92-598: The Tarka Line , also known as the North Devon Line , is a local railway line in Devon, England, linking the city of Exeter with the town of Barnstaple via a number of local villages, operated by Great Western Railway (GWR). The line opened in 1851 from Exeter to Crediton and in 1854 the line was completed through to Barnstaple. The line was taken over by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1865 and later became part of
184-550: A three hinged arch design, it cost £25,000 and was designed by Sir John Wolfe Barry . Also in 1905, electric trams replaced the horse trams with a new route which passed along the High Street, down Fore Street and over the new Exe Bridge. Once across the Exe the line divided, with one route along Alphington Road and another along Cowick Street. The line to St David's Station travelled along Queen Street instead of along New North Road and
276-505: A 19% increase from 2019. In 2014, Exeter had "...the unenviable status of having the highest per capita rate of rough sleeping outside of London". During the COVID-19 pandemic, 102 people in Exeter rough sleeping, or at risk of rough sleeping were accommodated as part of the government's 'Everybody In' directive. In Exeter City Council's recent 'Rough Sleeping Delivery Plan', a total of £3,351,347
368-561: A bid to restore the baths and open an underground centre for visitors. In the late 2nd century, the ditch and rampart defences around the old fortress were replaced by a bank and wall enclosing a much larger area, some 92 acres (37 hectares). Although most of the visible structure is older, the course of the Roman wall was used for Exeter's subsequent city walls. Thus about 70% of the Roman wall remains, and most of its route can be traced on foot. The Devonian Isca seems to have been most prosperous in
460-674: A gauge that would make through trains to Exeter impossible. Meanwhile, the Commission also told the LSWR that they would not be permitted to construct a line linking the Cowley Bridge to Exeter, leaving the E&;CR completely isolated. The deadlock was broken in 1851 by William Chapman, chairman of the LSWR and the E&CR. He agreed to convert one of the two tracks on the Crediton line to broad gauge and lease
552-511: A settlement trading with the Mediterranean as early as 250 BC . Such early towns had been a feature of pre-Roman Gaul as described by Julius Caesar in his Commentaries and it is possible that they existed in Britannia as well. The unreliable source Geoffrey of Monmouth stated that when Vespasian besieged the city in 49 AD its Celtic name was Kaerpenhuelgoit , meaning 'town on
644-451: A three-month siege, not when the three wells in the castle ran dry, but only after the exhaustion of the large supplies of wine that the garrison was using for drinking, baking, cooking, and putting out fires set by the besiegers. During the siege, King Stephen built an earthen fortification at the site now known (erroneously) as Danes Castle. The city held a weekly market for the benefit of its citizens from at least 1213, and by 1281 Exeter
736-539: Is a cathedral city and the county town of Devon , South West England . It is situated on the River Exe , approximately 36 mi (58 km) northeast of Plymouth and 65 mi (105 km) southwest of Bristol . In Roman Britain , Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal command of Vespasian . Exeter became a religious centre in the Middle Ages . Exeter Cathedral , founded in
828-406: Is due to begin in the summer of 2023. On 27 February 2021 a 2,200 lb (1,000 kg) Second World War bomb was uncovered at a construction site and more than 2,600 people were evacuated. Bomb Disposal squads used approximately 400 tons of sand to secure it. It was safely detonated at 18:12. By 1 March hundreds of the evacuees were unable to return to their properties, due to damage caused by
920-505: Is in two parliamentary constituencies, the majority of the city is in the Exeter constituency but two wards (St Loyes and Topsham) are in East Devon . Since World War II until recently, Exeter itself was relatively marginal, with its Member of Parliament usually drawn from the governing party. Nowadays the Exeter seat is increasingly becoming a Labour stronghold. The Exeter MP is Steve Race , with
1012-435: Is now in private use. The former Station Hotel is now named "The Beer Engine". It is the oldest micro-brewery in Devon. The station is located next to a bridge that carries a minor road that leads north from the village of Newton St Cyres. The platform that is in use is on the north side of the line and has a waiting shelter. There is no ticket machine or other facilities and the station is unstaffed. The platform height
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#17328561618831104-452: Is on the Tarka Line to Barnstaple , 4 miles 21 chains (6.9 km) from Exeter Central at milepost 175.75 from London Waterloo . The Exeter and Crediton Railway was opened on 12 May 1851 but this, the only intermediate station, was not opened until October 1851. At the time it was named just 'St Cyres'. Only one track was in use at the time due to a dispute a dispute over
