The Chevalier Inn, Fore Street

The Chevalier Inn, Fore Street
(Location 2 of 19)

Painted in 1833 by R. Brown, this pair of town houses was built in the early 17th century. They show the elaborately carved wooden frontages, with projecting oriels and much glass, fashionable before the Civil War. The two properties subsequently became the Chevalier Inn, named after the earthenware roof-tile with a modelled horse-and-rider finial on the gable of No. 79. They were destroyed in the Blitz of 1942.

Bamfylde House

Bamfylde House
(Location 3 of 19)

Bamfylde House, the town house of the Bamfylde family, was constructed around 1590-1600. It consisted of three ranges laid out around a small courtyard. The house was famed for its rich interiors with their panelling and plasterwork. It was demolished in the Blitz of 1942.

The Bedford Chapel

The Bedford Chapel
(Location 4 of 19)

The Bedford Chapel formed the centrepiece of the southern crescent of Bedford Circus. It was built in 1832 as a proprietary chapel during the cholera epidemic. By the time it was erected the fashion for plain brick had been replaced by that for stucco. The unusual theatre-like design had the altar at the west end. The Chapel was severely damaged in the Blitz of 1942 and was subsequently demolished in 1946.

Bedford Circus

Bedford Circus
(Location 5 of 19)

Bedford Circus was Exeter's finest group of Georgian buildings. Built between 1773 and 1826 by Robert Stribling and Matthew Nosworthy, the circus consisted of two curving terraces of houses facing each other across an oval green. It was demolished following extensive damage in 1942.

Damage to the cathedral

Damage to the cathedral
(Location 6 of 19)

War Damage to Exeter Cathedral, May 1942 by Dennis Flanders (1915-1994) © Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter

The cathedral suffered a single direct hit during the Blitz of 1942, when the chapels flanking the south choir aisle were demolished. The painting by Dennis Flanders, dated June 1942, shows the scene immediately afterwards. Fortunately the Bishop's Throne, a masterpiece of medieval woodwork which stood in the choir, close to the site of the blast, had been removed to Mamhead at the outbreak of the war.

The painting was presented to the museum by the War Artists' Advisory Committee in 1948.

Exeter Cathedral and the Close in 1943

Exeter Cathedral and the Close in 1943
(Location 7 of 19)

Exeter Cathedral and the Close 1943 by William Lionel Clause © Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter. Presented by HM Government War Artists' Advisory Committee.

The Cathedral escaped the bombing with only limited damage in 1942, but many of the buildings of the Cathedral Close and South Street were demolished or badly damaged.

This pen-and-watercolour view by the war artist W.L. Clause looks towards the Close, showing the state of the Cathedral and Close following extensive demolitions of badly damaged buildings.

Bedford Circus after the Blitz

Bedford Circus after the Blitz
(Location 8 of 19)

Bedford Circus after the Blitz, c.1942, by Albert Charles Bown © Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter

Drawn in 1942 by the war artist A. C. Bown, the view looks across Bedford Circus towards the cathedral. Since the Blitz had made much more use of incendiary bombs than high explosives, the circus and many other buildings had been gutted by fire, not completely destroyed, and there were calls to preserve its remaining buildings. In the event, however, the decision was made to clear the entire area.

Thomas Sharps plan, 1946

Thomas Sharps plan, 1946
(Location 9 of 19)

<p>In the later years of the war the government appointed town planners to draw up proposals for rebuilding the badly damaged city once the war was over. The planner Thomas Sharp presented his proposals in his book Exeter Phoenix (1946). Sharp was very conscious of the historic character of the city and the high quality of its best buildings, but recommended rebuilding the city in a modern style, and tried to offer a mix of large new shops and offices with the old.</p>
<p>Opinions about his work have varied greatly. In fact only parts of his plan - the High Street and Princesshay for example - were carried through.</p>

German map of Exeter

German map of Exeter
(Location 10 of 19)

As Germany prepared for war in the late 1930s its forces found British maps, mainly at old Imperial scales, unsatisfactory and therefore prepared a new set of maps of English cities at metric scales.

