Exeter City Walls and Cathedral

Over 70% of the wall that once protected Exeter still remains and reveals a lot about the geology of the local area. Work began on the wall about 1800 years ago by the Romans and the following centuries saw many alterations and repairs, generally using whatever material was to be found nearby. A walk along the walls will reveal a range of different rock types.

The early Roman construction makes use of purplish grey volcanic lava of Permian age (known as ‘trap’), which was partly quarried nearby from the site of the Rougemont Castle. In the Middle ages repairers used red sandstone or Heavitree Breccia (Permian, again), another stone found locally in Exeter. Local slates and white sandstone can also be seen; even stone left over from the building of the Cathedral was used.

Exeter’s cathedral is magnificent and some have claimed that it possesses the most varied geology of any British cathedral. Materials from over 20 different quarries, many of them local, were used in its construction.

The outer and inner Cathedral walls are made of Salcombe Stone, a sandstone quarried from Salcombe Regis in east Devon. Between these walls is a loose filling of the same volcanic trap used in the construction of the City walls. Mines in the chalk at Beer, also on the east coast of Devon, were worked to provide stone for use in some of the Cathedral’s sculptures, as can be seen on the impressive image screen at the front of the building. Further local geology can be seen inside the Cathedral. For example, the pillars supporting the Patterson Pulpit are made of Devonian Limestone – a kind of limestone that can take a polish and which has been deformed by earth movements such that some of the corals within it appear elongated. It can be found at a number of sites in Southwest Devon.

Facilities:
Cathedral: Tours available; shop and café on site. Special tours can be arranged by contacting the visitors office. Toilets available for Cathderal visitors.
City Walls: Information panels have been laid along the walls to highlight the key events that have affected the wall and the people of Exeter. For children there are quizzes and puzzles to solve along the way so bring paper and a pencil with you!