Exminster is a village west of the Exeter ship canal and River Exe in Devon, England, 6 km (3.7 mi) south of Exeter, with a population of 4,379 at the 2021 census. [1]
Exminster is an ancient village associated with a Saxon minster or religious community, founded here in the 8th century. [2] and left by King Alfred the Great to his youngest son Aethelweard in his will of 889. [3] In the 14th century, it was the seat of the Courtenay family, the Earls of Devon. William Courtenay, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1381 to 1396, was born here. [4]
Exminster is part of the electoral ward of Kenn Valley. [5] Exminster Marshes, to the east of the village, are a major site for birds, especially migratory ones, [6] including the rare cirl bunting. [7]
The present parish church of Saint Martin of Tours is a Grade I listed building and was built in the late 14th and 15th centuries in the Perpendicular style. It was heavily restored in 1841 and again in 1852. It has a large three-storied tower with a polygonal stair turret. Inside, the Peamore chapel has a plaster ceiling dated 1633, depicting the Twelve Apostles and the Four Evangelists, scenes of the Nativity, Christ carrying the cross and the Resurrection. There is also a notable monument to Otho Petre of Bowhay who died in 1607. [8] The churchyard contains the war graves of eight British servicemen of World War I - the first and highest ranking being Major General Robert Kekewich [9] - and three servicemen of World War II. [10]
The football club is Exminster St Martins AFC. The village is intersected by the Berry Brook, a small stream that rises near Peamore and runs parallel to Days-Pottles Lane, before passing through Exminster and joining the River Exe at Turf Lock.
On a hill overlooking the Exe estuary at the north-west side of the village is the former Devon County Asylum (a "lunatic asylum") which was designed by Charles Fowler and opened in July 1845. It featured a central administration block with six radiating arms and had a capacity of around 800 beds. The hospital closed in the mid-1980s when it was known as Exminster Hospital. [11] After years of neglect, the surrounding land was built upon for housing and the grade II listed hospital was converted to apartments and town houses; it is now known as Devington Park. [12]
Exminster railway station was opened by George Hennet on behalf of the South Devon Railway in 1852. It closed to passenger traffic on 30 March 1964 and to goods traffic on 4 December 1967, but its distinctive building still stands next to the railway line. The signal box remained standing on the site until September 2006, was subsequently removed for preservation to Broadway, Worcestershire. [13] although it has since been scrapped.
Exminster's amenities include a surgery, pharmacy, a village shop, a convenience store, several estate agents, a golf course, a hairdresser, as well as a community facility (The Westbank) which incorporates a gym, an IT suite with web access, and daytime family and toddlers' groups. Exminster also has a primary school; several parks for children including a skate park; and three pubs – The Stowey Arms, The Royal Oak and The Swan's Nest. The Topsham and Exminster Brewery, which produces Ferryman Ale, is located at a former RAF GCI (Ground Controlled Interception) radar station in the midst of the Exminster Marshes RSPB reserve.
The Exeter Canal cycle path leads from Exminster into the centre of Exeter, giving commuters in the village a traffic-free route into the city. [14]
Æthelweard was an ealdorman and the author of a Latin version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle known as the Chronicon Æthelweardi. He was a kinsman of the royal family, being a descendant of the Anglo-Saxon King Æthelred I of Wessex, the elder brother of Alfred the Great.
The River Exe is a river in England that rises at Exe Head, near the village of Simonsbath, on Exmoor in Somerset, 5.2 miles (8.4 km) from the Bristol Channel coast, but flows more or less directly due south, so that most of its length lies in Devon. It flows for 60 miles (96 km) and reaches the sea at a substantial ria, the Exe Estuary, on the south coast of Devon. Historically, its lowest bridging point was the Old Exe Bridge in Exeter, the largest settlement on the river, but there is now a viaduct for the M5 motorway about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the city centre.
Okehampton is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and had a population of 5,922 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards are based in the town. Their joint population at the same census was 7,500.
Teignbridge is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in the town of Newton Abbot. The district also includes the towns of Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Dawlish, Kingsteignton and Teignmouth, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. Teignbridge contains part of the south Devon coastline, including the Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve. Some of the inland western parts of the district lie within the Dartmoor National Park. It is named after the old Teignbridge hundred.