This German war map of Exeter highlights the city's principal strategic targets such as railway stations, gas works, barracks and hospitals. After the war it somehow found its way to the Exeter city planning department, where it was used in post-war years.

An Anderson shelter

An Anderson shelter
(Location 11 of 19)

Anderson shelters were first issued in 1938 at a cost of £7 (free to poor houses). Devised by the Home Secretary John Anderson, but named after their designer Dr David Anderson, they consisted of fourteen sheets of corrugated steel which were bolted together to form a hut. This was placed in a hole in the ground and covered with earth, and could withstand anything but a direct hit. By the time of the Blitz, 2.25 million houses had an Anderson shelter in their garden, each providing shelter for 4-6 people.

This example was used in a garden in St Thomas until 1991 when it was passed to the museum; it proved inconvenient as a garden shed because shelves could not be put up in it.

Civil Defence arm band

Civil Defence arm band
(Location 12 of 19)

These arm bands were worn by members of the civil defence during the early part of World War II; latterly these bands were replaced by black uniforms. The civil defence was a civilian organisation responsible for rescuing people from burning buildings, tending to the wounded and generally functioning in a similar manner to air raid wardens.

Fire Guard arm band

Fire Guard arm band
(Location 13 of 19)

Arm bands of this type were worn by auxiliary firemen posted to observe and protect important buildings during World War II. Frequently, positioned on top of tall buildings, these firemen would relay information concerning the damage inflicted to Exeter to the emergency services during Luftwaffe bombing raids.

The Cathedral Close in the 1950s

The Cathedral Close in the 1950s
(Location 14 of 19)

Cathedral Close, Exeter by Miles Sharpe © Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter

Miles Sharp's post-war view of the Close shows the bulky Victorian church of Mary Major (right) and Lutyens' War Memorial (centre) in front of the cathedral. Traffic was allowed to accumulate.

Thomas Sharp's view of Exeter from the North

Thomas Sharp's view of Exeter from the North
(Location 15 of 19)

<p>This view was drawn up by the town planner Thomas Sharp at the end of World War II showing his proposals for rebuilding the city. It was published in his book Exeter Phoenix (1946). At the foot of the view are Central Station and the proposed new bus station, with the line of the city wall extending across the view behind them. The view looks across the area now occupied by the Guildhall shopping centre (centre of view) towards the Cathedral in the distance.</p>
<p>Thomas Sharp envisaged a 'green moat' surrounding the city walls, outside which traffic would be carried by new streets by-passing the centre. He hoped to knock down the museum and replace it with a post-war building, reflecting the low esteem in which Victorian architecture was held in the 1940s. His ideas on this side of town largely failed to materialise.</p>

Cord from a parachute mine

Cord from a parachute mine
(Location 16 of 19)

This is the cord from a German parachute mine dropped on St Loyes Estate, Exeter, on 28th November 1940.

Travel warrant

Travel warrant
(Location 17 of 19)

This travel warrant was issued by the RAF Recruiting Centre, Exeter, for a single journey between Torquay and Exeter. It authorised DV Joyes to a single third class journey as part of his recruiting duties during the Second World War.

Deller's cafe mug

Deller's cafe mug
(Location 18 of 19)

Deller's cafe was a large and ornate building in the centre of Exeter. It was well-known as a lively place to meet and was even mentioned in a novel by Agatha Christie. Unfortunately the building was destroyed during the Blitz of May 4th 1942.

This mug was rescued from the building by two members of staff who worked at the cafe. It is made from steel and could contain a half pint.

Fragment from a bomb

Fragment from a bomb
(Location 19 of 19)

This tail fin is the remains of a bomb which fell on the house at 7 Lucas Avenue during the Blitz of 4th May 1942. It is a type of weapon called an 'incendiary bomb' and was designed to cause destruction by fire rather than by explosion. Thousands of these bombs fell on Exeter that night and it was the most devastating of the bombing raids on the city during the Second World War. In a single night hundreds of people were killed, and some of the city's most famous landmarks were destroyed including Deller's Cafe and Bamfylde House.