street, was the so-called \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/medieval-open-hall-king-st.html\"\u003E'Norman House'\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright \u003C\/span\u003E© Devon County Council. The building was spared during the slum clearances of the early 20th century and restored, although the exact history of the property remains unclear. It was damaged in 1942 and subsequently destroyed during the post-war reconstruction. It's a bitter truth that of the very small number of buildings on Preston Street which were affected during the Exeter Blitz one of them should've been the street's oldest and most historically significant surviving structure.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post was taken c1900 looking down Preston Street from the junction with Rack Street. Apart from the fine pair of gabled house on the left, which possibly dated to the 16th century, of particular interest is the paved street with its central gutter. Everything shown in the photo, including the street surface, no longer survives. An even finer pair of houses from c1600 existed in the street prior to the slum clearances. They were built on four floors with pitched roofs and small windows set into the gable end (a wonderful photograph of them can be seen in Peter Thomas's book 'Exeter's West Quarter and Adjacent Areas')\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA medical officer's report from 1865 stated that \"In Preston Street I visited a house of six rooms, each let to a separate tenant. There were in all 11 adults and 20 children, the largest of these families being 2 adults and their 5 children, who thus had only one upstairs room for all their necessities\". In 1866, during an epidemic of cholera, the residents of Preston Street were described as dying \"like sheep\". Another contemporary report stated that \"the disease raged very severely in Preston-Street, where 17 of the deaths occurred, two or three in a day\". Regarded as unsafe and unhealthy, much of the street was consequently cleared of its buildings between c1880 and the 1930s. The old timber-framed houses were demolished and the street itself was dug up and massively widened.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-XwPu2zzvaRw\/Twikk4LR55I\/AAAAAAAADJ4\/bp5y5T2oNgE\/s1600\/15%2BPreston%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694982682271934354\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-XwPu2zzvaRw\/Twikk4LR55I\/AAAAAAAADJ4\/bp5y5T2oNgE\/s1600\/15%2BPreston%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFragments of historical interest did linger on into the 1970s. The Sawyers Arms was an inn which appeared to be two timber-framed houses from c1700. It was demolished in 1970s. No. 15 Preston Street \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E was another fragment. It was granted Grade II listed status in 1974. Dating to c1570, No. 15 was a small timber-framed house built on three floors with an oversailing top storey. It really was almost the last of its kind, not only in Preston Street but in the entire West Quarter. Only Nos. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/nos-5-7-west-street-west-quarter.html\"\u003E5 \u0026amp; 7 West Street\u003C\/a\u003E and the house formerly known as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/house-that-moved-west-street.html\"\u003ENo. 16 Edmund Street\u003C\/a\u003E now remain. No. 15 Preston Street was demolished without record by the city council soon after it had been listed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe only buildings of any age which survive on Preston Street today are a small cul-de-sac of late-Victorian terrace houses called Grendon Buildings (built on the site of the almshouses which were demolished in 1878), a couple of red-brick late-19th century warehouses (one of which houses the Spacex art gallery) and a dull red-brick Victorian school. All the rest is either semi-detached, two-storey houses from the 1930s or post-war blocks of flats and modern terraces. As happened so often in Exeter, over the course of the 20th century nearly everything which remained of historical or architectural interest in Preston Street was simply obliterated. The street today, shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E, is sterile, utilitarian and drab, and it would fit in perfectly well in an outlying suburb in any city in England. To find it in one of Exeter's most historically important areas is depressing. Since the 1960s, instead of opening into West Street and the city wall, Preston Street now ends abruptly at the four-lane inner bypass.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-hzolwQW1ZsQ\/Twint-s_2gI\/AAAAAAAADKE\/GNVQXcwd2oQ\/s1600\/Preston%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"390\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694986137177676290\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-hzolwQW1ZsQ\/Twint-s_2gI\/AAAAAAAADKE\/GNVQXcwd2oQ\/s640\/Preston%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-adjw4ZKJCeo\/Twin312SW5I\/AAAAAAAADKQ\/GEF3fObbZ28\/s1600\/Preston_Street_2.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"388\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694986306599410578\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-adjw4ZKJCeo\/Twin312SW5I\/AAAAAAAADKQ\/GEF3fObbZ28\/s640\/Preston_Street_2.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-j3BmFR_famU\/TwioG5rgKkI\/AAAAAAAADKc\/JuC6xfd0bjc\/s1600\/Preston_Street_3.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"389\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694986565325957698\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-j3BmFR_famU\/TwioG5rgKkI\/AAAAAAAADKc\/JuC6xfd0bjc\/s640\/Preston_Street_3.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-l4_EtEcbo8g\/TwiopVUvLVI\/AAAAAAAADKo\/FRQfpg-FLhk\/s1600\/Entrance%2Binto%2BPreston%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"390\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694987156862217554\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-l4_EtEcbo8g\/TwiopVUvLVI\/AAAAAAAADKo\/FRQfpg-FLhk\/s640\/Entrance%2Binto%2BPreston%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1824219403681004082\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=1824219403681004082","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1824219403681004082"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1824219403681004082"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/preston-street-demolished.html","title":"Preston Street Demolished"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-VnGv4jm2Ovc\/Tv5K2icsOwI\/AAAAAAAAC4o\/zdcGg0DSlpY\/s72-c\/Preston%2BStreet.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-51706647737045105"},"published":{"$t":"2010-12-05T22:16:00.042+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-05T01:42:56.690+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bampfylde House"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Saxon Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"St Stephen's Church, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-3B1SahPzhME\/TxN6YDQgnJI\/AAAAAAAAD-Y\/auzsWGgZzfM\/s1600\/St%2BStephen%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698032507163810962\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-3B1SahPzhME\/TxN6YDQgnJI\/AAAAAAAAD-Y\/auzsWGgZzfM\/s640\/St%2BStephen%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"479\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThis church has diced with death so many times that it's remarkable that it even still exists. Much time and effort has gone into renovating it over the last few years by an umbrella group of local charities working under the name of the St Stephen's Project, and the building itself has Grade II* listed status.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt has admittedly been considerably altered and rebuilt since the Middle Ages and it is now perhaps underwhelming but its survival is a testament to determination in the face of often powerful opposition.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately the church itself is now surrounded by insipid post-war rebuilding and redevelopment and totally lacks any visual context within a wider historical cityscape. Anyway, of Exeter's many medieval parish churches which once existed inside the walled city only six remain, and this is one of them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe church dates back to before the Conquest and is mentioned in Domesday in 1086 at which point it was in the possession of William Warelwast, Bishop of Exeter and a nephew of William the Conqueror. Along with the gift of St Stephen's went several houses with high rents which together became known as St Stephen's Fee, a nice little earner for the incumbent bishop and one which Warelwast, at least, believed entitled him to a seat in Parliament. The Saxon church was rebuilt soon after the Conquest, perhaps  as early as the 1080s at the same time as the new Norman cathedral was being constructed, and for centuries it was believed that nothing survived of the Norman St Stephen's.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-wduu2W3Jd48\/UVrNCNd1RjI\/AAAAAAAAGH8\/hFSidLi6Gsc\/s1600\/St+Stephan+PM+1905.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"630\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-wduu2W3Jd48\/UVrNCNd1RjI\/AAAAAAAAGH8\/hFSidLi6Gsc\/s640\/St+Stephan+PM+1905.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E is a 1905 map of the city overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area. It shows the properties within the parish boundary of St Stephen's. The parish boundary extended across the High Street and included part of Gandy Street in the north and part of St Martin's Lane in the west. It also shows the extent of demolition in the area since 1905. All the areas highlighted in red have been demolished since 1905, a combination of bomb damage in 1942 and post-war redevelopment. The only properties within the parish that pre-date 1905, including the church itself, are highlighted in purple.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe church was possibly rebuilt again in the 15th century, along with many of Exeter's other parish churches, but after the execution of Charles I and the period of the Interregnum the number of parishes in the city was reduced to just four and St Stephen's, like many others, was auctioned off to the highest bidder. The church, \"with cellar below\", was sold for £250 to Toby Allen who used the cellar as a stable. The church fell into a severe state of ruin, the tower being partially demolished but, after the Restoration of Charles II in 1660, the church was reclaimed by the parish and work began on its reconstruction. Jenkins relates the contents of a Will signed by a George Potter Esq. on 04 March 1662 in which Potter bequeaths the then enormous sum of £500 \"towards the new building of St Stephen's\". Work appears to have been completed by 1664 and that is from when most of the present exterior dates.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-x56qEpVE8x4\/TxN7W5_sC-I\/AAAAAAAAD-k\/qJpgL2bqt34\/s1600\/St%2BStephens%2BBow_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698033587009096674\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-x56qEpVE8x4\/TxN7W5_sC-I\/AAAAAAAAD-k\/qJpgL2bqt34\/s640\/St%2BStephens%2BBow_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"425\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe present building has an embattled tower and parapet typical of many of Exeter's parish churches. The tower has an exterior staircase surmounted by a little spire with a weathervane on top. The soft Heavitree breccia that was once used throughout the city has proved to be a problem in the preservation of nearly all the buildings which were constructed from it. At the medieval church of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-arches-mary-arches.html\"\u003ESt Mary Arches\u003C\/a\u003E the solution was to coat the entire facade with concrete.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAt St Stephen's, as has been done at nearby St Martin's, the tower has instead been coated with a substance that protects the existing stonework. It's a pity that the salmon-pink colouring is so vivid. A similar problem affects the new render on the parapet which runs along the top of the north wall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJenkins visited the church in the early 19th century and described it as a \"handsome Gothic building, consisting of a nave, one aisle, a chancel and a long gallery: it is light, roomy, well-seated and kept in good repair\". He continues, \"the chancel is erected on an arch, which crosses the adjoining lane, called St Stephen's Bow\". At some point in its medieval past the church clearly needed to expand  but was restricted by the presence of surrounding buildings. Therefore the easiest way to do so was by constructing out above the top of the \"adjoining lane\", little more than an alleyway known in the 19th century as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/05\/the-destruction-of-stephen-street.html\"\u003EStephen Street\u003C\/a\u003E. Stephen Street ran down the side of the church connecting the High Street with \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street.\u003C\/a\u003E The arch allowed the continued use of the narrow street while providing St Stephen's with extra floor space. Originally this small room was a side chapel dedicated to St John the Evangelist and was only used as a chancel after the Reformation. This feature, medieval in origin but much-restored after 1942, is still present today \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E. An almost identical arch existed at St John's church in Fore Street. Known as St John's Bow it was demolished in 1863 (the rest of St John's followed suit in 1937).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-p2KNUJ0PMTo\/TxN8yRqzF7I\/AAAAAAAAD-w\/FH_nENtVoUA\/s1600\/Crypt%2Bwatercolour%2BWCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698035156732024754\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-p2KNUJ0PMTo\/TxN8yRqzF7I\/AAAAAAAAD-w\/FH_nENtVoUA\/s400\/Crypt%2Bwatercolour%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 318px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn 1826 St Stephen's underwent a number of radical modifications, and it was during these works that a remarkable discovery was made. As workmen excavated near the eastern end they happened upon the crypt of the Norman church. Two round limestone columns were discovered \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ein situ\u003C\/span\u003E both just over five feet high, both with decorated capitals as well as some arches from a vaulted ceiling. The columns are Norman and of great historical importance as their survival makes them some of the oldest standing masonry in Exeter. Clearly the crypt was part of the \"cellar\" mentioned when the church was auctioned off in 1658 and which was then covered over again during the post-Restoration reconstruction. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council shows a watercolour sketch that was done at the time of the crypt's rediscovery in 1826.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe crypt was resealed in the 1820s without further investigation. According to the St Stephen Project website, the crypt has been entered twice since then, once in 1932 and again in 1972. In 1932 it was reported that the crypt was full of coffins but in 1972 only one seems to have been left, dating from the 1600s. The crypt was resealed once again in 1972 but in August 2011 the crypt was once more partially excavated. Archaeologists working at the church uncovered the capitals of the two columns buried in back-filled rubble. There are only two known Saxon crypts in the whole of Devon. One is at Sidbury and the other is under the church of St Stephen on Exeter's High Street. There would've been approximately 20 such columns supporting the crypt's vaulted roof. It's not known what else might survive. Unfortunately fears that a full excavation might jeopardise the structure of the church has resulted in the early-12th century columns being reburied and there are no plans to reveal them again.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-pYV1LapTnxE\/TxOCoeDVlfI\/AAAAAAAAD_I\/09m0FOebBtI\/s1600\/St%2BStephens%2BInterior_Exeter.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698041585327248882\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-pYV1LapTnxE\/TxOCoeDVlfI\/AAAAAAAAD_I\/09m0FOebBtI\/s640\/St%2BStephens%2BInterior_Exeter.JPG\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EUnfortunately the modifications of the 1820s also removed almost all traces of any surviving antiquity still remaining above ground  in the interior. Slender neo-Gothic pillars \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft \u003C\/span\u003Ewere added along with some skylights and an octagonal font. The \"long gallery\" mentioned by Jenkins was removed in 1895. In 1894 the church was threatened with total demolition. A letter from Mr J Newnham, an architect, which appeared in Trewman's 'Exeter Flying Post' on 09 June that year was justifiably angry: \"[St Stephen's] destruction would not only be vandalism but sacrilege. It is a historic building. It is a picturesque feature in the High Street. The spot is hallowed ground, and has been occupied by a church for at least 700 years. We have no right to destroy it\". The letter continues: \"That it is in a delapidated condition is no excuse for its wanton destruction\" (although this has been the perennial excuse often used by the city council).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-HXvlwlLO5Sw\/TxOC0MWLKhI\/AAAAAAAAD_U\/4VXoEX3lkTE\/s1600\/Exeter_Blitz_WCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698041786732849682\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-HXvlwlLO5Sw\/TxOC0MWLKhI\/AAAAAAAAD_U\/4VXoEX3lkTE\/s400\/Exeter_Blitz_WCSL.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 300px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAnd then, warming to his theme, Newnham launches into an attack on demolition in Exeter generally: \"The havoc wrought among the ancient buildings of Exeter during the last century or so has been appalling. We have lost our city and close gates. The treasury has gone, so has the old Grammar school [St John's Hospital School]. The churches of St George and St Kerrian have been destroyed. St John's Bow has ceased to exist. Much of the Castle and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/medieval-college-of-vicars-choral-at.html\"\u003ECollege of the Vicars Choral\u003C\/a\u003E has been swept away...yet Exonians love to call historic Exeter 'that ancient and loyal city!' We have lost so much that we cannot afford to lose any more.\" If Newnham thought that the 19th century had been destructive then I can only imagine what he would've made of the impact of the 20th century on Exeter's historical cityscape. Anyway, the church was reprieved.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESomehow the church managed to escape complete destruction during the devastating air raid of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E. The building itself was moderately damaged\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E. A fire in the tower caused the three bells to fall to the floor, the roof was damaged, the stain-glass windows were all blown out and St Stephen's Bow was completely gutted. But it escaped comparatively lightly as the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/nos-25-26-high-street-new-inn.html\"\u003ENew Inn\u003C\/a\u003E, which stood to the immediate left of the church was totally destroyed as was part of Colson's department store to the right. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E © Express \u0026amp; Echo shows firefighters amongst the smouldering ruins of the High Street with St Stephen's highlighted in red. One of the canted bay windows of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/no-229-high-street-ii.html\"\u003ENo. 229\u003C\/a\u003E is just visible to the far left.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-xD7ht70gReg\/TxODg87YgdI\/AAAAAAAAD_g\/sntIOaFj3w0\/s1600\/Memorial%2Bto%2BJohn%2BRood_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698042555688059346\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-xD7ht70gReg\/TxODg87YgdI\/AAAAAAAAD_g\/sntIOaFj3w0\/s640\/Memorial%2Bto%2BJohn%2BRood_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"408\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESt Stephen's was one of the tiny handful of Exeter's historic buildings repaired after 1942. 30 years later, with congregations diminishing, all the Victorian fittings were removed to allow for a more flexible use of the space. Amongst the surviving items of historical interest are some of the wall memorials. There's a memorial to the above-mentioned George Potter who died on 26 November 1662 and who was buried in the church his money had helped to reconstruct. Of particular interest is another wall monument \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E from the late-17th century commemorating James Rodd of Bedford House. James Rodd was married to the daughter of John Bampfylde of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/open-day-at-poltimore-house-near-exeter_20.html\"\u003EPoltimore House\u003C\/a\u003E, also the owner of Bampfylde House in Exeter, and therefore provides a link between what were two of the finest Tudor houses the city ever had: \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/bedford-house-and-dominican-friary.html\"\u003EBedford House\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/bampfylde-house-elizabethan-mansion-in.html\"\u003EBampfylde House\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/51706647737045105\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=51706647737045105","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/51706647737045105"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/51706647737045105"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html","title":"St Stephen's Church, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-3B1SahPzhME\/TxN6YDQgnJI\/AAAAAAAAD-Y\/auzsWGgZzfM\/s72-c\/St%2BStephen%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-3261687276252528624"},"published":{"$t":"2010-12-04T23:11:00.011+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T12:33:02.419+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"South Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"No. 67, South Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zTAwBJyvN2o\/TxI9dp_u9iI\/AAAAAAAAD0E\/hIWL7ADHi5I\/s1600\/67%2BSouth%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697684058275771938\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zTAwBJyvN2o\/TxI9dp_u9iI\/AAAAAAAAD0E\/hIWL7ADHi5I\/s640\/67%2BSouth%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"431\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAlong with \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/nos-41-42-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 41 \u0026amp; 42\u003C\/a\u003E in the High Street, this is the only surviving twin-gabled timber-framed house in the entire city which has retained both its original facade and significant portions of its interior. It is actually later in date than the example in the High Street. Nos. 41 \u0026amp; 42 are from the 1560s, but No. 67 in South Street is probably from c1600 or slightly later.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt sits in South Street as part of a small fragment of pre-1942 buildings which managed to escape both the destruction of war-time bombing and the demolition of post-war redevelopment. Unfortunately the same can't be said of the rest of South Street, once one of Exeter's four main thoroughfares. Today it's mostly insipid flat-roofed, brown-brick post-war shacks, its southern end demolished in the 1960s to build a four-lane bypass.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo. 67 is built on three floors. The rear wall has been completely rebuilt in modern brick and the ground floor gutted for retail space. Despite these alterations, No. 67 is important primarily for the preservation of its remaining interiors. Unlike many twin-gabled timber-framed properties which were once in Exeter, No. 67 was built as a single large house and not as a matching pair. The most impressive feature externally is undoubtedly the magnificent continuous 16-light window which stretches across the whole of the first floor. This would've lit a large first-floor hall. Two oriel windows exist on the second floor supported on brackets. The interior contains a two-flight 17th century staircase, some decorated beamed ceilings, a large fireplace on the ground floor with a massive oak lintel and other fireplaces in the upstairs rooms. There is also a fine and unusual early-17th century plasterwork ceiling decorated with lilies, tulips and pomegranates which still exists in the hall More information about this ceiling can be found \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/lost-jacobean-plasterwork-ceilings-i.html\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-yWsyrnMK7YY\/TxI-JusdhjI\/AAAAAAAAD0c\/VFcdkCS8sus\/s1600\/IMGP0306.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"491\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697684815451358770\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-yWsyrnMK7YY\/TxI-JusdhjI\/AAAAAAAAD0c\/VFcdkCS8sus\/s640\/IMGP0306.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAdmittedly, perhaps more impressive timber-framed buildings in Exeter were pulled down during the 20th century for slum clearances and road-widening, but No. 67 fully deserves its Grade II* listed status as a structure of special interest. It's one of my favourite buildings in the city and such a rare survival. No. 67 was a gallery and a shop but it has recently closed and is now a letting agency. The problem is that no-one ever goes down as far as No. 67 South Street unless they really have to.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately, and this is a criticism which is often levelled at Exeter's surviving historical buildings, it is frequently difficult to appreciate them within a wider historical urban landscape. This is particularly true of No. 67 South Street. To the left is the remaining stump of the street's historical buildings, including the White Hart inn, but to the right is the vast tract of post-war South Street. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows one gable end of No. 67 to the far left but almost adjacent is the horrendous Concord House and beyond that the majority of South Street stretches away into post-war blandness. Still, it does show how close the property came to destruction during the bombing raid of 04 May 1942.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-712WyVKyP94\/ToeK8cDfASI\/AAAAAAAACLc\/1snUUzMIzxs\/s1600\/No67_South_Street.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"404\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658644227741909282\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-712WyVKyP94\/ToeK8cDfASI\/AAAAAAAACLc\/1snUUzMIzxs\/s640\/No67_South_Street.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/3261687276252528624\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=3261687276252528624","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3261687276252528624"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3261687276252528624"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/no-67-south-street.html","title":"No. 67, South Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zTAwBJyvN2o\/TxI9dp_u9iI\/AAAAAAAAD0E\/hIWL7ADHi5I\/s72-c\/67%2BSouth%2BStreet.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4157255865328416962"},"published":{"$t":"2010-12-03T20:14:00.009+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T12:28:27.044+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 41 \u0026 42, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-PJHJ-5vzk-M\/TxJAB_sPL1I\/AAAAAAAAD0o\/VawHzEPFGh4\/s1600\/41%2B%2526%2B42%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697686881598123858\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-PJHJ-5vzk-M\/TxJAB_sPL1I\/AAAAAAAAD0o\/VawHzEPFGh4\/s640\/41%2B%2526%2B42%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"463\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBlink and you'll miss it,  but here, finally, is an authentic historic remnant in Exeter's much demolished High Street. Nos. 41 \u0026amp; 42 constitutes the only surviving example in the High Street of a twin-gabled, timber-framed building with both its facade and some of its interior intact. I can think of only one other \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/no-67-south-street.html\"\u003Esimilar example\u003C\/a\u003E in the entire city, in South Street. The few timber-framed properties which do remain either have much-altered facades, have only a single gable or have had their interiors demolished.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe example in the High Street is admittedly very lovely though. It was constructed as a pair of matching townhouses c1564 (this date appears on the facade) and is typical of how much of the entire city looked up until the beginning of the 18th century. The infamous 'Hanging' Judge George Jeffreys is alleged to have stayed here in 1665 when the property was known as 'The Mansion House', although this may be another local legend created to whip up interest in a commercial venture and the Mansion House was actually elsewhere in the city (see \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/no-1-cathedral-close-mols-coffee-house.html\"\u003E'Mol's Coffee House'\u003C\/a\u003E for more Exeter myths). For many years Nos. 41 \u0026amp; 42 was a pharmacy and was known as Hinton Lake, after the business's founder, John Hinton Lake.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-ntjRpoalybc\/TxJANWlB8NI\/AAAAAAAAD00\/7g7Tq1A75NM\/s1600\/Nos.%2B41%2Band%2B42%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697687076720472274\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-ntjRpoalybc\/TxJANWlB8NI\/AAAAAAAAD00\/7g7Tq1A75NM\/s640\/Nos.%2B41%2Band%2B42%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"406\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe postcard \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the building c1905, prior to the removal of the render. It should be noted that most of the exposed timber-framing isn't genuine but has been applied during 20th century restoration. When completed in the 16th century the building would've been covered in render with only the timber around the windows left exposed. It was constructed on four floors, with a cellar. Each townouses would've had a shop on the ground floor with a parlour on the first floor, bedroom chambers on the second floor with further rooms in the attic. There was probably a gallery and back block arrangement at the rear, similar to that which existed at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/no-38-north-street.html\"\u003ENo. 38 North Street\u003C\/a\u003E prior to its demolition in 1972.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne feature of note is the corbelled party-wall of Heavitree stone on the left side. It was constructed as a firebreak to try and prevent the spread of fire between houses at a time when nearly all the domestic buildings in the city were constructed of timber. Perhaps the most interesting feature inside, found in the cellar, are the remains of the security wall which was built around the Cathedral precinct in 1286 following \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html\"\u003Ethe murder of the precentor Walter Lechlade in 1283.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SO3HfozPQdk\/TxJBGNPEp4I\/AAAAAAAAD1A\/9ZtlDwZEOGQ\/s1600\/37%252C%2B41%252C%2B42%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697688053464999810\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SO3HfozPQdk\/TxJBGNPEp4I\/AAAAAAAAD1A\/9ZtlDwZEOGQ\/s400\/37%252C%2B41%252C%2B42%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 315px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EA few 16th century features survive here and there, like chamfered beams, fireplaces and a staircase, and during refurbishment a 14th-century fireplace was uncovered on the first floor and restored, perhaps reused from an earlier building on the site. Despite the survival of these authentic elements, much of the interior has been gutted to provide retail space, but the property has still been granted Grade II* listed status.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUntil the 1950s an almost identical pair of townhouses existed nearby on the High Street. Despite surviving the bombs of May 1942, this property, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/no-37-high-street-demolished-after-400.html\"\u003ENo. 37 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, was foolishly  demolished in the late 1950s. The postcard \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E dates from the early 20th century and shows the now demolished No. 37 highlighted in red, with the still-existing Nos. 41 \u0026amp; 42 further down the High Street, highlighted in green.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4157255865328416962\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4157255865328416962","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4157255865328416962"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4157255865328416962"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/nos-41-42-high-street.html","title":"Nos. 41 \u0026 42, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-PJHJ-5vzk-M\/TxJAB_sPL1I\/AAAAAAAAD0o\/VawHzEPFGh4\/s72-c\/41%2B%2526%2B42%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-243757335634218986"},"published":{"$t":"2010-11-30T22:46:00.023+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T12:24:39.797+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inns and Taverns"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Globe Inn, Cathedral Yard"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Mbmy1qCnz04\/TxL9DQW1zMI\/AAAAAAAAD5s\/2j0JWHrQNRE\/s1600\/Globe_Cathedral_Yard_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"509\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697894710949301442\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Mbmy1qCnz04\/TxL9DQW1zMI\/AAAAAAAAD5s\/2j0JWHrQNRE\/s640\/Globe_Cathedral_Yard_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAnother part of Exeter's past which went up in smoke on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E04 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E, the Globe inn had been one of the most prominent inns in the city for over 270 years. The inn, also known as the Globe Hotel, joins the former \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/nos-25-26-high-street-new-inn.html\"\u003ENew inn\u003C\/a\u003E, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/chevalier-inn-fore-street-destroyed-in.html\"\u003EChevalier inn\u003C\/a\u003E, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/new-london-inn-new-london-inn-square.html\"\u003ENew London inn\u003C\/a\u003E, the Old London inn and the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/canonry-catherine-street.html\"\u003ECountry House inn\u003C\/a\u003E as just some of the many historical inns and taverns which have been destroyed over the last century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Globe inn occupied a prime site, facing out into the Cathedral Yard, backing onto houses which fronted onto the busy thoroughfare of South Street at the rear. In his book, 'Aspects of Exeter', local historian Peter Thomas admits that no-one knows exactly when the Globe inn was first established.  The earliest reference to it as an inn appears in the parish register of the nearby church of St Martin. The register records the baptism of Thomas Fowler, the son of \"William Fowler, tapster at The Globe\", on 25 October 1675. A tapster was essentially a barman so the Globe inn was certainly open for business in the 1670s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-cySL464eLvw\/TxMDSqhcwxI\/AAAAAAAAD54\/S92FexEtlnc\/s1600\/Globe%2Bmap%2Boverlay.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697901572740924178\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-cySL464eLvw\/TxMDSqhcwxI\/AAAAAAAAD54\/S92FexEtlnc\/s400\/Globe%2Bmap%2Boverlay.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 339px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows a modern aerial view of the Globe's location overlaid onto which is a detail from the 1905 map of Exeter. The Globe is highlighted in red, with the curved facade facing  out onto the cathedral precinct. Of particular note  is the very narrow  alleyway, just five feet wide, which lead down the  side of the Globe and  into South Street. This was known as Little  Stile and was one of the original  13th century gateways into the  Cathedral Yard. The gateway structure  itself was removed in 1820 but  access remained as a right-of-way for  pedestrians until it was obliterated by post-war redevelopment. South Street runs to diagonally to the south-west.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAt least part of the Globe itself was considerably older than the late-17th century. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E shows the full extent of the rambling Globe inn prior to its destruction. The oldest part of the Globe was the section to the left, with the dormer windows set into the roof. This had been constructed as a private house, possibly as early as 1600, but by the mid-17th century the house had been subdivided into two separate tenements, one of which was the original Globe inn building.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-25ABZwa9Scc\/TxMHW0g98RI\/AAAAAAAAD6E\/5Llm3HfD0pc\/s1600\/The_Globe_Inn_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"408\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697906042189246738\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-25ABZwa9Scc\/TxMHW0g98RI\/AAAAAAAAD6E\/5Llm3HfD0pc\/s640\/The_Globe_Inn_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOver the following century the Globe expanded to include not only the second tenement but also a later extension (masked by the plain stucco facade to the right which was added c1800.) Part of St Petrock's church is visible to the far right and the narrow  entrance into the cathedral precinct known as Little Stile is to the far  left. Up until 1942, the interior of the Globe inn still retained much of its  character, with oak panelling, carved doors and 18th century bow windows. The Globe was, frustratingly, another of Exeter's landmark buildings which was destroyed before it could be properly surveyed and so its precise architectural history will probably always remain unknown. The history of the inn ended on 04 May 1942. Incendiary bombs dropped onto South Street as part of a \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/baedeker-raids-why-exeter-was-targetted.html\"\u003E'Baedeker' air raid\u003C\/a\u003E ignited much of South Street and the flames spread to the Globe inn. By the following morning all that was left standing were the walls. Everything else had perished in the flames. Presumably the ruins were unsafe and so the remains were cleared away as part of the post-war rebuilding.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-kPJzN_wrq-c\/TxMKi-fdIUI\/AAAAAAAAD6Q\/Zk3aO5vHA9Y\/s1600\/Cathedral%2BYard%2BExit%2Bto%2BSouth%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697909549560570178\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-kPJzN_wrq-c\/TxMKi-fdIUI\/AAAAAAAAD6Q\/Zk3aO5vHA9Y\/s400\/Cathedral%2BYard%2BExit%2Bto%2BSouth%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 328px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe post-war reconstruction of the area is insipid. A wide entrance \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E was constructed over the site of the Globe, giving easy access to the cathedral precinct. However this also had the unfortunate effect of opening up views from the Cathedral Yard into the 1950s wasteland of post-war South Street and the rebuilt top of Fore Street.  It also involved the scandalous demolition of a surviving half-timbered facade from c1600 which stood at the back of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/10\/lost-history-of-no-72-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 72 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E. According to Pevsner and Cherry, \"the ceremonial steps have the effect of \"unfortunately focusing attention on the unworthy rebuilding of the war-damaged SW corner of the Close\". As with most of the buildings which arose in Exeter after 1942, the architecture which replaced the Globe Inn was uninspired, anonymous and pedestrian.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhere the Globe Inn once stood there is now a three-storey, low-roofed shack of the utmost mediocrity. The wall to the right of the new entrance is almost as bad. Made from concrete blocks with a hexagonal motif, it looks particular dated and cheap. The city council's own conservation report for the area acknowledges that the post-war redevelopment is a \"major disappointment in terms of how it defines this important space\". But perhaps the most unforgivable act of the reconstruction here was the obliteration of Little Stile. Since the late 1200s people had used this route to enter the Cathedral Yard but after the war it was blocked by redevelopment \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E and it now only leads into a small service area. It's hard to imagine the sheer arrogance of either the town planner or local authority which could destroy a part of the city's long history so casually and after so much had already been destroyed during World War Two.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-xuKa9LEP3tE\/TxMMQM5IcpI\/AAAAAAAAD6c\/1n4bgS5VjfY\/s1600\/PA241413.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697911426032104082\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-xuKa9LEP3tE\/TxMMQM5IcpI\/AAAAAAAAD6c\/1n4bgS5VjfY\/s640\/PA241413.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"482\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/243757335634218986\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=243757335634218986","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/243757335634218986"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/243757335634218986"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/globe-inn-cathedral-yard.html","title":"The Globe Inn, Cathedral Yard"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Mbmy1qCnz04\/TxL9DQW1zMI\/AAAAAAAAD5s\/2j0JWHrQNRE\/s72-c\/Globe_Cathedral_Yard_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4968128392717963349"},"published":{"$t":"2010-11-29T23:53:00.042+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-05T20:47:07.117+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Guildhall Shopping Centre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"No. 196 High Street - Elizabethan Fragments"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-akzG9hHb_ss\/Txn6T7No_7I\/AAAAAAAAEWk\/43ryxi9FaK8\/s1600\/S%2526S%2BOvermantel_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699862023633436594\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-akzG9hHb_ss\/Txn6T7No_7I\/AAAAAAAAEWk\/43ryxi9FaK8\/s400\/S%2526S%2BOvermantel_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"314\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIf you go down the High Street today and turn right into the abysmal 1970s Guildhall Shopping Centre you'll find a jewellers, H Samuel, inside which is something entirely unexpected. The construction of the Guildhall Shopping Centre almost completely trashed one of the few remaining areas of Exeter's historic cityscape, so it's incredible to find an overmantel and window dating from the time of Elizabeth I totally surrounded by modern development.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere's a little framed information card next to the overmantel which reads as follows: \"This interesting Coat of Arms and fireplace occupy their original positions and were discovered during the purchase of Messrs. Stead \u0026amp; Simpson Ltd. The heraldic panel contains arms, supporters, crest and motto of Queen Elizabeth, and has been restored in the original colours. The red lion is unusual, being generally depicted in gold. The room was evidently the parlour of a wealthy Tudor merchant and originally had a fine plaster ceiling and oak panelled walls. An oak window containing the old glazing may still be seen \"in situ\" on the right of the fireplace, which is etched in the right hand with a name and date\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-0dTXu9_-8Fo\/Txn6ixjh1CI\/AAAAAAAAEWw\/lfbNakRkdUU\/s1600\/S%2526S%2BWindow_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699862278738924578\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-0dTXu9_-8Fo\/Txn6ixjh1CI\/AAAAAAAAEWw\/lfbNakRkdUU\/s400\/S%2526S%2BWindow_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 388px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAbsolutely nothing else remains today of the Tudor house apart from the window \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E and overmantel \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E. So what happened? The construction of the Guildhall Shopping Centre resulted in so much demolition that it's impossible to say exactly what was torn down to build the present-day jewellers in the 1970s. However, in the Westcountry Studies Library are a series of photographs dated 1914 which show the overmantel and window in their original setting.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt seems that Messrs. Stead \u0026amp; Simpson (a local firm of shoemakers) purchased the property in 1914 and set about modernising it. During the process substantial remains of a large, high status Elizabethan merchant's house were discovered and photographed. The photo \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council shows the overmantel in the same position it's in today. Remains of a plasterwork ceiling can be seen along with some sheets of oak panelling resting against the wall. Also visible is a smaller window to the left of the overmantel which originally looked out into Parliament Street. Another photograph shows that a second, simpler fireplace also survived at  least until 1914. A third photograph shows a room upstairs with another  fireplace.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-XHbQAE-luNY\/Txn7CpWYe2I\/AAAAAAAAEW8\/a5Y_R_lYT7g\/s1600\/Old%2BHouse%2BParliament%2BSt%2BDownstairs%2B1914.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"478\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699862826292116322\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-XHbQAE-luNY\/Txn7CpWYe2I\/AAAAAAAAEW8\/a5Y_R_lYT7g\/s640\/Old%2BHouse%2BParliament%2BSt%2BDownstairs%2B1914.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAnother question that arises is whether the Tudor house originally  fronted onto the High Street. The Westcountry Studies Library has the  1914 photographs labelled as being from a house in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/parliament-street-no-195-high-street.html\"\u003EParliament Street\u003C\/a\u003E. Parliament Street once ran down the side of the property. Little more than an alley, it is one of the  narrowest streets in England so it's highly unlikely that a magnificent Tudor  townhouse opened directly onto it. It seems that the Stead and Simpson refurbishment of the building in 1914 was highly destructive. Harbottle Reed lamented in 1931 that an \"elaborate strapwork plaster ceiling has been removed as a thing of little worth\". But it's likely that significant remnants of the fabric of the Elizabethan house did remain intact other than the overmantel and the window.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-RoYeePu1ENI\/Txn89RRze_I\/AAAAAAAAEXI\/jSqgB_54ipE\/s1600\/196%2BExeter%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpeg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699864932954373106\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-RoYeePu1ENI\/Txn89RRze_I\/AAAAAAAAEXI\/jSqgB_54ipE\/s400\/196%2BExeter%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpeg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 338px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFortunately, in March 2011, the Exeter Archaeology unit wrote a detailed report on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/04\/parliament-street-no-195-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 195 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E. No. 195 stood nextdoor to No. 196 and the history of No. 195 was entwined with that of its neighbour. The history of the house with the Tudor fireplace was as follows: in c1580 a pair of townhouses was constructed on the site of a large tenement plot. Such pairs were constructed fairly frequently in Exeter, as at Nos. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/nos-46-47-high-street.html\"\u003E46 \u0026amp; 47\u003C\/a\u003E and Nos. