Streets of Exeter - D to H

Streets A to C
Streets D to H
Streets I to O
Streets P to Z

Danes Road

Construction of Danes Road commenced in 1905. It was in two phases - the first was no's 1 to 26 and 27 to 51. This phase was listed in the 1909 Besley's Directory. Like Hoopern Street, many of the inhabitants worked for the railways, although many worked at clerical or white collar jobs, such as railway inspector. There were also four police employees including a superintendent. As the requirements of the local community has changed, so has employment, and in the 1970's to 1990's there were several firefighters living in the road, reflecting the proximity of the Howell Road fire station, and it has also housed many prison wardens.

The second phase of Danes Road, which is marked by the two blocks of houses beyond the two side alleys was commenced in 1907, although it wasn't until 1913 that Besley's listed the extra houses. The second phase had slight differences, such as only one side window in the bay. In 1919 there was a city magistrate, cattle dealer and a Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows Lodge in the road.

There were two bomb hits on the reservoir during the raid of 4th May 1942 - one damaged a Water Works building while the second fell on the covered reservoir and damaged houses 50 yds away - the back of the houses in Danes Road. Some blamed the thorough shaking from exploding bombs for the remedial work on the front of a few houses in the 1990's.

Now the road has changed yet again and it is very popular for student houses as it is a short walk to the university, although parking is a nightmare for residents and visitors alike.

Denmark Road

The road was cut in 1832 and named in 1863 after the wedding of Edward, Prince of Wales to Princess Alexandra of Denmark. In May 1942, during the blitz, the Divisional Fire Officer had a report, which he recorded in his log, that the area of Denmark Road to St Leonards Road was well ablaze. Luckily this was one of those reports that was wrong!

Dix's Field

This Matthew Nosworthy development was named after William Spicer Dix (1736-1804), a brewer from Exe Lane, who owned the land. Dix was also Master of the Worshipful Company of Weavers, Fullers and Shearmen of Exeter in 1774. The land was probably grazing land and had been in the Dix family from before Dix's ancestor, also William Spicer Dix, who was also master of the Company in 1698. Nosworthy built two Georgian terraces in 1808, comprising of opposite rows of houses with a central green. They were houses for the well off with Sir Henry Carew, Henry Blackall (mayor three times) and Nosworthy himself, residing at addresses in Dix's Field.
 
They were rather magnificent terraces which were sadly, severely damaged in the May 1942 bombing. Thomas Sharp, in his Exeter Phoenix plan, advised that 23 out of 24 houses, could be saved, as their basic structure was burnt out, rather than collapsed, but sadly most were demolished, leaving only four houses from one terrace remaining.

Part of the bombed site was taken over by Exeter City Council. They built the Civic Centre in 1969, which was designed by local architect Vinton Hall. The offices consist of two, white cube structures with chamfered edges, along with a built in nuclear bunker.

For Exeter they are considered high rise and in my view, they are one of the more successful modern buildings in the city. When the Civic Centre was being planned, one model for the proposed complex consisted of three rectangular blocks in the style of Debenhams!

Egypt Lane

This small lane, beside St Stephen's Church and St Catherine's Chapel was forgotten until the redevelopment of Princesshay.

The Cathedral authorities gained permission in 1286 to build a wall with seven gates around Cathedral Close. Earlier, the Dominicans, in the 1240's, built a friary and enclosed the building and their church with a wall in the area of the modern Bedford Street. The two walled areas of ecclesiastical land of the friary and Cathedral Close, effectively cut off the city wall from below Eastgate to Southgate from the citizens of Exeter for maintenance. In 1297, Edmund, Earl of Cornwall announced that the Dominicans and Cathedral must share the use of Freren Lane with the city authorities for access to the wall. The lane ran from Catherine Street, alongside St Catherines Almshouses to the city wall at the Crolditch (Southernhay).

The name, Egypt Lane for the lane was first noted on Rocque's map of 1744 - Hoskin's was puzzled by the name and thought it may be derived from a slang term. A lease of 1814 strangely refers to it as Johnasses Lane. (D&CN&Q)

The rebuilding of the area during 2005 re-opened a right of way alongside the ruins of St Catherine's Chapel, following the line of the old Egypt Lane. It passes under Norwich Union House, and past Wagamama, a Japanese restaurant. It will be nice to see the return of an old name.

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.

Before the Second World War, the area was largely wasteland, and used by the council as a dump which raised it by about two metres. It was used in 1942 as a training area for light tanks.

