Exeter Civic Society Founded in 1961 Newsletter - Summer 2017 THE BOMBING OF EXETER It is now just over 75 years since Exeter suffered its most devastating air raid of WW2. However what is not known by many people is that Exeter suffered some 19 raids. This was one of the many interesting facts which Dr Todd Gray told packed audiences in the Guildhall on 4th May. Organised by Exeter C.C. the originally planned two illustrated talks had to be extended to three, such was the demand. Perhaps the most important thought left after the talk is how much is still unknown about the blitz. For instance the number of dead left after the raids is not known with any exactitude and while written records of the time are available, it is obvious that many persons staying in Exeter that night, for example commercial travellers, would not necessarily be noticed as missing, Controversially a lot of damaged and architecturally important buildings were demolished, even though the council had guarantees from the government that money and men would be made available for the repair of some of them. Amongst the audience, apparent at the subsequent question and discussion sessions, were a few who had memories of the blitz and this added yet more fascinating details to end this thought-provoking talk. (Reviewed by Peter Caspar) Three days after the talk at the Guildhall Peter Thomas presented an audio-visual event at the Phoenix, which illustrated in pictures and accompanying commentary the impact of the Exeter Blitz. This started with a considerable number of pictures from the early 20th century, showing the Victorian streets of old Exeter city centre which most of us were unfamiliar with. The reason for dwelling at length on these images became apparent when the bombing started, after which we saw the same buildings reduced to piles of rubble. Peter Thomas holds a huge collection of photographs of old Exeter in his Isca Collection and he made full use of these, along with realistic audio visual effects, to recreate the sights and sounds of that fateful day. The audience came away with a much better understanding of what Exeter had lost in the way of heritage, and some will maybe stand and look along the High Street with a nostalgic tear in their eye when they see what has replaced the imposing old architecture of yesterday. (Reviewed by Pamela Coleman)
www.exetercivicsociety.org.uk Registered Charity Number: 286932 Visit to Thomas Hall (now the Steiner Academy) - by Mike Richards Page 2 of 7 On 28th January sixteen Civic Society members visited the Rudolf Steiner Academy at Thomas Hall, Cowley Bridge where they were treated to a most interesting tour by Alice Knight. The Manor of Duryard is mentioned in the Domesday Book and was owned for several centuries by the City of Exeter who sold it in lots towards the end of 17c. In 1690 Great Duryard House was built as a private residence for Sir Thomas Jefford a prominent and wealthy Exeter dyer who had been Mayor of our city in 1688. After changing hands on several occasions, in 1936 the building was renamed Thomas Hall after Alderman Charles Vivian Thomas a generous businessman and benefactor from Camborne who helped fund it’s transfer to the then University College of the South West of England. It served as Hall of Residence until the beginning of the c21 when it stood empty for several years, was included on the Council’s “at risk” list and described as “in disrepair and continuing to deteriorate”. It’s fair to say that the building has been bastardised over the years to service the tastes of the occupants or to facilitate it’s use as other than a grand residence. In July 2013 the site was acquired by the Rudolf Steiner Academy. The main house is now used primarily as an administrative facility. The classrooms and other teaching buildings are new builds. The Steiner vision is…… “to provide diversity and educational choice to the people of Exeter within our all-through Steiner school”. There are no uniforms and children are educated indoors and outdoors irrespective of the weather, an aim is to provide a balanced active, artistic and academic education. Most Steiner schools/ academies are private education facilities but the Exeter Academy is one of four in the country (together with Hereford, Frome and Bristol) that are 100% state funded. It currently has 333 pupils but there is potential for this to rise to 624. Tour of Barnfield Theatre - by Ian Maxted
“Welcome to Exeter’s best kept secret!" says the Barnfield Theatre website and the tour given by Vicki Bowring to the Exeter Civic Society on 13 February was indeed full of surprises, starting from the view of the building from across the road. Although scarcely mentioned in most accounts of Exeter, it is a handsome building in classical style, completed in 1890 and capped by an interesting cupola, not a belfry, as we learned when we passed inside, but more prosaically an outlet for the innovative heating and ventilating system. Another technical innovation was the mechanism of the jack used to raise the auditorium before World War 2. The building, previously known as Barnfield Hall, was built as the meeting room for the Exeter Literary Society, an important cultural and educational institution in the 19th and 20th centuries. It escaped the blitz and, when the GPO was bombed in 1942, it reopened in the building within 24 hours. An extension was built behind the main hall with a kitchen, restaurants and reinforced concrete ceilings. It is thought that a secret communications centre was operated there. It was certainly used by the Civil Defence and perhaps also by the Royal Observer Corps. Other users have included Exeter Camera club, the Rotary Club and the Inland Revenue. In 1972 it was refurbished as the Barnfield Theatre and is now run as a charity. Vicki has gathered a wealth of anecdotes about the Exeter Literary Society and the people who visited, both as readers in the extensive library and to give talks in the meeting hall. They include Jerome K Jerome, Emmeline Pankhurst, the heroic World War 1 nurse and ambulance driver Elsie Knocker and, less auspiciously, the fraudster Louis de Rougemont in the 1890s. The building has played an important role in Exeter's life for more than a century and its history deserves to be better known. Tour of Princesshay - by Christo Skelton Page 3 of 7
We met at St. Stephen’s House in Catherine Street opposite the ruins of the mid-15th Century Alms Houses and it was here that our tour of Princesshay started. The Alms Houses were destroyed in the Baedeker Raids by the Luftwaffe but still feature some walls and enclosed in perspex displays some Roman artefacts as well as some engraved stones. The original Princesshay was the first pedestrianised shopping area in the country and was demolished in 2005 and rebuilt and re-opened in September 2007. Originally, it was opened by Princess Elizabeth in 1949 and hence was given the name it has - hay meaning an enclosed space. It is owned by The Crown Estate - ostensibly the Queen - and is part of the £6.8 billion value of the Crown Estate. Princesshay is managed by a management team of 6 supervising 46 staff - cleaners who work from 6am to 9pm and security staff who work 24/7 and walk the 5.5 miles of walkways four times a day.
