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The growth of Exmouth's heritage
The
two Parishes that make up Exmouth are called
Littleham and Withycombe, they date to pre-Saxon
times. Today the central nucleus is called
Littleham Urban. It has grown over the years
from a few farm buildings and a ferry quay
into popular town of shops, parks, seafront,
marina and picturesque walks. The purpose
of this project was to identify how and why
the growth of the Littleham Urban took place.
Part
1: Back to the beginnings.
The name 'Exmouth' obviously derives from
its being at the mouth of the River Exe (Exe
being an ancient Celtic word for fish). The
town has not always been known as such, though.
In 1240 AD a central part of today's Exmouth
was sold to the Mayor and citizens of Exeter,
its name being Pratteshuthe, meaning Pratt's
landing place and was the site of the estuary's
ferry dock. The name later developed into
Pratteshide, and as the town grew around the
quay it gained the name Mona Island and was
distinguishable in the sixties and seventies
by a building for public conveniences. The
site today, at the start of Exeter Road, is
respectfully vacant of anything more than
the last tasteful remains of the toilets,
and a seating area.
Mona
Island, Exeter Road.
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This
seating area stands adjacent to the Magnolia
Centre. A shopping precinct opened in 1979,
and built to replace and modernise an area
badly damaged by the bombing raids of World
War II. A road that once existed here was
called Market Street and was the original
site of the town's market place. As well as
the bombs leaving their mark, wartime brought
with it pill boxes and gun emplacements, and
in respect of those who died a memorial which
stands in the Strand Gardens.
Strand Gardens and Memorial
The Strand Gardens was once the site of the
Market House, demolished in 1869 and replaced
by an enclosed green, which is present today.
The Strand , as the name suggests, had its
beginnings as a row of buildings that ran
along the shore of an inlet. The inlet was
formed by a spit of sand that reached into
the estuary, the end tip of this spit was
known as the Point.
The Strand c. 1928
It
was formally known as the Strand Enclosure
with its metal railings with gates around
it, as seen here.
On
the left is the building that is now
Lloyds TSB Bank and used to be the site
of the old Post Office!
On
the right of photo (behind the trees)
used to be Exmouth's Public Hall, (with
a clock tower), now later the Savoy
Cinema.
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The Strand c. 1940s
Strand gardens, Exmouth Postcard from 1949. Lovely old photo of a peaceful Strand. Old small Boots Chemist on the left. To the right is a group of children, a boy with shorts and the girls all with hats. Behind them is a big poster for the film "Pygmalion". Now the Savoy Cinema.
On
the extreme right is a another big poster,
for "Patrol" with Errol Flynn.
Thanks Tim Lane. |
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Manchester Quay, boats!
Lovely old illustration It looks like a ferry with a lady & children are about to dock at Manchester Quay, as a small boat with sails comes in. Now Manchester St. / Road area by the between the Imperial Recreation Ground and the Railway Station. The river also used to come up to Exeter Road by the parade! Does any one have any more info please?
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The
origin of man's inhabitancy to this corner
of East Devon can be traced back as far as
11th century; documentary mentioning of the
name Lydwicnaesse, meaning the point of the
Bretons, signifies the presence of early dwellings
on this Point. Roman coins have been unearthed
in the area of Exmouth, but any evidence of
settlement remains undiscovered.
The
landform of the town is made up of three types
of formation. The Exe Estuary is a sunken
valley, brought about by the bounce effect
of the last Ice Age- as the ice melted in
the North of England the weight pushing down
on the plate lifted, thus causing the South
of England to sink back down. The Breccias
that make up the small cliff of the Beacon
is an outcrop of the Langstone Breccias, found
on the other side of the estuary. It is believed
that this outcrop was formed by the fault
that runs up the centre of the estuary. New
Red Sandstone forms the land running up from
sea level, a sedimentary deposit from around
the Permian Period known as the Exmouth Beds.
The last part of the Exmouth landform, and
the most recent, are the sandbanks and mudflats-
reminiscent of the Dawlish sand spit on the
opposite side of the estuary mouth. It seems
the main channel of the estuary has always
clung to the eastern shore and maybe a reason
for the greater urbanisation of Exmouth.
