Exeter Memories - Paris Street

Paris Street was formerly called Shytebrook Street, after the brook of that name that ran from Chute Street in Newtown to the Exe. It gained its present name after pearr or pareis (Old French), both of which mean an enclosure. Before the blitz of 1942, the top of Paris Street was located about 60 metres to the east, along Sidwell Street. The bottom of the street joined the Heavitree Road at the Triangle, slightly below the Pyramids swimming pool. It was a very narrow street that was full of small shops and businesses including the first Greenslades garage, which was roughly where the Civic Centre is positioned now.

Richard Izacke, the 17th Century Exeter historian noted that in 1663:

'Parys street with out the Eastgate of y e Citty was this yeare paved throughout as necessary & as comendable A worke as hath been done in o r age'.

Exeter gained a reputation for destructive fires in the 19th-century culminating in the Theatre Royal fire of 1887. During the 16th-century, most of the buildings in Paris Street were thatched, causing a fire risk. Penalties were severe for those who endured a fire with a fine of 20s (£1,000 today). Paris Street suffered a bad fire in 1837 which the Times reported thus:

THE TIMES
Friday May 19 1837

On Wednesday night, about 10 o’clock, a very extensive fire broke out in Paris-street, Exeter. It commenced in the premises of Mr. Hooper, a builder. The fire burnt rapidly, and soon extended to Silver-place, where six or seven houses were in a short time entirely destroyed; and the remaining houses in that place were on fire. In all, about nine houses had been destroyed, and others were involved in flames at the time our informant left Exeter, which was past 12 o’clock on Wednesday evening. The fire was also continuing its ravages along Paris-street.

Mr Hooper's building firm was responsible, in 1835, for building one of the two large warehouses on the quay, and developing much of St Leonards Road.

In September 1912 the Queen's Hall, Paris Street, was the third cinema to open in Exeter. It was later renamed the Palladium Cinema. When Paris Street was rebuilt, after the war, the top was aligned with New North Road and the bottom terminated at the new roundabout that formed part of the inner by-pass. The only remaining building from the pre-war Paris Street is the Honiton Inn, which is the last building on the right before you reach the roundabout. The bus station was moved from Paul Street to Paris Street in 1964.

The redevelopment of Princesshay reaches as far as Paris Street. All the buildings above the Southernhay corner on the west side to the corner of the High Street are to be demolished and replaced with more retail outlets. There have also been plans to close the bus station and develop the area for yet more retail outlets.

Sources - Greenslades history on their website, Two Thousand Years in Exeter by W G Hoskins, the Times and other diverse sources.