Andy, our guide took us through the site and explained many facts to us about Princesshay: * It ends at the House of Fraser and includes the shops on the High Street where EE and Hotter Shoes are located * The only disabled toilet in Exeter is located in St. Stephen’s House. * There are 128 apartments on the site which are leased out. * The stage in Princesshay Square, not to be confused with Bedford Square, can be used free with prior arrangement. * The Roman Wall is maintained by English Heritage. * Buskers must be licensed in Princesshay unlike on the High Street. * The site has two hawks to battle the seagulls and there are two Peregrine Falcons who reside on the Cathedral. * The Christmas Trees on Roman Walk are provided free by Princesshay for the benefit of charities. * The site has 15 million visitors a year. * The site produces 1 metric tonne of cardboard waste per day. We were shown all the artwork on the site: Making Time, The Exeter Traceries, Glow Stones, In Memory, May 1942, Princesshay Topograph, Hope and Despair, The Blue Boy and the Exeter Phoenix and Princesshay Honey Flow (2016) by Amy Shelton. See if you can find all of them. Last but not least we were taken to the roof where Jason Wallis maintains bees and gardens. In the summer there are about 100,000 bees and the honey is sold for charity at the end of August into September at Chandos Deli on Roman Walk. Bishops of Exeter - Cathedral Tour - by Peter Caspar Page 4 of 7 On 8th April on a balmy spring morning, members of the Exeter Civic Society assembled at the west door of Exeter Cathedral and were conducted inside by Lindsay Roderick, one of the cathedral’s guides. Although many of us had been inside the cathedral several times before, for most it was the first time we had experienced such a fascinating tour. Lindsay discussed 13 of the 74 bishops, some in a lot of detail, and we looked at several of their tombs. It is impossible in this account to cover the lives of many bishops and so I will just give brief details of a couple. Bishop Leofric, the first bishop 1050–1072 was bishop of the see of Devon and Cornwall with his throne in Crediton initially. In those days the bishop was appointed by the Pope and Leofric came after service in the Royal Household, as did several succeeding bishops. Gaining approval from the Pope and King, he moved his see to Exeter, initially to the Benedictine Monastery which was on the site that the Cathedral School now occupies. The monks were shipped off to London which must have been quite a change and challenge for them. He gave many books in particular to the cathedral, but perhaps unfortunately half of them were given to the Bodleian Library in Tudor times. Bishops had the right to be buried in the cathedral as distinct from other clergy and lay persons who, unless they were dissenters, were buried in the cathedral graveyard. The building of the new cathedral was started by the third bishop (Warelwast) in 1133 in the Norman style with two square towers separated from the cathedral proper by thick walls, which were subsequently removed when the style was changed to Gothic (Bronescombe) and the cathedral was enlarged over several years and by several bishops. Towards the end of the tour, we met Bishop Grandisson (1327–1369), the longest serving bishop, whose aim was for his cathedral to be the most imposing in Europe. Of particular excitement was the chance to visit his tomb in the chantry chapel which is to the south of the west door and normally not accessible to visitors. His tomb was desecrated during the Reformation with his bones being dug up and thrown away, but during an investigation in 1950, a small gold ring was found in the tomb which had been overlooked and this is now in the cathedral archives. What a wealth of detail, history and a little legend was enthusiastically recounted by Lindsay Roderick for which we are very grateful and appreciative. As an aside, Exonians who live close to the cathedral can apply for a pass allowing them free entry to the cathedral.
