Streets of Exeter - P to Z

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

Palace Gate

One of the seven gates around Cathedral Close, Palace Gate had its own, large 14th-century stone inner gatehouse called Bishops Gate. This building was modernised in the 18th-century and again in 1875, by William Butterfield, when he replaced the windows with stone mullions - only the twin slit opening are original. The entrance to the Bishop's Palace and gardens is through the archway, and can only be visited with a Redcoat Guide.

Extensive refurbishment was made to the wooden gatehouse in 1768, when the large, wooden doors were modified to open wider and the roof was repaired. After the gate was removed in 1812, its position was marked with posts on opposite side of the old entrance - only this one remains as the roadway is now considerably wider than it was when the gatehouse was in place. Sir Walter Raleigh's parents lived in a house in Palace Gate towards the end of their lives, while Kennaways the wine and spirit merchants were based in the street.

Parliament Street

A brass plaque on the right of the entrance to Parliament Street reads:

Formerly called Small Lane, it was renamed when Parliament was derided by the City Chamber for passing the 1832 Reform Bill. The street itself dates from the 14th century. It is certainly a very narrow thoroughfare, very dark with high buildings on each side. The total length is about 50 metres.

In 1740 the City Chamber ordered that doors be fixed at each end of the street. Local householders had been in the habit of emptying their chamber pots into the street, causing a public nuisance - the gates would stop that little practice. And later, in 1836, the locals in Waterbeer Street petitioned the council to have Parliament Street widened, raising £130 towards the work, which in the event, was never undertaken.

The alternative newspaper, the Exeter Flying Post had their offices in Parliament Street when they started publishing in February 1976. The address was the 3rd floor, 195 High Street, with the entrance in Parliament Street. If you look carefully, there is a door on the right in the photograph.

Pennsylvania Road

This area was named after the US state, by Joseph Sparkes, a Quaker banker who built the terrace in about 1820. He lived in 1 Pennsylvania Terrace. The name for the terrace was then extended to the road and the area that was formerly Marypole Head.

Pennsylvania is between the ancient deer park of Duryard, and Stoke Hill. The road that led to the Roman Signal Station was through Pennsylvania.

The high ground to the north of the city was the last area to be developed due to the steep sided valleys. Extensive private estates were built in the 1960's and 1970's towards the top of the slopes.

A prominent figure, born in Pennsylvania was Leopold Agar Denys Montague (1861-1940). Not only did he play an important part in the affairs of Pennsylvania, but he also collected Greek, Roman and Egyptian antiquities. Much of this collection can be seen in the Royal Albert Museum.

Piazza Terracina 

This new open space at the head of the canal basin was named in 1996 after Exeter's twin town in Italy. It is a favourite area to spend a sunny afternoon, having a drink and enjoying the view. On the side opposite the river, is Exeter's old electricity generation station that was opened to supply electricity for the new tram system in 1905.

In the summer, Piazza Terracina is a popular place to chill. There is a range of places for refreshments and plenty of places to see around the canal basin and on the river. There are plans to develop the electricity building as a museum or exhibition space. The head of the canal basin is on another side where can be found a small railway turntable that still has some broad gauge track in place. 

Preston Street

During the reign of Henry II (1154-1189) Exeter had over thirty churches and chapels. As they were not parish churches, there were no rectories, so the priests lived in a colony in Preston Street. Hence they all lived in the 'street of the priests'.Simon Grendon, Mayor in 1405, founded Grendon's Almshouses, known as the Ten Cells in Preston Street. They were rebuilt in 1878.

The short lived Penny Bank for the poor in Preston Street, commenced trading in August 1861, to a warm welcome from the Trewman's Exeter Flying Post. It opened for business every Saturday night, between 7 and 8.30pm, in a room in the street. There was very quickly, 236 depositors of a total sum of £3 11 shillings. The hon. treasurer was a Mr William Townsend. There was only one mention in the newspaper, and the bank disappeared without trace.

The Forte family came to Exeter in the 1890's and founded an an ice cream factory in the street. A little later, in 1901, Wheaton's the printers expanded by purchasing S Lee and Company in the street.

Nowadays, the street is used as a shortcut by the buses - there is an automated traffic signal at the bottom that changes when a bus appears, allowing it priority. There are two buildings of note in the photograph. The first building on the right is the store for Exeter's Little Theatre Company, who are based in Friar's Gate, above the quay. Further down the hill is the Spacex Gallery, an independent display area for artists, a performance space and place for arts workshops.

Also see the Newcombes of Preston Street

Quintana Court

This new development was named in 1991, and derives from the Roman fortification on which it is built. In Roman times the fortification was defended by the 5th Cohort of the 2nd Legion. A good example of modern Lego Land style. On the opposite corner is the Hub, which is on the site of the London Ale House.

