Exeter Cattle Market - A short history and photo essay of a sheep market

The High Street

The old livestock market had originally been located in the High Street on market days and was moved to Higher Market Street in 1691. Higher Market Street was off the High Street, in what is now Queen Street.

In an attempt to clean up the sale of fresh produce after the cholera outbreak of 1832, construction started on 8th May 1835 on a new Higher Market which was opened in July 1838. This building was devoted to selling fresh produce such as fish, poultry, dairy and fruit and vegetable produce. The new market occupied the site of the cattle market, which moved down to the banks of the Exe in Bonhay Road.

Bonhay Road

The Bonhay cattle market was served by a slaughter house on the opposite side of the road at the far end of Exe Island. There were two public houses that slaked the thirst of the farmers and dealers, one appropriately named the Cattle Market Inn, the other the Shakespeare Inn. The position of Bonhay Road was a great improvement as it prevented flocks of sheep and herds of cows being driven through the streets of Exeter. However, it was common for the Exe Bridge to be blocked by a farmer driving his animals to market, on market day, which in 1889 was on a Tuesday. This congestion was alleviated when Bonhay Road was cut through to St David's Station in the early 1860's. The old cattle market concrete surface was painted with green and brown paint in the Second World War to camouflage it, when the city was threatened by German bombers. This amused a few, as they didn't think the Germans would want to bomb the cattle market.

Marsh Barton

The advent of motor transport was an improvement but by the 1930's it was obvious that a new out of town location for the market would be needed. In 1939 a site was found on the edge of a large tract of land on the Alphington Road at Marsh Barton. The new site was adjacent to the terminus of the old electric tram service to Alphington, which closed in 1930. Through the 1940's to the 1980's, driving past the cattle market would require negotiating a route past cattle lorries on market day. It was soon found that this site was not only too small, but it proved to be too close to the busy Alphington Road, which carried traffic to Torbay and Plymouth. By the 1980's the empty land behind the cattle market had developed into the Marsh Barton Trading Estate, and the search for a new home was made.

Matford

In 1991, the market moved to another purpose built facility at Matford, on the opposite edge of Marsh Barton. The Matford market is one of the largest in the South West and runs from Monday to Friday. Special breed shows and sales are held. There is a small indoor shopping mall to serve the dealers, farmers and auctioneers. The site is also used as a very successful Sunday morning car boot sale venue.

A sign reminding the drivers of vehicles to wash their wheels and mudguards before entering the market - this reduces the chance of infection.

Outside of one of the cattle sheds. There are additional pens in the open.

The empty pens of the cattle shed. There are several equally large sheds at the market.

The auctioneer and his assistant check the sales list before starting the auction.

Looking at the days purchase after the sale - this is a time to relax.

Marking the sheep with a spray can after the sale.

Sheep, confined to their pens, waiting for the sale.