Friernhay Street

The narrow street passing the front of St Nicholas Priory, joining Fore Street and Bartholomew Street West is called Friernhay Street. In 1226, a group of eight 'Greyfriars' monks, from Oxford, were invited to found a Franciscan Friary in Friernhay, in what is now the old All Hallows Churchyard, above the Catacombs.

Around about 1300, they were given permission by Edward I  to relocate to a site outside the city wall, close to South Gate. This area, above the river, also became known as Friernhay and is now occupied by Colleton Crescent. From 1669 the weekly horse market was held in this Friernhay. The area was also used for the racks that dried the wool.'Hay' means the land enclosed by a hedge or a field.

The original Friernhay, inside the city wall became a cemetery on St Bartholomew's Day 1637 and then the site of All-Hallows-on-the-Walls Church - it was built in 1843 and demolished in 1950.

Interestingly, in November 1568 the city council agreed that a Common Jake or Widraughtes be built at the Snail Tower, Friernhay - this was in actual fact, a public convenience. The Snail Tower was a 13th-century defensive tower demolished around about 1810.

AJW Motocycles manufactured motorcycles in Friernhay Street. Arthur John Wheaton, of the printers, started the company in 1926 from workshops adjacent to the printworks.

Some occupants of Friernhay Street in 1897:

Friernhay street, 150 Fore street to Bartholomew street,
8 Ellis William S. gasfitter
Haydon & Co. mineral water makers
Lethbridge & Co. commission agents
Society for the Relief of the Sober & Industrious Poor of Exeter (stores)
(Wm. Bowden, storekeeper)
PLYMOUTH BRETHREN MEETING ROOM
24 Croump Wm. Geo. printer
32 & 33 Knapman Theophilus, oil & c. merchant

George Street

George Street was totally lost in the May 1942 blitz. It originally ran from South Street to Market Street. The map shows the old street.

The new George Street dates from 1952. It runs from the side of St George's Hall to meet the new Market Street, along what had previously been roughly the line of Milk Street. St George's Hall is the replacement for the Lower Market which was lost in the bombing.

The name comes from St George's Church which stood on the side of South Street, approximately opposite the Hall of Vicars Choral. Built in the 10th century, the church was cut away for a road widening scheme in 1843, leaving an archway. The ruins of the Hall of Vicars Choral, which was badly damaged on the May 1942 bombing, were preserved after the war as a memorial to the bombing, and the surviving arch from St George's Church, opposite was moved and rebuilt in the ruins of the hall.

The following list is from the 1897 Kelly's Directory.

George street, South street to Milk street.
1 & 3 Lyons Joseph & Sons, jewellers
2 Morris James, dairyman
3 Lyons Joseph & Sons, jewellers
4 Rudd William H. printer & collector of poor's rate for St. George's parish
4 Palmer Miss Mary Ann, dress maker
Royal Oak P.H. Herbert J. Webber
Fey Miss Ann, dining rms
.....here is Milk st
6 Dickerson George, auctionr
8 Jennings John, pork btchr
9 Allen Hy. potato merchnt
10 Crawley T. boot sole sewer

Glasshouse Lane

This lane was named in 1947 after the glass factory that had existed by the river from 1681. Up until that date, bottles were imported by sea from Bristol and London. Bottle seals from around Topsham have been found bearing the name Francis Day, who ran the glass cone in the middle of the eighteenth century. The glass cone measured 94 ft high by 60 ft in diameter, and along with a pound house, a barn, stable, two small dwellings and some outhouses, was quite a large concern. Early bottles from the factory were squat and baggy, but by the 1750's they had acquired the shape closer to that of a modern sherry bottle. See Glass House Factory for a longer history.

For one brief moment in time, the glass house was used to house prisoners of war In 1746, Joseph Crew a collector of customs, was requested by the Sick and Hurt Board of the Admiralty to prepare the buildings of the glass house to accommodate French prisoners of war. He was paid £15 per annum for as many as 1,100 prisoners, who were held in various places around Exeter, as well as at the glass house. It was intended to hold them all on the premises, but preparations were not complete. There is evidence that a Captain Reynolds sublet the glass house to Crew.

The Sugar House

Sometime after 1684 a sugar refinery was established in the same area as the glasshouse. The refinery was owned by Samuel Buttall who had a sugar plantation in South Carolina. opened the factory and later took his sons, Benjamin and John into partnership. His brother, Charles Buttall also supplied the factory from his slave plantation in Barbados. Samuel Buttall died in 1723 and his son-in-law, Sir Nathaniel Hodges took a half share in the business during 1725. The sugar house prospered for a few years, but by 1743 it was but a memory, having "...lain void for want of a tenant". In 1744, Sir Nathaniel's wife, Lady Hodges sold the works as instructed by his will. It was at the end of the 18th century that the elegant Retreat House was built on the site.

