7/50: Exeter, Devon

What do people think of when they think of Devon? Perhaps unfairly, it has been described to me as an inferior version of Cornwall, or the bit that holds the rest of the West Country back. Both seem to me to be unusually harsh, and suggest that Devonshire people are unfortunately skilled in the art of annoying their local neighbours. But when you actually consider that this county contains both Dartmoor, Exmoor, the English Riviera that is Torquay and such cities as Plymouth and Exeter, it seems foolish to dismiss Devon so quickly: though to make one thing clear, Cornwall does Cornish pasties better. It would just be weird otherwise, wouldn't it?

Exeter, in particular, is worth at least a few hours' of your time, and not necessarily because it appears to be city on the up. Exeter City have just been promoted to the third tier of English football; the University of Exeter are 9th in the official tables; and a rather gigantic Next store has recently been completed. But, at the risk of offending the Grecians, my lecturers, and various shoppers, this isn't what makes Exeter, or indeed Devon, great. Instead, what should strike you about both this city and county is the innovation of Devonshire people, and indeed British people in general: and occasionally, the lack of it.

As you approach Exeter St David's (the main railway station) from the South-West, you see the city's own Millennium Bridge, with a medieval church in the background: however, on exiting the station, you are confronted with some buildings that can only have been built in the two decades immediately after the war. Exeter was bombed on the 4th May, 1942, and whilst enough of the original buildings have survived to make the city well worth visiting, there is the odd concrete monstrosity kicking around. Still, once you head into the city centre - a 15-minute walk, which is well signposted - the general surroundings improve.

St. Peter's Cathedral

After meeting up with my official tour guide, Mr Phil Tyson (who does Maths at Exeter Uni), we proceeded to one of Exeter's key attractions, St. Peter's Cathedral. As we were students, entry was only £3, which compared to some is quite reasonable: adult entry, however, is about a fiver. It's still worth going in though, because Phil and I not only found a great deal to see, but also got told some interesting stories by the Cathedral staff, who definitely know this place inside-out. Like many other Cathedral workers, Devonshire stonemasons left amusing mementos: some would just leave their initials, whilst one decided to carve a gargoyle sticking his tongue out at a presumably unpopular bishop! We also found out that one of the Bishops, Bishop Oldham, actually came from Oldham, which was originally called Owldham: hence, of course, the owls around his tomb! Devon also appears to share in Great Britain's habit of coming up with silly names... poor old Nutcombe Nutcombe...

Oh, the cruelty of parents...

It has to be said that Devonshire people are happy to help tourists: with all the signposts and maps dotted around, you'd be hard pressed to get lost in this city. Unless of course, you tried to navigate the unique underground passages by yourself! This is Phil and I went in the mid-afternoon, and is definitely Exeter's main attraction: the exhibition probably needs a bit of work, but it was interesting learning about how they were built, and why. Basically, the passages were built as an easy means of getting to the Cathedral's water supply: the pipes were laid down using the cut-and-cover method they used with much of the London Underground. Indeed, the paralells between these passages and the Tube are striking: firstly, both have been used as an air-raid shelter during WWII; and secondly, both have a long history of problems with the infrastructure! In Exeter's case, the pipes were badly built, and leaked quite a lot. Still, when you stand underneath Fore Street and can hear the traffic rumbling above, and imagine the bombs dropping, it is rather thought-provoking: definitely worth the entrance fee of about £4, and easy to find: it's on Paris Street, near the shopping centre.

Hold on to your hat, Phil!

As well as having a fair amount of history, both Exeter and Devon seem to be good at unearthing musical talent: perhaps most famously, in the case of Chris Martin, who was born in Exeter and is best known for being the lead singer of Coldplay. Also famous around these parts are Muse, as the band formed in nearby Teignmouth, having grown up in the area. With this in mind, my souvenir of Exeter and Devon was Coldplay's double-disc album, Viva la Vida: the title track alone has almost 50 million hits on Youtube, a feat which modern Devon can be proud of.

In addition to breeding musical talent, Exeter also attracts it: I spent Wednesday evening attending a concert at the University, where the Exeter University Singers put on a decent showing, especially with their renditions of such West Side Story songs as Maria and Make of our Hands, as well as a spine-chilling performance of Karl Jenkins' Adiemus. I am horrendously biased with regards to my opinion of anyone involved with music at Exeter Uni, as I attended their Orchestra Week in 2007, but I think everyone would agree that they are worthy of saluting. Well done guys, and in case you'd got this tune out of your heads, I say: Chilli Con Carne! If you want to find Exeter's main campus, also known as Streatham, there are plenty of signs: either head up the hill from St. David's turn left after The Imperial Pub, or head west from the High Street along Queen Street and New North Road: either way, it takes about 20 minutes, and is rather hilly!

You can't go wrong with Leonard Bernstein...

If you get as hungry as I did in Exeter in the evening, you could do worse than heading west of the Bus Station along New North Road and getting some pizza at the Firehouse: £6 for 9 slices, all of which are absolutely delicious (but piping hot)! The pub itself is a joy to behold with candlelit tables and it's a popular student haunt. The Imperial is probably the best Wetherspoon's I've ever visited, the Ship Inn is where Sir Francis Drake presumably had a pint or four, and Pitcher & Piano's has some excellent cocktail bar staff: proper pros, those guys!

It would take me forever to fully describe everything to see in Exeter: Drake's Coffee House is worth a look, as is the Quayside; ultimately, this is a city that is not as rich or important as it used to be, but is starting to become its old dominant self after a period of largely unsuccessful post-war reconstruction. It is quite different from North Devon and areas like Dartmoor, but all of Devon shares the habit of both attracting and breeding talent, whilst generally being quite laid-back with regards to life. Busy enough to keep you on your toes, but peaceful enough to make it much less stressful than most built-up areas in Great Britain. But then again, as a University of Exeter student, I might be just a little bit biased.

Thanks to Phil for showing me round, and for letting me stay the night in the spare room: all the best, Phil! And to Fred, who kept me company on the journey up there, and drew me a fantastic Batman photo :D

I'll try and get the blog on Bristol up either today or tomorrow: thanks for reading!
Chris