About Exeter and Devon
The City of Exeter
The city of Exeter was transformed in the 20th century by war damage and reconstruction, and by the establishment of the University of Exeter – one of the UK’s leading Universities. In recent decades, the relocation of the UK Meteorological Office to Exeter and its partnership with the University of Exeter has made Exeter a world leader in climate research and meteorological monitoring.
Long a centre of regional influence, Exeter’s story begins in Roman Britain, when it was known as Isca Dumnoniorum, a key military outpost and settlement. Substantial Roman walls are still visible throughout the city today.
Evidence of the city’s medieval past can also be seen. As well as our own Gothic Cathedral, Exeter has a network of medieval underground passages – a rare surviving example of subterranean infrastructure originally designed to channel fresh water into the heart of the city.
A five-minute walk from the Cathedral, The Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery (RAMM), is free to enter and offers a thoughtfully curated collection encompassing Devon’s social and natural history, ethnographic artefacts and fine art.
The city also bears the imprint of the Reformation, the Civil War, and the Enlightenment. Exeter Guildhall, still in use today, is the oldest municipal building of its kind in England, while St Nicholas Priory, originally a 12th-century Benedictine monastery, provides a vivid glimpse into Tudor domestic life.
Exeter’s literary connections are notable too. The poet, Ted Hughes, was educated here, and the University of Exeter continues to foster a vibrant academic and artistic community.
In the city’s Quayside district, there are historic warehouses and customs buildings now repurposed as bars and cafés set along the serene River Exe.
The County of Devon
Nestled between the rugged uplands of Dartmoor and Exmoor and fringed by two distinct coastlines, the county of Devon is one of the largest and most geologically diverse in the country.
Although a popular tourist destination, the county has retained a profound sense of place, shaped by centuries of agricultural, maritime, and religious life. Its landscapes include moorlands carved by millennia of wind and water, and a coastline that forms part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, revealing fossils dating back over 185 million years.
Devon’s many towns and villages preserve much of the region’s distinct agricultural and architectural heritage, populated with whitewashed cottages, thatched roofs, and narrow, winding lanes framed by tall hedgerows.
Culturally, Devon balances tradition with creativity. It is home to a growing number of artists, writers, and musicians drawn by the space, light, and inspiration of the landscape and West Country culture. The county is also home to a vibrant calendar of festivals celebrating literature, folk music, food, and visual arts.