After the sugar and glass houses had closed, the landing stage at Glass House was used to land culm, limestone slates and timber. In 1792, Robert Davy established at Glass House and Gulpit, near Countess Wear, two shipbuilding yards, where, between 1792 and 1812 thirteen vessels were built. In 1830, Davy stated that he had built the 600 ton, Batavia.

Glasshouse Lane is situated in Lower Wear, part of Countess Wear, and runs through a large council built estate, between the Topsham Road and the river.

Source: The French Prisoner-of-War Hospital at Glasshouse by S Bhanji in the Transactions of the Devonshire Association, The Ports of the Exe Estuary by E A G Clark.

Goldsmith Street

Linking the High Street to Paul Street, until the Guildhall Shopping Centre was constructed, this street contained the goldsmiths of Exeter. It was first named in the 13th century. From the 19th century, the rear facade of Higher Market ran down part of Goldsmith Street. There is some evidence to suggest that before this date, it may have been known as Corn Street.

There are still two jewellers in the street, one at each end. The map shows Goldsmith Street in 1905.The modern Goldsmith Street is rather shorter than the old street, running from the High Street to Waterbeer Street. All Hallows Church at the entrance to the street, was demolished in 1906 to widen access.

There is a second Goldsmith Street in Heavitree, a continuation of Ladysmith Road.

Gordon Road

Charles George Gordon (1835-1885) who was better known as Gordon of Khartoum, had close family links with St Thomas and visited the city on a regular basis. His death in Khartoum on 26th January 1885, became a Victorian military legend, and many roads were named after him.

The vicar of Heavitree, Prebendary Barnes who was a close friend, paid for a lamp with a stone base inscribed Charles George Gordon 26th January 1885 to be placed at Livery Dole (see Livery Dole - Places and Art for photo) in memorium.  Gordon's Place, off Fore Street, Heavitree was named in 1998, also after General Gordon.

Grandisson Court

Named after John de Grandisson, Bishop of Exeter, between 1327 and 1369. Grandisson was Bishop during the time of the building of the West Front of the Cathedral and during the years of the Black Death, when his workforce was decimated. There are another nine place names in Exeter after Exeter bishops. These are:

Blackall Road - Offspring Blackall 1708-1716
Cecil Road - William Cecil 1916-1936
Chanter Court - John the Chanter 1186-1191
Courtenay Road - Henry Courtenay 1797-1803
Coverdale Road - Miles Coverdale 1551-1553
Grandisson Court - John Grandisson 1327-1369
Mercer Court - Eric Mercer 1973-1985
Mortimer Court - Robert Mortimer 1949-1973
Temple Road - Frederick Temple 1869-1885
Bishop Westall Road - Wilfred Westall (Bishop of Crediton 1954-1974)

Gras Lawn

One of the newest roads in Exeter, it is part of the Wellingtonia development in Barrack Road, occupying former playing fields that belonged to the University. Before that, the land was part of the home of the Veitch's. The house, built in 1838 was named Gras Lawn from the Welsh for grace, invoking an English pun. The Veitch's were a leading family of plant collectors and nurserymen and had a shop in Cathedral Yard until the 1980's. Gras Lawn became the Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Hospital in 1927. The hospita moved to the main Barrack Road site of the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in the late 1990's, and along with its land, was redeveloped into housng. Parts of the original house still remain.

Guinea Street

Most of this little street disappeared when the buildings around the old Lower Market were destroyed in the bombing of May 1942. There is a small passageway between South Street and George Street which is roughly where Guinea Street joined South Street. The street dates back to the time of Henry II - the name comes from the ancient word ginnel or gennel for narrow passage way.

The West Quarter was the poorest area of Exeter and had social deprivations worse than many other parts of Britain. This deprivation encouraged prostitution - probably the worst place during the 1840's was the Pestle and Mortar in Guinea Street. It provided lodgings 'for persons of the lowest class'. In 1839, the superintendant of police was instructed 'not to permit prostitution, nightwalkers or other disorderly persons to loiter in public streets or footways'.

