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.
Farmers drove their animals across the Exe Bridge for hundreds of
years, and even when the market at Bonhay opened, they still used the
route from the hill farms west of the Exe.
 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's 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. The photo shows an
auction by Husseys at Bonhay 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 Stone Lane terminus of the old electric tram service to Alphington,
which
closed in 1930. Through the 1940's to the 1980's, traffic passing the
cattle market would need to negotiate 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. Photo Express and Echo.
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. |
Buyers and sellers follow the
auctioneers, who move from one pen to another, on a raised walkway. The
auctioneers are fast and furious and its very difficult for a layman,
or photographer to follow the progress of the sale. |
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. |
on the page.