Above: tomb of Bishop Hugh Oldham (c1452-1519) in Exeter Cathedral From Pamela Wootton - Planning Sub-Committee Chairman Page 5 of 7
As I have only recently recovered sufficiently to Another and more attractive Exeter building is attend a meeting of the Planning sub-committee about to be rescued from possible self– much of this report will concern planning destruction. The front wall of the Wharfingers’ matters dealt with by the other members of the House on the Quay was recently found to have sub-committee, Barbara Looser, Chris Watson never been firmly attached to the rest of the and Paul Barkley to whom I am very grateful for building since it was built well over two hundred all they have covered in many months. We are all years ago. Essential remedial work on the three grateful to Paul who wrote the report for the last storey frontage will include five round black newsletter and may do so again sometimes in the metal plates on the gable level attached to steel future. As you know the sub-committee has for rods running the length of the building below the long had only four members. This works well as roof and new internal roof woodwork to support long as no-one is ill or away, but one or even two these. This naively non-technical report gives little extra voices would add to the discussions and we impression of the impressive and detailed would be delighted to hear from any members description which can be studied in the who are beginning to consider joining us and fascinating application. who would be very welcome to sit-in on one or The necessity for adequate natural lighting has two of our monthly meetings in order to make a featured in several of our discussions, from decision. apartments in the basement of The Jolly Porter You may have read of the proposals for the reuse and of the fire-damaged 18 Cathedral Yard (on of the British Home Stores building at the top of both of which the sub-committee wrote of its Fore Street. Fortunately the rumour that it concern) to the conversion of a free-standing might become student accommodation faded out mortuary at Digby to a one-bedroomed dwelling and the application we studied, for the first and by successfully including toughened glass panels second floors to become a gym with the ground in the inserted floor. In other cases removal of floor being two retail units, is about to be extraneous structures from listed buildings approved. This will preserve the building in the lightens the appearance and improves safety, as street scene, keep a lively frontage at street level will the removal of a canopy added to the and avoid the wastefulness of demolishing and entrance to the Cavern Club within shelter of the rebuilding so large a structure. arcade between Queen Street and Gandy Street. This canopy causes problems by sheltering drug taking and other misdemeanours. A fine house in Howell Road, one of Velwell Villas a group of six, seeks to remove battlements added to an earlier porch, to remove more recent porch accretions and to restore the iron and glass front façade and porch in keeping with the late Georgian/early Victorian origins of the villas.
These few examples will, I hope, show the variety of applications which the Planning sub-committee studies among many others, which are not necessarily noticed by many residents but which go to make up Exeter as a whole. Every month there are of course others which may affect many of us, either by altering the appearance of part of the city or by removing or providing services or interests. One such is the proposed demolition of the building in Cheeke Street until recently occupied by the British Heart Foundation and its replacement by a residence for 150 students. The loss of the charity’s furniture retail store is not a point on which we can usefully comment but we Above: Wharfingers House on the Quay are glad to hear a rumour that it may soon set From Pamela Wootton - Planning Sub-Committee Chairman Page 6 of 7 up again nearby. We can however comment on a six-storey student accommodation block with the proposed new structure and in February the five student rooms on each floor with no sub-committee did so, suggesting that the design arrangements for on-site management, no should be reconsidered and particularly that the common space and room area so limited that waiting room for coach passengers, provided by beds would be folded up during the day. We the developers to render the proposal more objected strongly and were glad that the case acceptable, is too small and lacks facilities officer was able to gain the developers’ agreement including toilets and information on incoming to a slight reduction in height, a great coaches. Although not appropriate to include in improvement in rooms and in the external design, the objection this of course ties in with our long- and the introduction of an ongoing management expressed view that the Bus Station, although of plan which is, we think, an essential part of any reasonably good design, may prove inadequate in purpose-built student accommodation. This size and facilities. It is interesting to see its application, though not perfect, was approved in completion date receding into the future, and we late 2015 since when the site has remained empty await developments. and for sale. It seems that new potential developers have negotiated the purchase of the The proposed development I will end with is one King Billy (previously called the Threepenny Bit), which was, surprisingly, highlighted by the with its unusual and interesting appearance, and Express & Echo before it was even a Planning have planned a larger PBSA. Application. Possibly the paper was given advance notice by the developers in order to gauge public That was a lengthy paragraph about what is so reaction to a proposal which would affect the far a non-event but it serves to show the need to street scene in a prominent part of central Exeter keep track of planning matters and we look and indeed there has been some discussion in the forward, with some trepidation, to studying the area and beyond. Planning sub-committee will of new plans when they are eventually available. You course be studying the application when it may like to send us your comments too. reaches the weekly list which will probably be in two weeks’ time as it has just this week been Having included my occasional (well, frequent) submitted to the Planning department. The site is plea for new sub-committee members in the first located at the top of Longbrook Street and now paragraph I can only remind you of it here and includes not only the long–vacant square of land add that we are always glad to hear from but also the King Billy Pub beside it. You may members on any particular planning matter they recall that hopeful developers of the square plot notice and, hopefully, to elucidate the intricacies applied at least two and a half years ago to build of the planning system.