1196-529: Is provided by the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service , which is headquartered at Clyst St George near Exeter. It has two fire stations located at Danes Castle and Middlemoor. Newton St Cyres railway station Newton St Cyres railway station is a railway station serving the village of Newton St Cyres , Devon , England . It is served by Great Western Railway trains on the Tarka and Dartmoor lines. It
1288-588: Is significantly lower than many other railway stations on the UK railway network. To reduce the height difference, a Harrington Hump was installed at the station. Trains will only stop adjacent to the hump, with the train guard operating only their local door to allow passengers to board or alight. All services at Newton St Cyres are operated by Great Western Railway . Only a limited number of trains (between six and eight each way each day) between Barnstaple or Okehampton and Exeter Central call at Newton St Cyres and this
1380-601: The 2010 general election the new coalition government announced in May 2010 that the reorganisation would be blocked. From Saxon times, it was in the hundred of Wonford . Exeter has had a mayor since at least 1207 and until 2002, the city was the oldest 'Right Worshipful' Mayoralty in England. As part of the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II Exeter was chosen to receive the title of Lord Mayor . Councillor Granville Baldwin became
1472-598: The Cair Pensa vel Coyt , listed among the 28 cities of Britain by the History of the Britons , as Isca, although David Nash Ford read it as a reference to Penselwood and thought it more likely to be Lindinis (modern Ilchester ). Nothing is certainly known of Exeter from the time of the Roman withdrawal from Britain around the year 410 until the seventh century. By that time,
1564-470: The Cathedral Close and the High Street was redeveloped between 2005 and 2007, despite some local opposition. It incorporates 123 varied residential units. To enable people with limited mobility to enjoy the city, Exeter Community Transport Association provides manual and powered wheelchairs and scooters ('Shopmobility') for use by anyone suffering from short- or long-term mobility impairment to access
1656-612: The Devon County Council . In May 2012 Labour became the majority party on the council. Exeter City Council 's bid for the city to become a Unitary Authority was initially approved by ministers in February 2010. A judicial review was called by Devon County Council and the Court held that the Minister had acted unlawfully in granting Unitary status to Exeter at the same time, however, following
1748-561: The English Axe and Esk and the Welsh Usk ( Wysg ). Exeter began as settlements on a dry ridge ending in a spur overlooking a navigable river teeming with fish, with fertile land nearby. Although there have been no major prehistoric finds, these advantages suggest the site was occupied early. Coins have been discovered from the Hellenistic kingdoms , suggesting the existence of
1840-727: The Exe and the Old English suffix -ceaster (as in Dorchester and Gloucester ), used to mark important fortresses or fortified towns (from Latin castrum , meaning fortress, or castra , military camp). (Similarly, the city's Cornish name Karesk and its Welsh name Caerwysg both mean " caer or fortress on the Exe".) The name "Exe" is a separate development of the Brittonic name—meaning "water" or, more exactly, "full of fish" (cf. Welsh pysg , pl. "fish") —that also appears in
1932-669: The Great Western Railway for transportation of meat products to London. The first electricity in Exeter was provided by the Exeter Electric Light Company, which was formed at the end of the 1880s, but it was municipalised in 1896 and became the City of Exeter Electricity Company. In 1896 £88,000 was spent constructing sewerage system which reduced the risk of infectious diseases, The first horse-drawn trams in Exeter were introduced in 1882 with 3 lines radiating from
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#17328561618832024-641: The Southern Railway and then British Rail . In 2001, following privatisation, Wessex Trains introduced the name Tarka Line after the eponymous character in Henry Williamson's book Tarka the Otter . The line was transferred to First Great Western in 2006. It is one of the railway lines supported by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership and passenger numbers on the line have more than tripled since 2001. The first proposals relating to what would become
2116-719: The Southern Region of British Rail . Along with the LSWR line to Plymouth , the route was part of the "withered arm" of Southern routes in predominantly Great Western Railway (and subsequently Western Region ) territory. From 13 October 1996, services on the Tarka Line were operated by Wales & West (owned by Prism Rail ) as part of heir franchise. National Express purchased Wales & West from Prism Rail in July 2000 and on 14 October 2001 rebranded Wales & West as Wessex Trains after