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/nos-41-42-high-street.html\"\u003E41 \u0026amp; 42\u003C\/a\u003E, both still surviving on the High Street. These pairs were usually constructed with a front block and a rear block divided by a courtyard. At some point c1700 the front block of one of the houses, now No. 195, was totally rebuilt and turned into an independent property. The rooms in the rear block which weren't included in the division were then incorporated into the house next door, No. 196. This accounts for No. 195 appearing to sit on the alignment of the overmantel and window, No. 195 being the house to which they had indeed once belonged. A painting of the High Street dating from the end the 18th century shows No. 196 when it still retained its original, gabled late-16th century facade. It is highlighted in red on the image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E and is depicted prior to the reconstruction of its facade c1800.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-hBoNs-L6tcI\/Txn96TWr0ZI\/AAAAAAAAEXU\/yk73PYtKOtM\/s1600\/196%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699865981483733394\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-hBoNs-L6tcI\/Txn96TWr0ZI\/AAAAAAAAEXU\/yk73PYtKOtM\/s640\/196%2BHigh%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"420\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENo. 196, High Street was given Grade  II listed status in January 1953. The 1953 listing text describes it as  dating from c1600 with a much-altered 18th century facade. The  description continues: \"Interior: room at back, now part of show-room,  has late C16 fireplace. Plaster overmantel with Royal Arms. Caryatid  figures on each side. Nearby is 4-light mullioned and transomed oak  window with good original casement catches\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 1973, and despite its Grade II listed status, No. 196 High Street was  completely demolished by Exeter City Council to build the High Street entrance into the  Guildhall Shopping Centre \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. Incredibly, no architectural record was made of the property either before or during its destruction. However, under the foundations of the Elizabethan house archaeologists did discover the remains of Saxon or Norman timber buildings. Incidentally, Denecke and Shaw's 1988 book, 'Urban Historical Georgraphy: Recent Progess in Britain and Germany', is entirely incorrect when it states that the entrance into the shopping centre from the High Street was created \"using existing streets and retaining the original buildings\". Apart from No. 196, two other historical buildings (Nos. 197 and 198, both originally constructed as a matching pair) were destroyed in order to create the entrance.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe only parts of the structure remaining today are the overmantel and window. The overmantel is made from plaster and almost certainly dates to the last few years of the reign of Elizabeth I e.g. 1585 - 1603. The coat of arms of Elizabeth I is easily recognisable: the three lions of England quartered with the French fleur de lis supported by an English lion \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Erampant\u003C\/span\u003E and a dragon representing Wales. Similar examples once existed in Exeter at the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/town-house-of-abbots-of-buckfast.html\"\u003EAbbot's Lodge\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/no-229-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 229 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E. The two caryatids on either side consist of sculpted busts atop classical pedestals. Never common, even when it was first installed, the overmantel is now a rare survival in Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe manager in H Samuel kindly let me take photos of these Elizabethan fragments, some more of which are shown below. The last photograph shows the exterior of the shop where the overmantel and window can currently be seen. Everything else dates from the 1970s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-DVhHV6SYdJA\/ToM5G9v29lI\/AAAAAAAACHs\/mgYxxL86fh0\/s1600\/Parliament%2BSt%2BRoyal%2BArms.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"326\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657428348724770386\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-DVhHV6SYdJA\/ToM5G9v29lI\/AAAAAAAACHs\/mgYxxL86fh0\/s640\/Parliament%2BSt%2BRoyal%2BArms.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-2gTRW6pmROk\/ToM4WrNbkfI\/AAAAAAAACHc\/FtzZAxsiuxI\/s1600\/S%2526S%2BOverview_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"534\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657427519114809842\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-2gTRW6pmROk\/ToM4WrNbkfI\/AAAAAAAACHc\/FtzZAxsiuxI\/s640\/S%2526S%2BOverview_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-UFz3vZzJgJE\/ToM4jaSUBrI\/AAAAAAAACHk\/Hx8823TTI3I\/s1600\/S%2526S%2BExterior_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"447\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657427737910183602\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-UFz3vZzJgJE\/ToM4jaSUBrI\/AAAAAAAACHk\/Hx8823TTI3I\/s640\/S%2526S%2BExterior_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4968128392717963349\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4968128392717963349","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4968128392717963349"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4968128392717963349"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/no-196-high-street-elizabethan.html","title":"No. 196 High Street - Elizabethan Fragments"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-akzG9hHb_ss\/Txn6T7No_7I\/AAAAAAAAEWk\/43ryxi9FaK8\/s72-c\/S%2526S%2BOvermantel_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-947987981690791051"},"published":{"$t":"2010-11-28T16:28:00.030+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T02:51:04.025+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Eastgate"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inns and Taverns"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The New London Inn, London Inn Square"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-sfdfcAo6WfI\/TxDSfknv-tI\/AAAAAAAADmw\/TzjCWJbunXI\/s1600\/New%2BLondon%2BInn_Exeter1.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"401\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697284968471853778\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-sfdfcAo6WfI\/TxDSfknv-tI\/AAAAAAAADmw\/TzjCWJbunXI\/s640\/New%2BLondon%2BInn_Exeter1.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe amount of demolition and destruction which has taken place in Exeter from the late-19th century to the 1970s has been peculiarly extreme: Georgian terraces, numerous medieval townhouses, 15th century churches, 18th century bridges, stretches of the 2nd century city wall, 17th century taverns, 19th century warehouses, roman mosaics, oak panelling, plasterwork ceilings, memorials, churchyards, railings, fanlights, even the Saxon street pattern - almost nothing has been spared, either by German bombs, developers or the city council itself. Along with the (old) London inn and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/half-moon-inn-high-street.html\"\u003Ethe Half Moon inn\u003C\/a\u003E, the New London inn  was one of Exeter's most important coaching inns throughout the 19th century until it too went the way of so many others and ended up as a pile of rubble. The postcard \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E shows the New London inn c1900. Northernhay Place to the far left ran up to the public gardens at Northernhay (as it still does). The Theatre Royal  on Longbrook Street (demolished in 1962) is in the background to the  right.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-dkNEIElZ4VU\/TxDXMvCb7DI\/AAAAAAAADm8\/VdlMdjpJy3I\/s1600\/NewLondonInn_Exeter_2011.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697290142408764466\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-dkNEIElZ4VU\/TxDXMvCb7DI\/AAAAAAAADm8\/VdlMdjpJy3I\/s400\/NewLondonInn_Exeter_2011.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 316px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe New London inn was built for John Land, former proprietor of the London inn, on the site of the ancient Oxford inn to designs by Exeter's foremost Georgian architect, Matthew Nosworthy. Nosworthy was already in the process of planning his \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/southernhay-west-southernhay.html\"\u003Emagnificent terraces in Southernhay\u003C\/a\u003E, but the New London inn preceded them by a couple of years and was one of his first major contributions to Exeter's cityscape. The Oxford inn was demolished in September 1793 and the New London Inn was completed ten months later in the summer of 1794.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe inn was constructed in a small square, later known as London Inn Square, just beyond the boundary of the city wall and at the junction of the High Street, Southernhay, Sidwell Street, Paris Street and Longbrook Street. The map \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the location of the New London inn in 1905 overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area. The inn itself, with its central courtyard, is highlighted in red. The quadrangular plot shown at the rear of the inn, not highlighted, was probably the site of the stables. The street plan has been so completely altered by post-war reconstruction that today it's almost impossible to visualise where the New London inn once stood. The former \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/debenhams-nos-1-to-11-sidwell-street.html\"\u003EDebenhams building\u003C\/a\u003E is visible to the far left. The pretentious oval bulk of the new Next building on the corner of Paris Street and the High Street is at the bottom. Southernhay originally exited onto the High Street at a point almost opposite the New London inn until it was rerouted into Paris Street during the post-war rebuilding.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-trkhGvlfuqo\/TxDa3uFmPuI\/AAAAAAAADnI\/UU9fpyDREVA\/s1600\/New%2BLondon%2BInn%2BSquare%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"398\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697294179422846690\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-trkhGvlfuqo\/TxDa3uFmPuI\/AAAAAAAADnI\/UU9fpyDREVA\/s640\/New%2BLondon%2BInn%2BSquare%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe engraving\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E  from 1830 shows the view into the New London Inn Square from the High Street, before the construction of Northernhay  Place. The neo-Classical \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/devon-and-exeter-subscription-rooms.html\"\u003ESubscription Rooms\u003C\/a\u003E of 1820 are on the left. The New London inn, shown without its pillared entrance porch, is to the right.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe New London inn's position provided great ease of access to all the major roads out of Exeter, especially towards London and Bristol. By the end of the 18th century Exeter was still a major city and the regional capital for the south-west of England. Fast transport to the rest of the country was an absolute necessity. The inn quickly became a hive of activity as coaches shuttled in and out of Exeter from all parts of Britain. From here it was possible to take a coach almost anywhere. Many serviced small local towns and villages with mail and stage coaches going out across Devon, to Barnstaple via Tiverton, to Budleigh Salterton, Dawlish and Exmouth, to Falmouth via Okehampton, as well as to Plymouth, Sidmouth, Teignmouth and Torquay.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-VwStVPgwnp4\/TxFtALLP29I\/AAAAAAAADng\/rA0fGLwFc6M\/s1600\/02%2BJan%2B1800%2BNLI.jpeg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697454853367782354\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-VwStVPgwnp4\/TxFtALLP29I\/AAAAAAAADng\/rA0fGLwFc6M\/s400\/02%2BJan%2B1800%2BNLI.jpeg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 267px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOther coaches provided transport to much larger cities. For example, in 1800 the \"Mercury\" coach departed from the New London inn at 3.45 in the morning and arriving at the charmingly-named Swan with Two Necks Inn at Cheapside, London the following day at noon. The fare cost anything from £1 18s to £3 10s depending on where you sat in the coach. A similar service, called The London Mail went to London via Salisbury. By the 1820s coaches were leaving the New London Inn daily for Bristol, Bath, Southampton and Brighton, with five different coaches travelling to London every day. The \"Traveller\" coach left the New London inn each morning at 8am and travelled to London via Chard, Crewkerne, Yeovil, Sherborne, Shaftesbury and Salisbury before arriving in the capital at noon the following day. At its busiest the Inn would see as many as 70 coaches arriving or departing within a single day.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESomething extraordinary happened to the Exeter mail coach service known as \"Quicksilver\" on the night of 20 October 1816. Having left the New London inn with bags of mail, the coach headed towards London and by evening had arrived at Winterslow Hut, seven miles from Salisbury. As the coachman pulled up outside the Pheasant Inn one of the lead horses was attacked by a lioness, the blood \"flying as if a vein had been opened by a lancet\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VPus5ut1cZ0\/TxFt2b7Am7I\/AAAAAAAADns\/3bu_y7GAN1I\/s1600\/Exeter%2BMail%2BCoach%2BStamp.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697455785576012722\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VPus5ut1cZ0\/TxFt2b7Am7I\/AAAAAAAADns\/3bu_y7GAN1I\/s400\/Exeter%2BMail%2BCoach%2BStamp.JPG\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 300px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe panic of the other horses nearly overturned the coach itself. Two passengers inside the coach sprang out in terror and ran into the Pheasant Inn, locking themselves in an upstairs room. A large mastiff ran out from the inn's yard and launched itself at the lion, causing the lion to release the horse and pursue the dog. The lion was eventually cornered beneath a granary. It had escaped from a travelling menagerie that was camping nearby. When the lion's keeper arrived both he and some assistants crawled beneath the granary with a large sack, captured the lion, tied it up and took it back to the camp. A replacement horse was found and the mail coach resumed its journey having lost only 45 minutes from its schedule. This incident was recalled in a stamp issued by the Royal Mail in 1984 and shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnyway, back in Exeter and Nosworthy designed the New London inn with spacious accommodation spread over three floors. Like the terraces in Southernhay and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/dixs-field-southernhay-east.html\"\u003EDix's Field\u003C\/a\u003E, the inn was constructed from locally-fired red bricks. Pedestrian access into the High Street and New London Inn Square was through a simple portico supported by two fluted columns and two fluted pilasters. This must've been a later addition as an engraving from 1830 shows the facade of the inn with only an arched entrance. The floor plan consisted of a quadrangle, with the accommodation constructed around a central cobbled courtyard.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ELo2N5iw2Lg\/TxFwv2t__3I\/AAAAAAAADn4\/24ItLfwBycQ\/s1600\/NewLondon_Inn_Courtyard.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"418\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697458971045003122\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ELo2N5iw2Lg\/TxFwv2t__3I\/AAAAAAAADn4\/24ItLfwBycQ\/s640\/NewLondon_Inn_Courtyard.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe service part of the Inn was at the rear with stabling for the horses and large gates which allowed entry into the courtyard for the delivery of goods and the collection of luggage and mail sacks. By the close of the 19th century the courtyard had received a glass roof and was furnished with rugs, tables, chairs, palms and ferns to provide a lounge area \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E. Supporting the upper floors were a series of slender, marbled columns. Running around the entire courtyard was a decorative frieze. Nosworthy gave the exterior elevations some interest with the use of arched windows on the ground floor with simpler rectangular windows above. A string course, probably made from Coadestone, ran across the facade at ground floor level. Comparison with Nosworthy's surviving work in Southernhay shows the consistency of his architectural style.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-wP1q9vZiG_Q\/TxF3hFkl1II\/AAAAAAAADoE\/-iKDsImdawU\/s1600\/468px-Charles_Dickens_by_Daniel_Maclise.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697466413915427970\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-wP1q9vZiG_Q\/TxF3hFkl1II\/AAAAAAAADoE\/-iKDsImdawU\/s400\/468px-Charles_Dickens_by_Daniel_Maclise.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 314px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAn early visitor to the New London inn was the Romantic poet and future Poet Laureate, Robert Southey. Probably best-known today for his biography of Nelson, he stayed at the inn in 1802. He was less than enamoured with the city of Exeter itself, praising the High Street but referring to the rest as nothing but \"dirty lanes\" and having the \"unsavoury odour of Lisbon\", but he was impressed with the New London inn. He wrote: \"At length we crossed the river Exe by a respectable \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/georgian-exe-bridge.html\"\u003Ebridge\u003C\/a\u003E, and immediately entered the city of Exeter, and drove up a long street to an inn as large as a large convent. 'Is it possible' I asked [the coachman], 'that this immense house can ever be filled with travellers?'\". Southey continued his observations in a letter the following day, dated Saturday 24 April 1802: \"If the outside of this New London inn, as it is called, surprised me, I was was far more surprised at the interior\". He goes on to cite the \"sofa in the apartment\" and the \"sideboard...set forth with china and plate\", noting that none of these were essential for travelling and would probably only add to the cost of his stay.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother literary guest was Charles Dickens \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E c1839, who stayed at the New London inn in March 1839 whilst looking for a house for his parents. In a letter he wrote from the inn Dickens said that \"my quarters are excellent\", praising the head waiter for the good service he received. (Dickens did indeed find a house for his parents in Exeter, \"about a mile beyond the city on the Plymouth Road\" in what he called \"this most beautiful of English counties\". The house, incredibly, still stands today in Alphington). Other notable visitors included the Duke of Wellington, the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), H Rider Haggard, George V, Beatrix Potter and Robert Louis Stevenson. Stevenson had been detained at the inn by illness for several weeks in September 1885. Upon leaving he wrote in the visitors' book: \"I cannot go without recording my obligations to everyone in the house: if it is your fate to fall sick at an inn, pray heaven it may be the New London!\". Jane Austen mentions the inn in chapter 47 of 'Sense and Sensibility'. For service, food, convenience and accommodation, the New London inn was one of the finest inns in south-west England.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-R1hZvzb87WQ\/TxF7N_DOl9I\/AAAAAAAADoQ\/1mCNmFbrjy8\/s1600\/London_Inn_Square_Exeter_1942_WCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697470483793876946\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-R1hZvzb87WQ\/TxF7N_DOl9I\/AAAAAAAADoQ\/1mCNmFbrjy8\/s400\/London_Inn_Square_Exeter_1942_WCSL.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 326px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EWhen John Land died in 1817 aged 86 his obituary stated that he was \"the oldest, and supposed to be nearly the richest, inn-keeper in the kingdom\". The inn had various proprietors throughout the 19th century but in 1935 it was purchased by Associated British Cinemas and just five months later, in 1936, the entire building was demolished to construct the Savoy, later the ABC cinema.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council shows the The Savoy cinema after the bombing raid of 04 May 1942, which it somehow managed to survive. The Theatre Royal is on the left. Between the Theatre and the cinema is New North Road. In his book, 'Aspects of Exeter', Peter Thomas reports how the decision to destroy the 18th century inn was met with anger in some quarters, with one citizen writing at the time saying: \"It seems incredible that anyone should be guilty of such vandalism\", deploring the \"ruthless destruction\". As Peter Thomas states: \"Such sentiments are traditionally the losers in Exeter when there is hope of replacing an old building with some money-making structure\". And so the inn came down. Ironically, and unlike almost everything else in the vicinity, the ABC cinema survived World War Two unscathed but was itself demolished in 1987, being replaced with an almost equally charmless bookshop.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EToday nothing remains of either the New London inn or the square which was named after it. The two photographs below show what the site of the New London inn looks like today. Much of the site is under Bailey Street which was forced through from New North Road and Longbrook Street during the post-war reconstruction. The first building sits almost on top of what was London Inn Square itself. The second shows one side of Northernhay Place as it rises towards Northernhay Gardens, the same road visible in the photograph at the top of this post.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HEmRkIFhUPA\/TxF-BNmwK7I\/AAAAAAAADoc\/oi1loUsRTW4\/s1600\/Site%2Bof%2Bthe%2BNew%2BLondon%2BInn.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697473562897558450\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HEmRkIFhUPA\/TxF-BNmwK7I\/AAAAAAAADoc\/oi1loUsRTW4\/s640\/Site%2Bof%2Bthe%2BNew%2BLondon%2BInn.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-CFf_xBiw5HY\/TxF-NWTZ-0I\/AAAAAAAADoo\/NZh0NGpxLvE\/s1600\/Site%2Bof%2Bthe%2BNew%2BLondon%2BInn%2BII.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697473771390761794\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-CFf_xBiw5HY\/TxF-NWTZ-0I\/AAAAAAAADoo\/NZh0NGpxLvE\/s640\/Site%2Bof%2Bthe%2BNew%2BLondon%2BInn%2BII.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TPMCUbq6QbI\/AAAAAAAAAyk\/5hoz3XRgFZQ\/s1600\/Site%2Bof%2Bthe%2BNew%2BLondon%2BInn%2BII.jpg\"\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/947987981690791051\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=947987981690791051","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/947987981690791051"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/947987981690791051"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/new-london-inn-new-london-inn-square.html","title":"The New London Inn, London Inn Square"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-sfdfcAo6WfI\/TxDSfknv-tI\/AAAAAAAADmw\/TzjCWJbunXI\/s72-c\/New%2BLondon%2BInn_Exeter1.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5757263723602071633"},"published":{"$t":"2010-11-14T14:29:00.015+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T02:08:00.460+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"No. 229, High Street II"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-yfbx07hek_I\/TxNyEKU1bBI\/AAAAAAAAD9o\/0u35ue_zV1c\/s1600\/High%2BStreet%2BExeter%2B1930%2BNo229.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"402\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698023369370594322\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-yfbx07hek_I\/TxNyEKU1bBI\/AAAAAAAAD9o\/0u35ue_zV1c\/s640\/High%2BStreet%2BExeter%2B1930%2BNo229.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/no-229-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 229 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E was one of Exeter's most important Elizabethan townhouses but it was completely demolished in 1930, the exceptional Tudor and Jacobean interiors flogged off to William Randolph Hearst in the United States.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAt least the building which replaced it, \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E and highlighted in red c1932, attempted to blend into the overall appearance of Exeter's historic High Street. One wonders why a 16th century townhouse was replaced with an imitation early-17th century townhouse but the new building certainly looked old even if it wasn't. The external firewalls at the sides were constructed from stone in a style similar to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/nos-41-42-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 41 \u0026amp; 42\u003C\/a\u003E further down the High Street. The two gables overlooking the High Street were both given timber-framed decoration, below which were two second-floor oriel windows. Both these windows and the enormous five-sided bay windows on the first-floor dated from the early 1600s  and were reclaimed from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/nos-19-20-north-street.html\"\u003ENo. 20 North Street\u003C\/a\u003E when it was demolished at the end of the 19th century (one of the windows was actually a copy as only a single window was reclaimed from No. 20. The matching window at No. 19 North Street had disappeared by 1827).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-cbBV7rrzEdo\/TxNzg6-Ym8I\/AAAAAAAAD90\/uKExebAQt_A\/s1600\/No229%2BHigh%2BStreet%2BPost%2BWar%2BWidening%2Bii.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"389\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698024962977733570\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-cbBV7rrzEdo\/TxNzg6-Ym8I\/AAAAAAAAD90\/uKExebAQt_A\/s640\/No229%2BHigh%2BStreet%2BPost%2BWar%2BWidening%2Bii.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESo the building was only a pastiche with some genuine components in the facade salvaged from another house, but the overall appearance maintained the visual interest of this side of the High Street, complimenting a number of genuine examples which still survived intact. The photograph\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E above\u003C\/span\u003E shows No. 229 High Street today, almost unrecognisable as the same building. This marked the western boundary of the war-damaged High Street. The photograph illustrates how the post-war widening of the High Street pushed the line of the street back almost to the rear of No. 229, the exposed wall now covered with a mural.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDuring the Blitz of 04 May 1942 fire spread from burning properties nearby into the roof of No. 229, destroying the two gables and the small oriel windows on the second floor. The large five-sided windows somehow survived and during the post-war reconstruction the building was refurbished, and what an utter mess was made of it. The burnt-out oriel windows were replaced with steel replacements and the two gables was replaced with a flat roof!! They managed to make an acceptable pastiche look like a 1950s block with some oriel windows shoved into the facade. How much extra effort would it really have taken to rebuild the gable roof?? The ground floor shop was gutted to provide a walkway underneath the first floor which now overhangs the pavement.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-1K8e62h0xZQ\/TxN0v0HVC-I\/AAAAAAAAD-A\/GlH2tjd_UH8\/s1600\/No229%2BHigh%2BStreet%2BPost%2BWar%2BWidening.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698026318345866210\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-1K8e62h0xZQ\/TxN0v0HVC-I\/AAAAAAAAD-A\/GlH2tjd_UH8\/s400\/No229%2BHigh%2BStreet%2BPost%2BWar%2BWidening.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 363px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAnyway, No. 229 today marks the point where the post-war reconstruction of the upper High Street really began. Although it was only built in 1930 No. 229 is the oldest building from this point eastwards for nearly half-a-mile (excluding St Stephen's church on the other side of the street). Of the rest of the pre-war High Street, and most of Sidwell Street, nothing remains.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe mural on the side of No. 229 today was painted in 1993 and shows three famous Exonians from the late-16th and early-17th century: Nicholas Hilliard, Thomas Bodley and Princess Henrietta Maria, born at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/bedford-house-and-dominican-friary.html\"\u003EBedford House\u003C\/a\u003E in 1644. (Edit: this mural has now been destroyed.) The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E shows the view eastwards from No. 229, looking up the vast banal expanse of the rebuilt High Street. As Pevsner and Cherry state: \"One is plunged into a mediocre post-war world, long dull ranges on each side...a total break with the character of the old town\". Or, as Gavin Stamp put it: \"largely inappropriate, incoherent and dismal\". The images below show some details from the oriel windows which once belonged to No. 20 North Street and which are now part of the sad facade of No. 229 High Street. They give some idea of the spectacular quality of the building from which they were salvaged.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-r_z96Z9oT5M\/TnzI-59R24I\/AAAAAAAACC8\/VfrD7wv3hlQ\/s1600\/229_oriel_window%2Bii.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655616215105788802\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-r_z96Z9oT5M\/TnzI-59R24I\/AAAAAAAACC8\/VfrD7wv3hlQ\/s640\/229_oriel_window%2Bii.jpg\" width=\"450\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-BXqHvj8Ag2Y\/TnzI-y0rkKI\/AAAAAAAACC0\/luuQd5greIo\/s1600\/229_oriel_window.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655616213190676642\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-BXqHvj8Ag2Y\/TnzI-y0rkKI\/AAAAAAAACC0\/luuQd5greIo\/s640\/229_oriel_window.jpg\" width=\"454\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5757263723602071633\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5757263723602071633","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5757263723602071633"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5757263723602071633"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/no-229-high-street-ii.html","title":"No. 229, High Street II"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-yfbx07hek_I\/TxNyEKU1bBI\/AAAAAAAAD9o\/0u35ue_zV1c\/s72-c\/High%2BStreet%2BExeter%2B1930%2BNo229.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4371723160751200904"},"published":{"$t":"2010-11-10T22:35:00.022+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T02:00:29.605+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"North Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 19 \u0026 20, North Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-mWB3ouWY58Q\/TxMal3xubXI\/AAAAAAAAD6o\/L94NY1A5zBY\/s1600\/North%2BSt%2Bc1890%2BWCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697927191483805042\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-mWB3ouWY58Q\/TxMal3xubXI\/AAAAAAAAD6o\/L94NY1A5zBY\/s1600\/North%2BSt%2Bc1890%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENos. 19 and 20 North Street were two of the most prestigious Jacobean timber-framed townhouses in  Exeter. Having survived since the early 1600s, they were both demolished for road-widening c1890. A publication called the Archaeological Review mentioned in 1889 that \"No. 20 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E is going to be pulled down for the purpose of widening the street\", and the house seems to have been destroyed shortly afterwards.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council shows both properties c1889, just prior to their demolition. Nos. 19 and 20 were probably two individual houses built at the same time as a matching pair, the unity of the facades being disrupted by additions made in the 18th or 19th century to the front of No. 19. Stylistic similarities show that the facade was certainly constructed over the fronts of both properties at the same time. Building two houses as a pair was a fairly common occurrence in Exeter during the 16th and 17th centuries and was something of an Exeter speciality.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 1890, both houses consisted of five floors and a cellar and towered over the narrow street outside. Projecting out from the first floor of No. 20 was a spectacular five-sided oriel window, supported underneath by nine carved oak corbels depicting various beasts, including unicorns, and grotesque figures. No. 19 almost certainly had a similar oriel window when originally built which, by at least 1827, had been replaced by a simpler bow-fronted window. The facade of the first and second floors of both Nos. 19 and 20 was subdivided vertically by the inclusion of moulded oak columns, six sets of two. On the second floor both houses had matching six-light oriel windows, again supported on carved oak corbels, with another pair of oriel windows on the third floor. The whole arrangement was finished on the fourth floor by yet another four-light oriel window set into the gable, although by 1890 the fourth floor window of No. 19 had been replaced with a simpler semi-circular window.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-p-ErSjxEFhI\/TxMcAZwJSxI\/AAAAAAAAD7A\/OHHj8PYQ4-4\/s1600\/19%2Band%2B20%2BNorth%2BSt%2BCrocker.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697928746792209170\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-p-ErSjxEFhI\/TxMcAZwJSxI\/AAAAAAAAD7A\/OHHj8PYQ4-4\/s400\/19%2Band%2B20%2BNorth%2BSt%2BCrocker.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"292\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAt the time of their demolition they probably exceeded even the Chevalier inn on Fore Street as examples of their kind. In fact they were probably the finest timber-framed frontages still left in city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe architect and antiquarian, James Crocker, described and sketched both properties for his 1886 publication \"Sketches of Old Exeter\" \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E. He was justifiably scathing in his criticism of the alterations which had been carried out to the windows of No. 19: \"It is to me\", he wrote, \"a source of the greatest marvel that any person, however ignorant or indifferent, could persuade themselves to substitute the hideous bow window on the first floor, for what they must have destroyed in order to find a place for their own wretched handiwork\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe magnificent array of oriel windows, the decorative use of oak columns and sculpted woodwork, and the sheer enormity of the building itself, indicates that these was once the exceptional properties of exceptionally wealthy citizens, probably merchants involved in the lucrative woollen cloth trade. As far as I know there are no records of what remained inside, but it's possible that decorative plasterwork ceilings, panelling and ornate fireplaces remained even as late as the 1890s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-iFDxNshuHPc\/TxMcqjs3G3I\/AAAAAAAAD7M\/Lf76Gy3pKV4\/s1600\/No%2B229%2BHigh%2BStreet%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697929471017294706\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-iFDxNshuHPc\/TxMcqjs3G3I\/AAAAAAAAD7M\/Lf76Gy3pKV4\/s640\/No%2B229%2BHigh%2BStreet%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"379\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EHad it survived it would rank today as one of the finest buildings of its type in the west of England. It appears that No. 19 was sold to the City Council in 1894 for £600. (The City Council either had to wait and buy properties as and when they came on the market, or make the owner an offer. Once bought and in the Council's possession it was then just a matter of demolishing it.) By 1900, both buildings had been completely demolished. A similar fate befall \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/no-38-north-street.html\"\u003ENo. 38 North Street\u003C\/a\u003E as late as 1972.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESome fragments of the houses do remain today. The five-sided oriel window from No. 20, along with a few other fragments of carved oak, was relocated into a new building at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/no-229-high-street-ii.html\"\u003ENo. 229 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E in the 1930s \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E. Since only one window was salvaged the other window installed into the facade of No. 229 is a copy, although it's difficult to tell which is which. A photograph of No. 19 North Street can be seen \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/admin2.clikpic.com\/peterdthomas\/images\/Copy%20of%20111%20north%20st%201890%20134.jpg\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E. No. 19 is the tall house with the semi-circular window in the gable. No. 20 had already been demolished when the photograph was taken. The two Jacobean houses to the left of No. 19 are \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/nos-17-18-north-street.html\"\u003ENos. 17 and 18\u003C\/a\u003E shown prior to the destruction of their facades.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOther than that, not a trace of these two buildings remain. They were replaced with two brick-built houses of no architectural merit (the two properties to the far left in the photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E). It would be interesting to know if the city authorities had any qualms about the destruction of Nos. 19 and 20, whether there was any hand-wringing or soul-searching, or whether, as I suspect is likely, the houses were regarded as nothing more than an inconvenient obstacle to the city's development.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZWZb0v68MR0\/TxMc3F8MqWI\/AAAAAAAAD7Y\/WIri6YvvQOk\/s1600\/19%2Band%2B20%2BNorth%2BStreet%2B2010%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"631\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697929686366857570\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZWZb0v68MR0\/TxMc3F8MqWI\/AAAAAAAAD7Y\/WIri6YvvQOk\/s640\/19%2Band%2B20%2BNorth%2BStreet%2B2010%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4371723160751200904\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4371723160751200904","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4371723160751200904"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4371723160751200904"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/nos-19-20-north-street.html","title":"Nos. 19 \u0026 20, North Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-mWB3ouWY58Q\/TxMal3xubXI\/AAAAAAAAD6o\/L94NY1A5zBY\/s72-c\/North%2BSt%2Bc1890%2BWCSL.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-9003677141367051211"},"published":{"$t":"2010-11-09T22:21:00.030+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T00:55:02.142+00:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Guildhall Shopping Centre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"North Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Demolition of No. 38, North Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-sAiP_g58HDk\/TxIkHyXDTnI\/AAAAAAAADws\/3SyXpgRRz24\/s1600\/Location%2B38%2BNorth%2BSt.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697656194773241458\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-sAiP_g58HDk\/TxIkHyXDTnI\/AAAAAAAADws\/3SyXpgRRz24\/s400\/Location%2B38%2BNorth%2BSt.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 313px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EDespite a century of the almost continual destruction of Exeter's historical architecture, during the slum clearances of the 1920s and 1930s, during World War Two, during the much-criticised post-war reconstruction, during the creation of the city's inner ring road and the massive Exe Bridges traffic management system in the 1960s, incredibly, after all historical buildings were still being demolished.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the early 1970s the local authority decide to destroy some of the last remaining medieval properties left within the  circuit of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Ethe city walls\u003C\/a\u003E. The destruction of No. 38, North Street in 1972 was inexcusable on every level. The west side of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E, mostly consisting of 16th and 17th century timber-framed houses, had already been completely defaced and\/or demolished by 1900, but prior to 1972 the east side retained at least three properties which dated to the 1500s or earlier, as well as the 17th century tavern known as the Elephant Inn. And yet almost the entire east side of the street, including all of the remaining historically important buildings, was demolished to build the monstrous Guildhall Shopping Centre.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe history of No. 38 is long and complicated. Exeter's most important 20th century historian, W. G. Hoskins, who examined the property ten years before its destruction, described it as being \"a good example internally of a 15th century dwelling house of a particularly wealthy merchant\". It probably dated to c1500. Until its demolition it was the finest example in the city of the building arrangement known as 'gallery and back block', an unusual floor plan peculiar to south-west England in which an accommodation block on the street front was joined to a kitchen block at the rear by a gallery which spanned a courtyard lying between the two blocks (the best remaining example in Exeter now is probably the much reduced specimen at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/nos-17-18-north-street.html\"\u003ENo. 18, North Street\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-tQYmtboV6Ag\/TxIlElneQdI\/AAAAAAAADw4\/Vl71yp0SJJY\/s1600\/Gallery%2BNo%2B38%2BNorth%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"423\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697657239324475858\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-tQYmtboV6Ag\/TxIlElneQdI\/AAAAAAAADw4\/Vl71yp0SJJY\/s640\/Gallery%2BNo%2B38%2BNorth%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E © RAMM shows the early 17th century timber-framed construction of the gallery at No. 38 North Street during its demolition in 1972. The main house is to the left with the back block at the rear.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInternally there was a small late-15th century hall in the centre of the property, extending from the ground floor to the roof with blocks of rooms on either side. According to Derek Portman, who examined the property in the 1960s, the hall had retained its \"very fine arch-braced roof\". A number of medieval fireplaces also survived, including a massive example in the kitchen block at the rear. The house underwent modifications in the first half of the 17th century. A new timber-framed facade, described by Hoskins as one of the finest left in the city, was added c1650 (a photograph of the facade just prior to its destruction can be seen \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.exetermemories.co.uk\/EM\/_streets\/streets\/north2.jpg\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E). Another 17th century addition, dating to c1630, was an important decorative plaster ceiling with a complex design of motifs featuring animals and foliage. At the start of the 20th century there were a number of similar ceilings in Exeter but by the 1970s the example at No. 38 was one of the only ones of its type to survive within the city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-MYkOigrebAI\/TxIlnueMu6I\/AAAAAAAADxE\/aYH1bBbZBQE\/s1600\/Ceiling%2BNo%2B38%2BNorth%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"404\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697657842996919202\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-MYkOigrebAI\/TxIlnueMu6I\/AAAAAAAADxE\/aYH1bBbZBQE\/s640\/Ceiling%2BNo%2B38%2BNorth%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E © RAMM shows part of the plasterwork ceiling during demolition. As it was being destroyed, bits of the ceiling were collected as fragments by the Royal Albert Memorial Museum. More information on this ceiling can be found \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/lost-jacobean-plasterwork-ceilings-iii.html\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDuring the 18th century some rebuilding took place at the rear of No. 38, but the building was essentially a medieval merchant's house with 17th century alterations. The facade had in fact been removed in 1899 to allow for yet more road-widening when the building was known as the Eagle Brewery. An account of the removal of the facade appeared in an edition of Trewman's 'Exeter Flying Post' dated 20 May 1899. According to the report, the walls on either side of the property were made of stone. These were firewalls, built not only to support the sides of the house and a place for the installation of fireplaces and chimneys but also to prevent fire spreading between neighbouring properties. This firewall showed signs that at one time the front of the building projected out into the street, \"in accordance with the practice followed in the days of narrow streets\" and would've dated to the 15th century. The plasterwork ceiling, mentioned above, was \"richly moulded in a kind of star pattern, suggesting the famous star chamber at Westminster.\" Half of the ornate Jacobean plasterwork was removed at this time and ended up at Lew Trenchard in the home of the Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould (where it can still be seen today). The other half remained in situ and the mid-17th century facade was reconstructed, piece by piece, by the property's owner.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-4vAWUmd93PU\/TxIoN3L8ilI\/AAAAAAAADxQ\/zXQpDpuMdfA\/s1600\/North%2BStreet%2BGuildhall%2BExeter%2B2010.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697660697194564178\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-4vAWUmd93PU\/TxIoN3L8ilI\/AAAAAAAADxQ\/zXQpDpuMdfA\/s400\/North%2BStreet%2BGuildhall%2BExeter%2B2010.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 323px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EDespite the efforts of Hoskins and others, No. 38, North Street was completely demolished in 1972. The construction of the Guildhall Shopping Centre destroyed everything: the ornamented facade and plaster ceiling of the 1630s, the medieval walls, the arch-braced roof structure and mullioned windows, the timber-framed gallery, the moulded beams and fireplaces. Nos. 34 and 35, dating to the mid-16th century, were also demolished at the same time along with the 17th century \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/elephant-inn-no-37-north-street.html\"\u003E'Elephant Inn'\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/medieval-merchants-at-no-36-north.html\"\u003ENo. 36\u003C\/a\u003E, an almost identical merchant's house from the late-15th century which also had a fine arch-braced roof. The site where these buildings once stood is shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E, and this is the city which was once frequently regarded as amongst the most picturesque and attractive in southern England.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECompared with many other historic English cathedral cities, Exeter today is architecturally disappointing, to say the least. Perhaps many of the buildings which were destroyed during World War Two would've succumbed to the wrecking ball of the local authority anyway. Would \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E really have survived into the 21st century even if it hadn't been damaged in 1942? Or would the allure of the retail value of the land on which it stood have proved too tempting to resist? I'm not aware of another example of two almost adjacent 15th century arch-braced roofs being demolished as late as 1972 anywhere in England. Either way, the mindless demolition of this small group of historic buildings in North Street was a complete disgrace and nothing more than cultural vandalism inflicted upon the city by the very people who were supposed to be its custodians.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/9003677141367051211\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=9003677141367051211","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/9003677141367051211"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/9003677141367051211"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/no-38-north-street.html","title":"The Demolition of No. 38, North Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-sAiP_g58HDk\/TxIkHyXDTnI\/AAAAAAAADws\/3SyXpgRRz24\/s72-c\/Location%2B38%2BNorth%2BSt.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-3313932488083969905"},"published":{"$t":"2010-11-08T23:11:00.018+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T00:52:50.244+00:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"North Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nos. 17 \u0026 18, North Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-i8h-RmwyNpI\/TxIcPFV7_dI\/AAAAAAAADv8\/uwEs1dziH2g\/s1600\/North%2BStreet%2BExeter%2B17%2B18.