EPW041170 ENGLAND (1933). Exeter Cathedral and the city centre, Exeter, from the north-east, 1933

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Nearby Images (17)

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Details

Title [EPW041170] Exeter Cathedral and the city centre, Exeter, from the north-east, 1933
Reference EPW041170
Date May-1933
Link
Place name EXETER
Parish
District
Country ENGLAND
Easting / Northing 292330, 92874
Longitude / Latitude -3.52560514406, 50.724926735268
National Grid Reference SX923929

Pins

Church was All-Hallows-on-the-Wall, in Bartholemew Yard.

Alfonso Keller
Thursday 7th of December 2023 02:34:54 PM
City Library 1930. Register office 1960 ish (when new library building nearby opened) until 2010. Then residential accommodation and estate agency.

Alfonso Keller
Wednesday 6th of December 2023 04:36:46 PM
St Mary Major. Demolished in the 1970s because it no longer had sufficient congregation to support it, after the people of the West Quarter were re-housed in the new housing estate at Burnthouse Lane. This particular building was less than a hundred years old. Sadly, the Victorians had demolished an ancient church building to make way for this one.

Kate Burhouse
Saturday 27th of February 2021 02:35:03 PM
Sidwell Street

Kate Burhouse
Saturday 27th of February 2021 02:28:26 PM

Kate Burhouse
Saturday 27th of February 2021 02:26:24 PM
View west along High Street

Class31
Thursday 20th of June 2013 10:40:46 AM
View down High Street (generally west) showing Exeter Guildhall

Class31
Thursday 20th of June 2013 10:38:38 AM
View up Fore Street

Class31
Thursday 20th of June 2013 10:34:29 AM
Southernhay United Reformed Church

Class31
Thursday 20th of June 2013 09:31:51 AM
St Petrock's Church which survived the 1942 blitz. It was one of twenty-nine churches which William the Conqueror directed the City Provost to pay one silver penny out of the public taxes. In 1191, the simple chancel, nave and perhaps a bell tower was formally named St Petrock's by Bishop Marshall. Close to the centre of the city and the Guildhall, St Petrock's has had an important place in the lives of many city mayors. In 1286, St Petrock's became a superior postern entrance into Cathedral Yard and had to be shut at night – in other words, it was one of the seven gates to Cathedral Yard. The church was also used to support the poor and in 1411 a parishioner gave funds in his will for 100 poor persons in the parish be properly clothed. Two years later, in 1413 the nave was extended and a century later, it was further enlarged and named the 'Jesus Aisle" which is distinguished by a still existing row of columns. The bell tower was rebuilt and the church re-consecrated in 1513 by Thomas Chard acting as Suffragan Bishop for the elderly Bishop Oldham while the octagonal turret was added in 1737. With thanks to Exeter Memories

Allen T
Wednesday 15th of May 2013 08:27:46 PM
Deller's Restaurant

Allen T
Wednesday 15th of May 2013 08:23:47 PM
Lloyds Bank 1933

Allen T
Wednesday 15th of May 2013 08:23:12 PM

Allen T
Wednesday 15th of May 2013 08:21:56 PM

Allen T
Wednesday 15th of May 2013 08:20:55 PM
Southernhay West

Allen T
Wednesday 15th of May 2013 08:19:35 PM
The Hippodrome Theatre and Plaza Cinema. In 1908 the building was taken over by Fred Karno who commissioned an architect to convert it into an Edwardian music hall, named the Hippodrome. It was opened on 2 November 1908. The main auditorium could seat 700 with a balcony and gallery seating a further 380. Charlie Chaplin is said to have appeared there, before he went to Hollywood. It was also used as an early cinema, giving Chaplin the chance to return, but this time on celluloid. Marie Lloyd and Harry Tate were two others who trod the Hippodromes boards. The first night performance "...opened to overflowing houses with a variety programme that won general applause from all parts of the house." Hippodrome Theatre then Plaza Cinema The Hippodrome, with both live shows and cinema, was competing with the Theatre Royal, just a few dozen yards away on the other side of New London Square. The Hippodrome was sold in 1929 to a Mr Vickery, from Taunton, who closed it and engaged architects Messrs Lucas and Langfords of Exeter to redesign the theatre into a cinema only. Messrs R C Lee and Co Ltd undertook the renovation, which included a gold proscenium arch around the screen. On 6th February 1931, the Hippodrome, now named the Plaza Cinema opened its 875 seats as a talkie cinema, with Mr Lattimer as the manager. The King of Jazz which featured a young Bing Crosby and utilised the recently developed 2 strip Technicolor system was the first film to show at the Plaza. In 1936, the rival Savoy (renamed ABC) was built to replace the New London Inn, giving Exonians two cinemas within yards of each other. A sheet of flame This grand old building would not survive the blitz of 4 May 1942 and a hit from a single high explosive bomb destroyed it and created a conflagration in the buildings all around. "......caused by a bomb which fell on the Plaza Cinema almost entirely demolishing the building. This building was a converted theatre of the old type and a very bad fire risk; the explosion caused a sheet of flame which seemed to envelop the premises immediately." Neither of the Plaza's nearest rivals, the Savoy/ABC, and the Theatre Royal survived the 20th-century.