More positively, Guinea Street was the site of the first fish and chip shop in Exeter. This extract from an 1897 street directory confirms a fish and chip shop in the street:

Guinea street, South street to Market street.
2 Preston J. fried fish shop
4 Wannell William, shopkpr
5 Northcote George, tailor
5A, Miller Rt. Hy. builder & c
6 Old Golden Lion P.H. Frederick John Walkey
6 J Hawkins John, boot makr
9 BrownstonWm.grindry.dlr
10 & 11 Burgess & Son, tin plate workers &c
    .....here is Market st.....
12 Royal Oak P.H. Herbert J. Webber
14 Hawkins George, tailor
15 Hooper Walter, painter
15 Overmass Geo. S. furnitr.dlr

Because of its proximity to South Street and Fore Street, Guinea Street suffered damage in the May 1942 air raid. A report stated:

"Guinea Street (West Side) - (New) Golden Lion Public House - shop property, Cottages and Garages at rear, Messrs Pearse & Co. - Hardware stores, destroyed by fire."

The New Golden Lion was one of 26 pubs and licensed premises destroyed that night.

Holloway Street

First referred to as Holoway in 1515, it was previously called Cartynstrete. Formerly named Holloway Street in 1867, it is thought that the name refers to the road being worn away through constant traffic. It would certainly have been a hard pull for carters and other horse drawn vehicles and the dip in the road may have encouraged the surface to be washed away in time of rain and flood.

Richard Izacke in his Antiquities of the City of Exeter recorded for the year 1617 of Holloway Street:

'A Collection of mony to bee made by & from y e Inhabitants of the Citty & suburbs towards the fillinge Vpp of Holloway w th out y e Southgate'

Which indicates that it was steeper and deeper than it is today and the only way to get it fixed was increase the council tax!

Honiton Road

This is the main road out of Exeter to Honiton. It is interesting to note that it follows the ancient Fosse Way which can be traced from Exeter (Isca Dumnoriorum) to Lincoln (Lindum) and passed through Bath, Cirencester and Leicester. It is also the traditional route to London.

Hoopern Street, (Avenue, and Lane)

This name comes from the Hoopern Valley that carries the Taddiford Brook down from Pennsylvania to enter the Exe at Taddiford. The name is derived from the land where the barrels were made and can be traced back to 1225. The Hoopern Valley was part of the Duryard royal hunting ground, was heavily wooded, which may have given a good source of timber for barrel making.

Before the building of Hoopern Street, the only reference to Hoopern in Exeter in the trade directories was to private houses - Hoopern House and Hoopern Villas. In 1882, approval was given for an area north of Exeter Prison known as Gaol Field to be developed as a 28 ft wide street of housing for a class 'much required in Exeter'. This was a time when housing for the burgeoning artisan classes was needed, with the development of the railways and other services. Building work on what would become Hoopern Street must have started by 1884 as the school was opened in that year.   

The First Householders

In the 1889 Kelly's Directory only number 1 and 77 are listed. It is likely that the street was completed around 1884/5 as Kelly's had a habit of listing only the shops and school.

Besley's Directory of 1894 show 20 properties containing railway workers, ranging from porters, signalmen, shunters and engine drivers. Number 1 and 77 are a shopkeeper and grocer respectively - they are still shops, one a convenience store and the other a hairdresser. The Hoopern Street School was run by Miss Louisa Elizabeth Bovey. By 1919 the school was listed as St Davids School for Girls' and Infants' run by Miss N G Gorley for 121 children. The building have been used as an electrical engineers for the last few years.

In the 1914 Kelly's there were still 20 railway workers along with a musician, a chauffeur and Ernest Alfred Preedy a professional cricketer living in the street! In the same year, the rent for houses in Hoopern Street was £12 per year, about £2 less than similar houses in Newtown.

Number 2 Hoopern Street had become a Town Sub-Post and M O Office (Money order).

Howell Road

Originally named Red Lane/Howells Lane, it was renamed New Road in 1753 when it became a Turnpike. It was a back lane, that was used as a short cut by horsemen, running around the north of the city, from the bottom of St David's Hill, past the back of the prison and down to Longbrook Street. It was referred to on a 1792 map as both New Road and Howells Lane. It was also named Barrack Road after the Higher Barracks built in 1794 for cavalry soldiers. Originally, the barracks were named Town Barracks. In 1810, the lower end of Howell Road at least, was referred to again as Howell's Lane in a sale notice for some properties in Red Cow Village.

There is evidence of the whole length of the lane being named Howell Road from the 1840's. The 12th century siege castle, Danes Castle can be found at Howell Road where you will get good views over the top of the prison to Rougemont Castle.

The western end of Howell Road has Velwell Road running off - Velwell Villas in Howell Road were constructed by John Ware in the 1860's. The villas overlook Bury Meadow, which once extended as far as the Longbrook Valley.