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697647524034903506\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-i8h-RmwyNpI\/TxIcPFV7_dI\/AAAAAAAADv8\/uwEs1dziH2g\/s1600\/North%2BStreet%2BExeter%2B17%2B18.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThey look like late-19th century structures today, but behind the plain brick facades of Nos. 17 and 18 lie two of Exeter's few remaining 17th century timber-framed merchant houses. Both houses had survived intact until the end of the 19th century when the city authorities hacked off 8ft of the frontage to widen the road in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E. The facades of the early 1600s were replaced with the brick elevations visible today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph shows No. 17 to the left with No. 18 to the right, the apex of its early-17th century roof still visible above the brick parapet. Even in its mutilated condition No. 18 is one of the most historically important domestic houses in Exeter. A particular type of house construction, known as 'gallery and back block', became something of a speciality in south-west England during the 16th and 17th centuries. A house, comprising the main living accommodation, was constructed on the street front with a separate block, usually containing a kitchen and service rooms, built at the rear. Connecting the two and providing access was a timbered gallery, hence the term 'gallery and back block'. The rare two-storey gallery survives at No.18 although the kitchen block was destroyed by a bomb in 1942\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-OCjmCJsDLNM\/TxIcYnJnRuI\/AAAAAAAADwI\/baxtGBnAmtg\/s1600\/Nos%2B17%2B%2526%2B18%2BNorth%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697647687728842466\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-OCjmCJsDLNM\/TxIcYnJnRuI\/AAAAAAAADwI\/baxtGBnAmtg\/s400\/Nos%2B17%2B%2526%2B18%2BNorth%2BStreet_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 343px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows Nos. 17 \u0026amp; 18 highlighted in red, the original line of the demolished facades shown as a red dotted line. Both Nos. 17 and 18 were originally constructed with four floors with a cellar, the destroyed facade of No. 18 being particularly fine with projecting pedimented oriel windows on the first and second floors. The exterior arrangement of No. 17 had been altered in the 18th century with the insertion of sash windows.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA fire at No. 18 in 1995 exposed some previously hidden painted wooden panelling. The panelling was removed for conservation, partially funded by Exeter City Council, and subjected to dendrochronology ordered by English Heritage in July 2008. A felling date of between 1573 and 1609 was suggested for the oak boards, consistent with a construction date for the building of c1600. As well as the panelling, No. 18 also retains at least one original early-17th century fireplace, lined with the local purple volcanic rock and a late-17th century staircase.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-rtaLYXep7jo\/TxIckUQb9TI\/AAAAAAAADwU\/CueA8nDBq2g\/s1600\/No%2B18%2BPassageway_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697647888815617330\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-rtaLYXep7jo\/TxIckUQb9TI\/AAAAAAAADwU\/CueA8nDBq2g\/s640\/No%2B18%2BPassageway_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"433\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAnother important surviving feature of No. 18 is the panel-lined passageway \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E that runs underneath the building and which still provides entry into the house itself. The oak partitioning, with ovolo mouldings and chamfered rails, is contemporary with the early-17th century construction of the house. The steps up into the passageway are visible in the photograph at the top of this post. It is the only example of its kind left in the entire city but at one time such passageways would've been widespread. No. 18 has now been converted into flats, with a restaurant on the ground floor. No. 17 also has several original features, including a 17th century staircase, although the gallery and back block plan is missing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is a great pity that these two buildings didn't make it into the 20th century without having their facades ripped off and the front rooms destroyed. Today they stare out at the inane brick cliff of the Guildhall Shopping Centre and I would suspect that most people who drive past them every day have little idea that they are important relics from Exeter's past. At least they did survive, even in their mutilated condition, which is more than can be said for nearly all of the buildings on the other side of the street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Wfu2sU3N8pk\/TxIc0IXbHlI\/AAAAAAAADwg\/oDBmzueLagg\/s1600\/No%2B18%2BNorth%2BStreet%2Bgallery%2Band%2Bback%2Bblock_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697648160501603922\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Wfu2sU3N8pk\/TxIc0IXbHlI\/AAAAAAAADwg\/oDBmzueLagg\/s400\/No%2B18%2BNorth%2BStreet%2Bgallery%2Band%2Bback%2Bblock_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 323px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the gallery and back block arrangement at No. 18 North Street, the gallery itself highlighted in red, the block  a replacement of the 17th century structure which was destroyed in 1942. The original back block was approximately 28ft long and 16ft wide, with three of its walls built of Heavitree breccia and the fourth, the one facing the house, constructed from timber-framing. The connecting gallery is particularly important as it consists of two stories, an arrangement which is today unique in the city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI don't have Copyright access to any photos showing Nos. 17 \u0026amp; 18 in their original state but there is one available to view online \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/admin2.clikpic.com\/peterdthomas\/images\/Copy%20of%20111%20north%20st%201890%20134.jpg\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E. It shows the view down North Street c1890 (note the narrowness of the street prior to road-widening). Nos. 17 \u0026amp; 18 are the two tall gabled houses to the left.The magnificent property to the right of them, with the semi-circular window set into the gable end, is \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/nos-19-20-north-street.html\"\u003ENo. 19\u003C\/a\u003E. It was completely demolished soon after this photograph was taken. No. 20, with a similar facade, had already been destroyed. It is extraordinary that such remarkable buildings were so casually disposed of. With so little surviving in Exeter the best place to see intact examples of 16th and 17th century houses with the distinctive 'gallery and back block' arrangement is now probably in Totnes, approximately 23 miles south-west of Exeter. This small town has 66 domestic houses which have been shown to date from before 1700 and many of them represent the type of layout which was once relatively common in Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/3313932488083969905\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=3313932488083969905","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3313932488083969905"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/3313932488083969905"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/nos-17-18-north-street.html","title":"Nos. 17 \u0026 18, North Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-i8h-RmwyNpI\/TxIcPFV7_dI\/AAAAAAAADv8\/uwEs1dziH2g\/s72-c\/North%2BStreet%2BExeter%2B17%2B18.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5407909673187628177"},"published":{"$t":"2010-11-06T16:07:00.054+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T00:50:20.172+00:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Guildhall Shopping Centre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inns and Taverns"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"North Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Saxon Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Victorian Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"A Brief History of North Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-U7U3v5TWEu8\/TodIeLI9i_I\/AAAAAAAACLU\/4kItaf6wGuk\/s1600\/NorthSt%2BCorner%2Bc1910%2BWCSL.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"453\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658571140037970930\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-U7U3v5TWEu8\/TodIeLI9i_I\/AAAAAAAACLU\/4kItaf6wGuk\/s640\/NorthSt%2BCorner%2Bc1910%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ENorth Street is yet another of Exeter's four principal medieval thoroughfares in which very little architecture of historic interest can be seen today. The fragments that do remain lie hidden behind the mean late-19th century brick facades, and the destruction here has absolutely nothing to do with World War Two as almost the entire street survived the Blitz of 1942 unscathed. The route of North Street itself dates to the late 9th century and was laid out as part of Alfred the Great's refounding of the city in the 890s (a number of other streets in Exeter were created at this time, including \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E and Gandy Street).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TNbq9kVpD6I\/AAAAAAAAArc\/agOULvQ5GpM\/s1600\/North+Gate+Street+Exeter+1563.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"510\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536871135345971106\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TNbq9kVpD6I\/AAAAAAAAArc\/agOULvQ5GpM\/s640\/North+Gate+Street+Exeter+1563.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe map \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E dates to 1587. Highlighted in red are the buildings that fronted onto North Street, the North Gate visible where the street was bounded by the city wall, the tower of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/st-kerrians-north-street.html\"\u003Ethe medieval chuch of St Kerrian\u003C\/a\u003E in the middle and, at the street's southern end, the great medieval water conduit that stood at the Carfoix, the crossroads where the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/high-street-from-1900-to-1942.html\"\u003EHigh Street\u003C\/a\u003E, North Street, South Street and Fore Street met. North street, also known as Northgate Street, was once much steeper than at present.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Longbrook stream ran through a deep valley on this side of the city, beyond the line of the city wall. Both the steep-sided valley and the stream acted as a natural defensive barrier to the northern approach into Exeter. Anyone entering the city from the north would've had to climb up the side of the valley, passing under the medieval North Gate, before tackling the long haul up North Street to reach the plateau upon which the historic city centre was situated. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council shows the west side of North Street c1840 looking down towards the newly completed Iron Bridge. The two tall townhouses on the left were \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/nos-19-20-north-street.html\"\u003ENos. 19 and 20.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-hT8pqadlkmk\/Tv5WGpOG3xI\/AAAAAAAAC5w\/SJlv3Klvk-s\/s1600\/North%2BStreet%2Bc1840%2BWCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692081651187113746\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-hT8pqadlkmk\/Tv5WGpOG3xI\/AAAAAAAAC5w\/SJlv3Klvk-s\/s400\/North%2BStreet%2Bc1840%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"271\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn the mid-1830s a fine iron bridge was built to cross the Longbrook valley, making access into the city much less arduous, although the ancient North Gate was removed in 1769. Changes to the street level over the last 150 years have served to remove the steepness of the road, but the severity of the gradient into Exeter can still be gauged in Lower North Street, beyond the city walls, which lies below the level of the Iron Bridge. For heavily-laden carts in bad weather the road up into the city must've been almost impassable.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESeveral notable buildings were once situated on North Street, including the ancient church dedicated to the Celtic St Kerrian (demolished in 1878), the George Inn, first mentioned in 1578, the Black Dog Inn, and the 17th century \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/elephant-inn-no-37-north-street.html\"\u003EElephant Inn\u003C\/a\u003E (demolished in the 1970s), but North Street in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries was primarily the home of a number of Exeter's exceptionally wealthy woollen cloth merchants, and the testament to their wealth were the extraordinary houses in which they lived. During the 16th century the serge cloth market was held in North Street before being relocated to South Street in 1591 and in the 1670s the parish of St Kerrian, which encompassed much of North Street, was one of the most affluent in the entire city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-716eoQLydKg\/Tv5WRw62vLI\/AAAAAAAAC58\/NB_jVbHG-D8\/s1600\/North%2BStreet%2Bc1880%2BRAMM.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692081842232409266\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-716eoQLydKg\/Tv5WRw62vLI\/AAAAAAAAC58\/NB_jVbHG-D8\/s400\/North%2BStreet%2Bc1880%2BRAMM.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 285px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council shows North Street c1880, just prior to the destruction of the surviving timber-frame facades visible on the left. The medieval narrowness of the street combined with the increased usage of horse-drawn carriages at the end of the 18th century proved to be an issue for the city authorities, and as early as 1818 part of the street was demolished in order to widen the road.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut little else was altered and when the photograph at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post was taken, c1880, the street still retained much of its 16th and 17th century character. The image shows the entrance into North Street from the High Street, North Street itself lined with a number of jettied, timber-framed houses. The house to the left on the corner, No. 186 Fore Street, dated to c1500 and had some notable wooden traceried windows. The oak statue of St Peter, inset into a niche within the facade of the house on the right, dated from the 15th century. Of the buildings shown all but one has since been demolished, and even that is now hidden beneath a late-19th century brick frontage.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-JAzVgH1KkMY\/Tv5XDPf6YiI\/AAAAAAAAC6I\/XE6GJxSosnM\/s1600\/North%2BStreet%2B1830%2BGendall%2BWCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692082692254491170\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-JAzVgH1KkMY\/Tv5XDPf6YiI\/AAAAAAAAC6I\/XE6GJxSosnM\/s400\/North%2BStreet%2B1830%2BGendall%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 279px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe width of the street was still regarded as being too narrow in the 1890s and so the city authorities decided to embark on a lengthy road-widening operation. Up until this time the west side of the street had retained a significant number of townhouses dating from at least the 17th century. Two especially, Nos. 19 and 20, were both towering, multi-jettied houses bristling with carved oriel windows and were among the finest timber-framed facades ever built in the city. The drawing shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council dates to c1830 and shows the top of the street near its junction with South Street and the High Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENeither their age, their history or their spectacular facades would save them and they were both completely demolished c1895 (fragments of the projecting oriel windows were later reset into a building on the High Street). The two adjacent houses, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/nos-17-18-north-street.html\"\u003ENos. 17 \u0026amp; 18\u003C\/a\u003E, were of a similar period, slightly plainer in style, but this time the city authorities didn't opt for total demolition. Instead a long saw was used to remove the timber-framed facades to a depth of 8ft and the early-17th century frontages were replaced with brick. This process of demolition continued all the way up the side of the street to the junction with Fore Street (most of the timber-framed buildings here had already been destroyed by fire in 1882).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-J9hj3tfOiSE\/T1VI-IsgiTI\/AAAAAAAAFLw\/e1QF2sljmkU\/s1600\/North%2BStreet%2B2010_Exeter%2B3.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716555534339967282\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-J9hj3tfOiSE\/T1VI-IsgiTI\/AAAAAAAAFLw\/e1QF2sljmkU\/s640\/North%2BStreet%2B2010_Exeter%2B3.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EA report in Trewman's 'Exeter Flying Post' dated 15 December 1900 gives an account of the on-going demolition: \"The front portions of the premises Nos. 14 and 15...have been pulled down this week, and the ancient but irregular thoroughfare will by and bye be accorded a further extension of the widening process which has been in operation from time to time for a good many years now.\" The report continues, \"the property which has been razed this week possessed no such architectural or antiquarian value as attached to some other shops formerly standing in the street.\" By 1910 all the houses on the west side (shown\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003Eabove \u003C\/span\u003Eas they appear today) had either been demolished or totally disfigured by the addition of brick facades to their timber-framed carcasses. The east side of North Street remained relatively unscathed, although the historic properties here were fewer in number and several were demolished and replaced over the course of the 19th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA large area at the rear of the houses on the west side of North Street, once the site of the George Inn, was bulldozed in the 1930s to build a cinema called the Gaumont, now the 'Mecca Bingo' hall. But the final act in the destruction of North Street only began in the early 1970s when the city council decided to build the Guildhall Shopping Centre as part of the 'Golden Heart' project. The Council's own conservation report for the area now calls the action \"regrettable\" as the project involved the complete destruction of nearly all of the remaining historic properties on the east side of North Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9thYmHRyPqc\/T1VJM71a-rI\/AAAAAAAAFL8\/Jg2pqrx1BY0\/s1600\/North%2BStreet%2BGuildhall%2BExeter%2B2010.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716555788585728690\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9thYmHRyPqc\/T1VJM71a-rI\/AAAAAAAAFL8\/Jg2pqrx1BY0\/s400\/North%2BStreet%2BGuildhall%2BExeter%2B2010.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"323\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAmong the buildings demolished for the shopping centre were the 17th century \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/elephant-inn-no-37-north-street.html\"\u003E'Elephant Inn'\u003C\/a\u003E, two mid-16th century properties and two important medieval merchant houses dating from the late-1400s, complete with their intact arch-braced hall roofs. One of these was \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/medieval-merchants-at-no-36-north.html\"\u003ENo. 36 North Street\u003C\/a\u003E. The other, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/no-38-north-street.html\"\u003ENo. 38 North Street\u003C\/a\u003E, had the finest early-17th century decorative plasterwork ceiling left in the city and was fronted by an important timber-framed facade from the mid-1600s. No. 44 North Street was another Grade II listed building. Dating to c1800 it had unusual iron balconies. It too was destroyed. No. 33 North Street was recorded in 1931 as having plasterwork ceilings behind a rebuilt facade. It was also destroyed. It is no exaggeration to suggest that by the 1970s, thanks to slum clearances, the Blitz, post-war reconstruction and further demolition there was relatively little of historic Exeter left to destroy, the majority of the city centre comprising of buildings that were less than 50 years-old.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe fact that the local authority so casually destroyed some of the oldest domestic houses in the city is nothing short of staggering. Local historian Hugh Meller rightly said that the 1970s rebuilding, \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left,\u003C\/span\u003E was \"catastrophic\". Bridget Cherry called it \"disastrous\". The late-19th century brick facades are grim enough but the monolithic 1970s brick slab that now forms the east side of North Street is an appalling blemish on the face of the city. Peter Thomas calls it \"grim and forbidding\" with \"prison-like walls\". The council's conservation report manages to come up with the words \"unwelcoming\" and \"alien\". I can think of a dozen others, none of which would adequately describe the appearance of North Street today. It is dirty, unattractive, often choked with cars, reeking of exhaust fumes and dominated by the brick cliff of the shopping centre. It represents the very worst of post-war town-planning combined with the most revolting examples of Modernist architecture.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-8f1-M3KNOK8\/T1VKMEqIaRI\/AAAAAAAAFMI\/QSwZul3XxEc\/s1600\/North%2BStreet%2Bcar%2Bpark%2B2010_Exeter%2B2.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"481\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716556873286052114\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-8f1-M3KNOK8\/T1VKMEqIaRI\/AAAAAAAAFMI\/QSwZul3XxEc\/s640\/North%2BStreet%2Bcar%2Bpark%2B2010_Exeter%2B2.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAs if the Guildhall Shopping Centre wasn't intrusive enough the redevelopment was capped off with the construction of the accompanying Brutalist car park that squats over the corner of North Street with Bartholomew Street East \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E and which is almost the first thing you see when approaching the city centre from the north.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt all beggars belief  that any of this was an acceptable addition to a historic cathedral city which had already been so badly mauled. North Street today is one of the least appealing parts of a city that is unfortunately hardly short of visually unappealing townscapes. If any of the people shown in the photograph at the top of this post could see North Street they would literally not recognise a single building. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows how the entrance into North Street from the High Street c1880 would look today if it had survived intact.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-2bY7rfFUKFw\/TWAOmGLJ8DI\/AAAAAAAABT8\/_YyvrtZelfo\/s1600\/North%2BStreet%2B1890%2B2010.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"371\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575472386339893298\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-2bY7rfFUKFw\/TWAOmGLJ8DI\/AAAAAAAABT8\/_YyvrtZelfo\/s640\/North%2BStreet%2B1890%2B2010.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe following photographs show various views of North Street today:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-rvwFYw6yENo\/TWAQKMzfmFI\/AAAAAAAABUc\/jO7QUKZO0XI\/s1600\/North%2BStreet%2B2010_Exeter%2B4.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575474106106615890\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-rvwFYw6yENo\/TWAQKMzfmFI\/AAAAAAAABUc\/jO7QUKZO0XI\/s640\/North%2BStreet%2B2010_Exeter%2B4.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-UEaumLN6FQg\/TWAPq_Ed4UI\/AAAAAAAABUM\/XG8d71I0EAM\/s1600\/North%2BStreet%2B2010_Exeter%2B2.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575473569843765570\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-UEaumLN6FQg\/TWAPq_Ed4UI\/AAAAAAAABUM\/XG8d71I0EAM\/s640\/North%2BStreet%2B2010_Exeter%2B2.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KYhVUxCuSsE\/TWAPdmAg3lI\/AAAAAAAABUE\/n5T-_io0K_w\/s1600\/North%2BStreet%2B2010_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575473339777998418\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KYhVUxCuSsE\/TWAPdmAg3lI\/AAAAAAAABUE\/n5T-_io0K_w\/s640\/North%2BStreet%2B2010_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5407909673187628177\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5407909673187628177","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5407909673187628177"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5407909673187628177"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html","title":"A Brief History of North Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-U7U3v5TWEu8\/TodIeLI9i_I\/AAAAAAAACLU\/4kItaf6wGuk\/s72-c\/NorthSt%2BCorner%2Bc1910%2BWCSL.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-1434080118378822356"},"published":{"$t":"2010-11-05T23:30:00.028+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-02T01:55:54.005+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Allhallows Church, Goldsmith Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--mUXFBTMYjc\/TxIZ9_7SV2I\/AAAAAAAADvM\/Mxtwdj78SgY\/s1600\/Allhallows_Exeter.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697645031499913058\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--mUXFBTMYjc\/TxIZ9_7SV2I\/AAAAAAAADvM\/Mxtwdj78SgY\/s640\/Allhallows_Exeter.JPG\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFor centuries, until 1906, the tiny church of Allhallows stood on the corner of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E and the High Street, just up from the Guildhall. It was typical of many other medieval parish churches once scattered throughout the city, built of red Heavitree breccia and not particularly distinguished as architecture.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut the foundation itself was ancient, a church having been on this location since at least 1222, and it is cited in a document of 1291 as being the \"Ecclesia omnium sanctorum in Aurifabria\" (Church of All Saints where the Goldsmiths work). The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows the church from the High Street, c1900. Note the exceptionally narrow entrance into Goldsmith Street to the left, the bell-turret at the west end and the chancel to the east. In c1546 the tower was either rebuilt or added.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETo pay for the tower the church wardens sold a cross and a chalice to a local goldsmith, William Smyth. After the English Civil War the number of functioning parish churches in Exeter was reduced to just four, and Allhallows was one of those which was either auctioned off or used for other purposes. Fortunately the church was saved by a local parishioner, Robert Vilvaine, who purchased it on 11 May 1658 for £50, for within the walls of Allhallows lay the graves of his parents, buried there in the early 17th century. Despite the efforts of Robert Vilvaine, the church appears to have entered a period of decline as its congregation gradually relocated to the larger church of St Stephen's in the High Street. In 1767 the height of the tower was reduced by 20ft and the bells were sold to the church of St Sidwell, beyond the city walls.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd yet the church itself remained, despite decades passing by without even a service taking place. Jenkins described the church in 1806 as being \"small and gloomy; and not being made use of is consequently dirty, and in bad repair within\" but adds that \"the whole church bears the marks of great antiquity\", and Jenkins describes the carved oak Tudor pulpit, and a font and altar, as being \"very ancient\". Allhallows was only 56ft long and just 20ft in breadth at its widest.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6D5zQ-N7EN8\/TxIbKrrXC3I\/AAAAAAAADvk\/i2Jv9aogQQE\/s1600\/Entrance%2Bto%2BGoldsmithSt%2Bc1879%2BWCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697646348914330482\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6D5zQ-N7EN8\/TxIbKrrXC3I\/AAAAAAAADvk\/i2Jv9aogQQE\/s1600\/Entrance%2Bto%2BGoldsmithSt%2Bc1879%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy this time the church was almost invisible from the High Street and hidden behind a number of houses. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council shows the view towards Goldsmith Street from the High Street c1879, the eastern wall of the chancel obscured by \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/no-210-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 210 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, a jettied house from c1618. The church was almost demolished in 1820 when the City Chamber obtained an Act of Parliament sanctioning its removal but they spent so long deliberating on whether to order the church's destruction that the church authorities decided to restore the building. Some antiquity did remain however, including a number of memorial tablets from the 17th century onwards, the chancel arch from c1380 and some 14th century windows. The square, box-like turret visible on top of the roof was a skylight, inserted in 1822 to improve the light inside, and Allhallows was the first church in Exeter to be lit with gas.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-NPxFbxoVQ_s\/UVoq4afgFAI\/AAAAAAAAGHo\/VKPmVTyAbNc\/s1600\/AllH+MP+1905.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-NPxFbxoVQ_s\/UVoq4afgFAI\/AAAAAAAAGHo\/VKPmVTyAbNc\/s1600\/AllH+MP+1905.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EFurther renovation took place throughout the 19th century. During the 1850s the medieval roof over the chancel was replaced, a mummified cat being found lurking amongst the ancient beams. In 1879 the houses crowding around the chancel were removed. During the work a medieval stone piscina and aumbry (for washing and storing communion vessels) were discovered, but these were later destroyed during the demolition. In 1887 the western wall was rebuilt and a new window inserted, coinciding with the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria's reign.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eabove right\u003C\/i\u003E shows a 1905 map of the city overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area. Allhallows is visible as the tiny building marked 'Ch' at the entrance from the High Street into Goldsmith Street. Only those buildings which stood within the parish boundary of Allhallows in 1905 are shown. This area was left untouched by bombs in 1942. The only buildings still surviving from within the parish and which predate 1905 are highlighted in purple. The areas highlighted in red show buildings that have been demolished since 1905, nearly all of them as a consequence of redevelopment in the 1970s.\u0026nbsp; The demolition of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/wanton-demolition.html\"\u003Ethe corner of Queen Street with the High Street\u003C\/a\u003E in 1971 was particularly offensive. The eventual fate of the church itself is best described by Beatrix Cresswell, who visited the church prior to its destruction and later recorded how it all ended:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PrOT6H-btM0\/TxIbbp4Fn9I\/AAAAAAAADvw\/44166y2A078\/s1600\/PB021801.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697646640488619986\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PrOT6H-btM0\/TxIbbp4Fn9I\/AAAAAAAADvw\/44166y2A078\/s1600\/PB021801.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\"For many years longer the threat of demolition hung over the church; once again the Exeter Corporation Act of 1900 empowered the city to remove Allhallows and use the site for the purpose of street improvements, and neither its record of a thousand years, nor the dust of the dead within could save it. For a few years, as if on sufferance, it occupied its ancient corner, and the bell in the western gable tinkled for occasional services. In the spring of 1906 the work of demolition commenced, and \"Ecclesia omnium sanctorum in Aurifabria\" no longer exists.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe pulpit and several memorial tablets were moved to the nearby church of St Pancras and the bones of the dead were moved to the Higher Cemetery at Heavitree. The rest was destroyed. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows how the tiny church sat on its \"ancient corner\", overlaid onto a photograph of the same location today. The once-narrow entrance into Goldsmith Street was significantly widened in 1906. The building on the right dates to the 1980s, the building to the left, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/nos-206-207-high-street.html\"\u003ENo. 207 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E, dated from the early-19th century but was demolished in the 1970s. A concrete cast was taken of the original facade and that is what can be seen today. The only trace of there ever having been a church on the site is a small plaque \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E on the wall of the building to the right, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/nos-211-212-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 211 and 212, High Street\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-bGpZNNRE41Y\/Ton4zrzqp9I\/AAAAAAAACPE\/--4J7hwtuAw\/s1600\/Allhallows%2BPlaque_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659327973584185298\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-bGpZNNRE41Y\/Ton4zrzqp9I\/AAAAAAAACPE\/--4J7hwtuAw\/s640\/Allhallows%2BPlaque_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"410\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1434080118378822356\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=1434080118378822356","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1434080118378822356"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1434080118378822356"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/allhallows-church-goldsmith-street.html","title":"Allhallows Church, Goldsmith Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--mUXFBTMYjc\/TxIZ9_7SV2I\/AAAAAAAADvM\/Mxtwdj78SgY\/s72-c\/Allhallows_Exeter.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5944973976241585564"},"published":{"$t":"2010-11-02T23:44:00.030+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T00:40:53.885+00:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exe Bridge"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inner Bypass"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Georgian Exe Bridge"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-VtgzOmbLG4g\/ToykFVTesqI\/AAAAAAAACRg\/2hZna6IuDCg\/s1600\/Georgian_Exe_Bridge_Exeter.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"403\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660079243223020194\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-VtgzOmbLG4g\/ToykFVTesqI\/AAAAAAAACRg\/2hZna6IuDCg\/s640\/Georgian_Exe_Bridge_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EExeter has had at least four different bridges over the River Exe, the main waterway from which the city takes its name and which passes just outside the city wall to the west. First there was \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/03\/the-medieval-exe-bridge.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ea medieval bridge\u003C\/a\u003E (significant parts of which survive), a Georgian replacement from the 1770s (of which a few fragments of parapet survive), \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/edwardian-exe-bridge.html\"\u003Ean Edwardian iron and steel bridge\u003C\/a\u003E (of which a few bits of decoration survive) and finally two ugly concrete bridges from the 1960s and 1970s, the construction of which resulted in an enormous amount of the remaining historic cityscape being demolished. Unlike other cities which might've had two or three different bridges in existence at the same time, each of Exeter's bridges came at the destruction of its predecessor (there was possibly a timber Roman bridge over the Exe from the 1st century onwards but no archaeological evidence has been found to prove the hypothesis).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-29-Udp3iK5I\/TxIRhA2q2gI\/AAAAAAAADt4\/MOQa41MGmYQ\/s1600\/Medieval_Exe_Bridge_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"379\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697635737439754754\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-29-Udp3iK5I\/TxIRhA2q2gI\/AAAAAAAADt4\/MOQa41MGmYQ\/s640\/Medieval_Exe_Bridge_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThis post concerns the one built in the 18th century, surely the most beautiful bridge Exeter ever possessed \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E. The medieval 18-arch stone bridge which it replaced \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove \u003C\/span\u003Ewas built between 1190 and 1240. The eight arches which remain of this bridge make it one of the earliest surviving examples of medieval bridge-building in England. The medieval bridge had allowed traffic to cross the river Exe for nearly 600 years before it was decided to replace it. Fortunately Jenkins provides a near-contemporary account of what happened. The narrow medieval bridge was proving to be a problem. Jenkins, writing in 1806, recorded that \"The intricate, and inconvenient, entrance into the city over the Old Bridge (by which all carriages, and travellers, were obliged to enter at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/west-gate-west-quarter.html\"\u003EWest Gate\u003C\/a\u003E and, to avoid to the steep ascent of Fore-street hill, proceed commonly by the way of Rock-lane) made an alteration absolutely necessary\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/--xkzoFsSWvA\/TxISFMYL94I\/AAAAAAAADuE\/pdvypOP_wkY\/s1600\/oldexebrdge.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"354\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697636359008417666\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/--xkzoFsSWvA\/TxISFMYL94I\/AAAAAAAADuE\/pdvypOP_wkY\/s640\/oldexebrdge.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn order to avoid the West Gate entirely (which had been the main western entrance into the city for centuries) a new road was laid out, in line with Fore Street. This road, what the 1960s left of it anyway, is still known as New Bridge Street. Money for the new bridge was raised by increasing the fees paid at the city's turnpikes. The first stone of the bridge was laid on 4th October 1770 by the mayor of Exeter, \"in the presence of many thousand spectators\", and on a slightly different alignment to the medieval bridge which was kept in use until the new bridge was completed. The bridge \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove \u003C\/span\u003Ewas designed by Joseph Dixon, an architect based at Westminster in London, and consisted of only three arches, far less than the 18 arches of its medieval fore-runner. Part of New Bridge Street was raised up on five arches to allow water from the city's many leats to continue powering the numerous water-driven industries of Exe Island. Another arch was used to span \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/frog-street-west-quarter.html\"\u003EFrog Street\u003C\/a\u003E. This 18th century archway remained until it was demolished in 1961.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-gzvYVsfLOhQ\/TxISWH9XhtI\/AAAAAAAADuQ\/2_5AmxUF4KY\/s1600\/Exe%2BBridge%2BSt%2BThomas.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697636649879963346\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-gzvYVsfLOhQ\/TxISWH9XhtI\/AAAAAAAADuQ\/2_5AmxUF4KY\/s400\/Exe%2BBridge%2BSt%2BThomas.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 343px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe engraving \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E c1832 shows a coach and horse crossing the late-18th century bridge and entering the the suburb of St Thomas.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately things didn't go quite as smoothly as the city authorities hoped. They started to suspect that Dixon wasn't sticking either to the agreed plan or his contract so they called in Robert Stribling, the architect behind the creation of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E, to see what was going on. Having surveyed the work, Stribling reported back that there had been a \"considerable departure from the contract - that the pier is in no way regular in courses or wrought fair\" and that the Portland stones of the upper course were \"raised by small stones to keep them in course\". Stribling ended his report by saying that the work was so shoddy that it would \"within a short time be fretted out by the water\" and that there had been a \"total neglect in the workmanship\". After much deliberation, a majority of the Bridge Committee instructed Dixon to continue, despite the reservations of one of the city's own leading architect-builders. Some things never change, as later events would prove that the city authorities made the wrong decision in putting their faith in Dixon. Clearly Dixon had been slip-shod in his construction of the piers' foundations and it was a disaster waiting to happen.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-kv0uYwlrCWk\/TxITAO791eI\/AAAAAAAADuc\/sZtCHcnRE5c\/s1600\/Georgian%2BExeBridge.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"473\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697637373307639266\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-kv0uYwlrCWk\/TxITAO791eI\/AAAAAAAADuc\/sZtCHcnRE5c\/s640\/Georgian%2BExeBridge.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn the middle of January 1775 a \"tremendous inundation\" over the hills surrounding Exeter forced an enormous amount of water down through the Exe at Exeter. Anyone who has seen the Exe in full spate today will know with what force the water can flow through its channel as it rounds the bottom of the cliffs at Bonhay Road. The result in 1775 was that, on 18th January, the deluge destroyed all the foundations and arches of the new bridge.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother almost-contemporary historian, George Oliver, blames Dixon for  being \"unfit for his work\". Jenkins calls it \"an unlucky accident\" and then blames the architect as well. Preventative measures were taken to save the still-used medieval bridge, the city's only link to the west. Despite the water beating against the ancient arches \"with much vehemence\" and making \"the whole fabric shake\", it weathered the flood intact. How galling for the city though: they decide to replace a 600-year-old bridge and the new one gets destroyed at the first opportunity before it's even finished!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E shows the  Georgian Exe Bridge c1890. Everything in this view, including the river  banks, has since been destroyed to the point where today the same scene  is unrecognisable. The postcard view \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E shows the bridge shortly before its demolition.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-vXKnvCl8NzE\/TxIUL0wbK7I\/AAAAAAAADuo\/6gP5VB6h29A\/s1600\/IMG_0060_020.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"461\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697638671949966258\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-vXKnvCl8NzE\/TxIUL0wbK7I\/AAAAAAAADuo\/6gP5VB6h29A\/s640\/IMG_0060_020.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EWork literally had to start from scratch. The stones were recovered from the river bed and this time a system of dams was built, diverting the river away from the construction site and allowing proper foundations to be inserted into the bedrock.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYet another foundation stone was laid on 15th July 1776. Work began on New Bridge Street soon after, one consequence of which was the destruction of the church of Allhallows on the Walls, a church that had already been damaged during the sieges which affected Exeter during English Civil War. Jenkins records that, during the church's demolition, \"the remains of many human bodies, and fragments of old tomb-stones, were dug up\". In 1778 the boundary line across the river demarcating the change in authority from the City of Exeter to the County of Devonshire was decided upon. The word 'Exon' was inscribed upon the central pier of the bridge on the city side of the demarcation line with the word 'Devon' on the other. Shortly afterwards, in early March 1778, the bridge was officially completed, having cost the enormous sum of £30,000. The city authorities wanted to charge pedestrians for using it but, relates Oliver, the idea was so \"obnoxious\" to the citizens and their MP that the idea was dropped.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe finished three-arched Georgian bridge of the 1770s was exceptionally attractive, embodying all of the architectural traits associated with that period: simplicity, refinement and classical elegance. Constructed from white Portland stone, the bridge had a stone balustrade, the central arch of the bridge being wider than the two on either side (according to Todd Gray the stone balustrade was reused on the terrace at Culver House in nearby Longdown). The 18th century bridge was demolished in 1903 and it was replaced with an Edwardian steel and iron bridge, not unattractive by any means but perhaps without the grace of the Georgian bridge which served the city for 130 years. The Edwardian bridge would prove to be the shortest-lived of all the Exe Bridges but that story will have to wait for another post. The current Exe Bridges (both identical) are completely typical utilitarian products of their time. They carry a lot of cars over the river and that is about all you can say about them. They have no visual, historic or aesthetic merits whatsoever.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-MixMtIsDkV0\/TxIY1khRwGI\/AAAAAAAADvA\/gnTGnUcHZk8\/s1600\/exebridge_2010.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697643787192483938\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-MixMtIsDkV0\/TxIY1khRwGI\/AAAAAAAADvA\/gnTGnUcHZk8\/s640\/exebridge_2010.