Allen T
Tuesday 14th of May 2013 12:10:41 PM
Fred Karno. Born Frederick John Westcott in Paul Street, Exeter on 26th March 1866.



Fred was originally a slapstick comedian credited with the invention of the "custard pie in the face" gag and the man who gave Charlie Chaplin and Stanley Jefferson (Stan Laurel) their first chance in show business. Although the family had moved to Nottingham by the time Fred was nine years old, he always said "Devon born and proud of it". He was indentured to a plumber for 7 years.



Fred joined an Exeter gymnasium after doing some repairs there - a natural athlete he was soon winning prizes at local fêtes. He joined with a juggler to become Alvene and Leonaro in a circus. This led to pantomime and another collaboration with gymnasts Bob Sewell and Ted Tysall as the Three Karnos. He started calling himself Fred Karno, although he didn't change his name by deed poll until 1914.



By the 1890's Karno started to concentrate on promoting slapstick comedy acts using a range of different performers. He first appeared on stage with a young Charlie Chaplin in 1901, after Syd Chaplin, who was an employee, had persuaded Fred to take his young brother on.

By 1906 he was promoting 32 different sketches around the country. Fred became so successful that he turned his house in Vaughan Road, London into the Fun Factory, a headquarters for nurturing new talent, storing props and managing acts. He can be credited with discovering Max Miller, and Flanagan and Allen although his most famous discoveries are Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel.



It was in 1908, Fred Karno leased his first theatre, the old Royal Public Rooms in London Inn Square, Exeter, renaming it the Hippodrome.

Allen T
Wednesday 22nd of May 2013 11:43:27 AM
Southernhay United Reformed Church

Allen T
Monday 13th of May 2013 11:34:02 PM
Exeter Cathedral

Allen T
Monday 13th of May 2013 11:32:44 PM
Bedford Circus a classic Georgian terrace which like so much of the city was destroyed in the 1942 Blitz.

Allen T
Monday 13th of May 2013 11:32:11 PM
Longbrook Street

Allen T
Monday 13th of May 2013 03:39:32 PM
New North Road

Allen T
Monday 13th of May 2013 03:39:08 PM
London Inn Square London Inn Square has seen numerous interesting events. Many visitors crossed the square by foot or in a carriage to enter the inn or attend a ball or variety show at the Royal Public Rooms and the later Hippodrome and Plaza Cinema. Princess Victoria addressed a crowd from her carriage, while Robert Louis Stevenson, Charles Dickens and Jane Austin have all passed across the cobbles of the square. In 1935, the New London Inn was demolished to make way for the Savoy Cinema, which covered the same footprint as the old hotel. The only building to survive the bombing of May 1942 was the Savoy - the southern end of Northernhay Place was destroyed when the Plaza Cinema was hit by a single, high explosive bomb. The High Street, opposite and the end of Sidwell Street were also destroyed. With Acknowledgement to Exeter Memories

Allen T
Monday 13th of May 2013 03:37:24 PM
A very good view of St Mary Major Church demolished in the 1970's to improve the aspect of Exeter Cathedral nearby.

Allen T
Monday 13th of May 2013 03:23:33 PM
Cornish's department store on the corner of North Street and Fore Street. Still standing.

Allen T
Monday 13th of May 2013 03:22:03 PM
My grandfather was a carpenter and worked on the Gaumont which was built around 1932.

Allen T
Monday 13th of May 2013 03:20:24 PM
Gaumont Cinema. Identifiable by its huge painted sign on the roof.

