Exeter Totally Explained

Everything about Exeter totally explained

Demographics

The city has been expanding in size quite considerably in recent years, with a population estimate of 119,600 in 2006, up over 8,000 from the census in 2001. The racial makeup of the city is as follows (2005 Estimates):(External Link

)

White - 95.6%
Asian - 1.4% (0.7% Indian, 0.4% Other, 0.2% Pakistani, 0.2% Bangladeshi)
Mixed Race - 1.1% (0.4% Asian and White, 0.3% Black and White, 0.3% Other Mixed)
Chinese - 0.7%
Black - 0.6% (0.4% African,0.2% Caribbean,0.1% Other)
Other - 0.5% In the 2004-05 period the population of "White Other" increased by 28.2% - Higher than any other Town or City in the United Kingdom.

Economy

The city provides strong industries and services to a sizable area. The Met Office, the main weather forecasting organisation for the United Kingdom and one of the most significant in the world, relocated from Bracknell in Berkshire to Exeter in early 2004. It is one of the three largest employers in the area (the others being the University of Exeter and Devon County Council), providing a welcome boost to the local economy. Exeter City Council is currently bidding for the city to become an Independent Unitary Authority, a status granted to nearby Plymouth and Torbay in 1998. An outline case was submitted to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in May 2006. If successful, a new unitary city council could be up and running in Exeter by April 2009.
On 26 June 2004, Exeter was granted Fairtrade City status.
A NEF survey in 2005 rated Exeter as the worst example of a clone town in the UK, with only a single independent store in the city's High Street, and less diversity (in terms of different categories of shop) than any other town surveyed. However, Exeter has many independent shops off the High St, such as those in Gandy Street, which was reconstructed after bombing in 1942. Princesshay, a post-war retail area running parallel to the High Street, was also home to a number of independent stores prior to redevelopment in 2007. It is an innovative varied development and it's still intended that a number of the new units will be let to local independent stores.

Landmarks

Among the notable buildings in Exeter are:

The cathedral, founded in 1050 when the bishop's seat was moved from the nearby town of Crediton (birthplace of Saint Boniface) because Exeter's Roman walls offered better protection against "pirates", presumably Vikings. A statue of Richard Hooker, the sixteenth century Anglican theologian, who was born in Exeter, has a prominent place in the Cathedral Close.

The ruins of Rougemont Castle, built soon after the Norman Conquest; later parts of the castle were still in use as an Assize court until early 2006 when a new Crown Courts building opened. A plaque near the ruined Norman gatehouse recalls that in 1685 Alice Molland, the last person executed for witchcraft in England, was imprisoned in Exeter. The future of the castle is at the moment uncertain, but moves are afoot to alter its use, possibly to a restaurant and housing.

The Guildhall, the oldest municipal building in England still in use.

The Guild of Tuckers and Weavers, a fine old building that's still used for smart functions.

The Custom House in the attractive Quay area, which is the oldest brick building surviving in the city.

St Nicholas Priory in Mint Lane.

A number of medieval churches including St Mary Steps which has an elaborate clock.

"The House That Moved", a 14th century Tudor building, earned its name in 1961 when it was moved from its original location on the corner of Edmund Street in order for a new road to be built in its place. Weighing more than twenty-one tonnes, it was strapped together and slowly moved a few inches at a time to its present day home.

Parliament Street in the city centre is believed to be the narrowest street in the world. Many of these are built in the local dark red sandstone, which gives its name to the castle and the park that now surrounds it (Rougemont means red hill). Northernhay Gardens located just outside the castle, is the oldest public open space in the whole of England, being originally laid out in 1612 as a pleasure walk for Exeter residents. Much of Northernhay gardens now represent Victorian design, with a beautiful display of trees, mature shrubs and bushes and plenty of flower beds. There are also many statues here, most importantly the War Memorial by John Angel and the Deerstalker by E.B. Stephens. The Volunteer Memorial from 1895, also in the gardens, commemorates the formation of the 1st Rifle Volunteers in 1852. Other statues include John Dinham, Thomas Dyke Acland and Stafford Northcote (a local landowner who was a Victorian Chancellor of the Exchequer).

