House and Household

Timeline

House and Household Prehistory

Evidence of Iron Age round houses have been found in a number of places in Exeter, suggesting people were farming the land before the arrival of the Roman army.

House and Household Roman Fortress

The legionary soldiers of the Roman army were housed in barracks. The barracks were arranged in blocks of six, each block housing the six centuries of a cohort. They were built close to the edges of the fortress so the soldiers could quickly man the defences if attacked. Officers were given more spacious accommodation in individual houses.

House and Household Roman Town

The Roman town contained a variety of houses some built from stone, others built from timber. Several large town houses in the late Roman town contained fine mosaic floors. The largest fragment yet discovered comes from a house in Catherine Street. It contains about 13,000 cubes in just three colours - red, white and grey - and dates to the early 4th century AD. The people living in Exeter had access to a wide range of household goods, both of things made locally but also imported from across the Empire.

House and Household Dark Age Town

There is no archaeological evidence of houses or everyday life in this period. Most people seem to have abandoned the town, and the area may have been used as farmland.

House and Household Saxon Town

After Exeter was re-established as a town it became crowded with houses and shops. Rubbish pits excavated by archaeologists have revealed large quantities of animal bone, local pottery and imported pottery from Normandy. These show what everyday life was like for the residents of Exeter.

House and Household Norman Town

Evidence for housing at this time is biased towards the wealthier residences in the town. Elaborately carved architectural fragments have been discovered, made from stone brought from northern France. This suggests some grand town houses had been built by the Norman period. One of these, the Bishop's Palace, still remains today and is the earliest standing house in Devon or Cornwall. More evidence survives of the items used by the majority of Exeter's residents, including pottery made locally and imported from France.

House and Household Medieval City

The medieval city was filled with a range of houses. Many examples of these survive in the city today including grand clergy houses, rows of lodgings for minor clergy, modest town houses and a substantial merchant's house. Many everyday household items have been found during excavations in the city, including pottery, wooden bowls and tools, and glass.

House and Household Tudor City

The centre of the old city was home to a powerful elite of Exeter merchants. Their houses were built on the long narrow burgage plots of the medieval town. Many of these houses were built in a local style with a front block two rooms deep, with a small courtyard behind, and a detached kitchen to the rear which was often connected to the front by a gallery. Each building had a narrow shop on the ground floor, with working space behind. On the first floor were the best rooms, the hall and parlour. Above these were bed chambers and lofts. These houses were all of ‘mixed construction' of stone and wood. The sides were solid stone walls which acted as firebreaks, since fire was a constant danger, whilst the front and back walls were of timber, often jettied out over the street and rear courts.

House and Household Civil War

During the Civil War hundreds of homes in the suburbs and within the town walls were demolished or damaged. At the close of the Civil War there was an acute housing shortage in the city. The 1650s saw a housing boom which continued for a generation.

House and Household Golden Age

As the city flourished through trade and industry Exeter's residents enjoyed access to a wide range of items for their households and everyday life. Archaeology has revealed expensive pottery and glass imported from Europe, bricks from the Netherlands, and many very decorative pieces of pottery made in North Devon and Somerset.

House and Household Georgian City

As a thriving city Exeter had many examples of impressive Georgian houses. Many of these survive today.

House and Household Victorian City

Like most Victorian cities many people in Exeter lived in houses built in earlier times, often in cramped conditions. Several almshouses were established to provide assistance and accommodation for certain groups of the city's population.

House and Household Modern City

The twentieth century saw many changes for everyday life. Most notably in the city areas which were filled with overcrowded and derelict housing were demolished and replaced with grand housing schemes for modern living.