The History of Exeter's Old Exe Bridge

Today we're visiting the ancient city of Exeter, to head to some ruins set back from the Exe Bridges roundabout. The Old Exe Bridge, this 800 year old ruin is the oldest surviving bridge of its size in England.
Welcome to our history channel, run by those with a real passion for history & that's kind of it.
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[@hawtozer]

Fun fact: the original name of the River Exe is actually lost to history. Exeter was named after the river itself, and slowly the name of the river was lost to time, and renamed after the city of Exeter itself.

[@DecadesVideos]

That is a fun fact!

[@martinodoni8943]

The aspect people don't often realise about the bridge is that it was still a very active main road until as late as 1963! It was fully tarmacked for decades, and had not just St. Edmund's Church but also an array of houses tightly built onto either side of it. There was a lot of traffic driving up and down "Old Bridge Street" or "Edmund Street" daily well after the war ended. If you peer over the sides of the bridge you can still see very distinct remains of the basements of some of the houses that had been there. There was also a major local brewery called the City Brewery, a popular local tavern dating back about four centuries called the Tiverton Inn, and dozens of houses dotted around that cramped area that is now a public park. All of them were just demolished without pity to make way for the new road lay-out. Frog Street, the very noisy two-lane part of the bypass skirting the top end of the park, was a very narrow lane before the rebuild, again lined with very old and picturesque houses. Almost all of them, like those on the sides of the bridge, were just ruthlessly swept away. (The House That Moved is the only exception.) Here is the irony; the Medieval Exe Bridge, when people see it the first time, is taken as evidence of Exeter's "great preservation" of its history. This couldn't be further from the truth. If Exeter's authorities had taken the city's own remarkable history seriously, the Medieval Exe Bridge would not look like this at all today. It would still be substantially concealed in a tight mass of picturesque old houses, pubs and a brewery - all now lost forever.

[@BeansOnToast_YT]

The City Brewery caught fire in the 60's that's why it was demolished.

[@tonyeff4447]

Called a slum clearance

[@katienorthenmore1892]

That's fascinating and thank you. I live in Exeter and did not know some of that. Its good to hear about .

[@white-dragon4424]

Medieval Exe Bridge has been out of use for hundreds of years. The bridge you're talking about came much later, and was fully dismantled in order to build the present bridges.

[@white-dragon4424]

@@katienorthenmore1892 It might also interest you to know that not only was it built at about the same time as medieval London Bridge, but it was very similar in design, including once having houses and a church (the one you can see part of now) on it. You could say that by looking at medieval Exe Bridge, you'd get a good idea of what medieval London Bridge also looked like.

[@cyndiebill6631]

I live in a town called Exeter NH in the US. 🙌😁I live on a family farm founded in 1634. Cool video. Now I know where the name came from.👍😊

[@DecadesVideos]

Potentially yes, lots of US town & city names originate from European locations' names but it is not necessarily a hard and fast rule.

[@DecadesVideos]

And that's what we call a bridge. Anyway, we have one last video to come from Ethan's most recent Devon trip! Stay tuned to find out what this one will be about!

[@HelminatorTV]

Been watching you for years - received an offer from the Uni of Exeter and somehow remembered you mentioning you from there in a livestream years ago, I needed to check if there was a decades video on it! As a history lover, can't wait to live in such a historically rich city.

[@stuford]

Thanks for this. Exeter is my home town too! Lovely video 🙏

[@alanbryant3016]

Abbsolutely Fascinating Thank you so much from an Exonian.

[@arthurmee]

Great vid. Although not a native of Exeter my wife and I have lived most of our lives in this part of Devon and consider it our 'adopted' home. Excellent history of Exe Bridge some of which was new to us. Thank you.

[@davidelliott5843]

Up in the midlands Swarkestone Bridge (Derby) is recorded in the Domesday Book as is the Dove Bridge just to the north of Burton on Trent. The latter retained its medieval pointed arches whereas most of Swarkestone has been rebuilt. However, neither had houses built onto the bridges as they were built outside any local towns.

[@Fizhy]

Oh aye bridge ones.

[@SDCornishman]

Love Exeter every time I visit Bude.

[@alanbryant3016]

A very interesting film thank you. Exeter citizen.

[@DecadesVideos]

Thank you fellow Exeter City fan

[@christophernewman5027]

Yes, l did enjoy it, thanks. 😊 Subbed.

[@DecadesVideos]

Thank you very much!

[@matgeezer2094]

I live in Exeter, near the Cathedral. Before the modern, car era, Exeter was an attractive, elegant city. Such a shame

[@DecadesVideos]

I think it is still at the very least an attractive city, but I see your point. It's harder to admire the view when it's obscured by Ford Transits and Vauxhall Corsas.

[@Al-iv3mb]

Never mind the graffiti I remember one afternoon, after a session, walking back to Alphington with my mate when on New Bridge Street Baz said look over there and under the arch you're referring to a couple were blatantly bonking. I wonder if 27 years later they're still together

[@MrDazvere]

The Romans were well known for no frills when it came to naming rivers or bridges over them. Perhaps the river was numbered by the Romans as number 10 and what is ten in Roman numerals? X of course!

[@sera4893]

I'm not gunna lie, I didn't even know this channel existed until I recognized the thumbnail and when I clicked on it, I heard ur voice.

[@DecadesVideos]

Welcome

[@tonyeff4447]

They used to have trams running up forestreet

[@CrocusPocus]

you should do a video on the last witch trials in exeter

[@DecadesVideos]

A grand idea.

[@peterwilkinson2998]

perhaps they haven't finished with witch trials yet ??? I mean its only 2023!!!

[@demonmonsterdave]

Remember not to double-click Exe.

[@reecenotryhs]

Go on lads, bridge these gaps in our knowledge.

[@DecadesVideos]

The comments section is going to be pure bridge puns.

[@Westsideaviation23]

Don't call it common Era bro

[@DecadesVideos]

I prefer BCE & CE over BC & AD, CE literally means common/current era

[@martinodoni8943]

"Absolutely slackered in ruins." Sadly, the city council ruined most of it. Still a lovely place, but not remotely as beautiful as it was 100 years ago.

[@jonhelmer8591]

I think the Luftwaffe did a lot of the heavy digging.

[@davidelliott5843]

Indeed, but where Germany failed, the local council made sure the job got properly finished.

[@davidhull1481]

Squirrels! Damn, Europeans sure are impressed by squirrels. We’ve got millions over here, please come and help yourself.

[@george2459]

Who the hell is Connor Jones?

[@DecadesVideos]

Connor Jones is the co-owner and co-host of this channel.

[@gavinhirst3136]

Aww yeah, teach us some sh*t about bridges, fellas!

[@DecadesVideos]

Welcome to Bridge Spotting, where we spot bridges and talk about their length and girth.

[@gavinhirst3136]

@@DecadesVideos Gotta love a girthy Bridge

[@scitchmunkey5587]

Your sure this isn't a bridge to far?

[@DecadesVideos]

Quite certain

[@scitchmunkey5587]

Might go check it and the house that moved out when I can get to Exeter

[@DecadesVideos]

@@scitchmunkey5587 when you do you'll be in luck as they're right next to one another

[@scitchmunkey5587]

I know I does mean being round exe bridges though so I might have to treat myself to a wonder up the quay after to unwind or maybe head the other way and sit up by the broken weir

[@HeavensGremlin]

This guy sounds like a robot......LOL.....

[@DecadesVideos]

I don't see it, care to elaborate how?

[@davidelliott5843]

The narrator is annoyingly slow. He needs to chill and just be himself.