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5944973976241585564\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5944973976241585564","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5944973976241585564"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5944973976241585564"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/georgian-exe-bridge.html","title":"The Georgian Exe Bridge"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-VtgzOmbLG4g\/ToykFVTesqI\/AAAAAAAACRg\/2hZna6IuDCg\/s72-c\/Georgian_Exe_Bridge_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5492832378014835583"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-31T12:18:00.062+00:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-21T01:12:18.705+01:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Sources"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"'Medieval Architecture at Exeter Cathedral'; ed. Francis Kelly, 1991 \u003Cbr \/\u003E\"The Medieval Archaeology of England and Wales\"; John Steane, 1985 \u003Cbr \/\u003E\"Devon Building: An Introduction to Local Traditions\"; Peter Beacham, 1990 \u003Cbr \/\u003E\"Conservation Today\"; David Pearce, 1989 \u003Cbr \/\u003E'The Great East Window of Exeter Cathedral'; Chris Brooks and David Evans, 1989\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Britain's Lost Cities'; Gavin Stamp, 2007\u003Cbr \/\u003E'The Buildings of England: Devon'; Nikolaus Pevsner and Bridget Cherry, 2001\u003Cbr \/\u003E'The History and Description, Ancient and Modern, of the City of Exeter'; Thomas Brice, 1802\u003Cbr \/\u003E'The History of Exeter'; George Oliver, 1821\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Sketches of Old Exeter'; James Crocker, 1886\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Memorials of Old Devonshire'; ed. F. J. Snell, 1904\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Moving Rooms'; John Harris, 2007\u003Cbr \/\u003E'The English Medieval House'; Margaret Wood, 1965\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Lives of the Bishops of Exeter'; George Oliver, 1861\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Exeter Vignettes: Clarembald and the Miracles of Exeter'; Frances Rose-Troup, 1942\u003Cbr \/\u003E'English Church Dedications'; Nicholas Orme, 1996\u003Cbr \/\u003E'The Baptist Magazine, Vol. 14'; 1822\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Mouldings of the Tudor Period'; Tunstall Small \u0026amp; Christopher Woodridge\u003Cbr \/\u003E'The History and Description of the City of Exeter'; Alexander Jenkins, 1806\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Eighth Report of the Medical Officer of the Privy Council', 1866\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Transactions of the Exeter Diocesan Architectural Society, Vol. 4'; 1853\u003Cbr \/\u003E'The Changing Face of Exeter'; Peter Thomas, 1995\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Georgian Architecture'; James Stevens Curl, 2003\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Exeter'; Sidney Heath, 1912\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, Volume 119', 1970\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Domestic Architecture'; Richard Brown, 1841\u003Cbr \/\u003E'The Archaeological Journal, Vol. 31'; 1874\u003Cbr \/\u003E'The Garden History of Devon'; Todd Gray, 1995\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Notes and Gleanings, Vol. 1'; 1888\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Discovering Exeter: St David's'; Joyce Greenaway, 1981\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Discovering Exeter: St Leonard's'; Gilbert Venn, 1982\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Discovering Exeter: Heavitree'; Trevor Falla, 1983\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Discovering Exeter: Pennsylvania'; Hazel Harvey, 1984\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Discovering Exeter: Sidwell Street'; Hazel Harvey, 1985\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Discovering Exeter: West of the River'; Hazel Harvey, 1989\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Discovering Exeter: Lost Churches'; David Francis, 1995\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Discovering Exeter: Gates of the Close'; Michael Fodor, 1996\u003Cbr \/\u003E'All the Year Round Vol. 1'; ed. Charles Dickens, 1869\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Exeter Churches\"; Beatrix F. Cresswell, 1908\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Medieval and post-medieval finds from Exeter, 1971-1980'; John P. Allan, 1984\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Two Thousand Years in Exeter'; William Hoskins, 1960\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Road Transport Before the Railways: Russell's London Flying Waggons'; Dorian Gerhold, 1993\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Report on the Cholera Epidemic of 1866 in England', 1868\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Remarkable Antiquities of the City of Exeter'; Richard \u0026amp; Samuel Izacke, 1724\u003Cbr \/\u003E'The English Secular Cathedrals in the Middle Ages'; Kathleen Edwards, 1949\u003Cbr \/\u003E'The Critical Review, Vol. 7'; 1893\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Target Exeter'; Geoff Worrall, 1979\u003Cbr \/\u003E'History, Gazaetter and Directory of the County of Devon'; William White, 1879\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Industry, Trade and People In Exeter 1688 - 1800'; William Hoskins, 1935\u003Cbr \/\u003E'An Elizabethan Guild of the City of Exeter'; William Cotton, 1873\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Memorials of Old Devonshire'; F.J. Snell, 1904\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Devon and Cornwall, Notes and Queries: Vol 1'\u003Cbr \/\u003E'The History of the Suburbs of Exeter'; Charles Worthy, 1895\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Bath and Bristol, with the Counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire, Displayed in a Series of Views'; John Britton, 1829\u003Cbr \/\u003E'The Connoisseur: Volume 23'; ed. J. T. Herbert Baily, 1909\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Old Inns and Taverns of Exeter'; Robert Dymond, 1880\u003Cbr \/\u003E'The Literary Guide and Companion to Southern England'; Robert Cooper, 1998\u003Cbr \/\u003E'The Sanitary Record', 1881\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Introduction to Inn Signs'; Eric Delderfield, 1969\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Exeter Itinerary and General Directory'; T \u0026amp; H Besley, June 1828\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Exeter: The Golden Years'; Peter Thomas, 2003\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Rebellion and Riot: Popular Disorder in England During the Reign of Edward VI'; Barrett Beer, 2005\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Aspects of Exeter'; Peter Thomas \u0026amp; Jacqueline Warren, 2006\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Around Exeter'; Les Berry \u0026amp; Gerald Gosling, 1996\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Exeter Architecture'; Hugh Meller, 1989\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Exeter in Old Photographs'; Peter Thomas, 1988\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Around Exeter\"; Ed. Les Berry \u0026amp; Gerald Gosling, 1996\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Roman Exeter: Excavations in the War-Damaged Areas 1945 - 1947'; Aileen Fox, 1952\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"The Charm of the Country Town\" in 'The Architectural Review'; A. E. Richardson, 1920\u003Cbr \/\u003ETrewman's 'Exeter Flying Post'; 1800-1900\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Nonconformity in Exeter: 1650-1875'; Allan Brockett, 1962\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"st\"\u003E\"The Kalendar Brethren \u003Ci\u003E\u003C\/i\u003Eof the City of Exeter\u003C\/span\u003E\" in 'The Devonshire Association', Vol. 109: Nicholas Orme, 1979\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Field Guide No. 12: Exeter City Wall'; Devon Archaeological Society, 1998\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Exeter Pheonix'; Thomas Sharp, 1946\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Exeter: The Blitz and Rebirth of the City'; Norman Venning, 1988\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Some Studies in the Topography of the Cathedral Close'; Ethel Lega-Weekes, 1915\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Exeter Houses: 1400-1700'; Derek Portman, 1966\u003Cbr \/\u003E'Recent Observations During Building Works at 8-9 The Close, Exeter'; Exeter Archaeology, RW Parker, 2009\u003Cbr \/\u003E'8, 9, 9a and the Law Library, The Close, Exeter, Devon: Tree-Ring Analysis of Timbers'; English Heritage, A Arnold \u0026amp; R Howard, 2006\u003Cbr \/\u003E'An Archaeological Assessment of Nos. 8 and 9a, Cathedral Close, Exeter'; Exeter Archaeology, RW Parker, JP Allan \u0026amp; T Ives, 2007\u003Cbr \/\u003E'195 High Street, Exeter: A Town House and Shop of c.1700'; Exeter Archaeology, A. J. Passmore, 2011\u003Cbr \/\u003E'St Catherine's Almshouses and the Medieval Canonry in Catherine Street, Exeter', Devon Archaeological Society; Richard Parker \u0026amp; Anthony Collings, 2002\u003Cbr \/\u003E'The Development of the South Gate of Exeter and its Role in the City Defences', Devon Archaeological Society; Christopher Henderson, 2001\u003Cbr \/\u003E'The Medieval Gatehouse of the Chancellor's House, Cathedral Close, Exeter', Devon Archaeological Society; John Allan \u0026amp; Martin Dyer, 2004\u003Cbr \/\u003E'The Bishop's Palace, Exeter and its Story'; John Chanter, 1932\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWebsites:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/www.rammtimetrail.org.uk\"\u003ERoyal Albert Memorial Museum Time Trail\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.exeter.gov.uk\/index.aspx?articleid=9788\"\u003EExeter City Council\u003C\/a\u003E Tourism Website\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/services.english-heritage.org.uk\/ResearchReportsPdfs\/007_2010WEB.pdf\"\u003EEnglish Heritage Research Department\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/britishlistedbuildings.co.uk\/england\/devon\/exeter\"\u003EBritish Listed Buildings\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.exetermemories.co.uk\/\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EExeter Memories\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.devonbuildingsgroup.org.uk\/\"\u003EDevon Buildings Group\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.stephenproject.org.uk\/\"\u003ESt Stephen's Project\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/localstudies\/139502\/1.html\"\u003EEtched on Devon's Memory\u003C\/a\u003E Westcountry Studies Library Online Catalogue\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.exeter-cathedral.org.uk\/\"\u003EOfficial Exeter Cathedral Website\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.dsnell.zynet.co.uk\/\"\u003EDavid Snell's Website with Online Guides to the Cathedral\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hds.essex.ac.uk\/exetercath\/index.html\"\u003EExeter Cathedral Keystones \u0026amp; Carvings\u003C\/a\u003E (a superb website!) \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EImages: All images copyrighted 'Devon County Council' are sourced from the Westcountry Studies Library. Permission to reproduce \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eany\u003C\/span\u003E of these images should be obtained from the Westcountry Studies Library. However, Devon County Council is not the copyright holder for certain images held at the Westcountry Studies Library and queries regarding the copyright status of images held by the library should be directed towards the Westcountry Studies Library itself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TPrfv3rOZ2I\/AAAAAAAAA28\/NIFUC523rOo\/s1600\/Historic%2BRomantic%2BExeter%2BSouthern%2BRailways_crop.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546991904552281954\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TPrfv3rOZ2I\/AAAAAAAAA28\/NIFUC523rOo\/s1600\/Historic%2BRomantic%2BExeter%2BSouthern%2BRailways_crop.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5492832378014835583\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5492832378014835583","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5492832378014835583"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5492832378014835583"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html","title":"Sources"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TPrfv3rOZ2I\/AAAAAAAAA28\/NIFUC523rOo\/s72-c\/Historic%2BRomantic%2BExeter%2BSouthern%2BRailways_crop.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-249332531923606461"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-31T00:23:00.027+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T00:36:52.674+00:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tudor Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"No. 1, Cathedral Close: Mol's Coffee House"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-jY9hLB8_SeY\/TxIJIe09-vI\/AAAAAAAADsw\/Qvqih8NdIN8\/s1600\/Mols%2BCoffee%2BHouse%2BExeter.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697626519895931634\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-jY9hLB8_SeY\/TxIJIe09-vI\/AAAAAAAADsw\/Qvqih8NdIN8\/s640\/Mols%2BCoffee%2BHouse%2BExeter.JPG\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"375\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAfter the Cathedral and the Guildhall, this is probably the single most-photographed building in the entire city, despite the fact that its unusual gable is a late-19th century invention. Still, it remains an important Grade I listed building and the finest of its type still left in the city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA few local legends have attached themselves to the building, nearly all of them either untrue or unlikely. For example, No. 1 Cathedral Close has been called the first coffee house in England, opened by an Italian called Thomas Mol. The oak-panelled room on the first-floor is often cited as being the place where Sir Francis Drake regularly met with other Elizabethan sea captains, such as Richard Grenville, Martin Frobisher, John Hawkins and Sir Walter Ralegh (usually discussing the Spanish Armada...). There's no limit to people's imaginations. The Italian named Mol is mentioned by Jenkins in his mammoth history of Exeter first published in 1806. Jenkins seems convinced.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe building actually \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ewas\u003C\/span\u003E used as a coffee house for much of the 18th century but it's more likely that it was named after Mary Wildy, who took out a lease on the property in June 1726 ('Mol' being a diminutive form of 'Mary'). The first coffee house in England is supposed to be in Oxford, the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003EGrand Cafe\u003C\/span\u003E, opened in 1650 and mentioned by Pepys in his famous diary. As for Drake \u0026amp; Co., unfortunately Drake was dying off the coast of Panama in 1596, the year in which the current property on the site was being built. According to Todd Gray in his book 'Exeter Unveiled', there's not even any evidence that Drake even visited the city. John Hawkins was dead by 1595, Frobisher died at Plymouth in 1594 and Grenville was killed in battle with the Spanish in 1591 at the Battle of Flores. Sir Walter Ralegh was born locally, at Hayes Barton in East Budleigh, but it seems far-fetched to believe that they all ever met at the house itself. And the 1588 Armada was already old news when the house was built.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-OedhmVg2KrE\/TxIMIFFIXGI\/AAAAAAAADs8\/bQKtTJVFQWA\/s1600\/Mols%2BCoffee%2BHouse%2BExeter%2BWindows.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697629811519282274\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-OedhmVg2KrE\/TxIMIFFIXGI\/AAAAAAAADs8\/bQKtTJVFQWA\/s400\/Mols%2BCoffee%2BHouse%2BExeter%2BWindows.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"296\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EGiven its prominent location near the High Street and the Cathedral, and near the corner of two Saxon streets, it's likely that there has been some sort of building on the site for over 1000 years.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESome of the first documentary evidence for a structure here dates to 1410, when Bishop Stafford granted the Cathedral's chantry priests (known in Exeter as the Annuellars) this corner the Cathedral Close to use as a residence. Known as the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/03\/no-5-cathedral-close-and-annuellars.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EAnnuellars' College\u003C\/a\u003E, this large complex of medieval buildings would, by the 16th century, have spread across into what are now Nos. 1 to 5 Cathedral Close, although it didn't include the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/canonry-catherine-street.html\"\u003ECanonry\u003C\/a\u003E on Catherine Street, as is widely believed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe College was disbanded during the Reformation of the 1530s and the building on the site of No. 1 fell into private ownership. In 1596 the building was totally remodelled, probably by John Dyer, a wealthy Exeter yeoman. The late-16th century remodelling included a completely new facade and interior. The Elizabethan house might've had twin gables originally and was spread over four floors. Before the ground floor was converted into a shop in the 19th century three tiers of projecting windows rose from the ground floor to the third floor. The surviving oriel windows of the first floor are particularly noteworthy as the window lights run across the entire facade of the building.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-TciibfylTos\/TxIM4Yql-zI\/AAAAAAAADtI\/qMESeLATFIQ\/s1600\/Mol%2527s%2BCoffee%2BHouse%2BRoyal%2BArms.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697630641410407218\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-TciibfylTos\/TxIM4Yql-zI\/AAAAAAAADtI\/qMESeLATFIQ\/s400\/Mol%2527s%2BCoffee%2BHouse%2BRoyal%2BArms.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 382px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBehind these first-floor windows lies one of the finest 16th century panelled rooms in Exeter, inappropriately called the 'Armada Room' in some guidebooks. The panelling is made of oak, the small rectangles divided by elaborate fluted carved pilasters. Inset into the frieze around the top of the panelling are 46 shields painted with the coats of arms of various Devonshire families, mostly from the 16th century, including the arms of Drake himself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese coats of arms are almost certainly a latter addition from the 19th century, perhaps the work of artist John Gendall who lived in the house during the 1800s. But the quality of the late-16th century carving is absolutely superb. The room also features a geometric single-rib decorative plasterwork ceiling from the same period. Unfortunately the first floor is not open to the public. In 1596 the ground floor was leased by Thomas Dyer for use as the city's Custom House. Jenkins, writing in 1806, states that until \"very lately there was a pediment over the doorway, on which was carved the arms of Queen Elizabeth, with the initial E.R and the date 1596\". This coat of arms disappeared but was replaced with another \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E, painted not carved, in 1885.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--LVR_JCxI8U\/TxIOPGThg4I\/AAAAAAAADtU\/eUnB_xe-s6s\/s1600\/2%2BMols%2BCoffee%2Bhouse%2Bwith%2Brailings%2Bpostcard%2Brebuild%2B1800.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697632131130426242\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/--LVR_JCxI8U\/TxIOPGThg4I\/AAAAAAAADtU\/eUnB_xe-s6s\/s640\/2%2BMols%2BCoffee%2Bhouse%2Bwith%2Brailings%2Bpostcard%2Brebuild%2B1800.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"417\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn 1800 the house looked significantly different \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E. There is no sign of the Dutch-style curly gabled parapet which is such a distinctive feature of the house today. When I was at school we were told that the reason for the distinctive gable was because it made the house look like the rear of an Elizabethan galleon so Drake, etc. would feel at home! In fact the Dutch gable wasn't added until the late-19th century when the house belonged to postcard seller, Thomas Worth, the author of many of the fanciful takes concerning the property. To the far left can just be seen the entrance into \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E and the start of the row of timber-framed houses which were demolished in the early-20th century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDespite the changes that have taken place the building remains one of the finest surviving pieces of historic architecture in Exeter and is now one of the most instantly recognisable places in southwest England. Its setting within the Cathedral Close is exceptionally picturesque. Almost everything lying to the immediate rear of the property was damaged either by bombs in 1942 or demolished as part of the post-war reconstruction. It is incredible that the house survived at all, given how close it came to complete destruction. It was parts of Exeter such as this which made the city a cultural target during World War Two. Fortunately, here at least, the bombs missed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-69kzrj7GCPQ\/TyHYrTbgmhI\/AAAAAAAAEco\/OKrKgBiO8WU\/s1600\/P1263347.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702076841689389586\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-69kzrj7GCPQ\/TyHYrTbgmhI\/AAAAAAAAEco\/OKrKgBiO8WU\/s640\/P1263347.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"525\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/249332531923606461\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=249332531923606461","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/249332531923606461"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/249332531923606461"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/no-1-cathedral-close-mols-coffee-house.html","title":"No. 1, Cathedral Close: Mol's Coffee House"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-jY9hLB8_SeY\/TxIJIe09-vI\/AAAAAAAADsw\/Qvqih8NdIN8\/s72-c\/Mols%2BCoffee%2BHouse%2BExeter.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-6752330590990154042"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-29T22:27:00.071+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-29T16:30:41.300+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Other Streets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Saxon Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Catherine Street: Demolished and Destroyed"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-lznJmvu-vWc\/TxG_fmWe_oI\/AAAAAAAADqU\/RE7wRQVZJc4\/s1600\/Catherine%2BStreet%2Bc1900.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697545553192091266\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-lznJmvu-vWc\/TxG_fmWe_oI\/AAAAAAAADqU\/RE7wRQVZJc4\/s1600\/Catherine%2BStreet%2Bc1900.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ECatherine Street has been almost completely destroyed, disfigured, replaced and truncated over the last 100 years, despite having survived in some form since the 9th century.  Today it is little more than a short passageway at the end of a post-war square.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd yet, like \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html\"\u003EPaul Street\u003C\/a\u003E and much of the West Quarter, just over 100 years ago it was lined with a number of timber-framed houses from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E as well as having a complex of 15th century almshouses and significant fragments of a 13th century canonry. It is a perfect example of how a historic street can be totally ruined by demolition, war and insipid reconstruction. Catherine Street was one of a number of Exeter's streets that was first laid out under Alfred the Great at the end of the 9th century. The city had been besieged by the Danes in 876AD and 893AD, sieges that the Anglo-Saxon king had successfully managed to break. In response, the important Saxon stronghold of Exeter was refortified, its Roman city wall repaired and strengthened, and some of the city was divided into small tenements, or burgage plots i.e thin strips of land with narrow street frontages upon which a house could be built, with a long garden or yard at the back. Catherine Street was probably created as a lane off the High Street to give access to these tenements.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-XXpuREC-spg\/UX6SDsOk6GI\/AAAAAAAAGvc\/SCIMjlNXhIw\/s1600\/Ancient+House+in+Catherine+St.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-XXpuREC-spg\/UX6SDsOk6GI\/AAAAAAAAGvc\/SCIMjlNXhIw\/s1600\/Ancient+House+in+Catherine+St.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the  facade of a half-timbered house on Catherine Street c1850. Combined with  the photograph at the top of this post, taken c1900, it shows how much  of the street's medieval character survived intact into the 19th and  20th centuries.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELike many other ancient streets in Exeter, Catherine Street has undergone several changes of name. According to the 19th century historian, George Oliver, a small section leading from the corner of St Martin's Lane to the almshouses was sometimes called Paternoster Lane. A deed of 1280 refers to the street as Doddehaye-strete and describes it as lane as leading from St Martin's church to the Domincan Friary. It was known as Doddehay Street until the mid-15th century when it gradually took on the name of the almshouses dedicated to St Catherine which stood in the street from 1458 until they were gutted by fire in 1942. Hoskins suggested that 'Doddehay' was perhaps derived from an Anglo-Saxon landowner named Dodda. (The suffix 'Hay' is commonly found in Exeter e.g. Trichay Street, Southernhay, Northernhay, Kalendarhay, Friernhay, etc. and itself derives from the Saxon word 'hege' meaning an 'enclosure' and from which we get the modern word 'hedge').\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-yO15_pi9OOQ\/TxHDJlXbKgI\/AAAAAAAADqs\/9TaFUL6bZLg\/s1600\/Catherine_Street_Exeter_Crocker.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697549573016988162\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-yO15_pi9OOQ\/TxHDJlXbKgI\/AAAAAAAADqs\/9TaFUL6bZLg\/s400\/Catherine_Street_Exeter_Crocker.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 297px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ECatherine Street (shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E c1886 in a drawing by James Crocker) was also once the site of one of the gates set into a security wall which encircled the cathedral precinct following \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html\"\u003Ethe murder of the precentor Walter Lechlade in 1283\u003C\/a\u003E. The gate later became known as St Catherine's Gate because of its close proximity to the above-mentioned almshouses. The gate predated the almshouses by over 130 years. Prior to the construction of the almshouses it was known as Bickly Gate or Ercenesk Gate, named after Reginald de Erceneske, a canon who probably lived in the canonry on Catherine Street, part of which would eventually become the Country House inn (also destroyed in 1942).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESt Catherine's Gate was approximately 8ft wide, big enough to accept a pack horse laden with panniers. A lease for the Country House inn in 1814 contains a covenant to \"give  up the chamber over the gate\" so at some point it had accommodation above it. St Catherine's Gate projected out from the front of the inn near a large stone arch, formerly a doorway, but altered into a window of the inn. Hedgeland's wooden model of Exeter in 1769 shows both Catherine Street  and St Catherine's Gate. The gate was demolished c1814. Until 1942 the location of the gate was marked by an iron ring set into  the wall of a house opposite the Country House inn. The metal ring was  reset into a low wall during the post-war reconstruction but the recent  redevelopment of the area has seen the ring disappear. Now there is no  visible reminder that the gate ever existed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-5acur6UZYiU\/TxHSnDy7e9I\/AAAAAAAADq4\/E7kZi57JgBs\/s1600\/cath.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697566572076039122\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-5acur6UZYiU\/TxHSnDy7e9I\/AAAAAAAADq4\/E7kZi57JgBs\/s1600\/cath.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows Catherine Street in 1905 overlaid onto an aerial view of the same area today. All of the buildings highlighted in red have been demolished since 1900, either through pre-war clearances or during the Blitz of 1942. Only those highlighted in purple still remain today. Much of the old street at its north-eastern end now lies under great swathes of post-war redevelopment.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EStarting at St Martin's Lane, a walk through Catherine Street in 1900 would've taken in many timber-framed houses, with the ancient Swan Inn on the left, the medieval remains of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/canonry-catherine-street.html\"\u003ECanonry\u003C\/a\u003E and the 15th century \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/st-catherines-almshouses-catherine.html\"\u003EAlmshouses\u003C\/a\u003E on the right. There was a small crossroads where you could either go into Stephen Street, under the old bow of St Stephen's church and into the High Street or into Egypt Lane, along the backs of the townhouses in Bedford Circus and out into Southernhay. A little further on Catherine Street crossed Bedford Street, passing to the rear of the late-17th century \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/half-moon-inn-high-street.html\"\u003EHalf Moon Inn\u003C\/a\u003E, crossing the entrance into the Georgian housing scheme of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E before reaching the corner of Bampfylde Street, upon which was the magnificent late-Tudor mansion known as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/bampfylde-house-elizabethan-mansion-in.html\"\u003EBampfylde House\u003C\/a\u003E. In terms of varied historical architecture and sheer picturesque interest, streets in English cathedral cities simply did not get much better than this. It is difficult to imagine now how narrow all these old streets and lanes were at the end of the 19th century, how they twisted and turned and led you into unexpected corners of the city, many of them still possessing remarkable old buildings which had changed little for centuries.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-_kTlbLIwT5Y\/TxHUckhsygI\/AAAAAAAADrE\/zImfvEg7vEU\/s1600\/CatherineSt1942.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697568590906837506\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-_kTlbLIwT5Y\/TxHUckhsygI\/AAAAAAAADrE\/zImfvEg7vEU\/s1600\/CatherineSt1942.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAnd then, as has happened so often in Exeter, it all went hideously wrong. In the first decade of the 20th century, and long before the destructive bombing of 1942, most of the timber-framed buildings which existed on the street in 1900 were demolished. Of the ancient houses shown in the photograph at the top of this page, only the one to the far left of the image, dating to c1450 and with the sign \"London and Bristol\" over the entrance, survives today as No. 2 Catherine Street. (No. 1 Catherine Street still survives and is of a similar age). By 1928 much of the street had already been rebuilt.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn 4 May 1942, the area surrounding Catherine Street was heavily  damaged during the Exeter Blitz \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E © Express \u0026amp; Echo. It's difficult to know exactly what was  lost, but the 15th century almshouses were gutted as was the site of  the 13th century canonry, then known as the Country House inn. Even if the timber-framed houses had survived then they probably would've burned to the ground anyway. The ruins of the almshouses and the canonry suffered further demolition in the post-war clear-up but at least they were retained as a reminder of the devastating air-raid. Despite the fact that the line of the street dated back to the 9th  century, during the post-war reconstruction of the 1950s half of the  street was turned into a no-through service road to supply the new shops which fronted onto the High Street and Princesshay.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-9zHQO3QVqlM\/UX6RP9v0mpI\/AAAAAAAAGvQ\/PsOYXI7CXQk\/s1600\/Catherine+Street+1950s+rebuild.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"480\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-9zHQO3QVqlM\/UX6RP9v0mpI\/AAAAAAAAGvQ\/PsOYXI7CXQk\/s640\/Catherine+Street+1950s+rebuild.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EA small public square was  constructed opposite the ruins of the almshouses and, at least in terms  of the number of buildings which now front onto it, the street has almost  ceased to exist. As if that wasn't bad enough, the small amount  late-1950s architecture which was built on the remains of the street is of quite exceptionally poor quality \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E. It's difficult to disagree with Gavin Stamp's assessment that the general post-war rebuilding of Exeter, led by the city's surveyor John Brierley, was \"largely inappropriate, incoherent and dismal\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-LuzcfEbYbEI\/TxHe-YYEkVI\/AAAAAAAADsk\/pss2sz0escg\/s1600\/PA181260.JPG\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697580166877057362\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-LuzcfEbYbEI\/TxHe-YYEkVI\/AAAAAAAADsk\/pss2sz0escg\/s640\/PA181260.JPG\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"479\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EEither way,  this was one of the few post-war shop frontages which was built on the  original 9th century line of Catherine Street. The post-war decision not to respect the Roman, Saxon and Medieval street  plan in Exeter did more fundamental damage to the historic roots of  Exeter than even the German bombers managed to accomplish.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd it  happened across the city: Bampfylde Street, Chapel Street, Musgrave Row, George Street  and Sun Street, to name just a few, were all wiped off the map in the  post-war reconstruction. The alignments of Southernhay and Paris Street  were totally altered and South Street and the upper High Street were  drastically widened. And this is before the other depredations inflicted on  the city in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s are taken into account.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EToday almost nothing remains of the street as it appeared in 1900, except for the aforementioned ruins, the two 15th century timber-framed houses and a brick building called Oddfellows Hall built c1900. In his book \"Aspects of Exeter\", Peter Thomas refers to post-war Catherine Street as \"pleasingly narrow\" but for me there is very little that is either pleasing or narrow about the street now, especially in comparison with what it once was. Its one redeeming feature is the fact that it is pedestrianised, saving the street from the bus fumes which pollute the nearby High Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDrag the slider on the image \u003Ci\u003Ebelow\u003C\/i\u003E to switch between images of Catherine Street in 1900 and Catherine Street in 2012 or click on 'Show only then' or 'Show only now'.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv id=\"container01\"\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"before\" height=\"582\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NY3COU73zzI\/UX6OaT2ZkuI\/AAAAAAAAGvA\/BUWoy0t83gE\/s1600\/Catherine+Street+Before.jpg\" width=\"470\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"after\" height=\"582\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-oOozE98U9yo\/UX6OX-h2ocI\/AAAAAAAAGu4\/Aig9Kp6WtgE\/s1600\/Catherine+Street+After.jp\" width=\"470\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan id=\"formatbar_Buttons\" style=\"display: block;\"\u003E\u003Cspan class=\" down\" id=\"formatbar_CreateLink\" onmousedown=\"CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);\" onmouseout=\"ButtonHoverOff(this);\" onmouseover=\"ButtonHoverOn(this);\" onmouseup=\"\" style=\"display: block;\" title=\"Link\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Link\" border=\"0\" class=\"gl_link\" src=\"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/img\/blank.gif\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6752330590990154042\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=6752330590990154042","title":"11 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6752330590990154042"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6752330590990154042"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html","title":"Catherine Street: Demolished and Destroyed"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-lznJmvu-vWc\/TxG_fmWe_oI\/AAAAAAAADqU\/RE7wRQVZJc4\/s72-c\/Catherine%2BStreet%2Bc1900.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"11"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-591481539082939976"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-29T00:22:00.034+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T00:33:20.451+00:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inner Bypass"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Roman Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Walls and Gates"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Exeter's City Wall"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-BAJcuTJt6TE\/Twx6Dp9LbGI\/AAAAAAAADTo\/Tm6rGOi7BN8\/s1600\/Exeter%2BCity%2BWall_Northernhay.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"477\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696061831937485922\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-BAJcuTJt6TE\/Twx6Dp9LbGI\/AAAAAAAADTo\/Tm6rGOi7BN8\/s640\/Exeter%2BCity%2BWall_Northernhay.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt  has withstood sieges and assaults, bombings and demolition, and you can  easily miss it, but buried behind Exeter's 20th century redevelopment  is one of the most complete, well-preserved circuits of defensive city  wall in England. About 72% of the circuit survives and both its layout and much  of its fabric is nearly two thousand years old. It is Exeter's largest  single structure, a Scheduled Ancient Monument and, considering that \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/destruction-of-exeter-in-20th-century.html\"\u003E nearly everything encompassed by the wall has been redeveloped over the  last century\u003C\/a\u003E, it is nothing short of incredible that so much of it has  survived in such good condition. Its history is detailed and complex and  there are so many interesting features that this post will just be an  overview of the structure.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-56NfroD0v2g\/Twx6fqGk47I\/AAAAAAAADT0\/FRskhx4ncBk\/s1600\/City%2BWall_Exeter%2Bnumbers.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"515\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696062313013240754\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-56NfroD0v2g\/Twx6fqGk47I\/AAAAAAAADT0\/FRskhx4ncBk\/s640\/City%2BWall_Exeter%2Bnumbers.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E shows an aerial view of the 21st century city. The surviving portions of the city wall are highlighted in purple. Gaps in the circuit are highlighted in red. The numbers refer to the locations of the following important features: 1 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/east-gate-high-street.html\"\u003EThe East Gate\u003C\/a\u003E, 2 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/07\/the-south-gate-south-street.html\"\u003EThe South Gate\u003C\/a\u003E, 3 The Water Gate, 4 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/west-gate-west-quarter.html\"\u003EThe West Gate\u003C\/a\u003E, 5 The North Gate, 6 Rougemont Castle, 7 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003EExeter Cathedral\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe  1st century Roman fortress of the Second Augustan Legion originally  occupied a 42 acre site on top of a promontory of land which projected  out from the surrounding hills towards the marshes of the River Exe.  This relatively small area developed over the course of the next 100  years to become a civilian settlement until, in c180AD, the boundaries  of the Roman town were dramatically expanded outwards to encompass 93 acres. A   huge defensive wall was built using stone quarried from the extinct  volcano at Rougemont in the north-eastern corner of the newly-enlarged  city. The shape of the Roman city was a distinctive rectangle, dictated by the  topography of the landscape itself as the settlement spread over the top  of the promontory, bounded to the north and west by deep ravines and  high cliffs.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-FB5-JtKWQ9w\/TwyQoNetS9I\/AAAAAAAADUA\/D3YC0WFmtVU\/s1600\/Model%2B_East%2BGate_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696086649204460498\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-FB5-JtKWQ9w\/TwyQoNetS9I\/AAAAAAAADUA\/D3YC0WFmtVU\/s400\/Model%2B_East%2BGate_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 313px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAlmost everything that Exeter is and was happened within the walled area. It was this  area in which the Romans lived, in which the Saxons settled, that the  Danes destroyed, which Alfred the Great liberated, that William the  Conqueror laid siege to, which was attacked by Perkin Warbeck in the 16th century, which was  besieged (twice) during the English Civil War, which was bombed  during World War Two; this area  was the location of the three great institutions of medieval life: the  castle, the cathedral and the guildhall; and this area was the economic,  social and political heart of the city for 2000 years; a major Roman  outpost, a great Anglo-Saxon town, a major medieval city, a Tudor  and Stuart powerhouse of wealth, a Georgian metropolis, and the county capital of  Devonshire.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAccompanying the vast stretches of stone walling were  city gates, first built by the Romans and then rebuilt in the  late-Middle Ages: South Gate (its medieval incarnation regarded as one  of the most imposing gateways in England), East Gate (a model of which is shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E), West Gate, North Gate and Water Gate. None of these gateways survive today. An \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html\"\u003Einner ring of defensive walling\u003C\/a\u003E was erected around the Cathedral Precinct in the late-13th century, creating a walled city in miniature.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Jdlp4yknTJM\/TwySqLav7pI\/AAAAAAAADUY\/gIC_tYlA1pQ\/s1600\/Roman%2BCity%2BWall.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"520\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696088882033979026\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Jdlp4yknTJM\/TwySqLav7pI\/AAAAAAAADUY\/gIC_tYlA1pQ\/s640\/Roman%2BCity%2BWall.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Romans built the  city wall using purple volcanic trap, an exceptionally durable type of  stone, much of it quarried from the remains of the extinct volcano at Rougemont. It was up to 10ft (3m) thick and 25ft (6m) high. Its huge  scale, running for approximately 1.5 miles (2.3 kilometres), was intended to function as a defence against any angry  Celts who happened to be in the area as well as acting as a demonstration  of sheer power.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESome large stretches of Roman masonry from the late-2nd  century survive today. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove \u003C\/span\u003Eshows an exterior section of the city wall near the modern inner  bypass. The purple-grey volcanic trap in the upper two-thirds is  original Roman facework from the 2nd century civitas of Isca Dumnoniorum  (i.e. Exeter). The lower third is where the ground level has eroded and the wall has been underpinned, probably during the Middle Ages, using a different type of stone.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-0NNaJUgJ7uM\/TwyYGsjjG6I\/AAAAAAAADUk\/z84UAoa9unQ\/s1600\/Wall%2Bat%2BNorthernhay%2Bii.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696094869523733410\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-0NNaJUgJ7uM\/TwyYGsjjG6I\/AAAAAAAADUk\/z84UAoa9unQ\/s400\/Wall%2Bat%2BNorthernhay%2Bii.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 300px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the seemingly impregnable the wall at Northernhay looking towards John's Tower in the distance. The precinct of Rougemont Castle is on the other side of the wall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe  city wall was strengthened and repaired by the Anglo-Saxons, probably in c920AD during the reign of King Athelstan, grandson of Alfred the  Great. Athelstan is believed to have ordered the wall to be extensively overhauled. Some elements of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/anglo-saxon-defenses-at-northernhay.html\"\u003Ethe late Saxon masonry\u003C\/a\u003E can still be seen at the wall in Northernhay gardens. The wall was repaired, improved and refaced throughout the medieval period. Ten towers were added in the 13th century. Five were added between the East Gate and South Gate, the section of wall most exposed to attack. A further four were built around the castle at Rougemont and a solitary tower, later known as the Snail Tower, was constructed in the western corner of the city. Significant repairs were undertaken in the 16th century, including a widespread overhaul between 1539 and 1540 which used stone recycled from the recently dissolved Priory of St Nicholas. Unlike the other gates into the city, which were probably constructed on the site of their Roman counterparts, the Water Gate only appears to date to the 1560s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-mUmQ-MyVrTQ\/TwyZkN4XQ5I\/AAAAAAAADUw\/6VIRlqTkCYc\/s1600\/City%2BWall%2BSouthernhay.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696096476197241746\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-mUmQ-MyVrTQ\/TwyZkN4XQ5I\/AAAAAAAADUw\/6VIRlqTkCYc\/s640\/City%2BWall%2BSouthernhay.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBy the time of the English Civil War in the mid-17th century the city wall was in need of  yet further repair and gun batteries were placed along the southern and  eastern sections of the wall, some of which still remain. During the two sieges of Exeter in 1643 and 1646 the city wall formed one component of a defensive system which included not only the gun batteries but a complex series of ditches and ramparts; but that was the last time the wall would be called upon  to defend Exeter from attack. Throughout the 18th and 19th  centuries the wall  sank into the background. Houses were built up  against it and as the  suburbs swelled the importance of the city wall as a  defensive  structure was lost. Apparently it never occurred to anyone to  destroy  it completely. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove \u003C\/span\u003Eshows part of the external face of the wall at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/brief-history-of-southernhay_16.html\"\u003ESouthernhay\u003C\/a\u003E. This section was badly damaged during the English Civil War but was  subsequently rebuilt. Behind it are the grounds of the Bishop's Palace.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-18k5CcPgpBA\/Twyfwb8JZ0I\/AAAAAAAADVI\/ubFdVvecb2s\/s1600\/Yaroslavl%2BFootbridge_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696103283199403842\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-18k5CcPgpBA\/Twyfwb8JZ0I\/AAAAAAAADVI\/ubFdVvecb2s\/s400\/Yaroslavl%2BFootbridge_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 339px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt's  no surprise that the greatest damage to the surviving circuit happened  during the 20th century. One particularly lengthy section near the site  of the East Gate was demolished in the post-war rebuilding of Exeter  following the Blitz of May 1942, and more was hacked apart with pick axes in the 1960s to  build the inner bypass.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows how the Yaroslavl footbridge spans a large breach in the wall which had remained intact until its demolition in 1961 as part of the inner bypass road scheme. A significant stretch of surviving Roman facework was buried in the 1970s behind Broadwalk House in Southernhay. However the surviving sections are now relatively well maintained and respected. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows the exterior of the wall as it runs along the edge of the recently redeveloped Princesshay shopping precinct. The buttresses visible to the far right are late-medieval additions. The finely dressed stone facework to the left is Roman. The rather unattractive buildings behind are 21st century. Until 1942 the gardens of the now destroyed top two \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/southernhay-west-southernhay.html\"\u003EGeorgian terraces in Southernhay West\u003C\/a\u003E backed onto the wall at this point.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe wall is still incredibly impressive, although unfortunately little is made of it. It is not possible to walk on top of the wall in Exeter as you can in other walled cities in England and the old city doesn't crowd around it like it used to. Compared with the walls of Chester and York it is  almost ignored but properly managed they could be a major feature of  Exeter's tourist industry. Guided tours are available for anyone interested in Exeter's history rather than just its shops, and a walk around the wall takes you through some of Exeter's few remaining attractive areas.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-sfRACBQu1UI\/TwyeLHDBhWI\/AAAAAAAADU8\/GNHYqGw3yVw\/s1600\/Wall%2BPrincesshay.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"467\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696101542424315234\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-sfRACBQu1UI\/TwyeLHDBhWI\/AAAAAAAADU8\/GNHYqGw3yVw\/s640\/Wall%2BPrincesshay.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/591481539082939976\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=591481539082939976","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/591481539082939976"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/591481539082939976"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html","title":"Exeter's City Wall"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-BAJcuTJt6TE\/Twx6Dp9LbGI\/AAAAAAAADTo\/Tm6rGOi7BN8\/s72-c\/Exeter%2BCity%2BWall_Northernhay.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-2430495443110395881"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-27T18:08:00.036+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T00:29:50.944+00:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inns and Taverns"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Canonry and Country House Inn, Catherine Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-FXShrsY0BQQ\/TxI4MQ86QUI\/AAAAAAAADzI\/9nqbkk3lm7s\/s1600\/Canonry%2BKitchen.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697678261937127746\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-FXShrsY0BQQ\/TxI4MQ86QUI\/AAAAAAAADzI\/9nqbkk3lm7s\/s400\/Canonry%2BKitchen.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 306px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn Catherine Street today are a jumble of semi-incoherent ruins, the medieval fragments of buildings which were largely destroyed during World War Two. One of these buildings was a complex of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/st-catherines-almshouses-catherine.html\"\u003Ealmshouses with a chapel dedicated to St Catherine\u003C\/a\u003E. The other was a canonry, a house built for one of the Cathedral's 24 canons.