2208-649: The Strategic Rail Authority transferred the company's Welsh services to Wales and Borders . Sponsored by the North Devon tourist board, Wessex Trains renamed unit 150241 to The Tarka Belle and changed its livery to advertising for tourist destinations on the Tarka Line. The line was transferred to First Great Western in 2006, who rebranded as GWR in 2015 and introduced the line's current fleet and service pattern in December 2019. There are 12 stations along
2300-596: The 'Lwów Eagle Owls', who were based at Exeter Airport . The city of Lwów shared the same motto as the city of Exeter – 'Semper Fidelis' (Always faithful). In April and May 1942, as part of the Baedeker Blitz and specifically in response to the RAF bombing of Lübeck and Rostock , 40 acres (16 hectares) of the city were leveled by incendiary bombing. Many historic buildings in the center—particularly adjacent to High Street and Sidwell Street—were destroyed, and others, including
2392-575: The B&;ER for the latter's trains to run to Crediton along the former's tracks. Meanwhile, a proposal from business interests in Barnstaple was put forward in 1845 to build a new line connecting their town to the B&ER at Exeter. However, these proposals were rejected by the Railway Commission under Lord Dalhousie , the so-called "Five Kings", who wished to defer the decision on linking Barnstaple to
2484-631: The British simply moved to what is now the St David's area, not far outside Exeter's walls. The quarter vacated by the Britons was apparently adapted as "the earl 's burh" and was still named Irlesberi in the 12th century. In 1001, the Danes again failed to get into the city, but they were able to plunder it in 1003 because they were let in, for unknown reasons, by the French reeve of Emma of Normandy , who had been given
2576-483: The City Quay ". In 1778 a new bridge across the Exe was opened to replace the old medieval bridge. Built at a cost of £30,000, it had three arches and was built of stone. In 1832, cholera , which had been erupting all across Europe, reached Exeter. The only known documentation of this event was written by Dr Thomas Shapter , one of the medical doctors present during the epidemic. The first railway to arrive in Exeter
2668-529: The Common Council come from the same elite of wealthy citizens, as did the major and the stewards and this concern introduced a second conflict of interests in the government organism of the city. In 1537, the city was made a county corporate . In 1549, the city successfully withstood a month-long siege by the so-called Prayer Book rebels : Devon and Cornish folk who had been infuriated by the radical religious policies of King Edward VI. The insurgents occupied
2760-459: The E&CR. The NDR was taken over by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1865, and while the E&CR remained nominally independent, the majority of its shares were owned by the LSWR and the B&ER. The section south of Crediton became part of the LSWR in 1876. Following the passage of the Railways Act 1921 , the LSWR was merged into the Southern Railway , and in 1948 this became
2852-622: The Exeter canal. The city's motto, Semper fidelis , is traditionally held to have been suggested by Elizabeth I , in acknowledgement of the city's contribution of ships to help defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588; however its first documented use is in 1660. Schools in Exeter teach that the motto was bestowed by Charles II in 1660 at the Restoration due to Exeter's role in the English Civil War . When in 1638 Reverend John Wheelwright
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2944-455: The Five Kings). At the same time, construction continued on the E&CR, and by the end of 1847, the line was complete except for a connection to the B&ER. Given the departure of Buller, the E&CR directors conceded that an agreement with the B&ER would be impossible and ordered that the line be converted to the LSWR's narrow gauge and a station be constructed at Cowley Bridge. As for
3036-477: The GWR-allied South Devon Railway started extending that line to Plymouth . In 1844, the Exeter and Crediton Railway (E&CR) was formed and a proposal was put forward for a new line to connect Crediton to the B&ER. This proposal was accepted and authority was granted by an Act of 1845. The new company had capital of £70,000 (around £8.5 million in modern money), and made arrangements with
3128-537: The LSWR had long-term ambitions to challenge the GWR's dominance in the south-west, and they backed the rival Crediton option, installing John Locke as its engineer. The GWR party failed to submit their plans in line with the standing orders, and so Parliament rejected them, authorising the Crediton route despite the recommendations of Dalhousie's commission and the preference of the Lord Lieutenant. This Act of 1846 created
3220-578: The LSWR-allied Taw Vale Extension Railway (TVER). In 1847, the GWR party tried and failed to agree a lease of the TVER's line to the B&ER. In the same year, the LSWR party purchased a majority stake in the E&CR and then leased the E&CR line to the TVER. The E&CR board, led by a J.W. Buller, remained aligned to the B&ER until Buller was removed that year (amid a procedural controversy that resulted in an unsuccessful appeal to
