A couple of weeks ago I took my boys down to Devon to visit extended family. While we were there, my cousin suggested that we all pop to Exeter for a few hours to go for a walk and take in a few of the city sights.
For those who don't know, Exeter is the County Capital of Devon in South-West England, on the River Exe. It has a fabulous history pre-dating Roman times, and historic finds suggest that it was settled around 250 BC.
We took a little walk around the city racking up about 12,000 steps and managed to visit the incredibly beautiful 11th-century Gothic Cathedral, a centre-piece of the city.
This was our view of the cathedral as we approached from the left.
You can see the inscription in the paving in the foreground...
Teach me my God and King in all things Thee to see George Herbert,The Elixir.
and a statue of Richard Hooker just beyond that. Hooker was one of the most influential theologians in the 16 century, shaping church ideology and the path of theology within the context of the Church of England. It is therefore fitting that his image is immortalised in stone outside one of the most magnificent cathedrals in the country.
I love old churches. To me, they are so grounding, so magical. I feel as though, just standing beside them, leaning into their ancient walls, I can somehow connect to the stories that they hold locked up inside them. Somehow relate to and remember all those who have passed...and so I love to spend some quiet time just being.
This was the exquisite view of the front of the church with close-ups of the architecture and sculptures/statues carved into the outer walls of the cathedral. Incredible detail and so well preserved. The carvings are covered with a layer of mesh wire to protect them from pigeons.
Incredible to think that this grand old lady has been standing for almost 1000 years!
I almost always go inside churches that I visit, but on this occasion, my travel companions were wanting to move on and get down to the local quay on the river, so I will definitely have to pay a return visit at some point! I believe it is magnificent inside! I might try to go back for the Renaissance Sound and Light Show if I can persuade the hubby! It will definitely require a night away as it is a 3-hour drive from our home and only a nighttime event, but doesn't it look spectacular? If I do, I will definitely write about it to share the experience.
We left the cathedral and made our way down the hill through a pedestrian underpass decorated with artworks, and on towards the quayside along the River Exe.
The arches of the old warehouses and silos have been converted into restaurants and pubs to provide a vibrant riverside entertainment area that plays host to the students resident in this University City.
I believe this place is teeming with tourists in the summer and small boat tours wind their way along the river.
On our walk back up the hill we passed the old Customs House built in 1680.
And we spotted this classic old public house called Samuel Jones Smoke and Ale House which was once a Bonded Cellar where non-tax-paid wines were stored awaiting payment at the Customs House. They were released from bond once the taxes had been paid.
Sadly we only had a few hours in Exeter on this occasion but we will definitely be back! There is so much more to see. Exeter has an incredible history with lots of Roman influence, a castle, underground tunnels, museums and many more wonderful features. We'll be back to explore in the summer... and hopefully in a week's time if I can get the family back for the cathedral exhibition 💗😂
All photos taken by me.
This post has been submitted to Dreemport for the Dreemport Pinmapple Collaboration.
Dreemport banner used with permission of @dreemsteem and @dreemport and designed by @jimramones
Hi @samsmith1971,
Thank you for participating in the #teamuk curated tag. We have upvoted your quality content.
For more information visit our discord https://discord.gg/8CVx2Am
Thank you @teamuksupport ❣️🤗
Congratulations, your post has been added to Pinmapple! 🎉🥳🍍
Did you know you have your own profile map?
And every post has their own map too!
Want to have your post on the map too?
yay thank you @pinmapple team. I enjoyed writing this one. Exeter is an awesome little city! 💗😎
ehehehe what a proper Pinmapple post!!! and you thought it wouldn't be enough??/ its fantastic Sam! that Cathedral is spectacular! I can't believe you didn't get to sneak a peek inside
and yes - definitely get back there for that sound and light show!!!
I''m so glad that you were capturing pics - who knew it would be perfect for the challenge this week! hehehe
I would have loved to have gone inside BUT... there was a service on and either you had to attend the service (free) or pay to go in after the service... and nobody wanted to wait around. But I am definitely going back... I am going to speak with the hubster when he gets back tomorrow night 💗 Maybe say to him ...so what would you say if I told you I've booked a night away in Exeter for next Friday? and see what he says haha
Hiya, @LivingUKTaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Top 3 in Daily Travel Digest #1820.