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe canonry dated from the 13th century and predated the almshouses by over 150 years. It appears to have consisted of a sequence of rooms probably built as a residence for Canon Reginald le Ercesnek (Canon Ercesnek was found guilty of harbouring a felon after \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html\"\u003Ethe murder of Precentor Walter de Lechlade in 1283\u003C\/a\u003E). It comprised a gatehouse entered via \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E, a front range on Catherine Street itself, with a large hall, service rooms, chambers, malthouse and stables to the side and rear.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe area closest to the site of the almshouses was used as a service block, with a pantry, buttery and a large kitchen. Three doors inset into a thick wall led from these rooms into the hall, a typical configuration found in many similar medieval buildings.   The only part of these buildings still standing are the ruined remains of the kitchen. The kitchen itself was probably substantially rebuilt in the 15th century. It is widely believed that the canon's house had been subsumed into the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/03\/no-5-cathedral-close-and-annuellars.html\"\u003EAnnuellars' College\u003C\/a\u003E by the beginning of the 16th century. The very extensive remnants of the canonry appear as the 'College of Chantry Priests' on the Ordnance Survey map of 1876. However recent research has shown that this was not the case and the Annuellars' College (occupying the site of Nos. 1 to 5 Cathedral Close) and the canon's house on Catherine Street remained two distinct and separate buildings.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-OZIDiXq69NY\/TxI4WMRH4eI\/AAAAAAAADzU\/Vjblk16oSlQ\/s1600\/Country%2BHouse%2BInn.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697678432478421474\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-OZIDiXq69NY\/TxI4WMRH4eI\/AAAAAAAADzU\/Vjblk16oSlQ\/s400\/Country%2BHouse%2BInn.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 314px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAccording to Parker \u0026amp; Collings, the canonry was the residence of the Cary family in the 16th century although in around 1700 the property was subdivided into different tenements. The early 19th century historian, Alexander Jenkins was under the impression that the site of the almshouses and canonry was once part of a Benedictine nunnery. This is certainly incorrect, but he does state that there was \"a great part of this ancient structure remaining\". By the time Jenkins wrote his history one of the tenements carved out of the canonry was an inn called the Country House at No. 37 Catherine Street (highlighted in red on the image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E). It appears that the parts of the upper floor have been rebuilt in brick during the 18th or 19th centuries, perhaps a replacement for a timber-framed upper storey such as can still be seen at No. 9 Cathedral Close.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn his 1821 'History of Exeter', George Oliver notes that \"a beautiful arch, now closed up and disfigured by the window of an ale house is still to be seen near St Catherine Gate\". The ale house mentioned is certainly the Country House inn, the arch was part of the canonry building and probably formed the main entrance into the residence. In 1855 an article appeared in a Trewman's 'Exeter Flying Post' which gives some clues as to what parts of the medieval building still existed. According to the article's author, the Country House inn's malthouse was formerly a chapel and still contained \"a very good open timber roof\" that was \"in the style of the 15th century\". A passageway led from the front of the inn to a courtyard at the back. Within the wall of the passage were five blocked-up Gothic windows of different types, with several other Gothic windows existing within the malthouse itself. Apparently similar arches existed \"in the kitchen, and also in the bed chambers and the passages above stairs.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EExactly how much of the medieval canonry existed on the site prior to World War Two is uncertain. The kitchen certainly survived as part of the Country House inn and it's more than likely that other substantial medieval elements existed within both the fabric of the tavern, as mentioned above, as well as other buildings which fronted Catherine Street. The 1876 Ordnance Survey map of Exeter suggests that several  properties on Catherine Street included significant medieval walls  behind rebuilt frontages. Some of the buildings at the rear were demolished at the end of the  19th century and more demolitions followed in the 1920s, although Parker  and Collings state that \"despite these losses, the service wings of the  house survived remarkably complete until the air-raids and post-war  demolitions.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-fIaPOSPciPU\/TxI5w5hw5cI\/AAAAAAAADzg\/zokLmb4ciCo\/s1600\/Country%2BHouse_Ruins_1942.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697679990816040386\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-fIaPOSPciPU\/TxI5w5hw5cI\/AAAAAAAADzg\/zokLmb4ciCo\/s400\/Country%2BHouse_Ruins_1942.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 306px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EEthel Lega-Weekes reported in her fascinating 1915 book 'Studies in the Topography of the Cathedral Close' that in 1912 she had visited a \"long, low apartment\" situated behind Nos. 38-41 Catherine Street (i.e. running from the current ruins nearly to the corner of the street at St Martin's church). One of the walls of this apartment was demolished soon after Lega-Weekes's visit but she recalled seeing two medieval arched doorways embedded in it. Another wall contained three small doorways, which she believed to date from the 14th century, and two large blocked doorways. One of the small doorways still \"communicated with what are now narrow cellars or store-rooms used by the publican\". These three doors would've lead into the large hall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately I am unaware of any existing photographs which show either the interior or exterior of the Country House inn. The inn, along with the 15th century almshouses, was completely gutted by fire in 1942. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E shows still-standing walls associated with the canonry after the inn had been destroyed in 1942. Significant remains of both buildings were demolished in the post-war rebuilding. Only the former kitchen survives to any significant height and both the south wall and the north wall of the kitchen contain the remains of huge fireplaces. The south wall fireplace has survived in a recognisable condition \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E, although it was significantly rebuilt after 1942. The fireplace on the northern wall is just a jagged hole above the fragments of a chimneystack \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E, propped up in the centre with a modern brick pier. A small blocked-up medieval window is visible to the right.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-q6aCVy5GTQI\/TxI6cvU6BrI\/AAAAAAAADzs\/PbltHvFTUts\/s1600\/Canonry%2BKitchen%2BRuins.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"502\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697680743992002226\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-q6aCVy5GTQI\/TxI6cvU6BrI\/AAAAAAAADzs\/PbltHvFTUts\/s640\/Canonry%2BKitchen%2BRuins.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe ruins of the canonry have been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It was buildings like this, like the Country House inn, which made Exeter such a fascinating place prior to 1942. Between the redevelopment of the 19th century and the slum clearances of the early 20th century Exeter had ceased to be a visually medieval city, and even by the mid-19th century the scale of the survivals didn't begin to equal those of much larger continental cities, such as Rouen, Nuremburg or Frankfurt. But large areas of Exeter's medieval history were still hidden away behind newer facades. It truly was an architectural palimpsest and it is a tragedy that so much was destroyed before it could be fully understood and recorded for posterity. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows the ruined 15th century kitchen in the foreground with the remains of St Catherine's chapel behind.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-8WtJxvAv2Sk\/TxI7z8nQOdI\/AAAAAAAADz4\/jIFqgWQi-Ec\/s1600\/Canonry%2BKitchen%2BCatherine%2BStreet%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697682242207234514\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-8WtJxvAv2Sk\/TxI7z8nQOdI\/AAAAAAAADz4\/jIFqgWQi-Ec\/s640\/Canonry%2BKitchen%2BCatherine%2BStreet%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2430495443110395881\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=2430495443110395881","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2430495443110395881"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2430495443110395881"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/canonry-catherine-street.html","title":"The Canonry and Country House Inn, Catherine Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-FXShrsY0BQQ\/TxI4MQ86QUI\/AAAAAAAADzI\/9nqbkk3lm7s\/s72-c\/Canonry%2BKitchen.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5944465338876526975"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-26T21:48:00.045+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-31T00:28:23.053+00:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Roman Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"St Catherine's Chapel and Almshouses, Catherine Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-PDGSM90dH-k\/TxGaAWQeOeI\/AAAAAAAADo0\/42-zlKlDSaU\/s1600\/St%2BCatherine%2BAlmshouses%2Bremains%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697504334365735394\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-PDGSM90dH-k\/TxGaAWQeOeI\/AAAAAAAADo0\/42-zlKlDSaU\/s640\/St%2BCatherine%2BAlmshouses%2Bremains%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"456\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EYet another piece of medieval Exeter which went up in flames in 1942. Even with the help of the information plaque attached to a nearby wall, it's difficult to make sense of the mass of ruins which now sit on the corner of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/one-thousand-years-in-egypt-lane.html\"\u003EEgypt Lane\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe ruins are in fact the remains of two quite distinct and separate medieval complexes: the 15th century almshouses and accompanying chapel dedicated to St Catherine and a \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/canonry-catherine-street.html\"\u003Ecanon's house\u003C\/a\u003E first established in the 1200s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe canonry, a house built for one of the cathedral's many canons, predated the almshouses by over a century and was constructed within \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/cathedral-walls-gates-murder-of-walter.html\"\u003Ethe walled boundary of the cathedral precinct\u003C\/a\u003E. According to Peter Thomas, part of the precinct's 13th century wall remained standing between the canonry and the almshouses until it was demolished during the post-war demolition of the war-damaged ruins in 1959. The history of the canon's house is long and complex as the structure went through numerous transformations until the site was badly bombed in 1942. Something which should be remembered when looking at the ruins today is that the canonry was originally three or four times larger than the area occupied by the almshouses.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-zPvpe1mZmKA\/TxGeNunmQfI\/AAAAAAAADpA\/6DZ03PYbxw8\/s1600\/Catherine%2BStreet%2B1905%2B2011.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697508962289992178\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-zPvpe1mZmKA\/TxGeNunmQfI\/AAAAAAAADpA\/6DZ03PYbxw8\/s400\/Catherine%2BStreet%2B1905%2B2011.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 314px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E is based on the 1905 Ordnance Survey map of Exeter combined with an aerial view of the same area today. The location of the almshouses and chapel are highlighted in red. The approximate extent of the canonry in the 13th century is highlighted in purple. As can be seen, the almshouses occupied by far the smaller portion of the site, although the state of the ruins today gives the opposite impression as so little of the canonry has survived (only two large fireplaces, a couple of windows and a fragment of wall).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESt Catherine's Almshouses \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E and \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E  were founded c1450 by Dr John Stevens, a Canon Residentiary of the  cathedral. The almshouses were dedicated to St Catherine and were  designed originally to house thirteen poor men nominated to reside there  by the cathedral's Dean and Chapter. Fortunately the original petition  made by Canon Stevens to found the almshouses still survives. In the  petition he states that he had bought \"a parcel of ground, void at the  time of purchase and not built upon, adjoining to the closure of [the]  cathedral church\". The almshouses and chapel appear to have been constructed in 1458.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-oavkTwTxkCE\/TxGl_i61Q0I\/AAAAAAAADpM\/Pd1LJ1zK610\/s1600\/St%2BCath%2BAlms.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697517514724295490\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-oavkTwTxkCE\/TxGl_i61Q0I\/AAAAAAAADpM\/Pd1LJ1zK610\/s400\/St%2BCath%2BAlms.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 327px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EWriting in 1915, Lega-Weekes described the medieval almshouses as \"a  picturesque low building of red sandstone, with a bold curve in its  walling, instead of a sharp angle, as it turns the corner of Catherine  and Chapel Streets, an irregular roof, or group of roofs, a stone arched  doorway, and diminutive stone windows, some arched and moulded, some  oblong and plain chamfered\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe entire complex was constructed from the local red sandstone known as  Heavitree breccia, with dressed blocks of purple volcanic trap used for  mouldings around the doors and windows as well as for the fireplaces. Entry into the almshouses was through an arched doorway via Catherine Street. A covered passageway led through into a small courtyard, possibly with external stairs leading to the rooms on the second floor, with a rectangular well built into the north face of the first courtyard. A further passageway led to another small courtyard, with yet more small cells built around the sides, in the centre of which was the oratory\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E,\u003C\/span\u003E a chapel dedicated St Catherine and constructed as place of worship for the almshouses' residents.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-YIPg523iW0o\/TxGn4aySJwI\/AAAAAAAADpY\/BtyQvQxjCyg\/s1600\/St%2BCatherine%2BChapel_1915.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"514\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697519591305127682\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-YIPg523iW0o\/TxGn4aySJwI\/AAAAAAAADpY\/BtyQvQxjCyg\/s640\/St%2BCatherine%2BChapel_1915.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAccording to Jenkins writing in 1806 the chapel had a vaulted roof and a stone crypt under the floor. The roof was of the waggon variety, built of oak, but there seems to have been little evidence of a stone crypt. A single bell hung at the western end. (One interesting suggestion has been made by Richard Parker and Anthony Collings. It's possible that the building referred to by Jenkins as a 'chapel' wasn't the almshouse chapel at all but a quite different building associated with the adjacent canonry and which might well have had a crypt under the floor.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-mW2mMbXMRro\/TxGorj0M27I\/AAAAAAAADpk\/6Rcjwz4fVNk\/s1600\/15th%2Bcentury%2Bfireplace%2BAlmshouses.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697520469902416818\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-mW2mMbXMRro\/TxGorj0M27I\/AAAAAAAADpk\/6Rcjwz4fVNk\/s400\/15th%2Bcentury%2Bfireplace%2BAlmshouses.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"273\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe chapel is believed to have been originally divided horizontally, creating two separate rooms, the upper room accessed via an internal staircase.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E shows the side wall of the chapel inset into which are two external doors. One gave access into the ground floor chapel and the other gave access to the staircase leading to the upper floor. On the ground floor was the altar with an elaborate traceried window at the east end. In the south wall, near the altar, were the remains of a piscina, used for washing the communion vessels.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENear the entrance in the exterior wall was a stoup for keeping holy water. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove \u003C\/span\u003Eshows a very rare view of the interior of the chapel c1915. The traceried lower east window is to the right, the arched entrance door visible to the left.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E above left \u003C\/span\u003Eshows the remains of one of the surviving mid-15th century fireplaces. In 1806 Jenkins found the chapel 'much desecrated' and used as a carpenter's workshop. It seems to have been used for domestic purposes throughout the 19th century until both the chapel and the almshouses were restored by Lady Hotham in 1894 and given over to the Church Army as a hostel for the destitute. The 'Exeter Flying Post' reported in January 1894 that, during the restoration of the chapel, \"many of the architectural features are being brought to light which have long been hidden\", including \"the interesting old open roof\" which was \"in a good state of preservation\". The report concludes with the confident expectation that \"the little chapel will be an addition to the attractions of Exeter, worthy of the highly historic neighbourhood in which it stands.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDuring the Baedeker Raid on Exeter in May 1942 the medieval almshouses and chapel were gutted by fire, leaving only the walls remaining. The city council, rigorously following its ideology of refusing to restore or reconstruct Exeter's most important war-damaged buildings, decided to retain the ruins as a memorial to those killed during the bombing raid, although there's no significant mention of the city's casualties anywhere on the site.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-L7lDK6mGGGU\/TxGwNHlFUEI\/AAAAAAAADpw\/Ego96u4R5Z8\/s1600\/Almshouse_Ruins_1942.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"395\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697528743019761730\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-L7lDK6mGGGU\/TxGwNHlFUEI\/AAAAAAAADpw\/Ego96u4R5Z8\/s640\/Almshouse_Ruins_1942.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThomas Sharp in 'Exeter Phoenix', his published report for the reconstruction of Exeter after World War Two, stated that the almshouses and the adjoining Country House Inn (containing parts of the medieval canonry) were less damaged than the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/medieval-college-of-vicars-choral-at.html\"\u003EHall of the Vicars Choral\u003C\/a\u003E in South Street but were \"nevertheless so far ruined that restoration would amount to rebuilding - and that would mean that the buildings would lose both their worth and their significance\". Sharp advocated leaving the ruins \"more or less as they are now\". Unfortunately the ruins of the almshouses weren't left more or less as they were then, and far more remained of the ruined buildings in 1942 than is currently visible today. Photographs taken after the war, such as that shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E,\u003C\/span\u003E prove that the walls of the almshouses survived up to roof height.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-mSHrWvOg6Sg\/TxGxbyMf_gI\/AAAAAAAADp8\/rX_dJJij0Qo\/s1600\/Alms%2BRemains.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"434\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697530094489173506\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-mSHrWvOg6Sg\/TxGxbyMf_gI\/AAAAAAAADp8\/rX_dJJij0Qo\/s640\/Alms%2BRemains.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOne wonders why, given the then extensive nature of the remains, the almshouses weren't simply refitted with a roof and floors and put back into use. At least a year after the Blitz, the city council embarked on a process  of making the ruins 'safe' and in doing so demolished most of the  still-standing structure. Their current appearance \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E is nothing more than the product of extremely brutal tidying up after 1942. The ruins today are scrappy and incoherent, and not particularly impressive. Complete reconstruction of the almshouse complex was always a possibility but it never seems to have been considered.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne interesting consequence of the destruction was the archaeological excavation which took place after the Second World War. It found the remains of a large Roman house with significant fragments of a tessellated pavement dating to the 4th century AD. It was originally the floor of a corridor which connected a range of rooms and perhaps came from a Roman workshop at Dorchester in Dorset where similar examples have been found. The mosaic \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E was recovered and it is now on display at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter. The remains of St Catherine's Almshouses have been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-bZlKBY_JGB8\/TxGylpWd0pI\/AAAAAAAADqI\/zQ7LX329L68\/s1600\/Mosaic%2BCatherine%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697531363425374866\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-bZlKBY_JGB8\/TxGylpWd0pI\/AAAAAAAADqI\/zQ7LX329L68\/s1600\/Mosaic%2BCatherine%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5944465338876526975\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5944465338876526975","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5944465338876526975"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5944465338876526975"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/st-catherines-almshouses-catherine.html","title":"St Catherine's Chapel and Almshouses, Catherine Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-PDGSM90dH-k\/TxGaAWQeOeI\/AAAAAAAADo0\/42-zlKlDSaU\/s72-c\/St%2BCatherine%2BAlmshouses%2Bremains%2BExeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4655937018913578945"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-26T00:35:00.044+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2014-11-12T15:06:45.779+00:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Deller's Cafe"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inns and Taverns"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Half Moon Inn, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-39LWTkW-32k\/TxCwqXI9kiI\/AAAAAAAADlc\/OsoBDOXjY1M\/s1600\/Half%2BMoon%2BInn%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-39LWTkW-32k\/TxCwqXI9kiI\/AAAAAAAADlc\/OsoBDOXjY1M\/s1600\/Half%2BMoon%2BInn%2BExeter.jpg\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697247770436276770\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn the 18th century over 370 coaches left Exeter every week, destined for London, Bath and Bristol. For over two centuries, along with the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/new-london-inn-new-london-inn-square.html\"\u003ENew London Inn\u003C\/a\u003E, the London Inn and the Mermaid, the Half Moon \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E was one of the principal coaching inns in the city. Coaching inns differed from taverns in as much as they supplied teams of horses for stagecoaches and mail coaches and often acted as points of departure in the way that modern railway stations do today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Rk_uS5oItFA\/TxCxkmizOwI\/AAAAAAAADlo\/PoXcQB41EZE\/s1600\/Half%2BMoon%2B1905%2B2011.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Rk_uS5oItFA\/TxCxkmizOwI\/AAAAAAAADlo\/PoXcQB41EZE\/s400\/Half%2BMoon%2B1905%2B2011.jpg\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697248771003595522\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"302\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Half Moon at Exeter stood on the corner of the High Street and Bedford Street and dated from the 1680s, a direct consequence of the increased traffic between Exeter and other large cities across England. At the time of its demolition at least, it was huge; a rambling, sprawling establishment which covered the entire site, extending from its main entrance on the High Street all the way back to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E. The stables and the coachhouses were all located on the other side of Catherine Street in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/one-thousand-years-in-egypt-lane.html\"\u003EEgypt Lane\u003C\/a\u003E, and following the demise of horse and carriage as a means of transport it became a very popular hotel.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the location and extent of the Half Moon in 1905 overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area. The inn is highlighted in red. The site of the ancient New Inn is highlighted in purple. St Stephen's church is highlighted in yellow. The building labeled 'Savings Bank' marked the beginning of Bedford Circus and is shown to the far right in the photograph at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post. The  area was affected by bombing in World War Two and during the post-war rebuilding Bedford Street was realigned the west.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's easier to write about the people who used the inn than it is to write about the building itself as so little architectural evidence survives. The Half Moon wasn't just a hostelry, it was also  frequently used as an auction house and as a place for social  gatherings. For example, in 1824 the governors and benefactors of  Exeter's hospital \"proceeded to the Half Moon Inn\" to celebrate the  hospital's foundation in 1741 and where \"an elegant dinner was  provided\"; and in 1842 a \"grand dinner\" took place at the Half Moon with  a guest list which included \"Magistrates, Members of the Council,  Gentry and respectable inhabitants of Exeter\". These are two of many  dozens of 19th century examples that were deemed worthy of mention in  Trewman's 'Exeter Flying Post'.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lQB7tjex-Tw\/TxC_RwSHDGI\/AAAAAAAADmA\/V2ZAU4MgFGw\/s1600\/Half%2BMoon%2BHotel%2B1910.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lQB7tjex-Tw\/TxC_RwSHDGI\/AAAAAAAADmA\/V2ZAU4MgFGw\/s400\/Half%2BMoon%2BHotel%2B1910.jpg\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697263840363220066\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 363px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn the 1850s the Half Moon was run by William Routley and later by  Robert Pople, later to be thrice mayor of Exeter. In October 1868 Pople  moved on to the New London Inn and the licence for the Half Moon was  transferred to Thomas Gardner. Gardner, originally from London, had  already taken out a lease on the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/devon-and-exeter-subscription-rooms.html\"\u003ERoyal Subscription Rooms\u003C\/a\u003E and was to remain at the Half Moon until the 1880s. Like both Routley and Pople before him, Thomas Gardner was a  Freemason and a member of the city's St John the Baptist Lodge. Masonic  dinners at the Half Moon were regular occurrences throughout the 1800s.  In 1856 a \"Grand Masonic meeting\" took place at the inn, for which \"the  large Masonic room was adorned with laurels and other evergreens\".  Another report from 1872 recorded that \"the brethren adjourned to the  Half Moon Hotel, where a sumptuous banquet was served by Brother  Gardner\". In 1871 Gardner turned one of the rooms into a billiard room.  This room was described at the time as being \"lofty, the ceiling  beautifully and richly moulded, and the sides are most elaborately  adorned\". This must've been one of the rooms which still contained  late-17th century plasterwork decoration. One  interesting historical event occurred at the Half Moon in August 1882 when  Gilbert and Sullivan met in the coffee room of the Half Moon to discuss the finale of Act One of 'Iolanthe'. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-WBFqvn5plaU\/TxDAJA8b_BI\/AAAAAAAADmM\/it0ZzdOuopE\/s1600\/Half_Moon%2BHedgeland.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-WBFqvn5plaU\/TxDAJA8b_BI\/AAAAAAAADmM\/it0ZzdOuopE\/s400\/Half_Moon%2BHedgeland.jpg\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697264789728525330\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 299px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EMuch less is known about the building itself. It was certainly established by the 1680s but it is impossible to say how much of the 17th century structure survived into the 20th century. James Cossins in his 1877 'Reminscences' stated that in 1827 the Half Moon \"had a very different appearance\". We can only guess as to what the building's original appearance was like before it received its 19th century makeover.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs shown in the image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council, for most of the 19th century the street frontage was three-bays wide and spread over four floors with tiered oriel windows extending from first-floor level to a modillion cornice. The third-floor windows were crowned with triangular pediments. In the centre of the ground floor was an open passageway through which it was possible to access a central courtyard. This stucco facade was only dated to c1830 though. Presumably the late-17th century version was smaller with a gabled, timber-framed facade. I'm not aware of any illustrations showing the exterior of the inn prior to its modernisation. A building on the same site is shown on Caleb Hedgeland's early 19th century model which depicts the city as it appeared in 1769. This building, highlighted in red \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E, stands on the corner of Bedford Street and the High Street but it would be unwise to assume that it's an accurate representation in miniature of the Half Moon itself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-qceKCK1On_w\/TxDCmBLkSPI\/AAAAAAAADmY\/G_RyT7M5bmY\/s1600\/DSCF1130.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-qceKCK1On_w\/TxDCmBLkSPI\/AAAAAAAADmY\/G_RyT7M5bmY\/s640\/DSCF1130.jpg\" height=\"431\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697267487031445746\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOne notable architectural feature of the Half Moon which has been documented though were several fine late-17th century plasterwork decorative ceilings and these survived up until the building's demolition in 1912. In terms of style they were similar to the great 'Apollo' ceiling at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/nos-25-26-high-street-new-inn.html\"\u003Ethe New Inn\u003C\/a\u003E, a few properties further down the High Street towards \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Stephen's church\u003C\/a\u003E. Although simpler in design, it's possible that the ceilings at the Half Moon were the work of Thomas Lane, the craftsman responsible for the ceiling at the New Inn in 1689. It's bizarre that Harbottle Reed could write retrospectively in 1931 that the Half Moon \"did not appear to have much of interest\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Half Moon inn was demolished in 1912 to make way for Lloyd's bank and the extraordinary neo-Baroque, quasi-Jacobean, Art Nouveau-inspired \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/dellers-cafe-bedford-street.html\"\u003EDeller's Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E. No record was made of the building as it was being destroyed and so most of its structural history is now lost for ever. The Royal Albert Memorial Museum managed to salvage some of the plasterwork ceilings during the demolition and one of them can still be seen at the museum today \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E. It's ironic that, if the inn hadn't been demolished and the ceilings salvaged, then they would've been completely destroyed in the bombing of May 1942. During the post-war reconstruction the alignment of Bedford Street was significantly altered and the site of the Half Moon inn, and later Deller's Cafe, is now actually in the middle of Bedford Street itself \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gdn16p_zTQo\/TxDEa8_zpyI\/AAAAAAAADmk\/VaSpxWFU3MY\/s1600\/Bedford%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gdn16p_zTQo\/TxDEa8_zpyI\/AAAAAAAADmk\/VaSpxWFU3MY\/s640\/Bedford%2BStreet.jpg\" height=\"442\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697269495953073954\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4655937018913578945\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4655937018913578945","title":"8 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4655937018913578945"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4655937018913578945"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/half-moon-inn-high-street.html","title":"The Half Moon Inn, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-39LWTkW-32k\/TxCwqXI9kiI\/AAAAAAAADlc\/OsoBDOXjY1M\/s72-c\/Half%2BMoon%2BInn%2BExeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"8"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-1214436392443961654"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-23T00:44:00.049+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-10T00:40:38.347+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cathedral Close"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Cathedral"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Saxon Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"West Quarter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"St Mary Major, Cathedral Yard"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-AlMtx0SqhIk\/Tu-kPa6mylI\/AAAAAAAAC04\/cz2Dr9ksSag\/s1600\/StMaryMajor.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687945439222352466\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-AlMtx0SqhIk\/Tu-kPa6mylI\/AAAAAAAAC04\/cz2Dr9ksSag\/s1600\/StMaryMajor.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThis site of St Mary Major, shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E c1850, must count as one of the most fantastically historical places in the entire city. Before its removal in the 1970s, there had been a church of some form at this exact location for more than 1300 years, over three centuries older than the foundation of the Cathedral itself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe story begins with the fall of the Roman Empire and the Roman withdrawal from the British Isles in the early 5th century. Very little is known about the immediate post-Roman period in Exeter, once a major Romano-British city. Given the city's strategic location, and the fact that it was walled around with massive Roman \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Estone defences\u003C\/a\u003E, it seems likely that a small community of Romano-British and Celts remained living at Exeter even after the Roman political and social infrastructure collapsed. It's easy to imagine people living amidst the crumbling city walls of Exeter, establishing their own way of life as the great Roman public buildings slowly collapsed around them and the weeds and the grass reclaimed the stone-paved streets and mosaic floors. Bits of the these old Roman buildings have sometimes turned up in later Anglo-Saxon structures e.g. part of the wall of the Anglo-Saxon \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/st-georges-church-south-street.html\"\u003Echurch of St George\u003C\/a\u003E in South Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ocOjVZNzVa4\/Tu-vd3xrPnI\/AAAAAAAAC1E\/8vYmxL48Sc0\/s1600\/53%2BHigh%2BStreet%2Bstatue.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687957782115597938\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-ocOjVZNzVa4\/Tu-vd3xrPnI\/AAAAAAAAC1E\/8vYmxL48Sc0\/s400\/53%2BHigh%2BStreet%2Bstatue.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 309px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EWhat is certain is that sometime in the 7th century, after the Saxons had arrived in Devon and settled at Exeter, an early Christian monastery was founded in the city. There are very persuasive historical and archaeological reasons for believing that the monastery's minster stood on the site of what would later become the parish church of St Mary Major. It was at this monastery that St Boniface, the patron saint of Germany and the first archbishop of Mainz, was educated c680 AD. The monastery was refounded in c930 AD by the Anglo-Saxon King Athelstan. The monastery buildings were rebuilt in 1018 by King Canute after they were destroyed by the Danish king, Sweyn Forkbeard, during an exceptionally destructive raid in 1003.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd then something extraordinary happened to Exeter just five decades later in 1050: Edward the Confessor granted a request from Bishop Leofric \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E to move the episcopal seat from Crediton to the larger, more secure settlement of Exeter. In one stroke Exeter became a cathedral city. Leofric was enthroned as the first Bishop of Exeter in the Saxon minster of St Mary and St Peter in the presence of Edward the Confessor himself. The minster building became Exeter's first cathedral, a status it held through the Norman Conquest of 1066 until \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/brief-history-of-exeter-cathedral.html\"\u003Ethe construction of a new Romanesque cathedral\u003C\/a\u003E began in 1112 on a site slightly east of the minster.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EArchaeological excavations in the 1970s uncovered the remains of a large Saxon building on the same alignment as St Mary Major near the West front of the present-day cathedral. Pre-Saxon burials discovered during the excavations indicated that there was a cemetery, and possibly a church, here even before the 7th century. If true it would make the site of St Mary Major the oldest Christian site in Exeter. Even more remarkable is the fact that the Saxon minster was constructed on top of a 2nd century Roman basilica, which was itself constructed on top of a Roman legionary bath house which was built a thousand years before the present cathedral was even started.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith the completion of the new cathedral in c1220 the ancient minster  was reduced both in size and status and became known simply as the  parish church of St Mary Major. And that is how it remained for another  800 years. The church, despite being downgraded from its cathedral status in the 12th century, had one of the largest medieval parishes in Exeter. Only the parish of St Sidwell to the east of the city and lying outside the city walls was larger.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-_o6ZLh_44oY\/UVtCnPji62I\/AAAAAAAAGJM\/d6fEaIOKdfw\/s1600\/St+Mary+Major+PM+1905.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-_o6ZLh_44oY\/UVtCnPji62I\/AAAAAAAAGJM\/d6fEaIOKdfw\/s640\/St+Mary+Major+PM+1905.jpg\" width=\"488\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E left\u003C\/span\u003E is based on the medieval parish boundary of St Mary Major and combines a modern aerial view of the area with a street plan from 1905. It shows just what a large part of Exeter's city centre was covered by the parish.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe boundary extended from the church in the north, across South Street and down to the city wall at West Street, encompassing nearly all of the ancient West Quarter. The West Quarter was once the home to many of Exeter's richest medieval  and Tudor citizens and a large number of their properties survived until  they were demolished for slum clearances in the early 20th century. In  fact most of the buildings which existed in the parish in 1900 have  since been destroyed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe highlighted sites on the image show only those properties which fell within the parish boundary of St Mary Major. The buildings highlighted in purple are the only ones that still survive which pre-date 1905. The sites highlighted in red show areas that have been demolished since 1905. Bomb damage during the Exeter Blitz of 1942 destroyed the highlighted areas in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/06\/brief-history-of-south-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESouth Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2012\/02\/destruction-of-sun-street.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESun Street\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2011\/08\/destruction-of-guinea-street_20.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EGuinea Street\u003C\/a\u003E but the most of the other destruction took place as a consequence of slum clearances, post-war redevelopment and the construction of the inner bypass in the 1960s and 1970s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-EJMTS8TmrMM\/Twcsr1pBKsI\/AAAAAAAADEc\/a9uOOKMO4vQ\/s1600\/Hedgeland%2BMary%2BMajor.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694569385478400706\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-EJMTS8TmrMM\/Twcsr1pBKsI\/AAAAAAAADEc\/a9uOOKMO4vQ\/s1600\/Hedgeland%2BMary%2BMajor.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E is a detail from Hedgeland's great \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\"\u003Ewooden model of Exeter\u003C\/a\u003E showing the city as it appeared in 1769. St Mary Major is highlighted in red. The west front of the cathedral is to the left. Also visible is the turreted \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/broad-gate-at-broadgate_16.html\"\u003EBroad Gate\u003C\/a\u003E, the ceremonial entrance into the cathedral precinct from the High Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe church had several names, including St Mary Moor and St Mary Michel, the latter derived perhaps from the Saxon word 'mickle' meaning 'great'; but it was generally known as St Mary Major, either a reflection on the size of its parish or a comment on what was a large medieval building. The name also helped to distinguish the church from St Mary Steps and St Mary Arches. The church had clearly been added to and altered over the centuries, but its most distinctive feature was its enormous western tower, described by Jenkins in 1806 as a \"singular construction\" which had the appearance of a \"keep of an ancient castle\". Yet another name the church went by was St Mary of the Tower. Jenkins, along with others, seems to think that this tower was part of the Saxon minster. The rounded staircases on the exterior of the tower walls were a feature of Saxon church towers. If the tower wasn't pre-Conquest then it dated from soon afterwards, and was almost certainly built before the new cathedral was begun c1114.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-nR1no4JTDxk\/TwcwNW6SiqI\/AAAAAAAADEo\/NSxXH-6zh0s\/s1600\/Mary%2BMajor%2B1744.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694573259879778978\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-nR1no4JTDxk\/TwcwNW6SiqI\/AAAAAAAADEo\/NSxXH-6zh0s\/s640\/Mary%2BMajor%2B1744.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"466\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EJenkins reported that internally the church consisted only of a nave, without side aisles or supporting columns. The nave seems to have dated from the reign of Edward III as Bishop Grandisson rededicated the high altar in 1336. According to Jenkins the chancel at the East end was accessed via a \"lofty Gothic arch\", the chancel being \"of a more ancient date than the body of the church\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe chancel was also accessible from outside through an entrance in the north wall. (A rare photograph of the medieval chancel can be seen \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.fr\/2012\/06\/chancel-of-st-mary-major.html\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.) Until the middle of the 19th century the south and west walls of the church were almost completely obscured by the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/medieval-college-of-vicars-choral-at.html\"\u003ECollege of the Vicars Choral\u003C\/a\u003E at Kalendarhay. In 1768 a survey was undertaken that showed the tower in a state of some dilapidation, \"in danger of falling\" and \"greatly overhanging the base\". To remedy this potentially disastrous development, 35ft of the upper courses were removed and a cupola built to hold the bell. The unusual image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E is from Rocque's 1744 map of Exeter and shows the full height of the tower prior to its reduction. The tower was originally topped by a spire and a weather vane, both of which had to be repaired in 1567 following a violent storm. This weather vane caused all sorts of problems for a famous Royal visitor to the city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-V2XtvUdQ1QM\/TwcxEKe-8KI\/AAAAAAAADE0\/c6jYUlioTOA\/s1600\/Rood%2BScreen%2BSt%2BMary%2BMajor.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694574201436827810\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-V2XtvUdQ1QM\/TwcxEKe-8KI\/AAAAAAAADE0\/c6jYUlioTOA\/s1600\/Rood%2BScreen%2BSt%2BMary%2BMajor.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn October 1501 the Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon, the first but not the last of the wives of Henry VIII, spent the night in the nearby Deanery on her way from Plymouth to meet her first husband, Henry's brother, Prince Arthur. The weather was foul and a great storm raged over the city, and as the wind blew the weather vane whistled and squealed as it spun upon the spire of St Mary Major. Unable to sleep, the future Queen ordered the weather vane to be removed and a servant was sent up the steeple in the middle of the storm to take it down. It was replaced after she'd left but apparently the spire met its end in 1580 when yet another storm sent it crashing to the ground.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-uYdfqyTnjfQ\/Tu-zpElmHOI\/AAAAAAAAC2Y\/1aTM3N3HSIQ\/s1600\/Rood%2BScreen%2BSt%2BMary%2BMajor.jpg\"\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBy the mid-19th century the church was in need of repair. The exterior stone walls, covered with plaster, needed frequent coats of whitewash and much work was required on the roof. In 1865 it was decided to demolish the church completely and replace it with a new one. To quote Beatrix Cresswell, \"the complete rebuilding of this church in 1865-1867 [was] one of the many regrettable well-intentioned mistakes from which our parish churches suffered during the last century under the name of 'improvement', a word which covers a multitude of sins.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VEvmpTfhI2A\/TwcyST9OsMI\/AAAAAAAADFA\/_vQLifHLSB8\/s1600\/Mary%2BMajor.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694575544009404610\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VEvmpTfhI2A\/TwcyST9OsMI\/AAAAAAAADFA\/_vQLifHLSB8\/s1600\/Mary%2BMajor.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAlmost everything was demolished, the 900-year-old tower, the chancel, the windows, the spiral staircases, the windows, the roof, the floor. It was one of the most important historic buildings in Exeter's 2000 year history and it was swept away without any regard to its great antiquity at all.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe foundation stone of the new building was laid on Monday 05 March 1866. The new church was situated slightly further west than its medieval predecessor so as to improve the view of the Cathedral.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs far as I know only two pieces of decoration survive from the medieval church: a small piece of carved stone representing the martyrdom of St Lawrence upon a gridiron which had been in the set into the outer wall near the east porch and part of the exceptionally fine medieval rood screen, part of which was removed to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/st-mary-steps-church-west-street.html\"\u003ESt Mary Steps\u003C\/a\u003E and part of which remained in the rebuilt church of St Mary Major \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E. Everything else was destroyed. The Victorian replacement \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E never seems to have been popular and was regarded as worthy but dull  almost from the moment it was built. Someone said that the replacement church was only 'Major' as an architectural disaster.