Exeter ~ EX2

The city of Exeter is situated in Devon to the south west of England. The city stands on the river Exe and is the county town with an estimated population of around 125,000. Exeter is a prosperous city with low levels of unemployment and maintains industries including light engineering, metal foundries, brewing, a strong financial services sector and of course tourism. The city's history is a long a somewhat turbulent one. Although there is evidence of early British settlement, Exeter appears to have been established by the Romans in the 1st century AD as 'Isca Dumnoniorum'. When the Romans departed, the city remained effectively abandoned until after some hundreds of years it became a Saxon settlement known as 'Escancestre'. It was regularly subjected to attacks from the Vikings and was almost totally destroyed in the early 11th century. The city fell into new hands after a short siege during the Norman Conquest. The Conqueror's men garrisoned the city and soon built the fortress of Rougemont to defend the area against rebellion. The Normans also built the magnificent Exeter Cathedralon the site of an earlier saxon church. The city prospered and during the 16th century, was one of the most important wool producing centres of the kingdom. During the English Civil War in the 17th century, the city was severely damaged by Parliamentarian action. Despite this, the city still maintained its pre-eminence as a textile centre and rose to new heights with the restoration of the monarchy. A long period of peaceful prosperity followed until the Second World War when the city was badly damaged by enemy bombs. The post war years saw a huge program of rebuilding and expansion swallowed up a number of the surrounding villages.

Places of Interest

Exeter is on the edge of both the Exmoor and Dartmoor National Parks.

St Peter's Cathedral is in the centre of the city and is surrounded by a Cathedral Close containing some splendid Georgian and medieval architecture.

The historic Quayside has been sympathetically converted from a working harbour to a stylish leisure area.

The Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery

The Cathedral Library contains some exceptional rare books including the Exeter Domesday Book.

Living in Exeter - Education, Shopping and Travel Links

The city's education authority maintains 2 nursery schools, 47 primary and 6 secondary schools. Adult Education opportunities are excellent and Exeter has its own University.

The city's transport systems are first class.The M5 motorway passes through the city providing an easy road link to the Midlands and London (170 miles) via the M4 which it joins at Bristol. A mainline station provides rail connections to the rest of the country. London is under three hours away by train and about four hours by car. Exeter has its own international airport and the city is only a little over an hour's drive from the European ferry terminal at Plymouth. There are excellent shopping facilities within the city. As well as the usual range of high street stores, it has a number of enclosed modern malls including the Guildhall Shopping Centre, Harlequins and the Emporium. The areas around Gandy Street and the Cathedral close provide an interesting selection of chic boutiques and specialist shops in quaint old buildings and the Quayside provides a wealth of antiques and curios. There are regular street markets in the city with 'farmers markets' becoming a popular source of fresh, local produce.

Estate and Letting Agents for Exeter EX2