3312-437: The May 2022 timetable. The line is single track with passing loops at Crediton and Eggesford. The only signal box is at Crediton. Its semaphore signals and mechanical lever frame were replaced by electric signals and an electric signalling panel on 16 December 1984. Trains between Crediton and Barnstaple are controlled by tokens which ensure there is just one train on the line at any time. Train drivers exchange their token in
3404-556: The Medieval England. The first detailed and continuous evidence of its existence and activity was founded after 1345. Formed by twelve "better and more discreet men" (in Latin : duodecim meliores ), reelected each year, it was originally designed to control the abuse of the Major and of his four stewards , which respectively presided over the borough court and the provost court. The members of
3496-622: The No Signalman Token Remote (NSTR) equipment at Eggesford. The Tarka Line is named after the otter in Henry Williamson's book Tarka the Otter which is set in the area. It is one of the railway lines supported by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership , an organisation formed in 1991 to promote railway services in the area. The line is promoted by many means such as regular timetable and scenic line guides, as well as leaflets highlighting leisure opportunities such as walking or visiting country pubs . The Tarka Line rail ale trail
3588-542: The North Devon Railway (NDR) was formed to replace the financially failed TVER and construction started on the Crediton–Barnstaple section. The NDR opened in 1854 with stations at Yeoford , Copplestone , Morchard Road , Lapford , Eggesford , South Molton Road , Portsmouth Arms , Umberleigh and Barnstaple , as well as a siding at "Chappletown". However, the track south of Crediton continued to be owned by
3680-651: The Rail Network report which recommended some closed lines that could be rebuilt to restore railway services to large communities. Following the reopening of the Dartmoor line to Okehampton in 2021, a local 'Atlantic Coast to Exeter' campaign resumed interest in reopening the line from Barnstaple to Bideford. Download coordinates as: 50°53′38″N 3°52′42″W / 50.8939°N 3.8783°W / 50.8939; -3.8783 Exeter Exeter ( / ˈ ɛ k s ɪ t ər / EK -sit-ər )
3772-457: The TVER, the end of Railway Mania had left it without funding and the Act of 1846 had left the decision on its gauge to the Railway Commission, who in 1848 announced it would be in broad gauge. Four days later, the conversion of the E&CR was complete. Thus, in 1848, construction had not yet started on the Crediton to Barnstaple line, there was no capital available, and it would have to be constructed in
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3864-554: The Tarka Line originated in the 1820s, when it was proposed that a railway line might be built from Crediton to Exeter Quay . Authority was obtained to build this line by an Act of 1831, but construction never started and the powers lapsed. However, business interests in Crediton became interested in a railway again after allies of the Great Western Railway (GWR), the Bristol and Exeter Railway (B&ER), reached Exeter in 1844, and
3956-589: The Youth MP being Georgia Howell, and Simon Jupp represents East Devon. Prior to Brexit in 2020, Exeter was part of the South West England European constituency , which elected 6 MEPs . Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies , Exmouth and Exeter East will first be contested at the 2024 general election . Exeter's city council is a district authority, and shares responsibility for local government with
4048-553: The car parking at stations, looking at ways to increase the train frequency and facilities at stations. Network Rail would like to raise the Cowley Bridge during their Control Period 7 (2024-2029). This would reduce the likelihood of the railway being closed or damaged by floods. The Barnstaple to Bideford route was mentioned in the Association of Train Operating Companies 2009 Connecting Communities: Expanding Access to
4140-448: The cathedral, were damaged. On the night of 4 May, the Polish 307 Squadron dispatched four available aircraft against forty German Junkers Ju 88 bombers, preventing four German aircraft from releasing their load of bombs on Exeter. 156 people were killed, but the squadron suffered no casualties in the process. To commemorate the friendship that had formed between the 307 Squadron and Exeter,
4232-423: The citizens enjoyed access to sophisticated aqueduct systems which brought pure drinking water into the city from springs in the neighbouring parish of St Sidwell's. For part of their length, these aqueducts were conveyed through a remarkable network of tunnels, or underground passages, which survive largely intact and which may still be visited today. Exeter and Bristol hosted the first recorded Common Council in