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAt the laying of the foundation stone in 1865 the mayor announced that the new church would be \"a permanent ornament to the city\". In fact it barely lasted a century. In 1971 it was itself demolished  and the 1400-year history of St Mary Major came to a close. (The remaining two bays of the medieval screen were relocated to the parish church at Offwell.) Today the only sign that there was ever a church on the site is the cross that once sat upon the steeple of the Victorian replacement, set into a grassy area in the Cathedral Yard \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E. The late-19th century statue of Leofric, holding a model of the Romanesque cathedral in his right hand, sits high up on the facade of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/11\/no-53-high-street-tudor-revival.html\"\u003ENo. 53 High Street\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--qCpQMFQXzA\/Tu-1VvAxSvI\/AAAAAAAAC28\/OuWINu9F8Zs\/s1600\/Cross.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687964239393802994\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--qCpQMFQXzA\/Tu-1VvAxSvI\/AAAAAAAAC28\/OuWINu9F8Zs\/s640\/Cross.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"459\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1214436392443961654\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=1214436392443961654","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1214436392443961654"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/1214436392443961654"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html","title":"St Mary Major, Cathedral Yard"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-AlMtx0SqhIk\/Tu-kPa6mylI\/AAAAAAAAC04\/cz2Dr9ksSag\/s72-c\/StMaryMajor.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-7099234404674421035"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-21T17:29:00.026+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-03T00:29:10.317+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Guildhall Shopping Centre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Saxon Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Slum Clearance"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"St Paul's Church, Paul Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-nyrd5Jx1Buw\/TxNnaNsBtFI\/AAAAAAAAD8s\/Q3NVujH8RWs\/s1600\/StPaulsChurch%2B1926%2Bii%2B%2Bresized%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"393\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698011653602391122\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-nyrd5Jx1Buw\/TxNnaNsBtFI\/AAAAAAAAD8s\/Q3NVujH8RWs\/s400\/StPaulsChurch%2B1926%2Bii%2B%2Bresized%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe  fate of the medieval parish of St Paul provides an object lesson in how to destroy a centuries-old part of a historic city which  had survived into the 20th century. A significant area of the parish, which contained many of Exeter's surviving timber-framed houses, was \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html\"\u003Esystematically demolished\u003C\/a\u003E in the early decades of the 20th century. Much of the rest was pulled down in the 1970s for the construction of the Guildhall Shopping Centre.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESt Paul's was one of the  larger parishes in Exeter, and although the name of the church itself  doesn't appear in records until 1222 it's likely that there was a  church on this site since at least the time of the Conquest in 1066. Of  particular interest was the fact that the St Paul to whom the church was  dedicated appears to have been the Celtic saint St Pol, the 6th century  bishop of Leon in Brittany, also called St Paul Aurelian, rather than  St Paul the Apostle of Tarsus from the New Testament.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-eIfA4GlcdDs\/TxNosp_otyI\/AAAAAAAAD84\/S0VdBnzCPKQ\/s1600\/St%2BPaul_Exeter_1587.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698013069950105378\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-eIfA4GlcdDs\/TxNosp_otyI\/AAAAAAAAD84\/S0VdBnzCPKQ\/s400\/St%2BPaul_Exeter_1587.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 321px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe map detail \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E  shows the parish of St Paul in 1587, the church highlighted in red. The building is shown with a square tower surmounted by a short spire, or pyramidal roof, and with a  cross, about halfway down Paul Street on the right at the junction of Paul  Street with \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E. The \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Ecity wall\u003C\/a\u003E is shown curving round towards Rougemont Castle to the left. As far as I know, this is the only existing depiction of the medieval church building. Three other parish churches are shown in the same image: St Pancras, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/st-kerrians-north-street.html\"\u003ESt Kerrian\u003C\/a\u003E and, at the bottom, the spire and tower of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-arches-mary-arches.html\"\u003ESt Mary Arches\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWriting at the  beginning of the 19th century, Jenkins states that this \"ancient church  was dark, mean and in a ruinous state\". The medieval church was  probably a 15th century version of a Norman building, itself a  replacement of an even earlier Saxon structure. The dedication to St  Paul in Paul Street was of such great antiquity that it's possible that  the church was dedicated by St Paul Aurelian himself in the 6th century,  a simple wooden building being the original church.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnyway, that's all  supposition. As Jenkins says, the medieval church was demolished at  the end of the 17th century and a \"handsome  edifice, consisting of a nave and gallery\" \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council was built upon the same site. Work began on the replacement structure in 1680 and was completed with the construction of the tower in 1693. The finished church was the only Italianate parish church ever built in Exeter and was a startling contrast to the rough-stone red breccia 15th century parish churches which were once scattered throughout the city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-4MGQYeS8tWA\/TxNsf8UJKII\/AAAAAAAAD9E\/FrK3eqa41ms\/s1600\/St%2BPaul%2BHedgeland.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698017249576167554\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-4MGQYeS8tWA\/TxNsf8UJKII\/AAAAAAAAD9E\/FrK3eqa41ms\/s1600\/St%2BPaul%2BHedgeland.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe late-17th century church is accurately depicted in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\"\u003EHedgeland's early 19th century wooden model of the city\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright, \u003C\/span\u003Ehighlighted in red and still surrounded with the houses of its parish.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe church was built to a simple rectangular design, with entry via Goldsmith Street through an arched doorway under the western bell tower. Jenkins describes the tower as being \"square and ornamented with a Dial, a handsome niche, and festoons of flowers; the Tower contains a clock and one bell, and on its summit is a small spire supporting a gilt weather-cock\". The arches in the doorways was repeated in the high windows, the exterior walls rendered to leave only the quoins exposed at the corners. The single bell commemorated the restoration of the 'Templum Divi Pauli' in 1693 and had a coin of that year set into it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAccording to Jenkins there was a small churchyard attached which was probably part of the footprint of the medieval church and which, in order to obtain the symmetry of its 17th century successor, was not used in the rebuilding of the 1680s. Beatrix Cresswell visited the church in 1908 and recorded seeing a \"great many floor slabs and mural tablets\" inside, the most impressive being the white marble monument \"of angels, broken columns and decorations\" dedicated to the memory Sir Edward Seaward, a former mayor of the city in 1691. There were dozens of other memorials with a massive black marble font standing under the tower.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs architecture it was not perhaps of enormous merit, but as visual  evidence for historical continuity it was invaluable. The slum  clearances in Paul Street in the first two decades of the 20th century  saw many of the residents of the parish displaced to other areas. With  most of its parishioners gone there was no need for the church itself  and so the Bishop of Exeter ordered its total demolition in 1936.  Hoskins described it as \"a delightful little seventeenth century  building that was wantonly destroyed\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-cO_Hr4XVjv4\/TxNtp4wjeMI\/AAAAAAAAD9Q\/uOs_JBKdVrc\/s1600\/Paul%2BStreet%2BDemolition%2BWCSL.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"462\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698018519931910338\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-cO_Hr4XVjv4\/TxNtp4wjeMI\/AAAAAAAAD9Q\/uOs_JBKdVrc\/s640\/Paul%2BStreet%2BDemolition%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"margin-top: 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe extraordinary photograph \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E © Devon County Council shows the demolition of medieval houses in Paul Street c1915, with the tower of St Paul's visible in the background on the other side of the road. The church was to suffer the same fate as the houses just 20 years later. For over 1000 years a church on this site had provided a focus for an entire community of parishioners, through the Norman Conquest, the Black Death, the Wars of the Roses, the Reformation, the English Civil War and Inter-regnum (during which the medieval church was purchased by its own parishioners), throughout the 18th century into the Industrial revolution, through the reigns of every monarch from William the Conqueror to George the Fifth in the 1930s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-rrdTvC5npq0\/UVtnUI9AVVI\/AAAAAAAAGJg\/-IHiAcoDPhk\/s1600\/St+Paul+PM+1905.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"490\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-rrdTvC5npq0\/UVtnUI9AVVI\/AAAAAAAAGJg\/-IHiAcoDPhk\/s640\/St+Paul+PM+1905.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E   is based on St Paul's medieval parish boundary, which dated to 1222. It combines a modern aerial view of the parish with a street plan of Exeter from 1905. Only those buildings that existed within the parish boundary in 1905 have been highlighted. The properties highlighted in purple are the only ones still standing. All the areas in red have been demolished since 1905. The area cleared in the 1910s and 1920s, which contained the oldest and most historically important structures, is to the north-west of Paul Street, bounded on one side by the city wall. The buildings on the south side of Paul Street and those in Goldsmith Street were demolished in the mid-1960s for the construction of the Guildhall Shopping Centre. This was an area which remained entirely unaffected by bombing during the World War Two apart from some light damage in the north-eastern corner.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe site of St Paul's Church today is smothered by the vast and monstrous bulk of the 1970s' Guildhall Shopping Centre.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-6pg04teANzU\/TxNv4GX-asI\/AAAAAAAAD9c\/Ot6KBqVqXaI\/s1600\/IMGP0234.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"433\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698020963128339138\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-6pg04teANzU\/TxNv4GX-asI\/AAAAAAAAD9c\/Ot6KBqVqXaI\/s640\/IMGP0234.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TMC6CiwQVEI\/AAAAAAAAAeY\/TKTw99i2zmE\/s1600\/Paul+Street+1911+WCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/7099234404674421035\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=7099234404674421035","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7099234404674421035"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7099234404674421035"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/parish-and-church-of-st-paul_21.html","title":"St Paul's Church, Paul Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-nyrd5Jx1Buw\/TxNnaNsBtFI\/AAAAAAAAD8s\/Q3NVujH8RWs\/s72-c\/StPaulsChurch%2B1926%2Bii%2B%2Bresized%2BWCSL.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-7755914936612415819"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-19T23:00:00.052+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-30T21:57:56.672+00:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Southernhay"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Dix's Field: \"Only Ruin, not Annihilation\""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-7mXS3VYCDuw\/TxAqSDjtSmI\/AAAAAAAADjA\/T3zmAeDKUAQ\/s1600\/DixsField%2Bfix.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"536\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697100018304764514\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-7mXS3VYCDuw\/TxAqSDjtSmI\/AAAAAAAADjA\/T3zmAeDKUAQ\/s640\/DixsField%2Bfix.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EDix's Field \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E was another incomparable piece of Georgian Exeter: 24 red-brick townhouses designed by Matthew Nosworthy and situated in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/brief-history-of-southernhay_16.html\"\u003ESouthernhay\u003C\/a\u003E in their own private pleasure ground. Along with Bedford Circus, the terraces on Southernhay West and the incomplete Barnfield Crescent, the development at Dix's Field is often regarded as the city's finest late-Georgian architectural scheme. It was buildings like these which, according to the city's post-war town planner, Thomas Sharp, \"made Exeter an architecturally important city\". Of the original 24 houses at Dix's Field only three now remain.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Eg6tRps736Q\/Tw98o5MKZxI\/AAAAAAAADhU\/05KhdEoRItk\/s1600\/Surviving%2BHouses%2Bin%2BDix%2527s%2BField%2BExeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696909095635412754\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Eg6tRps736Q\/Tw98o5MKZxI\/AAAAAAAADhU\/05KhdEoRItk\/s400\/Surviving%2BHouses%2Bin%2BDix%2527s%2BField%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 335px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EWork started in 1805 and continued for at least 15 years on a site once belonging to William Spicer Dix of Exeter which Nosworthy picked up in 1799 after Dix was forced into bankruptcy. It was a prime location, close to the fields and orchards which still surrounded Exeter to the south-east, with its own supply of fresh water and within spitting distance of the exclusive new terraces that Nosworthy had recently completed in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/southernhay-west-southernhay.html\"\u003ESouthernhay West\u003C\/a\u003E. A house and garden already existed on the site.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy the 1820s 24 houses had been finished, a row of seven in the north terrace and a row of seventeen in the south terrace opposite. It was never completed and ten more houses were presumably planned for the northern terrace. The wide area between the two terraces was landscaped with trees and lawns, and Nosworthy himself chose to live at No. 2 Dix's Field. The photo \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E shows the three remaining houses out of the 24 built. The house at the far end was completely reconstructed after World War Two, so it could be argued that four actually remain.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-7xxRNiKCdBY\/Tw-JMBGMZNI\/AAAAAAAADh4\/V58pUB-MIWM\/s1600\/Dixs_Field_townhouse%2BExeter.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696922893192815826\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-7xxRNiKCdBY\/Tw-JMBGMZNI\/AAAAAAAADh4\/V58pUB-MIWM\/s640\/Dixs_Field_townhouse%2BExeter.JPG\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"368\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThere are several interesting differences in Nosworthy's work at Dix's Field compared with his slightly earlier 18th century townhouses in Southernhay West. Most of the houses at Dix's Field were still three bays wide and spread over five floors, although the end houses were wider with an extra bay added to the right of the entrance. But now the rusticated Coadestone surrounds of the arched entrances in Southernhay West have been replaced with a simple moulding, with white-painted wooden panelling framing the front door itself. Gone too are the decorative sculptural keystones. The white string course of Coadestone seen in Southernhay West has been raised a whole floor, dividing the second and third storeys across the entire face of each terrace, as does a light wrought-iron window guard at first-floor level.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photo\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows one of the surviving townhouses in Dix's Field. Other architectural details remain the same, such as the second smaller band of Coadestone which divided the windows and entrances at ground-floor level, the modilion cornice under the roof line, the use of arched openings for the ground floor windows, ornate fanlights over the entrance door and the cockloft windows in the roof partially hidden by a brick parapet. Despite the homogeneity of the exteriors, all the interiors were custom-designed to the wishes of the owners and so no two houses were identical.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-0aH__aRy-Xo\/Tw-J2-GX5PI\/AAAAAAAADiE\/m2oqj9vJAIo\/s1600\/No%2B1_Dixs_Field_Entrance_1920_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696923631122638066\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-0aH__aRy-Xo\/Tw-J2-GX5PI\/AAAAAAAADiE\/m2oqj9vJAIo\/s400\/No%2B1_Dixs_Field_Entrance_1920_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 294px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EGuarding the entrance into Dix's Field were two delicately wrought-iron lamp standards in the shape of an obelisk. No. 1, Dix's Field, shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E c1920 stood on the corner of Dix's Field with Southernhay East. It is just visible in the photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E to the far left. Not designed by Nosworthy, it's probable that No. 1 Dix's Field was already in existence when the first of the red-brick townhouses was built. This large Regency house from c1800 with a slightly later extension was for many years believed to be the birthplace of the Rev. Sabine Baring-Gould, a well-known Victorian antiquarian and author of the hymn 'Onward, Christian Soldiers'. It is now thought that he was actually born at Chichester Place, a nearby terrace of slightly later townhouses (his birth certificate states he was born at \"1 Chichester Place\" although there is some evidence to the contrary). Unfortunately No.1, Dix's Field was destroyed in 1942.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-hbKri8OONrM\/Tw-LOX3RXKI\/AAAAAAAADiQ\/e-sMIZSFzpQ\/s1600\/Dixs_Field_townhouse%2Brebuild.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696925132687236258\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-hbKri8OONrM\/Tw-LOX3RXKI\/AAAAAAAADiQ\/e-sMIZSFzpQ\/s640\/Dixs_Field_townhouse%2Brebuild.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"384\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt's worth repeating that before 1942 Exeter had one of the finest collections of provincial Georgian architecture in England. Today Exeter is an architecturally nondescript city, a few fragments and the cathedral excluded, but the eventual fate of Dix's Field was typical of the post-war mindset. In \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003EMay 1942\u003C\/a\u003E Dix's Field was badly damaged by incendiary fires spreading from Paris Street. The city council's conservation report for Southernhay states that, in Dix's Field, 'much was lost to bomb damage' but there's a lot more to the story than would appear on the surface.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOut of the 24 original red-brick townhouses, six survived totally unscathed, three on the south side and three on the north side. One single house was totally destroyed. Shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E the facade was, miraculously for Exeter, rebuilt relatively successfully from scratch. By far the most damaged of the townhouses it was also the only one to be restored and survives today as an illustration of what was possible if the mentality of the local authority had been different. The remaining seventeen properties were gutted by fire, losing their internal floors and roof, but with the outer walls and facades left intact.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEven Thomas Sharp, the town planner employed by the city council to create a plan for rebuilding Exeter after World War Two, suggested that 23 out of the 24 houses could have been salvaged, restored and reused (clearly he hadn't anticipated the reconstruction of the single totally destroyed property.) In his book 'Exeter Pheonix', in which he outlined his vision for the post-war city, Sharp wrote enthusiastically about the quality of Dix's Field: \"Mellow brick, cream-painted shutter-hung windows, handsome similar doorways, all repeated equally through the terraces of varying length - here was domestic building of the most civilised refinement and beauty.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-bVYKOAdMBRE\/Tw-NfY6F6PI\/AAAAAAAADic\/csWS7_g-lcE\/s1600\/Dixs%2BField%2Bmap.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696927624048535794\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-bVYKOAdMBRE\/Tw-NfY6F6PI\/AAAAAAAADic\/csWS7_g-lcE\/s400\/Dixs%2BField%2Bmap.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"301\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the extent of Dix's Field c1900 overlaid onto an aerial view of the same area today. Paris Street runs from left to right across the top of the image. The 20 townhouses which no longer exist are highlighted in red. The three surviving houses are highlighted in purple with the reconstructed house next to them at the far end of the row. The site of the Regency house at No. 1 Dix's Field is highlighted in yellow.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDespite the damage which Dix's Field sustained in 1942 Sharp supported its restoration: \"The blitz brought only ruin, not annihilation. The walls of many of the smooth-fronted finely-proportioned buildings still stand\" (as indeed they had in Bedford Circus too, although by the time Sharp surveyed the city the local authority had already pulled down all of the Circus's partially-damaged townhouses). Sharp continues: \"They are gutted, smoke-blackened, and their window voids gape open to the sky - but at least the shells remain. Here it would not be a matter of rebuilding, but of repair and rehabilitation. Restoration would be entirely justified.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe city council weren't having any of it. Aerial photographs show that the gutted shells of the houses remained standing until the late 1950s and then, in an act of gross vandalism, the city council bulldozed all of the fire-damaged properties. Thomas Sharp himself remarked that despite Exeter having such \"distinguished Georgian and Regency architecture\", the buildings were \"not once mentioned\" in the city council's pre-war guide to city. But that wasn't the end of the demolitions.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-0PDxTaM84c0\/Tw-QijUI9jI\/AAAAAAAADio\/mpsOPT06PbU\/s1600\/Dixs_Field_pastiche%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696930976916633138\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-0PDxTaM84c0\/Tw-QijUI9jI\/AAAAAAAADio\/mpsOPT06PbU\/s640\/Dixs_Field_pastiche%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe three townhouses in the southern terrace which survived were kept and are now Grade II* listed buildings (although Hugh Meller believed that they had been \"over-restored\"). The last in the row was rebuilt completely, as mentioned above. The three intact townhouses in the north terrace were also granted Grade II* listed status on account of their importance, but they weren't to be so fortunate. These three houses remained intact until 1969 when they were demolished to build the city council's headquarters: the Civic Centre. And then, having bulldozed the sixteen gutted houses of the south terrace, a cheap pastiche of three of the destroyed facades was constructed on the same spot using modern bricks! The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E shows, from right to left, the three pastiche facades, followed by the three surviving houses and finally the rebuilt house at the far end. And this is now the sum total of the Georgian remains in Dix's Field.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Cjwz0j5y3tU\/Tw-RVKUzkSI\/AAAAAAAADi0\/r_dHxdUWfLY\/s1600\/Modern%2BDix%2527s%2BField.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696931846381867298\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Cjwz0j5y3tU\/Tw-RVKUzkSI\/AAAAAAAADi0\/r_dHxdUWfLY\/s400\/Modern%2BDix%2527s%2BField.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 315px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photo\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E right\u003C\/span\u003E shows modern offices on the site of the rest of the bulldozed south terrace of Dix's Field. Note the lame attempt to imitate the Coadestone banding on the facades of the originals by using a different method of laying the bricks. Despite what is written about the 'destruction' of Exeter's city centre during World War Two, it is an undeniable fact that most, if not all, of the city's exceptional late-Georgian red-brick architecture that was damaged in 1942 could've been repaired or reconstructed afterwards:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E was damaged in 1942 and only totally destroyed afterwards.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThe two Nosworthy terraces in Southernhay West were damaged in 1942 and only totally destroyed afterwards.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDix's Field was damaged in 1942 and only totally destroyed afterwards (four houses excluded). \u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003EApart from those four houses in Dix's Field and one or two in Southernhay East, the city council's plan for the post-war city obliterated the Georgian remains of everything else.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-gNhoy5nHuLo\/TxA6FYaSa-I\/AAAAAAAADjM\/rR2qk2KqNW8\/s1600\/P9232907.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697117392750144482\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-gNhoy5nHuLo\/TxA6FYaSa-I\/AAAAAAAADjM\/rR2qk2KqNW8\/s400\/P9232907.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 311px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOn the site of the north terrace of Dix's Field the city council built its headquarters: the Civic Centre, designed by Vinton Hall and constructed between 1969 and 1972 for the enormous sum of £1,000,000. The Civic Centre consists of two cubes fabricated from concrete panels, one larger than the other. Its monumental scale is totally at odds with the city and it's difficult to think of a less appropriate building for its site (although the old Debenhams building, Renslade House and Concord House in South Street spring to mind), but I think they have an austere beauty of their own, especially on a summer's day. Whereas everything else built since 1942 now looks dated and tatty, the Civic Centre has retained a freshness and modernity that sets it apart, especially when compared with the above-mentioned old Debenhams building. It's deeply unfortunate that the remnants of Dix's Field were demolished in order to build it. It's impossible to walk past the Civic Centre today and not think of the truly beautiful red-brick terraces that once stood here.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/---EvPvYHnYI\/Tnz_vyVOdTI\/AAAAAAAACEM\/Zf5OkDGi6cI\/s1600\/Dixs_Field_Remnant.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655676428500235570\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/---EvPvYHnYI\/Tnz_vyVOdTI\/AAAAAAAACEM\/Zf5OkDGi6cI\/s640\/Dixs_Field_Remnant.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/7755914936612415819\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=7755914936612415819","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7755914936612415819"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/7755914936612415819"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/dixs-field-southernhay-east.html","title":"Dix's Field: \"Only Ruin, not Annihilation\""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-7mXS3VYCDuw\/TxAqSDjtSmI\/AAAAAAAADjA\/T3zmAeDKUAQ\/s72-c\/DixsField%2Bfix.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-712385378267587950"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-18T23:27:00.061+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-08T01:32:05.410+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Guildhall Shopping Centre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pre-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Saxon Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Slum Clearance"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Slum Clearance of Paul Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-7GFI-e1-QOQ\/Tv5Nmpfx3xI\/AAAAAAAAC5Y\/Hzl4Nn_sfS4\/s1600\/Paul%2BStreet%2B1911%2BWCSL.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692072305412398866\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-7GFI-e1-QOQ\/Tv5Nmpfx3xI\/AAAAAAAAC5Y\/Hzl4Nn_sfS4\/s400\/Paul%2BStreet%2B1911%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"301\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe early 20th century history of Paul Street is just a really sad story of the complete demolition of what was one of Exeter's largest surviving groups of medieval and post-medieval timber-framed houses. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council shows the north side of Paul Street c1910, looking down towards the Iron Bridge at the bottom of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/brief-history-of-north-street.html\"\u003ENorth Street\u003C\/a\u003E, and still lined with houses from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EArchaeological excavations have shown that Paul Street lies on top of what was once the wall of the Roman fortress constructed over 1900 years ago, but the actual line of the street itself dates to the Saxon period and it takes its name from what was once \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/parish-and-church-of-st-paul_21.html\"\u003ESt Paul's Church\u003C\/a\u003E which stood on the corner of Paul Street and Goldsmith Street for a thousand years. (According to Hoskins, the name of Paul Street, or 'Poulestrete', has been in use since at least 1240.) Like much of the West Quarter, Paul Street had descended into slum conditions by the 20th century, with many families living in poverty within the rabbit warren of medieval lanes and courts which made up the entire area, places like Maddocks' Row, Rouse's Court, Lake's Cottages, St Paul's Place, Hodge's Buildings, Cornish's Court, Richmond Place and Barbican Place.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Eicx2t0OJpE\/Tw9mTkFwp6I\/AAAAAAAADf0\/Hk16vBu4ZKE\/s1600\/Room%2Bin%2BOld%2BHouse%252C%2BPaul%2BSt%2Bc1911%2BWCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696884539938351010\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Eicx2t0OJpE\/Tw9mTkFwp6I\/AAAAAAAADf0\/Hk16vBu4ZKE\/s400\/Room%2Bin%2BOld%2BHouse%252C%2BPaul%2BSt%2Bc1911%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 325px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe illustration \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E ©  Devon County Council dating c1911 shows the interior of a room  belonging to a house in Paul Street. The intricate, high  status Jacobean \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/lost-jacobean-plasterwork-ceilings-i.html\"\u003Edecorative plaster ceiling\u003C\/a\u003E  dated from about 1625 and featured a complex geometric design outlined  in raised moulded ribs known as strapwork. Both the ceiling, and the  house it belonged to, were completely destroyed shortly after the drawing had been executed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBefore the creation of Queen Street in the early 1830s it was only possible to access Paul Street either from North Street, Goldsmith Street or from Gandy Street. When Queen Street was built it chopped through Paul Street as it ploughed on through the city wall, which is why the short passage running up the side of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum is today known as Upper Paul Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon  County Council shows a small courtyard surrounded by a group of properties known as Arthur's  Buildings. It lay within the network of lanes behind the main elevations on Paul Street. Everything shown in the photograph had been demolished by the 1920s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-pGBCe6RsDoU\/Tw9phPEssaI\/AAAAAAAADgA\/uXXWCDjjiDg\/s1600\/Arthur%2527sBuilding%2BPaul%2BStreet%2B1911%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696888073349804450\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-pGBCe6RsDoU\/Tw9phPEssaI\/AAAAAAAADgA\/uXXWCDjjiDg\/s1600\/Arthur%2527sBuilding%2BPaul%2BStreet%2B1911%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAlso called Corry Lane, Paul Street was the site of one of Exeter's most intriguing historical buildings, known to 18th century antiquarians as King Athelstan's Palace (now demolished) which stood almost opposite St Paul's church (now demolished). Paul Street was also the location of the Pennington Bell foundry in the 17th century. The foundry saw several generations of Penningtons casting bells for a number of churches in Exeter and beyond (e.g. the four bells in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/st-mary-steps-church-west-street.html\"\u003ESt Mary Steps\u003C\/a\u003E church all came from the foundry in Paul Street, the remains of which now lie under the Harlequins shopping centre).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council shows an area known as Lake's Cottages. This too had been flattened by 1920. From a historical and architectural perspective, disaster struck at the beginning of the 20th century. However well-meaning they might've been, the slum clearances which swept Exeter during the 1920s and 1930s destroyed the vast majority of medieval and post-medieval timber-frame houses which had survived into the 20th century and almost no record was made of what exactly was being destroyed. In Paul Street, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/smythen-street.html\"\u003ESmythen Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/preston-street-demolished.html\"\u003EPreston Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/slum-clearance-of-stepcote-hill.html\"\u003EStepcote Hill\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/frog-street-west-quarter.html\"\u003EFrog Street\u003C\/a\u003E, Edmund Street and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E, numerous ancient properties and centuries-old alleys were simply flattened.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VRs-WrYYW0o\/UVdA5s8FvzI\/AAAAAAAAGFU\/_DWgNXcnxDE\/s1600\/Lakes+Cottages+Paul+Street+1911+WCSL.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VRs-WrYYW0o\/UVdA5s8FvzI\/AAAAAAAAGFU\/_DWgNXcnxDE\/s1600\/Lakes+Cottages+Paul+Street+1911+WCSL.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ESimilar slum clearance operations were carried out in cities all across Britain by local authorities with either little or no regard for the historical or architectural value of what was being destroyed. Despite a widespread belief to the contrary, most of Coventry's most picturesque medieval streets, such as Great Butcher Row and Little Butcher Row, had been demolished in the mid-1930s, several years before the first German bombs fell on the city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOften, as at Exeter, the clearances resulted in the removal of the oldest and most interesting houses. These houses might've been slums in the 20th century but when built in the 1500s and 1600s they were the townhouses of some of the city's exceptionally wealthy merchants. The richness of the architecture and the history it represented meant nothing as the entire area was pulled down, irrespective its historical value. As the Cornish-born author Anne Treneer quite rightly said: \"We had blasted much beauty ourselves before the Germans came to work more rapid destruction for us, breaking in a mad few hours the cohesion of centuries.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe street plan for 1905 shows that many buildings fronting the street  and in the alleyways behind still existed on narrow medieval tenement  plots that had been in use for hundreds of years. Starting in 1913 the entire area between St Paul's church and the city  wall was demolished. The many families who lived there were relocated to  newly-built houses in the suburbs and the empty lot to the north of  Paul Street was used as a bus station until as recently as the 1980s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-1rW2CZSvyCs\/Tw9skaVzRvI\/AAAAAAAADgY\/VfpQFhMXjdE\/s1600\/14th%2Bcentury%2Bdomestic%2Bbuildings%252C%2BPaul%2BStreet%252C%2BExeter%2B1914%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696891426448819954\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-1rW2CZSvyCs\/Tw9skaVzRvI\/AAAAAAAADgY\/VfpQFhMXjdE\/s1600\/14th%2Bcentury%2Bdomestic%2Bbuildings%252C%2BPaul%2BStreet%252C%2BExeter%2B1914%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E According to the Westcountry Studies Library, from whose archive it came, the photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E  © Devon County Council was taken during the demolition of 14th century   houses on Paul Street, although a date of c1530 is perhaps more   accurate.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFortunately, just prior to the complete  demolition of the north side of Paul Street, a number of photographs were taken which showed some of the areas lost. Nothing was saved and, apart from these images, very little was recorded. There is now simply no way of knowing what once existed on the street. Another narrow alleyway was called Maddock's Row and was accessed  via a  small archway which had been let into the city wall at the back of  the  tenements (the archway still survives today behind the tawdry expanse of the Harlequins shopping centre). In fact hardly a single building survived on the north side of Paul Street from its junction with Lower North Street up to its junction with Queen Street. After the demolitions the site was left empty, to be used as a bus station until the Harlequins shopping centre was constructed in the 1980s. In 1931, just a few years after the most destructive of the  clearances, Harbottle Reed wrote that \"most of the vanished buildings  were of over-sailing timber framing, some of elaborate character\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ukO-fnbMq1w\/Tw9uSA7wGWI\/AAAAAAAADgw\/0vOLP2HyXgE\/s1600\/CornishCourt%2BPaul%2BStreet%2B1911%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696893309414283618\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ukO-fnbMq1w\/Tw9uSA7wGWI\/AAAAAAAADgw\/0vOLP2HyXgE\/s1600\/CornishCourt%2BPaul%2BStreet%2B1911%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAnother image from the archives of the Westcountry Studies Library \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council shows Cornish Court just prior to its demolition. The south side of Paul Street survived relatively intact although ironically the buildings here, with the exception of St Paul's church, were both historically and architecturally of lesser importance. The late-17th century parish church came down in 1936 and in the 1970s, with the construction of the Guildhall Shopping Centre, every single surviving building on the south side of Paul Street, from Queen Street down to North Street, was bulldozed by Exeter City Council, part of the ironically named 'Golden Heart Project' which ripped much of the remaining pre-war cityscape to shreds.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe consequences of the pre-war slum clearances and the post-war redevelopment are nothing more than disastrous. It is a bitter irony that this area of Exeter was left completely untouched by bombs in 1942. There's not much to say about Paul Street today really, apart from the  fact that it's often choked with cars and comprises  one of the least appealing cityscapes in Exeter. Considering it was a tightly-knit community for over one thousand year there is rarely a pedestrian in sight. The south side of Paul Street consists of nothing but the towering monolithic backside of the Guildhall shopping precinct. The north side is just a car park with entrance into yet another shopping precinct. After nearly 2000 years Paul Street is now without any visible historical or aesthetic value whatsoever and without a single surviving building which predates 1970. The only feature of interest are the remains of the city wall which are hidden behind the Harlequins shopping centre. Today Paul Street looks like this:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-duWKCJZrPqs\/Tw9xRd7JaDI\/AAAAAAAADhI\/fDgFU0GoO3I\/s1600\/Paul%2BStreet%2Bresize%2Bi.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696896598551390258\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-duWKCJZrPqs\/Tw9xRd7JaDI\/AAAAAAAADhI\/fDgFU0GoO3I\/s640\/Paul%2BStreet%2Bresize%2Bi.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-tWjLp9Aixns\/Tw9xH0qYOTI\/AAAAAAAADg8\/1wokZLvf7v4\/s1600\/IMGP0234.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696896432856381746\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-tWjLp9Aixns\/Tw9xH0qYOTI\/AAAAAAAADg8\/1wokZLvf7v4\/s640\/IMGP0234.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/712385378267587950\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=712385378267587950","title":"9 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/712385378267587950"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/712385378267587950"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html","title":"The Slum Clearance of Paul Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-7GFI-e1-QOQ\/Tv5Nmpfx3xI\/AAAAAAAAC5Y\/Hzl4Nn_sfS4\/s72-c\/Paul%2BStreet%2B1911%2BWCSL.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"9"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-2232296830471659091"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-17T21:42:00.037+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-30T19:32:08.386+00:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Southernhay"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Southernhay West, Southernhay"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-uXvkCOcbCLY\/Tw4cUDzgguI\/AAAAAAAADdw\/ffl0enmedQw\/s1600\/Southernhay%2BWest%2Bi.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696521709614564066\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-uXvkCOcbCLY\/Tw4cUDzgguI\/AAAAAAAADdw\/ffl0enmedQw\/s400\/Southernhay%2BWest%2Bi.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EAfter the Cathedral, these are my favourite buildings in the entire city: two terraces of Grade II* listed late 18th century red-brick townhouses built in the 1790s by their architect, Matthew Nosworthy. Nosworthy originally built four terraces in Southernhay West with a total of 42 houses. He also built 24 in Dix's Field as well as the New London Inn at Eastgate. Today only two of the terraces at Southernhay West remain, one comprising 10 houses and other 12 and, as architecture, they are exceptionally attractive.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENosworthy was given the opportunity to create a series of housing schemes in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/brief-history-of-southernhay_16.html\"\u003ESouthernhay\u003C\/a\u003E to cater for the increase in wealthy professionals and members of the gentry who settled in Exeter during the last quarter of the 18th century. Many other large cities in England at the time were being drawn into the burgeoning Industrial Revolution and perhaps Exeter was regarded as a place in the country, where the mild climate and surrounding agricultural landscape represented an escape from the noise and thunder of cities which embraced the coming Revolution with more fervour than Exeter did. The idea behind the Georgian expansion into Southernhay was always one of gentility, light and space, and a quiet sort of power which drew upon the prosperity of the people who would take up residence there.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Bm9yK8v2zVk\/Tw4c9x7bZSI\/AAAAAAAADd8\/0oTqh1CU-5E\/s1600\/Southernhay%2BWest%2Bii.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696522426370450722\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Bm9yK8v2zVk\/Tw4c9x7bZSI\/AAAAAAAADd8\/0oTqh1CU-5E\/s640\/Southernhay%2BWest%2Bii.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe photo \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E shows the full extent of the first of Nosworthy's four terraces, Nos. 1-10. He was very fortunate in being able to use the locally made bricks which were fired in Exeter from the deep red clay which is such a characteristic feature of the fields of Devon. In full sun the facades glow like an ember, an effect which when seen \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Een masse\u003C\/span\u003E over the full length of the facade against a backdrop of blue sky is indescribably lovely.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E had already lead the way in 1773 with the construction of 14 spacious, red-brick townhouses inside the walled city. (The Circus wasn't completed until the 1830s.) The Georgian demand for more of the same resulted in the walls being either widened or breached in two places as the new terraces, taking their cue from the Circus itself, flooded out of the walled city and into Southernhay. Nosworthy's four terraces were all built with the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Emedieval city wall\u003C\/a\u003E acting as the boundary of the gardens at the rear of each house. Access in and out of the city was through two 18th century incisions made in the wall; one, called 'New Cut', was in reality a widening of a pre-existing postern gate and led past the Cathedral along an exceptionally picturesque route of medieval houses; the other, a new breach in the wall, led through to Bedford Circus from where it was possible to access the High Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-6RFlhyOWa1k\/Tw4eOzglvjI\/AAAAAAAADeI\/hZOFKo8I2qI\/s1600\/Southernhay%2BWest%2Biii.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696523818364157490\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-6RFlhyOWa1k\/Tw4eOzglvjI\/AAAAAAAADeI\/hZOFKo8I2qI\/s640\/Southernhay%2BWest%2Biii.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe photograph \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E was taken looking down into the Cathedral Close through New Cut, with the end houses of the two surviving terraces to the left and right. The end houses both project out from the rest of their respective rows to give a slight sense of emphasis and statement to the entrance into the Close. Unlike the other houses, these end properties were all accessed from the side rather than through a doorway at the front. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E shows No. 10 Southernhay West looking down the length of the terrace towards No. 1. New Cut is on the far right of the picture. The photograph gives some impression of the spaciousness of each townhouse, although the end houses were slightly larger than the others. Also visible is the arched entrance in the centre of the side elevation of No. 10.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-DDQ1t9nj82U\/Tw4eulPfgqI\/AAAAAAAADeU\/K0GnBEMlGYw\/s1600\/Southernhay%2BWest%2Biv.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696524364290163362\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-DDQ1t9nj82U\/Tw4eulPfgqI\/AAAAAAAADeU\/K0GnBEMlGYw\/s400\/Southernhay%2BWest%2Biv.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 300px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe townhouses weren't all constructed at the same time. Matthew Nosworthy, like Robert Stribling, the architect of Bedford Circus, was a speculative builder i.e. he would've constructed several houses, without a definite purchaser, and then built more as demand increased. Little is known about Nosworthy or his training. The land on which the terraces were constructed belonged to the Dukes of Bedford and it appears that Nosworthy took the almost-contemporary terraces at Bedford Square in Bloomsbury, London as his inspiration. Because each house was built individually there are subtle differences in all of them, despite the fact that as a whole they look like a uniform group. Sometimes one window is slightly higher than another, or a different batch of bricks were used resulting in a surprising variety in the colour of each house, but No. 4 \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E is typical of the whole.