Æthelwold or Æthelwald was the younger of two known sons of Æthelred I, King of Wessex from 865 to 871. Æthelwold and his brother Æthelhelm were still infants when their father the king died while fighting a Danish Viking invasion. The throne passed to the king's younger brother Alfred the Great, who carried on the war against the Vikings and won a crucial victory at the Battle of Edington in 878.
The Battle of Cynwit or Countisbury Hill took place between West Saxons and Vikings in 878. The location of the fortress the battle is named for is not known with certainty but probably was at Countisbury Hill or Wind Hill, near Countisbury, Devon. A possible alternative site for the siege and battle is Cannington Camp in the Parrett estuary near Combwich.
Devon is a county in south west England, bordering Cornwall to the west with Dorset and Somerset to the east. There is evidence of occupation of the county from the Stone Age onwards. Its recorded history starts in the Roman period, when it was a civitas. It was then a separate kingdom for a number of centuries until it was incorporated into early England. It has remained a largely agriculture-based region ever since, though tourism is now very important.
Powderham Castle is a fortified manor house in Exminster, Devon, 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Exeter and 1⁄4 mile (0.4 km) north-east of the village of Kenton, where the main public entrance gates are located. It is a Grade I listed building. The park and gardens are Grade II* listed in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
The Avocet Line is the railway line in Devon, England connecting Exeter with Exmouth. It was originally built by the London and South Western Railway, and was historically known as the Exmouth branch railway. The line follows the Exe Estuary for about half of its route, from just outside Topsham to Exmouth, giving views of the estuary. The line is named after the pied avocet, which lives in the estuary.
Silverton is a large village and civil parish, about 8 miles (13 km) north of Exeter, in the English county of Devon. It is one of the oldest villages in Devon and dates from the first years of the Saxon occupation.
The Exe estuary is an estuary on the south coast of Devon, England.
Countess Wear is a district within the city of Exeter, Devon, England. It lies about two miles south-east of the city centre, on the north bank of the estuary of the River Exe. Historically an estate known as Weare, part of the manor of Topsham, was in this area. From the late 13th century, the construction of weirs in the River Exe by the Countess, and later, the Earls of Devon damaged the prosperity of Exeter to the benefit of Topsham which was downstream of the obstructions, and was owned by the Earls.
Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury was the first wife of King Edmund I. She was Queen of the English from her marriage in around 939 until her death in 944. Ælfgifu and Edmund were the parents of two future English kings, Eadwig and Edgar. Like her mother Wynflaed, Ælfgifu had a close and special if unknown connection with the royal nunnery of Shaftesbury (Dorset), founded by King Alfred, where she was buried and soon revered as a saint. According to a pre-Conquest tradition from Winchester, her feast day is 18 May.
The Battle of Buttington was fought in 893 between a Viking army and an alliance of Anglo-Saxons and Welsh.
Peamore is a historic country estate in the parish of Exminster, Devon, which is near the city of Exeter. In 1810 Peamore House was described as "one of the most pleasant seats in the neighbourhood of Exeter". The house was remodelled in the early 19th century and is now a grade II listed building, set in grade II listed parkland.
Matford is an historic estate in the parish of Alphington, near Exeter, Devon. It should not be confused with Matford in the parish of Heavitree, almost immediately opposite on the other side of the River Exe.
Countisbury is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Brendon and Countisbury, in the North Devon district, in the county of Devon, England. It is on Exmoor, roughly two miles east of Lynmouth along the A39. It has a church and pub. The National Trust owns the other buildings. In 2001 the parish had a population of 66.
Exminster Hospital is a former mental health facility at Exminster, Devon, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.
Digby Hospital was a mental health facility in Digby, Devon, England.
Wonford House Hospital, also previously known as the Wonford House Asylum and Exe Vale Hospital is a building built as an 'asylum for lunatics', and which has continued to provide mental health care, now being the headquarters building of the Devon Partnership NHS Trust, and housing a number of mental health units in the grounds.