4324-586: The city as part of her dowry on her marriage to Æthelred the Unready the previous year. Two years after the Norman conquest of England , Exeter rebelled against King William . Gytha Thorkelsdóttir , the mother of the slain King Harold , was living in the city at the time, and William promptly marched west and initiated a siege . After 18 days, William accepted the city's honourable surrender, swearing an oath not to harm
4416-553: The city centre shopping facilities, events and meetings with friends. In May 2008 there was an attempted terrorist attack on the Giraffe cafe in Princesshay, but the bomber was the only one injured. On 12 October 2012, John Lewis opened its first high-street home store on Sidwell Street, with an area of 65,000 ft, it was the biggest John Lewis store to open that year. It took on 300 staff. A £30 million improvement scheme for
4508-569: The city centre were rebuilt in the 1950s, with little attempt to preserve or restore historic buildings. The street plan was altered in an attempt to improve traffic circulation, and former landmarks like St Lawrence, the College of the Vicars Choral, and Bedford circus disappeared. The modern architecture stands in sharp contrast to the red sandstone of buildings that survived the Blitz. One notable exception
4600-477: The city or increase its ancient tribute . However, William quickly arranged for the building of Rougemont Castle to strengthen Norman control over the area. Properties owned by Saxon landlords were transferred into Norman hands and, on the death of Bishop Leofric in 1072, the Norman Osbern FitzOsbern was appointed his successor. In 1136, early in the Anarchy , Rougemont Castle was held against King Stephen by Baldwin de Redvers . Redvers submitted only after
4692-429: The city was held by the Saxons , who had arrived in Exeter after defeating the British Dumnonians at Peonnum in Somerset in 658. It seems likely that the Saxons maintained a quarter of the city for the Britons under their own laws around present-day Bartholomew Street, which was known as "Britayne" Street until 1637 in memory of its former occupants. Exeter was known to the Saxons as Escanceaster . In 876, it
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#17328561618834784-436: The city's East Gate. One line went to St David's station via New North Road, the Obelisk (where the Clock Tower now stands) and St David's Hill. The second line went out along Heavitree Road to Livery Dole and the third went to Mount Pleasant along Sidwell Street. There was a depot off New North Road. A new bridge across the Exe was opened on 29 March 1905, replacing the former Georgian bridge. Made of cast iron and steel with
4876-417: The detonation of the bomb. On 2 March the council permitted affected residents to return to their homes while noting that many might be "uninhabitable at this stage". The University of Exeter reported that some 300 students (of the 1,400 evacuated) had yet to return. Exeter has the 6th highest number of rough sleepers on a single night of all local authorities in England (as of the autumn of 2020), marking
4968-475: The early 18th century. She remarked on the "vast trade" and "incredible quantity" in Exeter, recording that "it turns the most money in a week of anything in England", between £10,000 and £15,000. Early in the Industrial Revolution , Exeter's industry developed on the basis of locally available agricultural products and, since the city's location on a fast-flowing river gave it ready access to water power , an early industrial site developed on drained marshland to
5060-406: The fire. In July 2017 the restoration plans were officially unveiled, with the rebuild expected to be completed in 18 months and a scheduled reopening of the hotel in 2019. 18 Cathedral Yard was repaired by November 2018, but there was a second round of bids for the work to complete repairs to The Well House, and to rebuild the Royal Clarence Hotel as a 74-bedroom hotel. However, in late 2021 it
5152-408: The first Lord Mayor of Exeter on 1 May 2002 when Letters Patent were awarded to the city during a visit by the Queen. The Lord Mayor is elected each year from amongst the 39 Exeter city councillors and is non-political for the term of office. Policing in Exeter is provided by the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary who have their headquarters at Middlemoor in the east of the city. The fire service
5244-430: The first half of the 4th century: more than a thousand Roman coins have been found around the city and there is evidence for copper and bronze working, a stock-yard, and markets for the livestock, crops, and pottery produced in the surrounding countryside. The dating of the coins so far discovered, however, suggests a rapid decline: virtually none have been discovered dated after the year 380. Bishop Ussher identified
5336-570: The flood defences was approved in March 2015. The plans involve the removal of check weirs and a deeper, "meandering stream" in the centre of the drainage channels to improve flow. The plans followed a study by the Environment Agency that revealed weaknesses in the current defences. A community currency for the city, the Exeter Pound , was introduced in 2015 and dissolved in 2018. A serious fire broke out in buildings in central Exeter on 28 October 2016. The Royal Clarence Hotel , 18 Cathedral Yard and The Well House Tavern were severely damaged in