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-kEVgv6FQgDs\/Tw4hTQ7FLqI\/AAAAAAAADeg\/S4cKSQvshls\/s1600\/PA111099.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696527193514258082\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-kEVgv6FQgDs\/Tw4hTQ7FLqI\/AAAAAAAADeg\/S4cKSQvshls\/s640\/PA111099.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"416\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt consisted of five floors: a basement, with kitchens and scullery, accessed via steps from the exterior; three floors of accommodation for the owners and an attic with bedrooms for the servants. The dormer windows of the attic floor are hidden from the street behind a brick parapet. Beneath the brick parapet and highlighted in white is a modillion cornice of Coadestone which runs the full length of each terrace with a further band of Coadestone running across the facades two-thirds of the way down.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEach facade is three windows wide and on the ground floor the windows are set into arched openings. Each arched entrance is characterised with vermicuated Coadestone surrounds. The keystone above each entrance is in the form of a moulded sculptural head, also in Coadestone. Coadestone was a sort of durable ceramic created by Eleanor Coade at the end of the 18th century. It proved to be immensely popular and was used on many Georgian houses in England from the late-18th century until the 1840s. Nos. 13-24, the second of Nosworthy's terraces, is much the same as the first. The most significant difference is that the central four properties project out slightly from the line of the other facades. This element was repeated in the lost third terrace. Also, some of the houses have Regency wrought-iron window guards added at first-floor level. The photo \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows Nos. 13-24.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-rnTAJmhJ6UQ\/Tw4h8BIWz2I\/AAAAAAAADes\/aTpylIwP-Bw\/s1600\/Southernhay%2Bvi.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696527893649608546\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-rnTAJmhJ6UQ\/Tw4h8BIWz2I\/AAAAAAAADes\/aTpylIwP-Bw\/s400\/Southernhay%2Bvi.JPG\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 290px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOpposite the terraces was a private park, once ringed around with iron railings. Today it is a public area, the borders surrounding the lawns filled with flowers in the summer, amidst which stand some of the largest and most statuesque trees in the city. The whole ensemble is extraordinarily beautiful.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt seems churlish to nit-pick, especially as this is Exeter and it's surprising that the two terraces have survived at all, but in the mid-1970s all the old townhouses were converted into offices. So, despite the magnificent facades, most of the interiors have been completely gutted. Modern fire doors were fitted, lifts carved their way through the floors, fireplaces were ripped out, walls were ripped down, rooms were partitioned, etc. etc. If you're lucky you'll sometimes find the remains of a fireplace, a Georgian staircase or a room with some of the original plaster frieze or rose left intact around the ceiling, but it's the exception rather than the rule. Now Southernhay is the preserve of lawyers, solicitors, accountants and estate agents who trade in million-pound Devon longhouses.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-b42lmcK9SXY\/TxA9RHjfFmI\/AAAAAAAADjY\/y6XTaGKm4uk\/s1600\/Southernhay_West_1920%2Bcolour.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697120892918634082\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-b42lmcK9SXY\/TxA9RHjfFmI\/AAAAAAAADjY\/y6XTaGKm4uk\/s400\/Southernhay_West_1920%2Bcolour.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 312px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EHowever a much worse fate befell Nosworthy's other two, almost identical terraces. Originally built in a line stretching along the side of the city wall, the two terraces to the east were badly damaged by fire during the Exeter Blitz of 1942. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows one of the two most easterly terraces c1920 (the other curves away out of sight as it follows the contour of the city wall). I've given it some colour which was lacking in the black and white photograph. In the far distance can be seen two other red-brick Georgian townhouses. These were part of a little terrace of just three houses which stood at 90 degrees to the other terraces. Very similar in design, it's likely that they too were the work of Nosworthy. After the bombing raid both of the terraces were left as fire-damaged shells.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ckjKSWcVm64\/Tw48c1X-9eI\/AAAAAAAADfE\/VIbgyzX2OZg\/s1600\/Bombed%2BFacade%2BSouthernhay%2BWest.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696557044731934178\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-ckjKSWcVm64\/Tw48c1X-9eI\/AAAAAAAADfE\/VIbgyzX2OZg\/s400\/Bombed%2BFacade%2BSouthernhay%2BWest.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 343px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E © English Heritage was taken from almost the same location as the one \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E i.e. looking up Southernhay in the direction of Paris Street. The man to the left would've been looking towards the remains of Bedford Circus. The photograph shows that significant parts of the townhouses remained intact despite the fire-damage.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs with nearly all of late-18th century Exeter which was damaged in the war, enough probably remained of the original structures to make reconstruction feasible. For whatever reason the city council decided to demolish nearly all of the Georgian buildings damaged in 1942, including the two terraces in Southernhay West. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/dixs-field-southernhay-east.html\"\u003EDix's Field\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E both went the same way. It's difficult to understand how such important and beautiful things were so casually disposed of without at least some effort being made to reinstate them. Just in the small area around Southernhay and Bedford Circus, Exeter lost approximately seventy almost identical red-brick townhouses dating to between 1773 and 1835, a huge number considering that in 1942 Exeter was a relatively small city with a compact historical centre.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-K9yPR24Teo0\/Tw5AvHCWVWI\/AAAAAAAADfQ\/oQOZZMcmQp8\/s1600\/Broadwalk%2BHouse.JPG\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696561756757185890\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-K9yPR24Teo0\/Tw5AvHCWVWI\/AAAAAAAADfQ\/oQOZZMcmQp8\/s400\/Broadwalk%2BHouse.JPG\" style=\"float: right; height: 301px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Georgian facades were relatively simple with little or no external decoration beyond the Coadestone in the entrance arches. Even if they had been obliterated then a complete reconstruction would always have been a possibility, and enough of the late-18th century bricks probably survived even to rebuild at least the facades using some original material. The site remained empty for years and was used as a car park until the local authority permitted the construction of Broadwalk House \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E in 1974, an insipid office block which pays lip service to Georgian proportions but which fails to attain even one percent of the beauty of the terraces that it replaced. The white wrought-iron window guards are a particularly ludicrous touch. Hugh Mellor is particularly dismissive of Broadwalk House, describing it as \"a hopelessly insensitive attempt to emulate the originals. The result is preposterous\". Pevsner and Cherry describe it as \"hopelessly failing to disguise its greedy bulk\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBroadwalk House is just another post-war fiasco but at least the two remaining terraces in Southernhay West survive with Colleton Crescent, Barnfield Crescent and Southernhay East as some of the finest remaining highlights of Exeter's Georgian past.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-UFdSWC2mkEE\/Tw5DEgq4AYI\/AAAAAAAADfc\/oEvVzVI0Fcw\/s1600\/PA111100.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"470\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696564323438559618\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-UFdSWC2mkEE\/Tw5DEgq4AYI\/AAAAAAAADfc\/oEvVzVI0Fcw\/s640\/PA111100.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2232296830471659091\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=2232296830471659091","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2232296830471659091"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/2232296830471659091"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/southernhay-west-southernhay.html","title":"Southernhay West, Southernhay"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-uXvkCOcbCLY\/Tw4cUDzgguI\/AAAAAAAADdw\/ffl0enmedQw\/s72-c\/Southernhay%2BWest%2Bi.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-6432278293522061468"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-17T00:50:00.021+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-03T17:41:08.189+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bedford Circus"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Southernhay"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"A Brief History of Southernhay"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-9kv_PTzk8xg\/Tw3qTOl6Y8I\/AAAAAAAADcE\/xOeGaxMjq5s\/s1600\/Southernhay%2BCoade%2BStone%2Bresize.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696466719749071810\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-9kv_PTzk8xg\/Tw3qTOl6Y8I\/AAAAAAAADcE\/xOeGaxMjq5s\/s640\/Southernhay%2BCoade%2BStone%2Bresize.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"439\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EFor  me, Southernhay easily vies with the Cathedral Close as the most  beautiful and visually satisfying part of Exeter still in existence. Despite  the fact that much of it was damaged by fire in 1942 and then  subsequently demolished, the setting, with its  mature trees surrounded by the most lovely red-brick Georgian housing  exudes an atmosphere of easy contentment that is unrivalled anywhere  else in the city or anywhere else in Devon or Cornwall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne  can only imagine the impression it made before the war, when all the  terraces were intact. But even now, in the summer, the red-brick  townhouses, with their white window frames and fanlights look stunning  when seen against a deep blue sky, framed by towering evergreen English  oaks. Walking through Southernhay on a quiet Sunday afternoon really is like  stepping back into another world. However the area has a very long and  not always so idyllic history.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAn archaeological excavation in 2002 discovered the remains  of an Iron Age farmstead in the area consisting of a roundhouse enclosed by a  circular ditch, with pottery shards dating from c250 BC. The  settlement appears to have been abandoned by the time the Second  Augustan Roman Legion arrived at Exeter cAD53. Since the construction of  the mighty defensive walls of the Roman city c180 AD Southernhay has  lain directly outside the city limits, spread out between the East Gate  and the South Gate.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-LIm9tQiDGc8\/Tw3sR8MIktI\/AAAAAAAADcQ\/uj2gMMLiXOc\/s1600\/Braun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_1587%2BSouthernhay.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696468896652497618\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-LIm9tQiDGc8\/Tw3sR8MIktI\/AAAAAAAADcQ\/uj2gMMLiXOc\/s640\/Braun%2Band%2BHogenburg%2BExeter_1587%2BSouthernhay.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"505\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe area of modern-day Southernhay is highlighted in red on the 1587 map of Exeter by Braun and Hogenberg \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E, bounded on the east side by the road known as Great Southernhay. (The name itself just means 'the southern field', from the Anglo-Saxon word 'haia' meaning a hedge or enclosure.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDuring the Middle Ages the area was known  simply as Crulditch. Exeter historian W. G. Hoskins has surmised that the  name derives from the medieval word 'crull' meaning 'curly' refering to  the curved line of the old defensive ditch as its curved around this  side of the city between the two great gates. The flat countryside  beyond the South Gate made the city particularly vulnerable to attack  and the ditch was constructed to aid the protection of this side of  Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was upon this piece  of land that the annual Lammas Fair was held from at least 1278 until  it was moved inside the city to the High Street at the end of the 18th  century. And it was here during the reign of Mary I, on 15  November 1557, that the Protestant martyr Agnes Prest was burnt at the  stake for denying the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. According  to John Hooker, \"her own husband and children were her greatest  persecutors, from whom she fled, for that they would force her to be  present at Mass\". Hooker also relates that, in 1571, Agnes Jones was  \"burnt to death in Southernhay\" for poisoning her husband. John Cole's map of 1709 still refers to the western side of Southernhay as the \"Burning Place\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-BK7AYxfYMcs\/Tw3uAUeaw_I\/AAAAAAAADcc\/iANqHtUwf6Q\/s1600\/Trinity%2BGreen%2BBurial%2BGround%2BSouthernhay_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"554\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696470792957248498\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-BK7AYxfYMcs\/Tw3uAUeaw_I\/AAAAAAAADcc\/iANqHtUwf6Q\/s640\/Trinity%2BGreen%2BBurial%2BGround%2BSouthernhay_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe  pleasure gardens which had evolved in Southernhay by the middle of the  17th century were all swept aside following the outbreak of the English  Civil War. In 1642 huge defensive ditches and ramparts were laid out  across the entire area. Much was destroyed during the two Civil War  sieges of Exeter and this side of the city was severely damaged, either  deliberately or through military offensives.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 1664 the increase in Exeter's population lead to the creation of the Trinity Green burial ground at the southern end of Southernhay \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E, now the site of a hotel carpark. The burial ground was excavated in 2008 and amongst the  finds uncovered were fragments of Roman, medieval and post-medieval  pottery, bits of Roman roof tile and medieval floor tile, 38 skeletons,  17th century clay pipes and a single piece of prehistoric flint.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-u2on83gQumI\/Tw3xVzYJSxI\/AAAAAAAADco\/zv_mUZlyWn4\/s1600\/Hospital_Southernhay.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696474460564572946\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-u2on83gQumI\/Tw3xVzYJSxI\/AAAAAAAADco\/zv_mUZlyWn4\/s640\/Hospital_Southernhay.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"503\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe next significant development was the establishment in Southernhay East of the Devon and Exeter Hospital in 1741, the brain-child of the Dean of Exeter Cathedral Alured Clarke (the original, highly impressive Georgian building still survives \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E and today is known as Dean Clarke House).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy the mid-18th century Southernhay was starting to become incorporated into the city centre with only the city wall acting as a great impediment to its expansion. By the end of the 18th century Exeter's reliance on an economy founded on the export of wool was starting to wane. Exeter's wool trade was struck dead by the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe and it never recovered but the city was attracting a number of  wealthy  professionals, members of the gentry and retired Army colonels who came primarily for  the  city's mild climate and rural location. And they all needed somewhere  to  live.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe  great Georgian housing scheme known first as Bedford Crescent and later as Bedford Circus had already been  started in 1773 but it had remained within \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeters-city-wall-2.html\"\u003Ethe boundary of the old city  walls.\u003C\/a\u003E The desire for prestigious, spacious housing near to the city  centre applied its own inevitable pressure. According to Hugh Mellor, the land was owned by the Dukes of Bedford, the same family who had once owned Bedford House, and the fifth duke employed a local architect\/builder called Matthew Nosworthy in 1789 to build a sequence of townhouses at Southernhay West. (Nosworthy seems to have used the townhouses of Bedford Square in London as his template.) The construction of further properties followed, mostly the work of Nosworthy and William Hooper.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe  medieval city wall was breached in two places, forming entrances  from  the Cathedral Close and from Bedford Circus. From the 1790s until   the 1830s, Southernhay was transformed into an exclusive residential   area, the beauty of which is still obvious today. (The entrance into the  Cathedral Close known as New Cut was originally the site of an a  defensive tower and later a postern gate. It was widened in 1750 and  received the delicate wrought-iron bridge which spans the route today in  1814.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-SDVqrmPbP1c\/UVxY_nUvrPI\/AAAAAAAAGJs\/2BiebaH973E\/s1600\/Southernhay+PM+1905+number.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-SDVqrmPbP1c\/UVxY_nUvrPI\/AAAAAAAAGJs\/2BiebaH973E\/s1600\/Southernhay+PM+1905+number.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/dixs-field-southernhay-east.html\"\u003EDix's Field\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/southernhay-west-southernhay.html\"\u003Etwo of Nosworthy's magnificent terraces\u003C\/a\u003E were gutted during \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003EWorld War Two\u003C\/a\u003E, the remains shamefully demolished by the city council, but when complete Southernhay ranked with any other Georgian townscape in England. The image \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E shows the extent of Georgian Southernhay as it existed prior to 1942: Bedford Circus (\u003Cb\u003E1\u003C\/b\u003E), Southernhay West (\u003Cb\u003E2\u003C\/b\u003E), Southernhay East (\u003Cb\u003E3\u003C\/b\u003E), Barnfield Crescent (\u003Cb\u003E4\u003C\/b\u003E), Dix's Field (\u003Cb\u003E5\u003C\/b\u003E). The city wall is outlined in yellow. Bedford Circus is easily visible within the boundary first laid down by the Romans in c180AD. From Bedford Circus flowed the later developments of Southernhay West and East, Barnfield Crescent and Dix's Field. All the townhouses coloured in red were damaged as a consequence of  World War Two and demolished during the post-war reconstruction. Only the townhouses highlighted in purple survive today and are still one of the glories of the city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-YmD3WRwS0do\/Tw4UY2Dag3I\/AAAAAAAADdY\/OYhfKtq91dc\/s1600\/Southernhay%2BRoad%2BPlan.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696512995729507186\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-YmD3WRwS0do\/Tw4UY2Dag3I\/AAAAAAAADdY\/OYhfKtq91dc\/s400\/Southernhay%2BRoad%2BPlan.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"301\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EOne particular aspect of Southernhay which it is difficult to grasp from the ground today is the pre-war layout of its roads. The central and western sections of the area remained largely unchanged but prior to the post-war reconstruction Southernhay was accessed in the east directly from the High Street. During the post-war rebuilding it was decided to move the entrance from the High Street into Paris Street. Paris Street itself was completely realigned and widened. Where Paris Street now joins Sidwell Street and the High Street was once the entrance into Southernhay. It's probably more easily explained using the image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E which combines a map of 1905 with an aerial view of the same area today. The pre-war roads of Southernhay are highlighted in red. The High Street is at the top running left to right. The post-war alignment of Paris Street is highlighted in purple. Paris Street originally converged with Sidwell Street on the other side of the building labelled on the map as 'Hotel' (this was the Old London Inn until it was demolished in the 1930s). The property highlighted in yellow was No. 1 Dix's Field, a particularly lovely Regency house which stood on one side of the entrance into what was probably Nosworthy's most beautiful housing scheme.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's difficult not to be condemnatory of the many alterations which were made to Exeter's historic street plan after World War Two, let alone the decision not to restore some of the city's most significant buildings. Fortunately, in Southernhay at least, much survives. The eastern end, apart from the two remaining townhouses in Dix's Field, is worthless and what Mellor called 'a neo-Georgian monster' at the opposite end is fairly grotesque. But in between the two are a wide variety of strikingly charming late-Georgian houses (now mostly offices) of particular beauty.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-wBG-8waD1qY\/Tw4av3IsMfI\/AAAAAAAADdk\/pHYzujY7g8Q\/s1600\/IMGP0162.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"478\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696519988226830834\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-wBG-8waD1qY\/Tw4av3IsMfI\/AAAAAAAADdk\/pHYzujY7g8Q\/s640\/IMGP0162.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6432278293522061468\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=6432278293522061468","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6432278293522061468"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/6432278293522061468"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/brief-history-of-southernhay_16.html","title":"A Brief History of Southernhay"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-9kv_PTzk8xg\/Tw3qTOl6Y8I\/AAAAAAAADcE\/xOeGaxMjq5s\/s72-c\/Southernhay%2BCoade%2BStone%2Bresize.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-61392593853711246"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-16T16:05:00.034+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-04T21:36:21.344+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"High Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Inns and Taverns"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stuart Exeter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The New Inn: Nos 25 \u0026 26, High Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TLnaT1KnCxI\/AAAAAAAAAX4\/eoPWLgbwa5g\/s1600\/The+New+Inn+Exeter+High+Street.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"381\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528690051797945106\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TLnaT1KnCxI\/AAAAAAAAAX4\/eoPWLgbwa5g\/s400\/The+New+Inn+Exeter+High+Street.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EDespite its name, this was the site of one of the oldest inns in the city. Writing in 1880, Robert Dymond stated that \"we may enter it now without any suspicion of its antiquity\" but the New Inn had been Exeter's principal tavern for centuries.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe building of the inn began in 1445 when the Cathedral's dean and chapter sanctioned the construction of a tavern on some of their land near the High Street. Its construction is mentioned in one of mayor John Shillingford's papers dating to between 1445 and 1450 in which he describes the inn as \"a new tenement above Seynt Stephyn ys churche of Exceter\". It is mentioned specifically in a lease of 1456 when two tenements opposite \"le Newe Inne\" were granted to Roger Schordych and his wife Joan by the Magdalen Hospital. The inn was located on the corner of the High Street with St Stephen Street, a narrow alley that ran from the High Street, down the side of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Stephen's Church\u003C\/a\u003E and into \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-akyY_IdOAC4\/Twc4mootzUI\/AAAAAAAADFM\/g3w5OveX0Rc\/s1600\/Site%2Bof%2BNew%2BInn.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694582490227658050\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-akyY_IdOAC4\/Twc4mootzUI\/AAAAAAAADFM\/g3w5OveX0Rc\/s400\/Site%2Bof%2BNew%2BInn.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 305px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image right shows a modern aerial view of the site of the New Inn overlaid onto which is a detail from the 1904 map of Exeter. The area highlighted in red corresponds to the boundaries labelled as the 'New Inn' which appears on the 1876 Ordnance Survey map. St Stephen's church, mentioned by Shillingford, is highlighted in green. The High Street is at the top running from left to right. The passage of time, the lack of documentary evidence, the destruction of the building itself and the complete redevelopment of the area makes it difficult to know with any certainty the original extent of the medieval inn. When the New Inn was sold in the 18th century it had 40 rooms and three dining rooms, but this would've been a much expanded structure in comparison with the 15th century building.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 1554 the city authorities took over the lease of the New Inn to use as a cloth hall (the manufacture and sale of cloth was easily the most important component in the city's economy from at least the 1300s to the beginning of the 19th century). According to Robert Dymond, since 1472 the previous cloth hall had been located at another nearby inn, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/nos-55-56-and-no-57-high-street.html\"\u003Ethe Eagle\u003C\/a\u003E, opposite the Guildhall. A document in the city archives states that \"the Newe inn [is] to be bought of Christian, the wydowe of Thomas Petefyn, and the same to be converted into a commodious hall for all manner of clothe, Lynnen or wollyn.\" The newly-established cloth market opened in 1555. Another contemporary document orders that \"there shal be a faire paire of stairs made there forthwith, for better going upp into the said room\" i.e. the cloth hall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-5u_wpnEUm58\/TwdO-rYnyeI\/AAAAAAAADFY\/EXAPRE3V2Mg\/s1600\/Hedgeland%2BThe%2BNew%2BInn.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694607092538132962\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-5u_wpnEUm58\/TwdO-rYnyeI\/AAAAAAAADFY\/EXAPRE3V2Mg\/s400\/Hedgeland%2BThe%2BNew%2BInn.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 313px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIt appears that the cloth hall was to some extent a separate structure to the rest of the inn. Dymond writes that \"after the year 1612, we find many references to 'the New Inne Halle'\" which was \"let separately from the inn. There was shops and stalls surrounding the cloth hall which could be rented by merchants from all across the country. Clearly the New Inn was a significant building, stretching from the High Street all the way back to Catherine Street. There was stabling, allegedly for one hundred horses, on the other side of Catherine Street and occupying land once owned by Lord John Russell, the former owner of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/bedford-house-and-dominican-friary.html\"\u003EBedford House\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows a detail from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\"\u003EHedgeland's model of Exeter\u003C\/a\u003E as it appeared in 1769. The building which stood on the the site of the New Inn is highlighted in red, the crenellated top of St Stephen's church visible to the right. Although Hedgeland's model is wonderfully detailed it isn't infallible. It does however possibly depict a reasonably accurate version of the mid-17th century form of the New Inn's High Street facade.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe New Inn underwent a radical rebuilding within a few years of the  Restoration of Charles II in 1660. Some of this rebuilt version of the inn survived until 1942. The chief architectural feature was the Apollo Room, begun in the 1640s as a banqueting hall. The dimensions of the Apollo Room were 32.5ft long, 23.5ft wide and 17.5ft high (the original height was reduced slightly when the inn was converted into shop premises in the 19th century). Sidney Heath visited the Apollo Room in the early 20th century and described it thus: \"[The Apollo Room] is now used a showroom, but it still retains its elaborate plaster ceiling, bearing the date 1695, and the original oak panelling. The frieze consists of a series of wreaths upholding shields charged with the armorial bearings of many county families, together with the royal arms and those of the city.\" The arms of the \"county families\" were those of Hillersdon, Calmady, Prestwood, Acland and Radcliffe.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-2cEkSTofWHg\/TwdREsvQtUI\/AAAAAAAADFw\/PotSOc3R6jw\/s1600\/Ceiling%2Bin%2BOld%2BBanqueting%2BHall%252C%2B26%2BHigh%2BStreet%252C%2BExeter%2B1911%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"538\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694609395003995458\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-2cEkSTofWHg\/TwdREsvQtUI\/AAAAAAAADFw\/PotSOc3R6jw\/s640\/Ceiling%2Bin%2BOld%2BBanqueting%2BHall%252C%2B26%2BHigh%2BStreet%252C%2BExeter%2B1911%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EDecorative plaster ceilings of this type were something of a Devon speciality and were once found in many Exeter properties. Thomas Lane was employed to create the Apollo Room ceiling, part of which is shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove \u003C\/span\u003E© Devon County Council. He received 5 shillings for every yard of work and in total he was paid £50. Work on the ceiling itself was started in October 1689 and was complete by March of the following year. The royal coat of arms and the other \"armorial bearings\" were all painted by John Stannaway. The Apollo Room was one of the finest chambers of its type in south-west England and certainly the finest late-17th century plaster ceiling in Exeter, far exceeding similar examples at the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/half-moon-inn-high-street.html\"\u003EHalf Moon Inn\u003C\/a\u003E (demolished in 1912) and at the Custom House on the Quay. Its destruction was a huge loss to the city's heritage. Dymond theorises that the name of the room possibly derived from the Apollo Club in London, \"a place of great resort in the reign of James the First\". The main room in the Apollo Club was called the Oracle of Apollo and had a bust of the god set above the door. Other sources claim that there was a figure of Apollo set into the ceiling itself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-boPpCPE1ly8\/TwdSc7gnn3I\/AAAAAAAADF8\/9gZVCjY5jyo\/s1600\/St%2BStephens%2BBow%2Bfrom%2BCatherine%2BSt%2B1911%2BWCSL.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694610910797602674\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-boPpCPE1ly8\/TwdSc7gnn3I\/AAAAAAAADF8\/9gZVCjY5jyo\/s400\/St%2BStephens%2BBow%2Bfrom%2BCatherine%2BSt%2B1911%2BWCSL.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 305px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph, \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E © Devon County Council, dates to 1911 and shows the narrowness of St Stephen Street as it lead towards the High Street under the arch of St Stephen's Bow. The tall buildings to the right were all associated with the New Inn.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThroughout much of the 17th and 18th centuries the inn was used both as an inn and a cloth hall, as a meeting place for judges during the Assizes and by Freemasons as the only Lodge in the city. In fact it could be argued that the New Inn was the social and cultural centre of the city prior to the construction of the assembly room at The Hotel in 1769. Cosmo III, the Grand Duke of Tuscany stayed at the inn in 1669. In a letter from the dean of Exeter Cathedral to the British MP Richard Grenville-Temple in 1767 the dean advises staying at the New Inn \"because your servants will be nearer the Deanery.\" The New Inn went into a decline after the main cloth fair was moved to South Street during the Commonwealth, and naturally there were many other coaching inns in the city providing stiff competition. The inn had probably closed by the end of the 18th century, although it was still used as accommodation for magistrates and judges until 1836.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xz31EGTpUk0\/TwdT3sVt3vI\/AAAAAAAADGI\/T_m4bknjl-o\/s1600\/St%2BStephens%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694612470093438706\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xz31EGTpUk0\/TwdT3sVt3vI\/AAAAAAAADGI\/T_m4bknjl-o\/s400\/St%2BStephens%2BHigh%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 330px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn 1849 it was purchased by Green \u0026amp; Son, a company specialising in drapery and fabrics, and it was in this year that an attractive neo-Classical facade was added to the front of the building (as shown in the photograph\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E top\u003C\/span\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows all that remained of the New Inn following the bombing of May 1942. The broken Gothic window in the arched bow of St Stephen's church can be seen on the right.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe New Inn, including the Apollo Room, was totally destroyed during the air-raid of 4 May 1942. It's impossible to say what else was  lost as little seems to be known about the actual building itself at  the time of its destruction. There are hardly any surviving images even of the Apollo Room itself. Robert Dymond in 1880 was of the opinion that nothing had survived of  the original structure, except perhaps a well in the cellar, \"its  circular wrought courses of red sandstone plainly testified to its  antiquity.\" However, it seems more than likely that many earlier elements from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries remained within the fabric up until its destruction. Today the site of the New Inn is occupied by the bland post-war building shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-dfMzA7GiYBY\/TWBPgrNuCWI\/AAAAAAAABVM\/fexz_7r3Ncc\/s1600\/Site%2Bof%2BNew_Inn_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"533\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575543761459349858\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-dfMzA7GiYBY\/TWBPgrNuCWI\/AAAAAAAABVM\/fexz_7r3Ncc\/s640\/Site%2Bof%2BNew_Inn_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/61392593853711246\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=61392593853711246","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/61392593853711246"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/61392593853711246"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/nos-25-26-high-street-new-inn.html","title":"The New Inn: Nos 25 \u0026 26, High Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TLnaT1KnCxI\/AAAAAAAAAX4\/eoPWLgbwa5g\/s72-c\/The+New+Inn+Exeter+High+Street.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-8268999922306499163"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-16T11:09:00.051+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-22T16:37:29.996+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"\"Exeter is the Jewel of the West, and We Have Destroyed It\""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-rzPs5yDlEEM\/TxM0TgjoywI\/AAAAAAAAD7k\/psvIU3ZMWQU\/s1600\/CatherineSt1942.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697955463315376898\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-rzPs5yDlEEM\/TxM0TgjoywI\/AAAAAAAAD7k\/psvIU3ZMWQU\/s1600\/CatherineSt1942.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESo boasted German radio the day after the city was attacked by bombers in  the early hours of 4 May 1942. In many ways the statement was entirely  accurate as, despite the demolition of so much in the 1930s, the attack  of 1942 initiated a process of destruction that wasn't halted until the  late 1970s, a period during which Exeter lost vast amounts of its  historic architecture. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E © Express \u0026amp; Echo, shows ruins in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/catherine-street-demolished-blitzed-and.html\"\u003ECatherine Street\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EExeter  was targeted in 1942 for a number of reasons. It was completely  undefended, and it was within easy reach of German bombers crossing the  English Channel from Northern France, and the RAF had recently destroyed  much of the ancient Hanseatic German port of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/baedeker-raids-why-exeter-was-targetted.html\"\u003ELübeck\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut Exeter was targeted primarily  because of the rich historic fabric of its compact city centre. It was regarded as one of the most picturesque cities in southern England, although one which was in danger of spoiling itself through insensitive redevelopment. Much had been demolished by the local authority between 1900 and 1942, a  period which saw many of the city's oldest timber-framed buildings  destroyed during slum clearances, but much remained, built up over  centuries on the old medieval street plan. In the words of Sir Nikolaus Pevsner: \"the German bombers found Exeter primarily a medieval city,  they left it primarily a Georgian and early-Victorian city\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-CvLmwhyBivc\/TxM0-POp_KI\/AAAAAAAAD7w\/a-2LB8shqEo\/s1600\/Exeter_Blitz_WCSL.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697956197398346914\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-CvLmwhyBivc\/TxM0-POp_KI\/AAAAAAAAD7w\/a-2LB8shqEo\/s1600\/Exeter_Blitz_WCSL.JPG\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe city had  an 11th century castle; a medieval Guildhall; the finest Decorated  Gothic cathedral in England; beautiful terraces of late-18th century and Regency  domestic architecture; a large number of surviving medieval and  post-medieval stone and timber-framed housing, including almshouses,  churches, townhouses and inns, a number of which contained interiors of  great historical and aesthetic value; there were 19th century public buildings,  including two important neo-Classical market halls and a neo-Gothic  museum; and a city wall which encircled Exeter almost completely.  In  1942 the city was a product of nearly 2000 years of urban evolution,  much of its street plan dating back either to the Romans or the  late-Saxons, a maze of alleyways, lanes and courts, all densely filled  with buildings that were completely unique to the city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E © Express \u0026amp; Echo, shows firefighters near \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/church-of-st-stephen-high-street.html\"\u003ESt Stephen's\u003C\/a\u003E in the High Street. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow left\u003C\/span\u003E © Express \u0026amp; Echo, is the view over Catherine Street and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E after the clearance of all war-damaged property. Exeter  had been bombed 18 times prior to 04 May 1942, the first being in August  1940. These earlier raids were relatively mild and little damage was  done, although there were a number of casualties. They were the product  of German aircraft dropping surplus bombs over the city on the way back  to base having targeted major industrial sites much further north of  Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-G8iPyAxrflM\/TxM3DiejguI\/AAAAAAAAD78\/JYbIRFRTYzE\/s1600\/cathedral%2Bpost-war.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"435\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697958487487906530\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-G8iPyAxrflM\/TxM3DiejguI\/AAAAAAAAD78\/JYbIRFRTYzE\/s640\/cathedral%2Bpost-war.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ELübeck  was bombed on 28th and 29th March, and the first retaliatory attack on  Exeter, the first of the so-called Baedeker cultural targets, seems to  have began on 23rd and 24th April. Only seven high explosive bombs were  dropped, killing five civilians but inflicting relatively little  material damage. The following night the bombers returned and 65 high  explosive bombs were dropped, most of which fell in the residential area  of Pennsylvannia causing extensive damage and killing 73. In his book 'The Three-Star Blitz', Charles Whiting made the extraordinary claim that following the bombing raid in late April some of Exeter's citizens, believing that the Cathedral served as both a guide and a target, advocated dynamiting the Cathedral itself to deter further attacks. The focus of  the Baedeker raids then turned to Bath, Norwich and York, but the  bombers returned to Exeter in May, the city was blitzed and the  destruction this time was immense.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-NtyGpNrEpVI\/TxM3VawrAVI\/AAAAAAAAD8I\/u8KTlxvObo4\/s1600\/Bomb%2BDamage%2BCathedral%2BExeter%2B1942.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697958794654056786\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-NtyGpNrEpVI\/TxM3VawrAVI\/AAAAAAAAD8I\/u8KTlxvObo4\/s640\/Bomb%2BDamage%2BCathedral%2BExeter%2B1942.JPG\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"386\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E © Express \u0026amp; Echo shows the destroyed chapel of St James in Exeter Cathedral. If the pillars supporting the clerestory windows had failed then the entire stone-vaulted roof over the choir would've collapsed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn  the early hours of 4 May 1942 Junker Ju 88 bombers crossed the English Channel and followed the  river Exe from the coast until they reached Exeter, dropping hundreds of flares to illuminate the  city. The first incendiaries fell at around 1.50am in the area known as  Newtown, near the medieval suburb of St Sidwell.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Exeter Blitz  lasted for 1 hour and 20 minutes, during the course of which 10,000  incendiaries and 75 tons of high explosive bombs were dropped on the  undefended city. Within 30 minutes nearly 70 separate fires raged  uncontrolled throughout Exeter. The high explosives demolished buildings  immediately, blocking streets and making any attempt to fight the fires  caused by the incendiaries impossible, and a strong wind fanned  the flames into a firestorm. Huge swathes of the city simply burned  despite the efforts of the city's firefighters. The German aircraft  allegedly machine-gunned anyone they saw in the streets below.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TLj2POYFBKI\/AAAAAAAAAXw\/v2hC8H4M_XQ\/s1600\/Exeter_1942+and+walls_resize.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528439284014843042\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TLj2POYFBKI\/AAAAAAAAAXw\/v2hC8H4M_XQ\/s400\/Exeter_1942+and+walls_resize.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;\" width=\"376\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EExeter  suffered the greatest amount of destruction in a single event since  1003AD when it was laid waste by the Danes. Being constructed of wood  and plaster, much of the city was literally incinerated. Nearly 40 acres  of the historic centre was either destroyed or severely damaged,  including 50% of the High Street, once described as \"among the most picturesque thoroughfares not merely in Devon, but in the kingdom\" (although its character had been gradually eroded throughout the early decades of the 20th century, even before the bombs of 1942.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOver 156 civilians were killed with nearly 600 more injured. 1500 buildings were destroyed and 2700 were seriously damaged. Over 16000 houses suffered moderate-to-severe damage. 9 churches were destroyed or seriously damaged, along with 26 inns, 400 shops, 6 banks, 150 offices and 50 warehouses. The map \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E  illustrates those portions of the city directly affected by the raid of  4 May 1942, the city wall highlighted in blue. The damage actually  extended beyond the edge of the map, towards the north-east. It is interesting to compare this map with the one shown \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/destruction-of-exeter-in-20th-century.html\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E depicting the extent of the destruction in Exeter over the course of the 20th century as a whole.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe  architectural casualties included the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/lower-market-fore-street.html\"\u003ELower Market\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/destruction-of-bedford-circus.html\"\u003EBedford Circus\u003C\/a\u003E,  \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/southernhay-west-southernhay.html\"\u003ESouthernhay West\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/dixs-field-southernhay-east.html\"\u003EDix's Field\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/paragon-house-no-75-south-street.html\"\u003EParagon House\u003C\/a\u003E, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/12\/medieval-college-of-vicars-choral-at.html\"\u003EHall of the Vicars Choral\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/st-catherines-almshouses-catherine.html\"\u003ESt  Catherine's Almshouses\u003C\/a\u003E, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/canonry-catherine-street.html\"\u003ECountry House Inn\u003C\/a\u003E, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/nos-25-26-high-street-new-inn.html\"\u003ENew Inn\u003C\/a\u003E, the medieval \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/st-lawrences-church-high-street.html\"\u003Echurch of St  Lawrence\u003C\/a\u003E, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/eastgate-arcade-and-coffee-tavern.html\"\u003EEastgate Arcade\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/bampfylde-house-elizabethan-mansion-in.html\"\u003EBampfylde House\u003C\/a\u003E, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/town-house-of-abbots-of-buckfast.html\"\u003EAbbots' Lodge\u003C\/a\u003E, the Choristers' School,  the Regency \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/devon-and-exeter-subscription-rooms.html\"\u003ESubscription Rooms\u003C\/a\u003E, Higher Summerlands, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/dellers-cafe-bedford-street.html\"\u003EDeller's Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/medieval-open-hall-king-st.html\"\u003E'Norman House'\u003C\/a\u003E, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/chevalier-inn-fore-street-destroyed-in.html\"\u003EChevalier  Inn\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/11\/globe-inn-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003Ethe Globe Hotel\u003C\/a\u003E, the former \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/no-241-high-street-town-house-of-earls.html\"\u003Etownhouse of the Earls of Morley\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/nos-266-267-high-street.html\"\u003ENos. 226 \u0026amp; 227\u003C\/a\u003E on the High Street, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/west-of-england-fire-and-life-insurance.html\"\u003EWest of England Insurance building\u003C\/a\u003E, and large areas of the West Quarter, Catherine Street, Sidwell Street, Paris Street,  South Street and the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/04\/the-destruction-of-high-street-in-1942.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EHigh Street\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-BO7gDU7p5wU\/TxM39zCd06I\/AAAAAAAAD8U\/yU24fJPPUHI\/s1600\/Exeter%2B1942%2Bcathedral%2BExpress%2Band%2BEcho.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"471\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697959488365908898\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-BO7gDU7p5wU\/TxM39zCd06I\/AAAAAAAAD8U\/yU24fJPPUHI\/s640\/Exeter%2B1942%2Bcathedral%2BExpress%2Band%2BEcho.