Your post has been manually curated by the @pinmapple team. If you like what we're doing, please drop by to check out all the rest of today's great posts and consider supporting other authors like yourself and us so we can keep the project going!
Become part of our travel community:
Thank you so much, @livinguktaiwan this was a lovely surprise. I'm happy my post was appreciated by the team. I loved wandering around Exeter. I have read a couple of the posts from last week already but will drop by to support a few more 💕!PIZZA !ALIVE !LUV
although the statues were eroded due to the weather and the splendor of the cathedral is still visible, thank you for sharing the wonderful experience.
My pleasure, it is a beautiful cathedral. i hope to return soon to explore the inside! !PIZZA
I do love the beauty of the old church and i do have to agree that it is magical.
hehehe isn't it just. The architecture is exquisite. A grand old dame indeed !LUV
Yes, it is... Beauty is something else.
It's a pity that you couldn't go inside but it's also a good reason to come next time and maybe alone 😉 I love churches and cathedrals too. This one reminds me of cathedrals in Italy.
Great photos, thank you for sharing!
OOh Italy has some beautiful cathedrals and churches. I loved the incredible history of Sante Croce in Florence 😍Thank you for dropping by. I'm happy that you enjoyed it !LUV !PIZZA
It is lovely to see a bit of Exeter and the cathedral. I have drove past many times, but only really visited to party over 25 years ago at the student bars! How the time flies. lol
oh my gosh, time does fly indeed, Steve !LOLZ If you ever get the chance again, drop by and take a walk around the city. There are some lovely sights! !PIZZA
Ohh with that magnificent cathedral and the subway tunnels you convinced me to visit Exeter the next time I visit England. 😄
hahaha excellent! That's the idea. I am sure you will not be disappointed! !ALIVE
Such an interesting place! Thanks for sharing the views!
It is! And you are welcome :-)
I also love to visit old churches. I hope you can go back soon and visit it the church indoors and see the light show you mentioned. The town also looks nice to spend some time in it. A very nice post ♥️
I popped via dreemport ;)
Thanks, Eli... Old churches are so endearing aren't they? We have a 12th century church up the road from me in our local Parish village... I will have to do a post on it soon. It's very small, quaint. I've already broached the topic of the light show with hubby... we will have to see as he has just been away for 2 weeks and was hoping for a few weekends at home... I will see what I can manage ;-) !LUV
Thank you for sharing your experience @samsmith1971 visiting Exeter and its stunning cathedral. It's always wonderful to hear about people connecting with history and appreciating the beauty of old churches. The photos you shared are truly breathtaking, and I can only imagine how magnificent the inside of the cathedral must be. It's also fascinating to learn about the city's rich history, from its Roman influence to the historic sites and museums. I hope you get to return soon to explore more of what Exeter has to offer. It was a pleasure to read🙏🏻
Thank you so much Bugavi... it is incredible when you dig a little deeper... you notice little things plaques, names on statues - you do a little research and find the most interesting stuff! It provides for a far more enriching experience. !I hope I get to return soon too !LUV
Now that I am reading this in dreemport I can leave a comment Sam!
That is the beauty of the UK, the wonderful historic buildings.
What a wonderful post this is for the dreemport challenge!
Have a great weekend
!ALIVE
!PGM
Thank you, Ed... it's a wonderful city with a great vibe. I'm looking forward to going back -if only to explore the inside of the cathedral 💗!LUV !PIZZA
Cathedrals are simply amazing to look at :)
Honestly, is there anything better than a good Hooker statue?
🧐😆😂 !LOLZ
Never been to Exeter - it looks lovely !
!ALIVE
Then go! If you ever get the chance !LOLZ
Greetings, I'm glad you managed to visit that city with your family, I loved the pictures, they are all beautiful.
And I liked the beginning with the pictures of the cathedral, it is very beautiful and you can see that there is a lot of history behind it.
Thank you for sharing this publication with us!
Thank you, it's pretty magnificent. We had a lovely few hours in Exeter that day. !PIZZA !ALIVE