Allen T
Monday 13th of May 2013 03:19:13 PM
Of the three purpose built cinemas in Exeter that were constructed in the 1930's, the Gaumont was the earliest when it was opened on Whit Monday, 16th May 1932 by Arthur C Reed MP for Exeter. Built on a site off North Street, it had a grand entrance gate on the street itself that opened into the courtyard in front of the cinema. The site was cramped and had previously been occupied by the Yacht Beverage Co Ltd, a producer of fizzy drinks.



The cinema, designed by William H Watkins, could accommodate an audience of 1,499 in what was known as a stadium-type layout in which the stalls and circle were on the same, raked floor. The walls of the auditorium were covered with painted panels showing Medieaval life with a ceiling dominated by a central dome of ribbed plaster and a central light. In common with most other cinemas of the 1930's, it had a grand secondhand, 2 manual, 9 rank Wurlitzer organ installed to entertain the audience between shows and in the intervals, and the 'Ardenie Earphones' system fitted to the seats for the use of the deaf.



It was originally called the Gaumont Palace under its owners, the Gaumont British Picture Corporation, who were partners with Albany Ward in the Palladium Cinema, Paris Street. The Gaumont was their answer to the opening, in 1931, of the Plaza in London Inn Square. When, in the 1950's Gaumont merged with the owners of the Odeon, the Rank Organisation, it became known as the Gaumont Theatre. Unlike the Plaza, the Gaumont was purpose built, with its architect, William Henry Watkins FRIBA of Bristol, and designer Percy Bartlett, creating an unusual Scandinavian, Art Deco hybrid. The Gaumont-British Picture Corporation appointed Mr Ralph M Leddra, previously manager of the Palladium, Paris Street, as manager.



With acknowledgement and thanks to Exeter Memories.

Allen T
Tuesday 14th of May 2013 11:49:03 AM
The Theatre Royal

Allen T
Monday 13th of May 2013 03:17:33 PM
Two Theatre Royals were positioned at the meeting point of Longbrook Street and New North Road, and it was the tragic fire that destroyed the first, in September 1887 with the loss of 186 lives that saw some of the most distressing scenes in London Inn Square. A poem written by William Topaz McGonagal, at the time, has the verse:



The shrieks of those trying to escape were fearful to hear,

Especially the cries of those who had lost their friends most dear;

Oh, the scene was most painful in the London Inn Square,

To see them wringing their hands and tearing their hair!



With thanks to Exeter Memories

Allen T
Monday 13th of May 2013 03:38:28 PM
St Lawrence Church destroyed in the war.

Allen T
Monday 13th of May 2013 03:16:20 PM
St Lawrence was one of the churches lost on the 4th May 1942, when the city suffered its worst bombing raid of the Second World War. The church was burnt out, but film taken after the raid indicates the fabric, including the tower, survived.



Dating from before the thirteenth-century, it was mentioned in a deed of 1202 when it belonged to the abbot and convent of St Mary de Valle in Bayeux, Normandy. In 1275, Henry III gave permission for it to be passed to the Augustinian priory and convent of Merton, Surrey, who in turn gave it to St John's Hospital at the request of Bishop Peter Quivil.



During the Commonwealth, St Lawrence was one of the thirteen parish churches selected for disposal by the Parliamentary Commissioners. It was purchased back by a wealthy parishioner on 21 September 1658, for £100, and returned to the parish, saving it from destruction.



The Church Building



Situated on the northern side of the High Street, the church had an enclosed porch with a Norman arched entrance, constructed in 1674, from the materials of an ornamental water conduit that stood close by, in the middle of the High Street. Over the porch, in a Gothic niche, was a statue of Queen Elizabeth I, which was originally sited on the conduit. The conduit displayed the city coat of arms with the date 1590. In 1804, the statue was the subject of a vandal when on 6 May, the head of Good Queen Bess was removed and placed on a spike in front of the church. Mr John Cooke was commended for offering a reward of five guineas for apprehending the offender.



With acknowledgement and thanks to Exeter Memories.

Allen T
Tuesday 14th of May 2013 11:55:16 AM
A fantastic view down a heavily shadowed High Street with lots of properties destroyed in the Exeter blitz just nine years later!

Allen T
Monday 13th of May 2013 03:15:28 PM

User Comment Contributions

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Allen T
Tuesday 14th of May 2013 01:06:39 PM