5428-495: The fort built up an unplanned civilian community ( vicus or canabae ) of natives and the soldiers' families, mostly to the northeast of the fort. This settlement served as the tribal capital ( civitas ) of the Dumnonii and was listed as one of their four cities ( Ancient Greek : poleis ) by Ptolemy in his Geography (it also appeared in the 7th-century Ravenna Cosmography , where it appears as an apparently confused entry for Scadu Namorum ). When
5520-445: The fortress was abandoned around the year 75, its grounds were converted to civilian purposes: its very large bathhouse was demolished to make way for a forum and a basilica , and a smaller-scale bath was erected to the southeast. This area was excavated in the 1970s, but could not be maintained for public view owing to its proximity to the present-day cathedral . In January 2015, it was announced that Exeter Cathedral had launched
5612-480: The hill under the high wood'. The Romans established a 42-acre (17 ha) 'playing-card' shaped (rectangle with round corners and two short and two long sides) fort ( Latin : castrum ) named Isca around AD 55. The fort was the southwest terminus of the Fosse Way (Route 15 of the Antonine Itinerary ) and served as the base of the 5 000- man Second Augustan Legion ( Legio II Augusta ) at some time led by Vespasian, later Roman Emperor, for
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#17328561618835704-418: The journey between Exeter Central and Barnstaple. The off-peak service pattern is generally Exeter Central, Exeter St. Davids, Crediton, Yeoford(req), Copplestone, Morchard Road(req), Eggesford, Umberleigh(req), Barnstaple. Only two services each way call at all stops on this line. A single service is extended beyond Exeter to Axminster on Monday to Friday evenings, and another operates to and from Exmouth in
5796-404: The line to B&ER; in exchange, the B&ER agreed to construct a junction allowing trains to run from Crediton to Exeter St Davids, and Cowley Bridge station was never opened. A service commenced of seven trains a day in each direction—the first trains to run on the future Tarka Line—and new railway stations opened to passengers at Newton St Cyres and Crediton . In the same year, new company
5888-419: The line to Heavitree was extended. On 17 March 1917, a tram went out of control going down Fore Street, hit a horse-drawn wagon, then overturned on Exe Bridge; one female passenger was killed. By the 1920s there were problems with congestion caused by the trams, a need for expensive track renewal work and the slow speed of the trams in Exeter's narrow streets. After much discussion, the council decided to replace
5980-655: The line, although trains also serve Exeter St Davids and Exeter Central . Crediton and Newton St Cyres are also served by Dartmoor line services to Okehampton . Crediton and Eggesford stations are both Listed grade II , as is an old railway warehouse outside Barnstaple station. Since December 2019 most services have been operated by Great Western Railway Class 158 diesel multiple units . For several years before this they had been operated by Class 150s , which were transferred to other branch lines in Devon and Cornwall, and Class 143s which were withdrawn. They operate approximately hourly and take around 75 minutes for
6072-474: The local firm Beach Bros were trapped for nine hours. 2,500 properties were flooded. Later the same year on 3 December the river levels rose again, flooding 1,200 properties. These floods led to the construction of new flood defences for Exeter. Work began in 1965, took 12 years to complete and cost £8 million. The defences included three flood relief channels , and were complemented by the construction of two new concrete bridges (built in 1969 and 1972) to replace
6164-487: The mid 11th century, became Anglican in the 16th-century English Reformation . Exeter became an affluent centre for the wool trade , although by the First World War the city was in decline. After the Second World War , much of the city centre was rebuilt and is now a centre for education, business and tourism in Devon and Cornwall. It is home to two of the constituent campuses of the University of Exeter : Streatham and St Luke's . The administrative area of Exeter has
6256-466: The national network. Two proposals to reach Barnstaple were put forwards: an east-west route from Tiverton to Bideford , via Mid Devon and Barnstaple; and a north-south route from Barnstaple to Crediton (with access to Exeter along the E&CR). The Tiverton option had Isambard Kingdom Brunel as its engineer, was favoured by the GWR, and had backing from the Five Kings and the Lord Lieutenant of Devonshire, Hugh Fortescue, 2nd Earl Fortescue . Meanwhile,
6348-401: The national railway network in order to appraise an alternative proposal by the B&ER to construct a line that would run between Barnstaple and their station at Tiverton . By January 1846, construction had started on the E&CR and on an unrelated line connecting Barnstaple with Fremington Quay , five miles to the west, and this created a new sense of urgency in connecting Barnstaple to