Rifford Road

Named in 1933 after Adam de Rifford, five times mayor of Exeter between 1246 and 1254. His name is in turn, derived from rye and the crossing over the (Wonford) stream. It is thought that he probably owned a substantial property in the area.

St Anne's Well Mews

This new mews was named in 1991 after one of the ancient wells in St Sidwells that supplied the city through the Underground Passage system with water. The spring was first tapped by the Roman garrison, which ran an aqueduct around the north of the city, to enter through the wall close to the Harlequins Shopping Centre. It was the well that supplied St Anne's Well Brewery in Lower North Street with water. The water was piped along the Southern Region Railway line.

Other wells in the area include St Sidwells and Headwell Mead or Lion's Holt.

Stoke Hill

Just one of the many Stokes in this part of Exeter. Derived from the early 14th century word meaning an outlying settlement. Now it is mostly an area of council built housing. Stoke Hill Camp is the site of an iron age fortress that was occupied for at least 200 years before the Romans arrived in Exeter, when it became a signal station.

Trichay (Trickhay) Street

This was the name of a mediaeval street that stretched from St Pancras Church towards North Street parallel to the High Street. A pipe-clay figurine of Venus or a Celtic fertility goddess was found in the street, indicating that the street layout was probably Roman in origin. Hoskins believes that the name derives from a personal name with the word hay attached for enclosure.

In 1349, the building of the rectory house next to St Kerrian's Church in North Street permanently blocked Trichay Street. The site of the rectory house will be remembered by some as the site of Mansfield's Antiques on North Street.

Buildings in Trichay Street had cellars, which, in the 20th century were used by Exeter police for storage, when they occupied the police station in Waterbeer Street. They also had a cycle store, the bicycle being an essential item for a pre-war policeman. The store was also used by Devon General bus drivers, who worked out of the Paul Street bus station. Devon General also had a canteen in the street for their staff. In the 1950s, someone noticed a particularly bad odour in the cycle shed. A policeman went to investigate and found a body, that had been dead for some months. Police embarrassment was avoided, when the pathologist found the down and out had died of natural causes.

Garton and King had an entrance to the rear of their foundry in Trichay Street, allowing coke, scrap and pig iron to be tipped directly into the cellars although, as the street was so narrow, they must have used horse and carts, or hand carts.

The Archaeology

When the Guildhall Shopping Centre was built, Trichay Street was investigated by archaeologists who found many mediaeval rubbish tips, cess pits, disused wells and evidence of industrial activity from the Saxons and Normans through to the mediaeval period. A glass flute from the 17th century was also found, along with Chinese and Dutch pots, clay pipes, and olive jars from the same period. In addition, two engraved iron dies for striking gold coins, dating from 1351-1413 were found.

A new thoroughfare linking the High Street with the centre of the development was built for the shopping centre, that crossed Waterbeer Street and what would have been the old Trichay Street. The new shopping street containing Woolworths, Argos and Sainsbury's has been named Trichay Street.

Well Street

Near St James Park, Well Street derives its name from an ancient spring - it may have been the holy spring of St Sidwell which was located in the area.

Well Street did not escape the bombing of May 1942. In the list of properties as a total loss where no's 27, 28, 1, and 2. And in the adjoining Clarence Place no's 29, 20A, 30 and 30A.

York Road

Originally, York Street as it was known, was a lane that ran from Sidwell Street to turn left towards St Sidwells Church and right down Well Street. The area had significance to the Romans as they built a cemetery in the York Road, Wells Street area just behind the Duke of York pub.

In 1853, St Sidwell's School was constructed and in 1855, York Road was extended to meet Longbrook Street at Hill's Court. The newly formed crossroads had a traffic island until March 1986, when improvement work was done to York Road, including the removel of No 1 Acland Terrace. The pavement by the Duke of York and Acland Terrace is the original level of the ground - the road was lowered in the 19th century to make it easier for horse drawn traffic.

Further down York Road, beyond the school can be found a short terrace of houses that includes Exeter's Islamic Mosque. Part of the terrace was destroyed during the blitz as recounted by Mr H Aggett for People Talking:

"Course the other scare at the time was when those big houses in York Road caught fire. There's only two or three now but there was a whole crescent of them which ran right up to St Sidwell's School. Well soldiers had been billeted in these houses and they had ammunition in there, small arms ammunition. There were a lot of incendiaries dropped and they caught these houses afire and this small arms ammunition was exploding but is sounded like machine gun fire. We'd been warned that after a raid there might be parachute troops dropped and at that time there was a scare that he was going to invade. Course they heard this small ammunition going off and everyone thought it was street fighting - they all thought Gerry was here, see."