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIncredibly,  the Cathedral itself survived. The interior contained the longest  unbroken medieval Gothic vaulting anywhere in the world and yet the only  significant damage was caused when a high-explosive bomb destroyed the  side chapel of St James in the south aisle of the choir. If the  Luftwaffe were aiming for the Cathedral then they failed spectacularly.  The two transept towers still stood over the city as they had done for  800 years, and as they still do today. The 'jewel' of Exeter always has  been the Cathedral and although the Nazis vowed to return to complete  their aim, the raid of 4 May proved to be the last time German bombs  fell on the city. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E © Express \u0026amp; Echo, shows the view towards the Cathedral across South Street from the area of the Lower Market. The steeple of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-major-cathedral-yard.html\"\u003ESt Mary Major\u003C\/a\u003E is just visible through the smoke on the far left. The tower of the Catholic Sacred Heart church in South Street is on the far right.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere  is no question that the Exeter Blitz of May 1942 was a total calamity  for the city. Thomas Sharp, the city's post-war town planner, believed that the Blitz  of 1942 destroyed up to 50% of Exeter's historic buildings. He also offered the opinion that \"Exeter was not wholly a jewel. And the Germans did not wholly destroy it\". It is too easy to buy into the much-circulated myth that Exeter was 'destroyed' by German bombs. The reality is rather more complex. What was once the historic core of Exeter now can't even lay claim to being Georgian or early-Victorian. It is resolutely a product of the 20th century. Slum clearances, wartime bombing, local authority indifference, post-war rebuilding and the post-war redevelopment of many areas unaffected by 1942 all play a part in explaining Exeter's largely dismal 21st century appearance. As Gavin Stamp states in his book 'Britain's Lost Cities': \"The Cathedral remains glorious, but the city is certainly no longer a jewel\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-L3lu8g2P7Dw\/Tocsd6EHmcI\/AAAAAAAACK0\/Ap-GOfiqHg8\/s1600\/1942_memorial_Exeter.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658540349128677826\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-L3lu8g2P7Dw\/Tocsd6EHmcI\/AAAAAAAACK0\/Ap-GOfiqHg8\/s640\/1942_memorial_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"551\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/8268999922306499163\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=8268999922306499163","title":"11 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/8268999922306499163"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/8268999922306499163"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html","title":"\"Exeter is the Jewel of the West, and We Have Destroyed It\""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-rzPs5yDlEEM\/TxM0TgjoywI\/AAAAAAAAD7k\/psvIU3ZMWQU\/s72-c\/CatherineSt1942.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"11"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4815815265727647594"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-14T22:19:00.031+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-30T17:50:37.042+00:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Fore Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Other Streets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Roman Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"West Quarter"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Milk Street, West Quarter"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Pm-eO2Ubj_c\/TweZt7tB-pI\/AAAAAAAADGs\/9caw3YVXt0U\/s1600\/Hedgeland%2BMilk%2BStreet.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694689268233009810\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Pm-eO2Ubj_c\/TweZt7tB-pI\/AAAAAAAADGs\/9caw3YVXt0U\/s640\/Hedgeland%2BMilk%2BStreet.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"457\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EMilk Street is typical of dozens of medieval roads and alleys that used to criss-cross the old city of Exeter i.e. it's ancient in origin but nothing survives today earlier than the 1950s. Like many of Exeter's medieval streets, the street adopted the name synonymous with the trades of the people who lived there e.g. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/12\/preston-street-demolished.html\"\u003EPreston Street\u003C\/a\u003E, Smythen Street. Milk Street was simply the street where people bought and sold milk.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E is from\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2012\/01\/hedgelands-model-of-exeter-in-1769.html\"\u003E the Hedgeland model of Exeter\u003C\/a\u003E as it appeared in 1769. The buildings which either fronted onto Milk Street or which formed part of it are highlighted in red. Fore Street runs from left to right at the bottom of the photograph. The far end of Milk Street was a junction where it was possible to turn either left or right into Guinea Street. When Hedgeland constructed his model between 1817 and 1824 Milk Street, like much of Exeter at the time, was predominantly a city of timber-framed buildings from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. According to Hoskins, Milk Street has been in existence since at least the 12th century, being first recorded during the reign of Henry II. Until 1942 it was a narrow lane leading from Fore Street down to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/destruction-of-guinea-street_20.html\"\u003EGuinea Street\u003C\/a\u003E. From the 1830s, most of the right-hand side was dominated by the towering wall of Charles Fowler's \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/lower-market-fore-street.html\"\u003Eneo-Classical Lower Market\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Opg-l8B4VWc\/TwebYF57r8I\/AAAAAAAADHE\/EoCSoGbKTa8\/s1600\/Milk%2BStreet%2B1904.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694691092037611458\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Opg-l8B4VWc\/TwebYF57r8I\/AAAAAAAADHE\/EoCSoGbKTa8\/s400\/Milk%2BStreet%2B1904.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 365px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 272px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe street map \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows Milk  Street, George Street, Guinea Street and the Lower Market in 1905. The  buildings highlighted in red no longer exist i.e. nearly all of them.  The area was comprehensively bombed on 4 May 1942. The Lower Market was  gutted by fire and much of Milk Street, George Street and Guinea Street  were reduced to rubble and ash. The obelisk survived the bombing  relatively intact but was later demolished.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBefore the construction of the Lower Market it was possible to access the medieval shops known as Butchers' Row \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E via Milk Street. It was so narrow it was sometimes necessary to remove joints of meat hanging in the shops to allow horses to turn the corner into \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/smythen-street.html\"\u003ESmythen Street\u003C\/a\u003E. On the left side, before arriving in Guinea Street was a small square, with \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/george-street.html\"\u003EGeorge Street\u003C\/a\u003E, another very narrow and ancient lane, leading off it. In this square a water conduit was placed when the Lower Market was first built, having been moved from outside the 14th century \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/hall-of-vicars-choral-south-street.html\"\u003EHall of the Vicars Choral\u003C\/a\u003E in South Street. A stone obelisk marked the site of the conduit to which many people living in the cramped West Quarter would come to collect fresh water.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-xVuVnGEtjkY\/Twee_KQx4wI\/AAAAAAAADHQ\/IFeE6z81lro\/s1600\/Milk_Street.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694695061756961538\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-xVuVnGEtjkY\/Twee_KQx4wI\/AAAAAAAADHQ\/IFeE6z81lro\/s400\/Milk_Street.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe line of the street itself could possibly even have been Roman in origin. The forum, the Roman city's main marketplace c200AD, is believed to have been located between Milk Street and South Street. Aileen Fox, who excavated the bombed areas of the city after World War Two, speculated that Milk Street might be a shadow of the Roman road which led from the forum to the South Gate.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TLd8V_tGM2I\/AAAAAAAAAWg\/UjO4kkzKVHw\/s1600\/Milk_Street.jpg\"\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EHoskins mentions that numerous previously-concealed medieval buildings in Exeter were exposed by the destruction of 1942. He writes that \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/09\/no-8-milk-street.html\"\u003E\"one of these was a fourteenth-century building in Milk Street\"\u003C\/a\u003E. Here the bombs had revealed a garderobe (a medieval shaft that functioned as a toilet) embedded within the wall of a bomb-damaged property. The remains of the house were demolished during the post-war clear-up.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EToday the street barely exists. In the post-war rebuilding the line of Milk Street was reduced to a small passageway under the mediocre architecture that flourished in Exeter during the 1950s and 1960s and all traces of earlier buildings were removed. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E shows the post-war entrance into the remnant of Milk Street. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow\u003C\/span\u003E shows the view from the opposite direction, the entrance into Guinea Street on the left. It goes without saying that now there is absolutely nothing of any visual or historic interest to be seen. The small passageway leads through to the post-war market building and today the entire area is remarkably grim.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TUXalOoNLBI\/AAAAAAAABLg\/VHcN2dN2p6w\/s1600\/Milk%2BStreet_GE_SV_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568096847430233106\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_K5zK61YQEc8\/TUXalOoNLBI\/AAAAAAAABLg\/VHcN2dN2p6w\/s640\/Milk%2BStreet_GE_SV_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4815815265727647594\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4815815265727647594","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4815815265727647594"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4815815265727647594"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/milk-street-west-quarter.html","title":"Milk Street, West Quarter"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Pm-eO2Ubj_c\/TweZt7tB-pI\/AAAAAAAADGs\/9caw3YVXt0U\/s72-c\/Hedgeland%2BMilk%2BStreet.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-8987301529612052505"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-14T16:49:00.039+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-30T17:44:41.811+00:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Guildhall Shopping Centre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Queen Street"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Higher Market, Queen Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-R4uA-cXWybc\/Tw2vuah-z_I\/AAAAAAAADak\/fVyEvQjaI6U\/s1600\/Higher_Market_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"494\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696402315624239090\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-R4uA-cXWybc\/Tw2vuah-z_I\/AAAAAAAADak\/fVyEvQjaI6U\/s640\/Higher_Market_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESadly the Higher Market's slightly older counterpart, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/lower-market-fore-street.html\"\u003ELower Market\u003C\/a\u003E, was gutted by fire during World War Two and subsequently demolished by the city council, but the great Higher Market remains as one of Exeter's finest public buildings, despite the massive mauling it received in the 1970s. As with the Lower Market, the impetus behind the construction of the Higher Market lay in the city's decision to relocate many of Exeter's market stalls into two centralised locations. The Lower, or Western Market was designed by Charles Fowler as a meat market. The Higher, or Eastern Market was intended to house the sale of poultry, vegetables, fish, eggs, butter, etc. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E shows the Queen Street facade of the market. A similar facade of similar dimensions existed on Goldsmith Street before most of it was demolished in the 1970s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-e2IC5X7F3Go\/Tw3LOLQAc9I\/AAAAAAAADbI\/Nw_w2s1QubQ\/s1600\/Hedgeland%2BHigher%2BMarket.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696432548092081106\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-e2IC5X7F3Go\/Tw3LOLQAc9I\/AAAAAAAADbI\/Nw_w2s1QubQ\/s400\/Hedgeland%2BHigher%2BMarket.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 319px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E is based on Caleb Hedgeland's model of Exeter. It was completed in 1824. Although the model shows the city as it appeared in 1769 the area covered by the Higher Market, and later Queen Street, had probably changed little between the two dates. Two parish churches can be seen: Allhallows, highlighted in green, and St Paul's, highlighted in purple. Goldsmth Street runs from one church to the other and was to be partially widened with the construction of the Higher Market. The market building itself, its outline based on a 1905 map of Exeter, is highlighted in red. Queen Street had yet to exist when Hedgeland constructed the model but part of Gandy Street can just be seen running top to bottom on the far left of the image. The course of what was to become Queen Street is highlighted in yellow, running from St Martin's Lane and the High Street at the top, bisecting Paul Street at the bottom and out of Exeter through a cutting made in the city wall (not shown).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-0QTPdZ0ejLI\/Tw3KJNju3II\/AAAAAAAADa8\/VWvNKo3ojOg\/s1600\/Higher_Market_Exeter_III.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696431363300711554\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-0QTPdZ0ejLI\/Tw3KJNju3II\/AAAAAAAADa8\/VWvNKo3ojOg\/s400\/Higher_Market_Exeter_III.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"301\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Bristol architect George Dymond won an open competition and designed an impressive neo-Classical public building which fronted onto a large section of what was then called New Road (later known as Queen Street). The market extended from its main facade on New Road all the way back to Goldsmith Street at the rear. Although Greek in design, classically-inspired buildings on such a scale hadn't been seen in Exeter since the fall of the Roman Empire in the 4th century AD. The Higher Market's foundation stone was laid on 08 April 1835 and the building was finished three years later in 1838. However disaster struck when Dymond suddenly died on 29 August 1835, just a few months after construction had begun. The architect of the Lower Market, Charles Fowler, was brought in to replace Dymond, and although Fowler is often cited as being the architect of the Higher Market the building remained essentially the same as Dymond had envisaged it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe finished building had two main entrances, from Queen Street and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/demolition-of-goldsmith-street.html\"\u003EGoldsmith Street\u003C\/a\u003E, with a smaller, narrower entrance from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/paul-street-complete-disaster.html\"\u003EPaul Street\u003C\/a\u003E. Its dimensions were 230ft by 160ft, making it larger than the Lower Market. Rectangular windows with moulded surrounds alternate with simple but massive Doric columns, four in the centre with two each on either side. Running along the full length of the facade is an entablature decorated with moulded classical triglyphs. Above the central four columns \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E is a massive neo-Classical pediment, in the centre of which is a carved representation of the coats of arms of Exeter: a shield depicting three castle towers flanked by two Pegasus. The Doric columns are only partially fluted, the reason being that it was thought that the constant traffic moving past the delicate fluting would damage the decoration.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-W5IFZqPRJD4\/Tw3OOiFLgfI\/AAAAAAAADbU\/Ls6sEWcvVRc\/s1600\/Higher%2BMarket%2BGoldsmith%2BSt.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696435852755567090\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-W5IFZqPRJD4\/Tw3OOiFLgfI\/AAAAAAAADbU\/Ls6sEWcvVRc\/s1600\/Higher%2BMarket%2BGoldsmith%2BSt.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe facade which fronted onto Goldsmith Street, shown \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E c1950, was almost totally demolished by Exeter City Council in the 1970s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOf particular interest are the steep steps which led up into the market area from the street below. This change in ground level was to be obliterated during the redevelopment. When originally built its 260ft length would've completely dominated the still narrow Goldsmith Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe chief difference between the Queen Street facade and the Goldsmith Street facade was the use of plain Doric columns with no fluting combined with square pillars. Apart from this the layout was similar with rectangular openings alternating with columned entrances.\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0000ee;\"\u003E\u003Cu\u003E \u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/span\u003EOnly a small fragment of the Goldsmith Street facade remains. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow \u003C\/span\u003Eshows the surviving central portico from the elevation in Goldsmith Street, with its classical pediment, Doric columns and square pillars set amidst the mediocre red-brick shopping centre which now squats over the remains of Goldsmith Street.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe rest of the facade was ripped down. If that wasn't outrageous enough, in an act of crass ignorance the ground level outside the remaining portico was raised by over six feet, burying both the base on which the columns originally stood and the steps which led up into the market. All these changes have only succeeded in destroying the classical proportions of the entrance completely. Comparing the fragment which remains with the photograph above, it's hard to believe that they both depict the same building.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-BCHWaLZyeXM\/Tw3Ra6Nfp6I\/AAAAAAAADbg\/v1iH01q41w4\/s1600\/Goldsmith%2Bfacade%2B2010.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"510\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696439363926206370\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-BCHWaLZyeXM\/Tw3Ra6Nfp6I\/AAAAAAAADbg\/v1iH01q41w4\/s640\/Goldsmith%2Bfacade%2B2010.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAll of  the facades were originally constructed out of a Jurassic freestone called Bath Oolite, brought especially into the city from Wiltshire via the Exeter ship canal and heaved up into the city centre on carts where it could be used on the building itself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe interior was as lavish as the colossal facades which contained it.  Running through the centre of the building on the ground floor were a  sequence of massive square pillars, carved from granite quarried on  Dartmoor. On either side of this avenue were a whole sequence of rooms and open spaces designed to cater specifically for the produce that was being sold. For example, the fish market (now demolished) was built around a square in one entire corner of the market, in the centre of which was a water fountain. On the first floor was a horticultural gallery with large windows designed to flood the spaces below with natural light.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-qg03QHNryJ8\/Tw3WQV1sKgI\/AAAAAAAADbs\/zNj262YrU9Y\/s1600\/Plans%2BHigher%2BMarket%2B2011.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696444679922133506\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-qg03QHNryJ8\/Tw3WQV1sKgI\/AAAAAAAADbs\/zNj262YrU9Y\/s400\/Plans%2BHigher%2BMarket%2B2011.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 296px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe composite image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows Dymond's   original plan overlaid onto a modern aerial photograph of the Higher Market today. The areas outlined in purple show which   parts of the 1830s building actually remain today. Everything in red was demolished in the early 1970s to the great detriment of the architectural and historical integrity of the building as a whole.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Higher Market was a superb piece of design, both incredibly functional and visually impressive. And it cost the city a fortune. The original budget was £19,000 but the final costs exceeded this by some way. Upon their completion both the Higher Market and its sibling the Lower Market were two of the finest 19th century market halls in England. The Higher Market continued in operation until 1962 and then lay dormant for some years as plans were made to create a new shopping precinct in the city centre. This was to become the notorious 'Golden Heart' project of the 1970s, a project which inflicted further significant amount of destruction upon Exeter's already fragmented historical cityscape.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-dIuuzkWMB64\/Tw3ZVz0witI\/AAAAAAAADb4\/ZBtkpexduSg\/s1600\/Inner%2Bentrance%2BHigher%2BMarket.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696448072405519058\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-dIuuzkWMB64\/Tw3ZVz0witI\/AAAAAAAADb4\/ZBtkpexduSg\/s400\/Inner%2Bentrance%2BHigher%2BMarket.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 294px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn comparison with what happened elsewhere in Exeter, the Higher Market actually got off lightly as Exeter City Council wanted the entire building destroyed. A long and acrimonious battle ensued between the council and, amongst others, the Exeter Civic Society led by Professor W.G. Hoskins. According to the archaeologist Aileen Fox, who excavated much of the city after the destruction of 1942, the city council regarded the preservation group as \"an ineffectual nuisance\". A compromise was reached which saw only the majority of the building demolished rather than all of it. The Queen Street facade was retained, along with the central hall of granite columns, the barrel-vaulted roof and the impressive portico on the Goldsmith Street side of the building. Everything else was pulled down. As a report in 'Country Life' stated in 1989, the building \"has been treated in such an insensitive manner that little of the original Classicism seems to have survived\". Other journals refer to the 1970s alterations as \"vulgar\" and \"crude\". Clearly, if it hadn't been for the intervention of the Exeter Civic Society then the whole building would've disappeared. Despite the building's defacement it still has Grade II listed status. The photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow \u003C\/span\u003Eshows the surviving colonnaded hall with its barrel-vaulted ceiling and high clerestory windows.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z3R3W_KlZAc\/Tj1xautBjzI\/AAAAAAAABsw\/TUQ5_m7kqT8\/s1600\/Higher_Market%2BMain_Hall%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"474\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637787012565143346\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z3R3W_KlZAc\/Tj1xautBjzI\/AAAAAAAABsw\/TUQ5_m7kqT8\/s640\/Higher_Market%2BMain_Hall%2BExeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/8987301529612052505\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=8987301529612052505","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/8987301529612052505"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/8987301529612052505"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/higher-market-queen-street.html","title":"The Higher Market, Queen Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-R4uA-cXWybc\/Tw2vuah-z_I\/AAAAAAAADak\/fVyEvQjaI6U\/s72-c\/Higher_Market_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-4122827106075575278"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-13T21:45:00.037+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-30T17:35:58.729+00:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Fore Street"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Georgian Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Reconstruction"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Lower Market, Fore Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ivrptXiyHCc\/TwzsVWLR3JI\/AAAAAAAADZE\/01-QsFHm3xM\/s1600\/Lower%2BMarket_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"474\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696187480191130770\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ivrptXiyHCc\/TwzsVWLR3JI\/AAAAAAAADZE\/01-QsFHm3xM\/s640\/Lower%2BMarket_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Lower Market \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove\u003C\/span\u003E c1920 was one of two exceptional neo-Classical market buildings constructed in Exeter in the 1830s. The other was the Higher Market in Queen Street. In 1833 the city authorities decided to gather Exeter's many street markets into two separate market halls. The Lower Market, or Western Market, was the first of the two to be completed and was designed to cater primarily for the city's  butchers (formerly located at Butchers' Row in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/smythen-street.html\"\u003ESmythen Street\u003C\/a\u003E since the end of the 15th century). A room was allocated above the main entrance to function as a Corn Exchange. The \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/higher-market-queen-street.html\"\u003EHigher Market\u003C\/a\u003E was used for poultry, fish and vegetables.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-m6AQnpgM4WQ\/TwztEVvwF0I\/AAAAAAAADZQ\/ph1rSC4XrgA\/s1600\/LowerMarket%2BInterior.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696188287529523010\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-m6AQnpgM4WQ\/TwztEVvwF0I\/AAAAAAAADZQ\/ph1rSC4XrgA\/s400\/LowerMarket%2BInterior.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"313\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe Lower Market was designed by Charles Fowler, born in Cullompton in 1792 and already the renowned architect of the former vegetable market at Covent Garden in London. Work began in 1835 on a site at the top of Fore Street, extending back from Fore Street itself to truncate Smythen Street as it ascended towards South Street and demolishing the medieval Butchers' Row which stood within the footprint of the new market building.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E shows the huge colonnaded hall of the Lower Market prior to 1942. The high clerestory windows, arched arcades, aisles and barrel ceiling, supported on pillars of granite, were reminiscent of a Roman basilica. During the excavations for the Lower Market's foundations, a Roman medal was unearthed. In a truly remarkable coincidence, on one side of the medal was the head of the Emperor Nero and on the other was a depiction of a building not dissimilar to the Lower Market itself. The Roman medal had itself been struck to commemorate the construction of a meat market in Rome 1700 years earlier. This discovery inspired the Exeter Corporation to issue their own medal to memorialise the creation of the Lower Market. Fashioned out of bronze, one side of the medal featured the facade of the Lower Market and on the reverse were the three-towered emblem of Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-7_C3PhSrDnY\/TwzukMdJX9I\/AAAAAAAADZc\/36CdFm3D4rs\/s1600\/Lower%2BMarket%2B1905%2B2011.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696189934303010770\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-7_C3PhSrDnY\/TwzukMdJX9I\/AAAAAAAADZc\/36CdFm3D4rs\/s400\/Lower%2BMarket%2B1905%2B2011.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 297px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E shows the Lower Market on a street plan of 1904 overlaid onto an aerial photograph of the post-war city. The market is highlighted in red. The area shown was comprehensively bombed in 1942 but the market building could've been salvaged and the ruins stood for many years after the war. The market building was bounded by \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/milk-street-west-quarter.html\"\u003EMilk Street\u003C\/a\u003E to the east, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/destruction-of-guinea-street_20.html\"\u003EGuinea Street\u003C\/a\u003E to the south, Market Street to the west and Fore Street to the north. The Fore Street frontage was much narrower than the full width of the building. The market was finally completed in 1836 and opened for business on 9 December the same year. During the building of the Lower Market the public water conduit in South Street was relocated to a little square in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/milk-street-west-quarter.html\"\u003EMilk Street\u003C\/a\u003E where it was marked by the construction of a stone obelisk. The square was actually created by the demolition of buildings on the corner of Milk Street and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/george-street.html\"\u003EGeorge Street\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was a colossal building of which the city at the time appears to have been justly proud. There were two entrances, one through the main facade in Guinea Street and one through the narrower facade that faced onto Fore Street. The magnificent Guinea Street facade (shown at the \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Etop\u003C\/span\u003E of this post) consisted of a row of high arches flanked at the ends by two partially rusticated large towers surmounted by low pyramidal roofs. A neo-classical pediment marked the full height of the hall inside.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-sGfBViNYOig\/Twzw55uIEeI\/AAAAAAAADZo\/WkflG4YDTCc\/s1600\/ExeterLowerMarket1.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696192506254332386\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-sGfBViNYOig\/Twzw55uIEeI\/AAAAAAAADZo\/WkflG4YDTCc\/s1600\/ExeterLowerMarket1.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIn the words of Professor A. E. Richardson, who wrote about the Lower Market in an edition of 'The Architectural Review' in 1920, the Guinea Street elevation showed \"the fine scale of the building, the refinement of the ornament, the originality of the conception, and the correctness of expression, for it is unmistakeably a market and nothing else.\" Over the Fore Street entrance Charles Fowler had incised his own name. Italian composition and Greek detail merged to create \"a building both monumental and useful\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe narrower facade in Fore Street\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E right\u003C\/span\u003E was supported on four rusticated square columns, topped by sculpted bulls' heads and wreaths, above which were three arched windows which gave light into the first floor Corn Exchange. Above these were a series of smaller arched windows, the whole being crowned with a neo-Classical pediment, the tympanum dominated by a large representation of the coat of arms of Exeter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Lower Market remained in use until \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/exeter-is-jewel-of-west-and-we-have_16.html\"\u003E4 May 1942\u003C\/a\u003E when it was gutted by fire following the bombing of the city during World War Two. The roof and the interior were totally destroyed but most of the external walls remained standing. The local historian, W. G. Hoskins, wrote that the Lower Market \"stood in its ruin after 1942 like a piece of ancient Rome: indeed one  could imagine oneself among the ruined public buildings of the fifth  century in Exeter\". As with Bedford Circus, the Lower Market could've been reconstructed had the local authority been willing to do so.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-mGCSRMd7RE0\/Twz2RjSrrrI\/AAAAAAAADZ0\/uQOvhyYf0jk\/s1600\/Lower%2BMarket%2B1953.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696198410108645042\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-mGCSRMd7RE0\/Twz2RjSrrrI\/AAAAAAAADZ0\/uQOvhyYf0jk\/s400\/Lower%2BMarket%2B1953.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 296px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe photograph \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eright\u003C\/span\u003E © Express  \u0026amp; Echo dates to 1953, eleven years after the Exeter Blitz. It shows  reconstruction work in South Street going on in the foreground and in the  background, highlighted in red, are the considerable remains of the  Lower Market. In fact the ruined shell of the building stood until 1960. Structurally, the remains of the gutted exterior were sound but, along with almost every other city centre building damaged in the 1942 air-raid, the Lower Market was comprehensively demolished. Its huge granite blocks were torn down and thrown into the river to help shore up a riverbank.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEven more extraordinary then was the dismal building which eventually arose almost on the same footprint of the Lower Market itself in 1960: St George's Hall and Market, a large function room with an accompanying market. Like all of the post-war reconstruction, the resulting building was a total break with the historical pre-war character of Exeter. Even the city council's own conservation area report states that the buildings are \"undistinguished and make no attempt to fit into the context of historic Fore Street\". It was designed by the city council's own in-house architect H. B. Rowe and is described by Pevsner and Cherry as \"a rather tatty effort in a belated Festival of Britain spirit\". Unfortunately there's nothing remotely festive about it. It's one of the post-war buildings in Exeter which I particularly dislike. As with a number of other post-war eyesores in the city, trees have been planted outside to try and disguise it. St George's Hall and market remained as a market until several years ago when it was 'rebranded' as The Corn Exchange, although any comparison with the great Corn Exchange buildings at Leeds or Bristol will be short-lived once you see the feeble and inappropriate structure which sits now on the site of the Lower Market.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-EcMwXT0gryA\/Twz5Gd4bA_I\/AAAAAAAADaA\/Lkljk3mhtsw\/s1600\/St%2BGeorges%2BMarket_GE_SV_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696201518212645874\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-EcMwXT0gryA\/Twz5Gd4bA_I\/AAAAAAAADaA\/Lkljk3mhtsw\/s640\/St%2BGeorges%2BMarket_GE_SV_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4122827106075575278\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=4122827106075575278","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4122827106075575278"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/4122827106075575278"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/lower-market-fore-street.html","title":"The Lower Market, Fore Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ivrptXiyHCc\/TwzsVWLR3JI\/AAAAAAAADZE\/01-QsFHm3xM\/s72-c\/Lower%2BMarket_Exeter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6882578413887103850.post-5930350302321701334"},"published":{"$t":"2010-10-11T17:48:00.039+01:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-04-02T01:11:14.553+01:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"1942"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Exeter Churches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Listed Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Medieval Exeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Post-War Demolition"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"St Mary Arches Church, Mary Arches Street"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-uBv40JcR7pM\/TxB1L9Hdw1I\/AAAAAAAADjk\/rO-P9z7GKX8\/s1600\/St%2BMary%2BArches%2BChurch.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697182376868561746\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-uBv40JcR7pM\/TxB1L9Hdw1I\/AAAAAAAADjk\/rO-P9z7GKX8\/s640\/St%2BMary%2BArches%2BChurch.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EBeatrix Cresswell quite rightly called the church of St Mary Arches \"one of the most interesting ecclesiastical buildings in the city\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMuch of the exterior has been thoughtlessly maimed and the church is surrounded by a blighted landscape of post-war rebuilding, and the church experienced its own share of bomb damage in 1942, but much remains of one of Exeter's most spacious medieval parish churches.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe church could possibly have been an Anglo-Saxon foundation but the first mention of it appears in the will of Peter de Palerna c1200. The name of St Mary Arches (or Arcubus) is thought to derive either from the 12th century arches in the nave or the supposition that an arched, or bowed, gateway was once prominent in the area (as was once used at St Stephen's and St John's in Exeter). I think the former is probably more realistic and the interior remains unique in Devon: two Norman four-bay arcades either side of a nave, separated by a sequence of massive, circular stone piers. Each pillar is topped with a square capital each carved with a typically Romanesque scallop design.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-qnLLgl1G6Xk\/TxB2pcRtZnI\/AAAAAAAADj8\/YA2UvomLncI\/s1600\/StMaryArches_arches.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"416\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697183982960862834\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-qnLLgl1G6Xk\/TxB2pcRtZnI\/AAAAAAAADj8\/YA2UvomLncI\/s640\/StMaryArches_arches.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe entire arrangement \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E dates to c1190 and it is the oldest surviving church interior still in existence in Exeter, predating the Cathedral's 14th century Decorated Gothic remodelling by about 100 years. The postcard view also shows the 15th century barrel-vaulted roof prior to its destruction in 1942. The roof had wooden bosses on the ties of the beams and in 1898 the roof was pierced by skylights to help illuminate the  interior.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELike many other parish churches in Exeter, St Mary Arches underwent significant remodelling in the 15th century, which is probably when many of the current windows and the, now lost, roof were added, as well as two of the bells in the tower (a third was added in 1827). The west tower also dates to the 15th century although there are indications that there was once a larger tower further to the west. The four stone balls which sit on top of the current bell tower were brought from the old water conduit which was located close to the dining hall of the Vicars Choral in South Street and demolished in 1830.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-a50KO1YNxw4\/TxCLWNW8YMI\/AAAAAAAADkI\/443rNNKlyE4\/s1600\/St%2BMary%2BArches%2BTomb%2Bof%2BThomas%2BAndrew%2BBC.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697206742282952898\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-a50KO1YNxw4\/TxCLWNW8YMI\/AAAAAAAADkI\/443rNNKlyE4\/s400\/St%2BMary%2BArches%2BTomb%2Bof%2BThomas%2BAndrew%2BBC.jpg\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 362px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe most significant monument remaining in the church is the tomb of Thomas Andrews \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eleft\u003C\/span\u003E, mayor of Exeter in 1505 and 1510 who died in 1518. The tomb was originally part of a chantry chapel dedicated to Saint Thomas and Saint Andrew which was accessible through its own door in the south wall now blocked (see image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Ebelow right\u003C\/span\u003E). The tomb has a recumbent effigy over which is a large ogee arch profusely carved with undercut foliage. Inset into the spandrels of the arch are the Andrew coat of arms.  On the sides of the tomb are the figures of St Mary Magdalene, St John the Baptist, St John the Evangelist and St Barbara. The shields at the base of the monument repeat the Andrew heraldry as well as featuring the coat of arms of the Merchant Adventurers. Another fine memorial is that of Thomas Walker, who died in 1628 and his wife. Life-size kneeling effigies of the couple face each other for eternity on the north wall. Numerous memorial tablets from the 16th and 17th centuries stud the walls commemorating various former mayors of the city. The last mayor to be buried in the church was Burnet Patch in 1815. As Cresswell says, St Mary Arches has had over \"300 years of importance as the civic church of the city\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-TTC9e17PiV0\/TxCPuiCbBAI\/AAAAAAAADkU\/X2FKBteLVdA\/s1600\/St%2BMary%2BArches%2BExeter%2BNorth%2BWall.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"400\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697211558197396482\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-TTC9e17PiV0\/TxCPuiCbBAI\/AAAAAAAADkU\/X2FKBteLVdA\/s400\/St%2BMary%2BArches%2BExeter%2BNorth%2BWall.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe reredos, altar table and altar rails were all restored after the war but date to the late-17th century. One of the most remarkable survivals, part of a very rare 15th century cope (a semi-circular cloak used in church services) can be seen at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum. Converted into a coffin pall by the parishioners in the middle of 16th century, it is one of the few pieces of a medieval vestment to have survived from pre-Reformation England. The east window was replaced in 1880 and the north wall was rebuilt in 1814, but despite other alterations the church remains an essentially medieval  building, constructed out of the local red breccia quarried at nearby  Heavitree, with some blocks of purple volcanic trap from Rougemont.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd then, in keeping with the Exeter trend, it all started to go wrong. In the first quarter of the 20th century steps were taken to 'renovate' the soft breccia stone. The solution was to add a layer of cement to the front facade and parts of the side walls. The image \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove left\u003C\/span\u003E shows the south wall at the point where the cement render ends and where the original medieval fabric is still visible. The cladding extends over the remains of a blocked-up early 16th century door which led into the chantry chapel containing the tomb of Thomas Andrew.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-B1tDkPq1NvQ\/TxCQluX4CSI\/AAAAAAAADkg\/3y_CuMJFxLg\/s1600\/St%2BMary%2BArches%2BChurch%2BRear%2BExterior.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697212506401409314\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-B1tDkPq1NvQ\/TxCQluX4CSI\/AAAAAAAADkg\/3y_CuMJFxLg\/s640\/St%2BMary%2BArches%2BChurch%2BRear%2BExterior.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;\" width=\"480\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe addition of the cement had the almost instantaneous effect of totally destroying the medieval appearance of the church. I was talking to someone recently who had always believed that the church was a 19th century structure, an easy mistake to make when seen from the front.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEven worse, the cement can never be removed without destroying the medieval stone work. Cement is not a naturally porous material and any moisture trapped between the face of the original stone and the cement will only hasten the deterioration of the former. A quick comparison between the photograph at the top of this post with a view of the rear of the church \u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003Eabove right\u003C\/span\u003E, still with much of its original medieval fabric, illustrates the point better than any description. The staircase at the side of the tower was also clad in cement but this has since been removed and replaced with a clumsy, pale pink render.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEven worse was to befall the church in 1942 when a smouldering incendiary dropped by German bombers ignited the 15th century barrel-vaulted roof. One of the nuns from the Community of St Wilfrid's who were in the church at the time managed to salvage the still-burning processional cross. Almost the entire roof structure was destroyed. The rebuilt roof does not match its medieval predecessor. A plain arched roof was built instead which naturally omits the visible ribs of the 15th century original. The structural supports allegedly came from a disused D-Day landing craft moored at Topsham. The restoration was overseen by the church architect Stephen Dykes-Bower.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately the attractive cupola which once graced the top of the tower was not reinstated, although according to Jenkins the cupola was a relatively new feature even in 1806. The church suffered even more during the post-war redevelopment. The entrance of Mary Arches Street with Fore Street was devastated by bombing and was subsequently rebuilt in a grim, utilitarian style of no architectural merit. The entrance into Bartholomew Street East was totally demolished and redeveloped in the early 1950s. The street was drastically widened in the post-war years. One half was demolished and rebuilt with bland flat-roofed buildings   and the other half was knocked down to build a car park. The church therefore has no coherent context within a wider historical cityscape, despite its importance to the city's civic history.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-W6ghGEvqGr4\/UVogDWOyQ1I\/AAAAAAAAGHU\/26YDrH044iw\/s1600\/MAPM+1905.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"608\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-W6ghGEvqGr4\/UVogDWOyQ1I\/AAAAAAAAGHU\/26YDrH044iw\/s640\/MAPM+1905.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe image \u003Ci\u003Eabove\u003C\/i\u003E shows a 1905 map of the city overlaid onto a modern aerial view of the same area. Only those properties which lay within the parish boundary of St Mary Arches have been included from 1905. Strangely, only one half of Mary Arches Street itself was enclosed within the parish. The other half lay within the parish of St Olave on Fore Street. Buildings within the parish that have been demolished since 1905 are highlighted in red. Only two solitary buildings from within the parish survive today: St Mary Arches itself and the Synagogue in Synagogue Place (both highlighted in purple). The section bounded by Fore Street to the south-east was destroyed in 1942 and the rest was bulldozed from the early 1900s up until the 1980s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMary Arches Street today isn't particularly prepossessing and so unfortunately the church doesn't rank high on anyone's itinerary. Only the most dedicated visitor to Exeter would bother to seek it out, standing as it does amidst the wasteland of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/mary-arches-street.html\"\u003EMary Arches Street\u003C\/a\u003E itself, but even if anyone does find it, the interior of the church is open to the public  for just one day every month!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-QYuSRh0S7CI\/TxCVdJAU3nI\/AAAAAAAADlQ\/UY0uuembe2k\/s1600\/Mary%2BArches%2BChurch_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"529\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697217856489709170\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-QYuSRh0S7CI\/TxCVdJAU3nI\/AAAAAAAADlQ\/UY0uuembe2k\/s640\/Mary%2BArches%2BChurch_Exeter.jpg\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/sources.html\"\u003ESources\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5930350302321701334\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=6882578413887103850\u0026postID=5930350302321701334","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5930350302321701334"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6882578413887103850\/posts\/default\/5930350302321701334"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/demolition-exeter.blogspot.com\/2010\/10\/church-of-st-mary-arches-mary-arches.html","title":"St Mary Arches Church, Mary Arches Street"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-uBv40JcR7pM\/TxB1L9Hdw1I\/AAAAAAAADjk\/rO-P9z7GKX8\/s72-c\/St%2BMary%2BArches%2BChurch.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}}]}});