It
is thought that the lack of early human history
in this area is down to the fact of its exposed
position, not only from raiders but also the
elements- civilisation took a hold in a greater
and more permanent way in the more comfortable
outer lying rural areas. It wasn't until the
13th century that it began to develop in any
recognisable way. Morin Uppehille owned the
land and granted it to John the miller who
in turn built a windmill, and thus earned
his living on this exposed point, aided by
the prevailing Southwest winds.
The
windmill together with the ferry dock and
a small scattering of farm buildings began
to develop into the early stages of a town.
As commerce grew the focus of the town was
centralised at The Cross- of Market Street
and Chapel Street (now the Magnolia Centre).
The outer lying houses of the South Street
area were built adjacent to the main route
from Littleham. The route ran along the Parish
boundary, which in turn followed the course
of an ancient stream. The stream is no longer
there, the only evidence left is a raised
walkway that fronts a row of houses on Fore
Street.
The
parish boundary divided the town, and no single
estate formed the nucleus; one half was merely
just a small property on the edges of the
manor of Bradham (broad-ham). The other half,
Littleham Parish, was the largest and oldest
estate in the area and was retained by the
kings of Wessex until the 11th century- the
land was then passed over to the king's minister,
Ordgar. During the 12th century the Uppehille
family were the kings bailiffs for the East
Budleigh hundred and the lands where granted
in return of this act.
Map
1…
Ownership
of the land changed when the male line of
the Uppehilles ran out in the late 14th century.
The lands then passed through various people,
and ended up being owned by the Hulls of Marpool.
The Manor house was located on the slopes
of Marpool Hill, its site since the 12th century,
and the entrance of its grounds can still
be identified today as the gateway to Phear
Park.
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The gates
to The Manor House Phear Park
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Phear Park Celebration Dinner 1911!
Celebration Dinner, fantastic
old photo, 1911,
Celebration Dinner of King George V. in
Phear Park. June 22 , 1911
by Mr. Murduck of Exmouth. Thanks Tim
Lane. |
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The gates
today
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Part
2: The town's growth.
For many years the town's growth was inhibited.
The shallow water at Pratteshide Quay restricted
any significant shipping to dock, adding to
this, Exeter held strong control over the
Estuary; only with the Mayor's permission
could any Captain unload their cargo, unless
at Topsham. The roads were also restrictive
for communications, they remained in their
infancy for many years, governed and repaired
by the parishes that they ran through.
The
town only really began to establish itself
during the 18th century. Regarded as the oldest
holiday resort in Devon, visitors were attracted
by the views and medicinal salt waters. Exmouth
became renowned as a destination for wealthy
men and women to recover health.
The
Parade began its time as a promenade. A raised
gravel walkway, built along the side of Pratteshide
Quay, gave people the opportunity to stroll
out and take in the picturesque views of the
estuary and well kept grounds of Powderham
Castle. Today, this Promenade forms a raised
pavement built up by shops and flats on both
sides.
The walks and gardens that run along the Beacon
Breccias were put down around the latter part
of the 18th century, and in 1791 the first
stone of Beacon Terrace was laid. The attraction
of The Beacon was that its raised position
looked out on the panoramic views that were
drawing visitors to the town. People of great
wealth and notability owned homes or retreats
along this Terrace. The name, The Beacon derives
from the earlier days of Exmouth. The area
on which the houses were built, Beacon Fields,
hosted fires that were lit in times of danger.
Today, garden hangers represent the original
history (seen below, small in the photo).
Tourism
remained steady for a number of years. A railway
line into Exmouth was suggested, but not until
1861 did the first train arrive at the resort.
Much of the town's present identity grew out
of the boom that followed. The Imperial Hotel
opened in 1869 as the town's premier Hotel.
To the front of which, stands the Clock Tower
commemorating Queen Victoria's Jubilee. The
shops that make up Rolle Street began life
in 1868 and were completed in 1875; many of
the buildings that surround The Strand Gardens
were rebuilt around this time, one of which,
The Public Hall opened 1887 and later became
the Savoy Cinema, which is still present today.
