Exeter

Exeter is a city in South West England on the River Exe, from which it takes its name. It is the county town of Devon. Around 130,000 people live there. In the city are a ruined castle, much of the old Roman city wall, and Exeter Cathedral.

City and district of England
Coat of arms Wordmark
The District of Exeter including Topsham shown within Devon
Coordinates: 50°43′32″N 03°31′37″W
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	England
Region	South West England
Ceremonial and shire county	Devon
City status	Time immemorial
Non-metropolitan district	1974
Government
• Type	City council
• Body	Exeter City Council
• MP	Steve Race (Labour) & David Reed (Conservative)
Area
• Total	47.04 km2 (18.16 sq mi)
• Rank	274th (of 326)
Population  (2005 est.)
• Rank	167th (of 326)
• Demonyms	Exonian
• Ethnicity (2011)	93.05% White 88.32% White British 0.53% White Irish 0.08% Romani people or Irish Traveller 4.12% Other White   1.65% Mixed 0.34% White and Black Caribbean 0.24% White and Black African 0.66% White and Asian 0.41% Other mixed   3.90% Asian 0.80% Indian 0.14% Pakistani 0.19% Bangladeshi 1.70% Chinese 1.07% Other Asian   0.57% Black 0.42% Black African 0.11% Black Caribbean 0.04% Other Black   0.83% Other 0.56% Arab 0.28% Other
Time zone	UTC+0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
Postcode district	EX1-6
Website	exeter.gov.uk

Rougemont Castle ruins

History

Exeter was built by the Romans, who called it Isca Dumnoniorum (Isca of the Dumnonii, the local British tribe). After the Romans left and the Anglo-Saxons moved into the area in the seventh century, the name changed to Exeter. In the 1060s, Exeter was a centre of resistance to the Norman conquest.

In 1050, the Bishop of Crediton moved to Exeter; from then until 1876 the bishops were the heads of the Church of England in the whole of Devon and Cornwall. Now, only Devon is within the Exeter diocese.

Today

Today it is home to the Met Office, which forecasts the country's weather.

Exeter Media

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  A portion of Exeter's city wall, formed of both Roman and medieval stones

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  The gatehouse of Rougemont Castle

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  Remains of the medieval Exe Bridge, built around 1200

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  Oil on canvas painting by an unknown artist c.1870. These houses were later demolished to make way for St Edmund's Church. The painting depicts the edge of the River Exe flowing under three arches of the Old Exe Bridge, with houses on the bridge and on the river bank, St Edmund's Church can be seen in the top left.

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  An illustration of Exeter in 1563, entitled Civitas Exoniae (vulgo Excester) urbs primaria in comitatu Devoniae

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  John Rocque's 1744 map of Exeter

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  Frontispiece to Shapter's "History of the Cholera in Exeter in 1832"

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  High Street, Exeter, England, ca. 1895

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  Watercolour by Olive Wharry circa 1942 of St. Sidwell's Church, Exeter, after the Blitz. In the early hours of 4th May 1942 a 250kg bomb fell directly on St Sidwells. The church tower was left standing but was so badly damaged that it was pulled down shortly after. A replacement church was built on the site. From the Royal Albert Memorial Museum's collection (63/2004/4).