Resurrection, demolition..and slight exhaustion!

I’ve waited 4 years for this! And I’m delighted ! A message, last night, from Nich ( William’s dad) told me that he’s decided to resurrect his blog and that he’s just written something! And I can’t wait to get stuck into it because, previously, it was superb…a real treat…and he does have a wonderful way with words! It will be good to have a blogging buddy once more.

And so here’s the link to Nich about town 

Meanwhile, we took a trip to Exeter, yesterday. We used to visit the city rather a lot, at weekends, when Nich was studying at the University of Exeter…food parcels and all that! And I used to blog, frequently, about the sights and sounds of the city.  Nich now works at the University and, as well as that, our daughter, Helen, was married there! I had to mention that, because on the day that she was married, a certain store also had its grand opening…and Mr Snippets was miffed that he had to miss it! LOL! 

Above is ‘Apple’…in Princesshay, which is where we went today. It was busy but the way that Apple run the store is very efficient and effective…and no queues! 

Princesshay  is interesting. The original Princesshay was opened in the 1949, by the then Princess Elizabeth, and it was actually the first pedestrianised shopping street in the country. This is what it looked like before it was demolished in 2005:

When the demolition of the precinct started, in 2005, archaeological work was undertaken, owing to the site being close to the centre of the Roman town, ‘Isca Dumnoniorum’. Among the ‘finds’ were over a ton of Roman tile fragments; rare, early 15th century pottery and 44 coins, one of which, dating to around 1200, was minted in the city. 

The post war buildings were replaced with a modern shopping centre, opened in Sept 2007. It was the subject of considerable discussion with strong views for and against because of its close proximity to the Cathedral Close and Southernhay. However, the clever planning meant that, as before, you could still see Exeter Cathedral as you wandered along Princesshay. And then, there was this…The Blue Boy. 

The statue’s origins date back to 1733. Modelled on George Wall, an ex student of the St John’s Hospital School, that used to be based in the High Street, the original stone statue was carved by John Weston. When the St John’s Hospital,School was demolished, to make way for a post office, the Eastgate Arcade and a coffee house, which were built in 1880, it’s not known what happened to the original statue. 

When the St John’s Hospital School was rebuilt in 1859, four, new, Blue Boy statues were made, this time from cast iron. The one we see in Princesshay has been standing there since the post war venue opened in 1949. It was removed for a short period when the new Princesshay was constructed but it was returned in time for the grand opening, standing proudly on a new plinth. 

The inscription underneath the statue says: 

THIS STATUE OF A BLUE BOY STOOD IN THE COURTYARD OF SAINT JOHN’S HOSPITAL SCHOOL FOUNDED ON THIS SITE AS A BLUECOAT SCHOOL BY THE CHAMBER OF EXETER, A.D. 1636 IN THE DISSOLVED MEDIAEVAL HOSPITAL OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST. THE SCHOOL CONTINUED UNTIL 1931 IN THE NEW BUILDINGS ERECTED IN 1859 WHICH WERE DESTROYED BY ENEMY ACTION ON MAY 4TH 1942

As we made our way back to the car, I spotted this mosaic. Created by Elaine Goodwin, in around 1995, I thought it was rather lovely! 

We then said goodbye to Exeter, and we drove by this very famous house…’The House that moved’. It’s an historic building, built in the late Middle Ages. It had to be re-located in 1961 when the entire street was demolished to make way for a new bypass. It was quite a task and if you are interested, it’s all here and as well as that, incredible footage here

To be honest, I think we were both glad to escape the city. The traffic, in and out, was pretty choked up! The journey into the city was tiresome! When we used to visit in times gone by, it was usually by train. However, it’s a buzzing, vibrant city with much to offer and the history of Exeter is amazing. 

We called in for a well earned coffee at The Exeter Trading Hub, which is on the outskirts of the city.

And then a quick mooch but I didn’t take many photos. We were both quite weary!