Many of the bricks that were used to build
this development came from the brick works
at Withycombe Village.
Click>
Old Water Mill
Map
2…
This
period of Exmouth history was certainly its
"Golden Age", and as the wealth
of the town grew a need for housing grew with
it. Thus the outer lying areas of the town
centre developed, also.
One
of the major changes to the actual shape of
Exmouth, was the building of an embankment
that enclosed about 50 acres of estuary. Built
by William Hull of Marpool in 1811, it cut
off the disused quay of Pratteside and gave
land to the steadily growing town. The main
quay or docks was now to be found on Point.
An area here, called the "Docke",
is shown on maps as early as 1576, but no
permanent facility was constructed until 1825.
Many times over the years the dock's existence
has been threatened by storms and the fast
running currents of the estuary. Boat building,
rope making, shipping and fishing all ran
from the dock's area, and like the tourism
of the town, the dock trades boomed with the
coming of the railway.
Much
of what was built on the reclaimed land of
William Hull remains today. For the last 140
years it's been home to the railway lines
and station, and in 1895 the terraced housing
estate known as The Colonies was built. For
many years Exmouth town refuse tip was located
at the raised area that now makes up The Imperial
Recreation. Ground.
The
Churches and Chapels of Exmouth are in their
plenty. Today's two most predominant are the
Holy Trinity on Rolle Street, and All Saints'
Church on Exeter Road. The Holy Trinity was
built in c1824 and stands today on a site
that was on the outskirts of the growing town.
Prior to its completion the Trinity Chapel
stood on Chapel Hill . Holy Trinity was the
only place of worship, at this time, and there
was a great demand for larger premises. The
All Saints' Church is a much newer building,
built c1898, and stands on the reclaimed land
of William Hull.
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All Saints
Church, Exeter Road
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Map
3…
Part
3: Present day
The boom of the mid 1800s shaped much of what
we see today. Over the years, the development
of Rolle Street, The Magnolia Centre and surrounding
areas has wiped away the chance to clearly
comprehend the way in which the town grew-
The Market Place, coaching house, Manor House
are all gone, and the trades of the town,
re-established in different areas. The Windmill
at The Point is long since vanished, the only
remnants of even the name, "The Point"
is all but forgotten- only to be found in
the street name, "Point Terrace".
The working dock is now closed, and at present
being redeveloped. Steadily over the last
decade, the shanty style chalets that surrounded
the dock basin have been demolished. The new
marina development that now takes the place
of the once industrious site has tried to
keep the feel of the old wooden chalets.
Heritage
Town Trails are in existence, to encourage
visitors and locals to understand and explore
the town's history and it's sites of heritage.
Places such as the Old Docks, Mona Island,
the houses on The Beacon, have been pin pointed
along four town walks. A publication accompanies
the walks, giving insight to the history,
stories and legends of the town. Blue Heritage
Plaques are displayed on the buildings and
sites of interest. The Exmouth Museum also
holds many secrets- although too small to
exhibit all of its treasures it packs in much
of the history that has formed the town.
Maybe
the most significant of Exmouth's heritage
is the item that first helped create the town.
From a different venue to the original, and
maybe with people travelling with different
motives, 700 years later the ferry still docks
at Exmouth.
The Exmouth/Starcross Ferry.
BELOW>
This map changes to show all 3 maps over each
other, just wait about 10 seconds
for the maps to change…
- Bibliography
J. Perkins, Geology Explained in South
and East Devon, Newton Abbot: David &
Charles Ltd., 1971.
- Exmouth
Museum, Exmouth Town Trails, Exmouth: Exmouth
Museum Committee, 1996.
- Exmouth
Town Management Partnership. Exmouth Blue
Plaque Heritage Trail, Exmouth Town Council
- G.
Caygill, 'Exmouth Guide' [WWW] http://www.exmouthguide.co.uk
- Author
unknown, Extra Ordinary Exmouth, Publisher
unknown.
Above written by Andrew
Golay ©
. Photos Copyright
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