Transport

Road

The M5 motorway to Bristol and Birmingham starts at Exeter, and connects at Bristol with the M4 to London. The older A30 road provides a more direct route to London via the A303 and M3. The M5 is the lowest bridging point of the River Exe.
Going west, the A38 connects Exeter to Plymouth and South East Cornwall, whilst the A30 continues via Okehampton to North and West Cornwall.
Travel by car in the city is often difficult with regular jams centred on the Exe Bridges area. To address the problem, Devon County Council is considering the introduction of congestion charges.

Rail

There are two main line railway routes from Exeter to London, the faster route via Taunton to London Paddington and the slower West of England Main Line via Salisbury to London Waterloo. Another main line, the Cross-Country Route, links Exeter with Bristol, Birmingham, the Midlands, Northern England, and Scotland. Many trains on all three lines continue westwards from Exeter, variously serving Torbay, Plymouth and Cornwall.
Local branch lines run to Paignton (see Riviera Line), Exmouth (see Avocet Line) and Barnstaple (see Tarka Line). There is also a summer weekend service to Okehampton for access to Dartmoor.
Exeter is served by two main railway stations. Exeter St Davids is served by all services, whilst Exeter Central is more convenient for the city centre but served only by local services and the main line route to London Waterloo. There are also six suburban stations, Topsham, St James Park, Exeter St Thomas, Polsloe Bridge, Pinhoe and Digby & Sowton, served only by local services.

Air

Exeter International Airport lies east of the city and the local airline, previously called Jersey European and British European but now known as Flybe, is a significant local employer. The Airport offers a range of scheduled flights to UK and Irish regional airports and charter flights including a seasonal service to Toronto in Canada. Connections to international hubs began with Paris Charles de Gaulle in 2005 and later a daily service to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

Bus

Exeter's main operator of local buses is Stagecoach Devon, which operates most of the services in the city. Dartline is a minor operator in the City. Former Cooks Coaches were taken over by Stagecoach forming Stagecoach Cooks Coaches.Western Greyhound is also a main operator connecting Exeter to Cornwall, Somerset and many different places in south west England. The High Street, pedestrianized except for bus and bicycle traffic, serves as the main hub for local buses. Country and express services operate from the city's bus station, in Paris Street, which intersects the High Street at its eastern end; some also call at Exeter St David's railway station for direct connection to train services. Country bus services, mostly operated by Stagecoach, run from Exeter to most places in East and North Devon, but some are very infrequent. Regional express services run to Plymouth, Torbay, Bude, and along the Jurassic Coast to Lyme Regis and Weymouth, some operated by Stagecoach and others by First Bus. National Express operates long distance routes, for example to Heathrow and London.

Exeter Canal

The Exeters Canal was built in 1558, making it one of the oldest artificial waterways in the UK. It was cut to bypass weirs that had been built across the River Exe to prevent trade in the city and to force boats to unload at Topsham from where the Earls of Devon were able to exact large tolls to transport goods to Exeter. Originally 3 feet deep and 16 feet wide (0.9 m by 5 m), it ran one and three quarter miles (2.8 km) from just below the Countess Weir to the centre of Exeter. It was later extended to Topsham, deepened and widened, and was successful until the middle of the 19th century since when its use gradually declined - the last commercial use was in 1972. However it's now widely used for leisure purposes, and the city basin is being included as part of a 24 million pound redevelopment scheme.

Education

The University of Exeter has two campuses in the city, both notable for their attractive parkland. It is one of the largest employers in the city.

Exeter is one of the four main sites of the University of Plymouth

The Peninsula Medical School, a joint operation of the two universities, has one of its main sites in Exeter

St Loye's School of Health Studies, well-known for training in occupational therapy has now been incorporated into the University of Plymouth.

Exeter College is a major Further Education college. It operates as a sixth form for the entire maintained school sector in the city.