6440-403: The next 20 years before they moved to Caerleon in Wales , which was also known as Isca . To distinguish the two, the Romans also referred to Exeter as Isca Dumnoniorum , "Watertown of the Dumnonii ", and Caerleon as Isca Augusta. A small fort was also maintained at Topsham ; a supply depot on the route between the two was excavated at St Loyes near Topsham Road in 2010. The presence of
6532-429: The old Exe Bridge which had obstructed the flow of the river and made the flooding worse. A high-profile, random murder of a child occurred in the city in 1997, which today remains one of the UK's highest-profile unsolved murders. 14-year-old Kate Bushell , a pupil at what is now West Exe School , had her throat cut by an unidentified attacker while walking her dog along Exwick Lane, Exwick, on 15 November 1997. Despite
6624-620: The participant to claim special Tarka Line Rail Trail souvenir tour shirt. Wessex Trains covered Class 150 2-car DMU number 150241 in coloured pictures promoting the line and named The Tarka Belle . It is still in service with Great Western Railway (Formerly First Great Western) but is no longer in that livery. The line was designated by the Department for Transport as a community rail line in September 2006. This aims to increase revenue and reduce costs. Among possible options are increasing
6716-562: The police insisting the killer must be local and repeatedly appealing for locals to come forward with information on Crimewatch , the attacker has never been identified. Police believe Bushell's murder is possibly linked to the murder of dogwalker Lyn Bryant in Cornwall only one year later in 1998. Police have DNA evidence in the Bryant case and there remains a £10,000 reward for information in both cases. The Princesshay shopping centre adjoining
6808-523: The remaining Britons from the city. (It is uncertain, though, whether they had lived in the city continuously since the Roman period or returned from the countryside when Alfred strengthened its defences. ) According to William of Malmesbury , they were sent beyond the River Tamar , which was fixed as the boundary of Devon. (This may, however, have served as a territorial boundary within the former kingdom of Dumnonia as well. ) Other references suggest that
6900-584: The squadron presented the city with a Polish flag on 15 November 1942 (the first British city to have had that honour) outside Exeter Cathedral . Since 2012, a Polish flag is raised over the city's Guildhall on 15 November; the day is now known as '307 Squadron Day' in Exeter. On 15 November 2017, a plaque in memory of the squadron was unveiled in the St James Chapel of Exeter Cathedral by the Polish Ambassador Arkady Rzegocki. Large areas of
6992-542: The status of a non-metropolitan district under the administration of the County Council. It is the county town of Devon and home to the headquarters of Devon County Council . A plan to grant the city unitary authority status was scrapped by the 2010 coalition government . The modern name of Exeter is a development of the Old English Escanceaster , from the anglicised form of the river now known as
7084-475: The suburbs of Exeter, burnt down two of the city gates and attempted to undermine the city walls, but were eventually forced to abandon the siege after they had been worsted in a series of bloody battles with the king's army. A number of rebels were executed in the immediate aftermath of the siege. The Livery Dole almshouses and chapel at Heavitree were founded in March 1591 and finished in 1594. When John Hooker
7176-436: The track gauge and this served the platform on the north side of the railway. The ticket office and facilities were in a wooden building which was probably moved from Cowley where the railway had intended to open a temporary terminus in 1848 but were unable to do so. The line towards Exeter was doubled and a signal box provided from 23 February 1875, then the line towards Crediton was doubled from 2 June 1875. The station
7268-669: The tram service with double-decker buses and the last tram ran on 19 August 1931. The only remaining Exeter tram in service is car 19, now at the Seaton Tramway . Exeter was bombed by the German Luftwaffe during the Second World War when a total of 18 raids between 1940 and 1942 flattened much of the city centre. Between April 1941 and April 1943, Exeter was defended from enemy bombers by the No. 307 Polish Night Fighter Squadron , nicknamed
7360-498: The west of the city, at Exe Island . However, when steam power replaced water in the 19th century, Exeter was too far from sources of coal (or iron) to develop further. As a result, the city declined in relative importance and was spared the rapid 19th-century development that changed many historic European cities. Extensive canal redevelopments during this period further expanded Exeter's economy, with "vessels of 15 to 16 tons burthen [bringing] up goods and merchandise from Topsham to
