The Turf Locks Hotel

This hotel is not actually in Exeter, but its position at the mouth of the Exeter Ship Canal gives it some importance to the city. By the early 19th century, the decline of wool exports along the canal was replaced by imports of coal, timber, salt cod and other goods.

James Green was given the task of improving the canal, so he extended it beyond the Topsham lock and created the Turf Lock which was opened, along with the extension on 14th September 1827. Green employed 300 labourers to excavate the canal through very difficult ground - it ran close to the shore of the Exe as local land owners would not let him take a direct route. The bank between the river and the canal proved to be a problem, and had to be continually raised and strengthened in intervening years. The canal is 15 ft deep, built parallel with the estuary, had raised banks and was lined to prevent water loss. The lock itself  is 131 feet long and 30 ft inches wide with a sill 2ft below the bar at Exmouth.

James Green's improvement to the canal and building of Turf Lock increased the size of vessel that could reach the Port of Exeter. However, within a few short years, sea going vessels outgrew the canal, limiting trade. Even the approach to the canal along the Exe estuary was too shallow for many ships of more than 200 tons. The channel that led to the Turf Lock was prone to silting, and every spring 1,000 tons of silt had to be dredged to keep it clear.

During the reign of Edward III, the Alice was recorded as discharging her cargo at Le Torffe. Torf in German is the word for peat, indicating the root of the name. Because of the shifting channels in the estuary, even in the Middle Ages ships often could not reach the port of Topsham and had to unload at Turf.

Turf Locks Hotel

The Turf Locks Hotel was built to service the lock and shipping. The hotel was built on marshy ground, without adequate foundations and suffers from subsidence, giving uneven floors. It was originally built with only a single toilet. There is no access for cars, so the hotel is only open in the summer months. However, cars can be parked about a mile up the canal, along a road near Exminster. The fifteen minute walk will work up a thirst and the views are stunning.

In its heyday, the hotel would not only see the passage of many ships up the canal, but the entrance was also busy, as shipping too large for the canal would unload into lighters that would then enter the canal. The basin by the hotel would often be full of ships waiting to be hauled by horse, up the canal to the Canal Basin at Haven Banks, or be waiting for the tide, to pass through the lock into the estuary.

Some trade directory entries for the Turf Locks: