Day 24 – Exeter
April 27, 2005.
Today was our final day in Europe and England. It was a day to stay close to
home and explore the ancient city of Exeter. After a leisurely breakfast we set
out to make the 8 mile drive.
Bob Stanley is the proud
possessor of a vintage 1995 Jaguar. What a comfortable ride we in the leather
seats. Our first stop was Rougemount Castle which was the location for the law
courts in Exeter for hundreds of years. Bob was a court usher there for many
years after he retired so we were privileged to be able to access the castle,
since it is now no longer a court.
The original castle was built
by the Romans around 100 BC. The castle was constructed on the highest ground of
the old city of Exeter and thus formed part of the outer city walls. It was
reconstructed during the time of William the Conqueror in 1068 AD after he had
laid siege to the city. Parts if the original castle walls are still standing
today, and Bob, Rosemarie, Nancy and I walked on the battlements where the
Romans walked.
From the castle we followed
the wall down to the present day center of the city. Highlights included the old
buildings and the narrowest street in the world, called Parliament Street. It is
25 inches wide at one end and 45 inches wide at the other. And amazingly there
are doorways that open onto this very narrow street.
We then took a huge risk and
took the ladies into Marks and Spencer for coffee, and of course shopping. I
can’t speak for Bob but I got off very lightly. For a department store café, the
coffee was excellent.
 From
Marks and Spencer we made our way to the Cathedral Close via St. Marin’s Lane.
On our way we passed the Old Ship Inn which was a favorite haunt of Sir Frances
Drake. Past the Old Ship Inn in front of us suddenly appeared the north tower of
the Cathedral. Construction of the Cathedral was started at the beginning of the
12th century, based on a monastery what was standing on the site
since the 6th century. Exeter Cathedral has the longest fan vaulted
stone nave of any cathedral in Europe.
The view of the interior is
magnificent from the massive front doors. Within the cathedral are buried
numerous notable citizens of England and of course many of the bishops of
Exeter. It’s fascinating to read the history of the cathedral and the burial
stones.
One key feature of the
cathedral nave are the keystones, known as bosses. These are ornate carved
stones, weighing up to two tons each that lock the fan vaulting in the ceiling
in place. It’s hard to imagine how these massive stones were raised some hundred
plus feet to join the stone vaults at the apex of the ceiling.
From the cathedral we wound
our way back to Rougemount Castle. Here Bob gave us a tour of Courtroom 2 where
he served as an usher. Not only did we get to visit the courtroom, but also the
chambers where the juries deliberated.
From the castle we drove to
the old harbour area in Exeter which is located on the banks of the River Exe.
The area is connected to the sea via the Exeter Canal. This area and the
adjoining basin have been restored and are now shops and restaurants. We each
enjoyed a huge bowl of tomato soup and a baguette sitting at a table outside
looking at the ships in the basin.
In the evening it was back to
Exeter to enjoy a final meal in County Devon at the Barcelona Hotel. This is a
restored building that from the outside looks like many of the 18th
century buildings in Exeter. However, the dining is modern glass and marble. We
had a great Italian meal. The highlight was the wine menu; there is a little
known French Champagne called “Billecart-Salmon”. This is only the 3rd
restaurant that we have ever been in that has had this vintage. We just had to
have a bottle and Rosemarie took the empty bottle home as a remembrance of our
time together.
The pictures today show Bob
and me, standing beside the Jag. The second picture shows us standing on the
battlements of the 2,000 year old inner wall that protected Exeter from attack.
The wall was strengthened in 1086 after William the Conqueror took the city. The
moat that protected the castle has now been turned into a grass walkway around
the castle.
Tomorrow, Nancy flies home
and I wing my way to Singapore and then on to Perth, Australia.
Stay tuned for Day 25 in my
“Around the World in 30 Days” saga.
Alan Salmon
eClub One
|