7452-512: Was The House That Moved , which is one of Europe's oldest private residences, which was due for demolition for a new relief road, but was saved after the intervention of the Ministry of Works, and was moved to a new location. On 27 October 1960, following very heavy rain, the Exe overflowed and flooded large areas of Exeter including Exwick, St Thomas and Alphington. The water rose as high as 2 metres above ground level in places and 150 employees of
7544-456: Was attacked and briefly captured by Danish Vikings . Alfred the Great drove them out the next summer. Over the next few years, he elevated Exeter to one of the four burhs in Devon, rebuilding its walls on the Roman lines. These permitted the city to fend off another attack and siege by the Danes in 893. King Athelstan again strengthened the walls around 928, and at the same time drove out
7636-519: Was allocated for the purpose of reducing rough sleeping for the 2020–2021 period. The government's Next Steps Accommodation Programme also provided Exeter City Council with £440,000 to help reduce the number of rough sleepers on Exeter's streets. The council has also focussed its efforts on reducing rough sleeping in the long term, with a "£3 million Capital programme bid [for] the creation of 31 units of new long term move-on accommodation with dedicated support to be delivered before 31 March 2021". Exeter
7728-460: Was announced that the hotel scheme was "significantly unviable", and the Royal Clarence site would be converted into twenty-three luxury apartments with the ground floor acting as a leisure and hospitality space. The plans were officially granted permission on 11 October 2022. The work, involving the demolition and reconstruction of the remaining fabric, will last just under eighteen months and
7820-401: Was appointed to the city payroll in 1561, he created the Court of Orphans as a municipal government for families broken by the premature death of their major economic source. He also was made the Common Council as the legal owner of any estate left to the orphan children of Exeter, until they have reached the age of 21 to be partially paid back. The orphan tax was used to fund the construction of
7912-539: Was captured by the Cornish Royalist Army led by Prince Maurice. Thereafter, the city remained firmly under the king's control until near the end of the war, being one of the final Royalist cities to fall into Parliamentarian hands. The surrender of Exeter was negotiated in April 1646 at Poltimore House by Thomas Fairfax . During this period, Exeter was an economically powerful city, with a strong trade of wool . This
8004-654: Was exiled from the Massachusetts Bay Colony and subsequently established a community on the banks of the Squamscott River , he named the region Exeter after its Devonian counterpart. During the American Revolution it became the capital of New Hampshire . Exeter was secured for Parliament at the beginning of the English Civil War, and its defences very much strengthened, but in September 1643 it
8096-514: Was launched in 2002, the first of several such schemes which encourages rail travellers to visit pubs near the line. The trail originally covered 16 pubs, and the number has risen and fallen over the years, but in 2020 is 11 pubs. There are three pubs in Exeter and five in Barnstaple, with one each at Lapford, Portsmouth Arms, and Umberleigh. 10 stamps collected in the Rail Ale Trail leaflet entitle
8188-524: Was partly due to the surrounding area which was "more fertile and better inhabited than that passed over the preceding day" according to Count Lorenzo Magalotti who visited the city when he was 26 years old. Magalotti writes of over thirty thousand people being employed in the county of Devon as part of the wool and cloth industries, merchandise that was sold to "the West Indies, Spain, France and Italy". Celia Fiennes also visited Exeter during this period, in
8280-422: Was renamed as Newton St Cyres on 1 October 1913. The signal box was closed on 17 August 1930 when the signalling equipment was transferred into the booking office. The goods yard closed on 12 September 1960 and the signals taken out of use on 31 July 1968. The line became just a single track again on 16 December 1984. The platform on the south side is still in place but disused. The former station master's house
8372-502: Was the Bristol and Exeter Railway that opened a station at St Davids on the western edge in 1844. The South Devon Railway Company extended the line westwards to Plymouth , opening their own smaller station at St Thomas , above Cowick Street. A more central railway station, that at Queen Street , was opened by the London and South Western Railway in 1860 when it opened its alternative route to London. Butchers Lloyd Maunder moved to their present base in 1915, to gain better access to
8464-456: Was the only town in the south-west to have three market days per week. There are also records of seven annual fairs, the earliest of which dates from 1130, and all of which continued until at least the early 16th century. Prior to the expulsion of the Jews of England in 1290, Exeter was home to England's most westerly Jewish community. During the high medieval period, both the cathedral clergy and
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