River Canal & Quayside Group - by Peter Nickol The City Council have approved the planning application for a new fish restaurant on Piazza Terracina. There were divided views within the Civic Society about it, with Planning sub-committee liking the modern building but the River, Canal and Quayside sub-committee opposed to building on the open space. The former view prevailed, with the City Council attracted to the idea of another chain restaurant bringing footfall to this part of the city. Bike Shed Theatre and Spacex are mounting a variety of activities and events at the canal basin during the coming weeks and details can be found on our website (see About Us / River, Canal and Quayside page). For latest news and pictures of the Environment Agency’s flood prevention works, go to their Facebook page, which is publically accessible without signing up to Facebook. Again, this link is on the RC&Q page of the ECS website. Friends of Exeter Ship Canal sent out their second volunteer work party on Saturday 8th April. Armed with saws, loppers and secateurs, the work parties have accomplished a significant amount of work in cutting back brambles, saplings and other intrusive growth that has sprung up along the canal-side. On each occasion it has been an enjoyable, sociable couple of hours. Mike Grayshan, FESC’s volunteer coordinator, will continue to programme further work days. Programme and Contacts Page 7 of 7 If any more events are organised before our next newsletter on 1st October 2017, or there are any changes to our speakers or venues, they will appear on the website and members will be notified by e-mail.
Dates for Your Diary Monthly Open Mornings FOR ALL EVENTS PLEASE BOOK THROUGH 10.30am to 12.00pm RUTH McLEISH (DETAILS BELOW) Belmont Chapel (next to Jurys Inn) Saturday 10th June Western Way, Exeter Guided walk around St Thomas There is a speaker at 11.00am (subject to Starting at 2.30pm. Guided walk around the change) and sometimes afterwards a discussion St Thomas area with all venues of historic on current issues in which you can participate. interest identified, finishing at a tea or coffee Visitors and guests are welcome and house. No charge to society members for this refreshments provided. visit. Saturday 24th June Saturday 17th June Climb Heavitree Church Tower Speaker: Michael Parrott will talk about the Starting at 10.30am. A short return visit to 307 Squadron Project, the Polish squadron Heavitree Church to climb their tower. No who defended the south west during WW2. charge to society members for this visit. Saturday 15th July Saturday 22nd July Speaker: John Monks will talk about our Blue Blue Plaque Trail Plaque Trail which has proved very popular Starting at 11.00am. Guided tour of our very with visitors to the Central Library. popular Blue Plaque Trail. Tour will last an hour Saturday 19th August and is not suitable for anyone with mobility No Open Morning issues. No charge for this tour. Saturday 16th September Sunday 20th August Speaker: Roger Thorne will talk about Devon’s Civic Society Summer Social Event largest chapels. Starting at 3.00pm. Summer social event for Exeter Civic Society members in the garden of ASK restaurant in Cathedral Close. Snacks provided and drinks available. In the event of Articles for the Newsletter bad weather this will be held in their medieval Members are welcome to submit short first floor dining area. historical or factual articles on Exeter for the Saturday 9th September newsletter, which can be kept for future use Cathedral to Quayside Walk as and when required. Starting at 11.30am. Walking tour led by I stress the word ’short’ because they can be experienced Red Coat Guide Mike Richards. used to fill small gaps which inevitably appear Starting at the Cathedral and ending at the between longer articles. An article of 200-250 Quayside. Tour will last approx 90 mins and is words (or even shorter) can be very useful. not suitable for anyone with mobility issues. No Any piece of information which you think charge for this tour. might be of interest to members will be saved for future use.
COMMITTEE CONTACTS President/Acting Chairman: Peter Wadham……..Tel: 07411 131773 e-mail: [email protected] Treasurer: Peter Caspar…………………………………...……………..….Tel: 01392 219819 e-mail: [email protected] Secretary/Memberships: Pamela Coleman……….....Tel: 01392 421446 e-mail: [email protected] Planning Sub-Committee: Pamela Wootton….…..Tel: 01392 275332 e-mail: [email protected] Programme Co-Ordinator: Ruth McLeish.……...….Tel: 01392 465441 e-mail: [email protected] Blue Plaque Co-Ordinator: John Monks……………..….Tel: 01392 493559 e-mail: [email protected] Highways & Transport: Keith Lewis………………….……….Tel: 07964 219153 e-mail: [email protected] Exeter Civic Society: …………………………….….…………………..….………Tel: 07857 599232 e-mail: [email protected] Newsletter Editor: Pamela Coleman Publication date: 1st June 2017