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Local History Monuments in Exeter
Medieval Exe Bridge
- Introduction
- The Medieval Exe Bridge
- The Eighteenth Century Bridge
- The 20th Century
- The Quay and Canal
- Custom House
- Quay House
- Kings Beam
- Warehouses
- Canal Basin
- Cricklepit Street and Mills
- Colleton Crescent
Introduction
The marshland between the city walls and the river was reclaimed by the construction of a series of leats, or water courses, possibly from as early as the 10th century. The Higher Leat still exists. It created Exe Island, which was a separate manor belonging to the Courtenays, Earls of Devon.
The leats were used to drive fulling mills and corn mills. Sometime between 1180 and 1190 Robert Courtenay granted to Nicholas Gervaise 'all his water which Thomas the fuller holds of him outside the west gate of Exeter, which is between his corn mills and Crickenpette, so that the said Nicholas and his heirs may build a mill on the said water towards Crickenpette as shall appear best and most commodious to them'.
Evidence for other medieval industries - tanning and the working of horn, bone and bronze - came to light in archaeological excavations. Cloth-finishing was the most important industry in the 16th century. In the late eighteenth century the cloth industry declined and in the 19th century the area was occupied by iron foundries, corn mills and breweries.
The Medieval Exe Bridge
The building of the medieval Exe Bridge was due largely to the efforts of Nicholas Gervaise, a wealthy merchant of the city, and his son, Walter, who was four times mayor and died in 1259. They raised the money to construct the bridge and purchased property to provide an annual income for its future maintenance. The bridge was probably started within a few years of 1200 when the river was much wider than it is today. It is the earliest surviving large stone bridge in the country. There are eight and a half arches, half the original bridge. The predominant building stone is a volcanic rock known as 'trap' obtained from several local quarries in the medieval period.
St Edmunds Church was an integral part of the bridge. The church burnt down in 1832 and was rebuilt the following year. There were also houses on the bridge from the 13th or 14th century. These belonged to the Exe Bridge Trust, set up by Walter Gervaise to provide an income to maintain the bridge.
The Eighteenth Century Bridge
Owing to the increased volume of traffic the narrow medieval bridge had become very congested by the mid 18th century. In 1770 Joseph Dixon designed and began building a new bridge, of three arches only, in a direct line from Fore Street to Cowick Street. Work was well advanced when, on Monday 18th January 1775, a tremendous flood 'entirely destroyed the foundation and carried away all the arches of the new bridge, and greatly terrified the neighbouring inhabitants lest it should damage the old bridge'. Despite this setback, the bridge was completed and open to traffic by 1778. New Bridge Street gave access to the bridge along a raised embankment, pierced by arches over Frog Street and the Higher and Lower mill-leats.
The 20th Century
The 18th century bridge was replaced by an iron bridge in 1905. Two of the ornate decorated lamps have been re-erected by the ferry on the Quay. In the late 1960s and early 1970s the 1905 bridge was removed and two modern bridges were constructed as part of a new traffic system, which enabled the original stone bridge to be revealed.
The Quay and Canal
In 1566 the city built a new quay, 150ft long and 80ft wide, with a crane for loading and unloading goods from lighters which plied between the Quay and ships anchored at Topsham.
The Exeter Canal was the first pound lock canal in the country. In 1564-6 John Trew of Glamorgan cut a 13/4 mile channel to by-pass shallows on the River Exe which prevented boats from reaching Exeter. The canal was only 16ft wide and 3ft deep. It was often impassable with the result that many merchants preferred to unload their goods at Topsham and bring them to Exeter by road
In 1676 the canal was extended to Topsham and in 1698-1701 it was further straightened and enlarged to 50ft wide and 10ft deep to accommodate ships.
The canal was extended to Turf in 1827, where it could be reached by ships at all states of the tide. The Canal Basin was opened in 1830 as an alternative to the river Quay. The fine Victorian warehouses on The Quay were built in 1835
The city's prosperity from the late Middle Ages to the end of the 18th century was based on the woollen industry and trade with Europe. For several centuries Exeter was one of the largest and richest towns in England. When Daniel Defoe visited the city in 1714 he wrote 'Exeter is large, rich, beautiful, populous, and was once a very strong city'.
During the Napoleonic wars (1793-1815) trade with Europe ceased. By the time peace was restored the centre of the textile manufacturing had shifted to the northern industrial towns and the Devon woollen industry never regained its former importance.
Custom House
The Custom House, constructed in 1680-81, is the earliest surviving substantial brick building in Exeter, and was used by H.M. Customs and Excise until 1989. The front was originally an open colonnade but was bricked up later. Fine ornamental plaster ceilings exist in the first floor rooms and it is hoped that these may be made available for public access in the future.
Quay House
Quay House was built in 1680 as a transit warehouse for woollen cloth and other goods carried by lighter between Exeter Quay and ships in the Exe Estuary. Part of the building houses an interpretation and information centre containing displays illustrating the history of the port, the Exeter Canal and Exeter Quay.
Kings Beam
Under the canopy of the transit sheds is 'The Kings Beam', made in cast iron by Bodleys of Exeter in 1838. The beam was used by customs officers for suspending weighing scales.
Warehouses
The pair of five storey stone warehouses built in 1835 are recognised as being among the best examples of industrial architecture in England.
Canal Basin
The Canal Basin was constructed and opened in 1830, as part of the last development of the canal. The quays are lined with warehouses used for a variety of purposes including a fish factory. The basin was liked by rail to the main network in the 1860's and the remains of a turntable survives at the north west corner demonstrating that both Brunel's broad guage and the later standard guage railways worked in tandem at that time.
Cricklepit Street and Mills
Cricklepit Street is a narrow street running along the base of the City Wall, parallel to the Higher Leat. The Higher Leat contains an undershot waterwheel of about 9ft diameter. In the Lower Mills building there is a larger undershot waterwheel in working order.
Colleton Crescent
Above the Quay, Colleton Crescent is perhaps the finest group of late Georgian buildings in Exeter. It was begun by Matthew Nosworthy in 1802.