For about 30 years the city of Exeter operated a maintained school system in which the divisions between phases came at different ages from most of the United Kingdom, with First, Middle and High rather than Infant, Junior and Secondary schools, so that children transferred between schools at age (about) 8 and 12 rather than 7 and 11. From 2005, however, it has adopted the more usual pattern, because of the pressures of the UK National Curriculum. The changeover back from the structure led to a city wide, PFI funded, rebuilding program for the High Schools and led to the changing of names for some schools. Following the reorganisation there are 25 Primary schools, 4 Referral Schools, 3 Special Schools and 5 Secondary Schools within Exeter. (External Link

). The secondary schools are:

Isca College of Media Arts (formerly Priory High School)

St James' School (formerly St James' High School)

St Luke's (Church of England) Science & Sports College (formerly Vincent Thompson High School)

St Peter's Church of England Aided School - A Language College

West Exe Technology College (formerly St Thomas High School) In addition:

Exeter School (External Link

) is the oldest of several public schools in the city.

Exeter is home to several substantial language schools

Exeter is also home to the Royal West of England School for the Deaf & The West of England School for the Partially Sighted.

The Atkinson Unit is a secure specialist residential and educational complex for children in care or remanded by the courts.

Religion

There are many Christian churches in Exeter and an Anglican Cathedral. It is the seat of the bishop of Exeter. The present building was complete by about 1400, and has the longest uninterrupted vaulted ceiling in England, and other notable features. There is also a Synagogue on Mary Arches Street.

Sports

Exeter's football club, Exeter City, were relegated from the Football League in 2003 after 83 years' membership. Exeter lost 2-1 in the Conference play-off final to Morecambe FC at Wembley on Sunday 20 May 2007, missing out on promotion to the Football League. They have recently been promoted back to the Football League with a 1-0 play-off final win against Cambridge United at Wembley.

Rugby union is popular in the south-west: Exeter's teams are the Exeter Chiefs (External Link

) (who currently play in National Division One and were runner's-up in the 2007/08 season) and Exeter Saracens

Exeter C.C. play in the Premier Division of the Devon Cricket League at both First and Second XI level.

The University of Exeter has a strong reputation in sport and regularly wins or comes close to winning national trophies in inter-university sports.

Exeter rowing Club enjoys much success both locally and nationally, and has a recorded history stretching back to the early 1800s.

The Devon & Exeter Squash club is one of the most active squash clubs in the region, annually hosting the Exeter Diamonds which is a professional team of world class players. The club also has a strong membership, high standards and a notably junior team.

The Great West Run half marathon is run through the streets of Exeter in late April each year

Exeter's speedway team, Exeter Falcons, was founded in 1929 and were located at the County Ground until its closure in 2005. In a fixture during the 2004 season, they beat Rye House by the maximum score of 75-18 scoring 5-1's in every heat. Exeter Falcons are hoping to ride again in a proposed new location, possibly at Exeter Racecourse in 2008. The site was where Exeter Falcons legend Australian Jack Geran trained youngsters in the art of the shale sport on a speedway training track in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Speedway was also staged briefly at tracks in Alphington and Peamore after the second world war. The History of Speedway in Exeter up to the mid-1950s has been recorded in three books by Tony Lethbridge. Details of most of the home meetings 1947 - 1952 and in the late 1960s can be viewed on www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk . Details of other seasons will be added in due course.

Public Services

Home Office policing in Exeter is provided by The Devon and Cornwall Constabulary. Statutory emergency fire and rescue service is provided by The Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, which is headquartered at Clyst St George near Exeter. It has one fire station with two Water Tender Ladders, a Water Tender, an Aerial Ladder Platform, a Water Foam Carrier, a Handyman Vehicle, a Prime Mover, an Environmental Pod and an Incident Support Unit.
The Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust is a large hospital located to the south east of the city centre. Ambulance service in Exeter is provided by South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust. The West Trust Divisional HQ and 999 Control is at Exeter which provides cover for Devon and Cornwall.

Notable people from Exeter

� See List of people from Exeter

Culture

Literature

The Exeter Book, an original manuscript and one of the most important documents in Anglo-Saxon literature, is kept in the vaults of Exeter Cathedral. The Exeter Book dates back to the 10th century and is one of four manuscripts that between them contain virtually all the surviving poetry in Old English. It includes most of the more highly regarded shorter poems, some religious pieces, and a series of riddles, a handful of which are famously lewd. Some of the riddles are inscribed on a highly polished steel obelisk in the high street, placed on 30 March 2005.
   The Inquisitio Eliensis, the "Exon Domesday" (so called from the preservation of the volume at Exeter), is a volume of Domesday Book that contains the full details which the original returns supplied.
   One of Rosemary Sutcliff's best-known children's books, The Eagle of the Ninth, begins in Roman Isca Dumnoniorum.
   The Crowner John Mysteries by Bernard Knight are a series of books set in 12th century Exeter.

Theatre

The Northcott Theatre is located on the campus of the university and is one of relatively few provincial English theatres to maintain its own repertory company. Its annual open air Shakespeare performance in the grounds of Rougemont Castle is well regarded nationally. This theatre is the successor to the former Theatre Royal, Exeter. There are also two amateur theatre buildings with associated companies. The Barnfield Theatre, in the city centre, was converted in 1972 from The Barnfield Hall which was built towards the end of the 19th century by Exeter Literary Society. The theatre is a charity and is used as a venue for amateur and professional theatrical companies. In January 2007 it received £200,000, about the same as the original cost to build it, to refurbish its interior.
Theatrical productions and other stage performances frequently take place at the Phoenix Arts Centre off Gandy Street.

Music

The Cavern Club in Queen Street is a popular venue for live punk, indie and underground dance music.

Amber Rooms on Sidwell Street holds dance and alternative world beats nights.

The Globe Inn on Clifton Road in Newtown holds live events most nights (including world music, open mic nights and local rock bands).

Timepiece has 3 floors, with various discounts available with student union card

Exeter doesn't have a resident professional orchestra, but the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra tours to the city regularly.

The largest orchestra based in Exeter is the EMG Symphony Orchestra which presents regular concerts at the University of Exeter and in Exeter Cathedral.

Exeter Children's Orchestra is a youth orchestra with patrons Marin Alsop and Sir Colin Davis

Kagemusha Taiko is a drumming ensemble that combines theatrical performance with excellent drumming

The cathedral choir is nationally known, and the cathedral is frequently the venue for concerts by visiting orchestras.

There are two Festivals each year, of all the arts but with a particular concentration of musical events

The annual "Vibraphonic" festival held in the spring provides a fortnight of soul, blues and jazz inspired music. A radio station, Vibraphonic FM, runs for a month around the festival.

Children of the Drone is an improvisational music collective, based in Exeter since 2001

Exeter has held a "Respect Festival" since 2002 to promote cultural differences and that they need to be accepted and not discriminated.

Exeter is the home of Mansons Guitar Shop and is where Matthew Bellamy of MUSE gets his guitars custom made.

Museums and galleries

The city museum is the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Queen Street. The Museum also runs St Nicholas Priory which is just off Fore street.

The Phoenix Arts Centre and Phoenix Media Centre occupies the former university site in Gandy Street.

Spacex is a long established modern art gallery

Newspapers

Exeter List Website, is a monthly 'what's on' listings guide for Exeter and the Heart of Devon. Exeter's Essential Guide.Exeter list

Express and Echo, daily (current)

The Exeter Times, formerly known as the Exeter Leader, weekly, free

Flying Post, weekly (discontinued 1917, but title revived in 1975 as an alternative (polemical) community magazine)

The Western Morning News, a Plymouth-printed daily regional paper, is also popular

Twinnings

Exeter is twinned with:

– Rennes in Brittany, France

– Bad Homburg in Germany

– Yaroslavl in Russia

– Terracina in Italy

The city also seeks to maintain a relationship with HMS Exeter.Further Information

Get more info on 'Exeter'.

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