Flowerpot Lane

This small area in St Thomas was developed for housing in 1986. The area was a grassed open area - the locals objected to the development on the grounds that their fresh air was being degraded by the covering of recreational land. The subsequent development went ahead and was carefully designed by John Lees.

The name Flowerpot probably comes from the medieval Floyer which derives from the Saxon for arrow maker. In 1086, Domesday records the owner as a Floher. The Floyers resided at Floyer Hayes, on what is now Haven Banks, until about 1580 and parts of the house were still standing as late as 1830-40. The family were involved in building St Thomas Church.

Hayes Barton was a small manor house and farm on the floodplain of the Exe, at Flowerpot Fields. A gold ring with a sapphire, dating from 1300, was found at the site. On the 31st July 1643, a force of 1,100 Parliamentary men crossed the Exe Bridge to engage and destroy the Royalists occupying St Thomas. A battle at Hayes Barton destroyed the ancient manor house. The Parliamentary forces lost 16 killed and 50 taken prisoner, and claimed that they had captured 80 Royalists. Recent archaeological excavations at Hayes Barton uncovered many lead bullets and a canon ball, indicating a fierce fight. The action allowed reinforcements to reach the city.

The first use of the name 'Flowerpot' in the 19th-Century Flying Post was when the St Thomas Local Board used the name in a meeting of 1879. The Local Board committee agreed to contact the owner, Mr Densham, about raising a footpath to the property. Before the Second World War, the area was largely wasteland, used by the council as a dump which raised it by about two metres. In 1942, it was a training area for light tanks.