HOW IT RATES
With Celtic roots and a rich history defined by the Romans, the Norman
Conquest and the Tudor wool trade, this buzzing little city has an active
arts and crafts scene and remains at the heart of Devon life. Prime property
in the city, particularly in historic locations or with top specifications,
is still rising in price.
ARCHITECTURAL GEMS
Exeter Cathedral competes with Westminster Abbey in size; the west face is
known for its beauty. Somewhat surprisingly, the Debenhams store is
repeatedly rated by locals as their favourite building, mainly for its
height. St Olave’s Church and the St Nicholas Priory date from the 11th and
12th centries respectively.
WHAT'S NEW
Princesshay is Exeter’s largest and hottest development, priced from £150,000;
buyers camped out over the May Bank Holiday weekend to ensure their place in
the queue (Knight Frank, 01392 848 844). Huntsham Court Stables is a series
of five stable conversions around a bright courtyard in Huntsham. Prices
start at £299,950 (Savills, 01392 455 721).
QUALITY OF LIFE
Green and good. A city in the country; the coast and Dartmoor are close.
Topsham, a short drive away, is one of many waterfront spots perfect for
lunch and a stroll. Trains from Exeter St David’s to Paddington take 2½
hours. The M5 ends at Exeter. The A303 joins the M3. Exeter International
Airport has a growing number of scheduled and chartered flights.
POPULATION
Exeter is grouped together with the sweetly named Heart of Devon region. A
total 117,600 of Devon’s 1,109,900 people live in Exeter. There are about
2,000 more females than males.
SMARTEST STREETS
St Leonards is an area with very pleasant roads such as Wonford Road. Baring
Crescent has a private park. Higher Duryard is a leafy private road on an
old estate with very few houses. St David’s is also popular, as are those
areas near the university.
BEST RESTAURANTS
Excellent eating venues abound. La Petite Maison on Fore Street is top of the
range. The Galley, on the same street, serves outstanding seafood. Herbies
is a well established local vegetarian institution, but the Plant Café is
giving it a run for its veggies and does a scrumptious vegan chocolate
Boston Tea Party is a cosy gem.
TOP NIGHTLIFE
The Hour Glass is an atmospheric local with good pub grub, and The Nobody Inn
at Doddiscombesleigh is a country pub that does a mean bangers and mash. The
hottest nightclub is reportedly Timepiece; the Cavern Club is a punk venue
that welcomes all. The Barnfield Theatre holds a range of shows.
EDUCATION
Local schools have recently benefited from a highly successful rebuilding
programme. Good primary schools include Ladysmith and the tiny Newtown
school. St Peter’s Church of England is the secondary school of choice.
WORKING LIFE
Unemployment in the city is very low at 1.6 per cent. Public administration,
health and education provide 26 per cent of jobs; banking and finance follow
with 21 per cent.
UPSIDE
The West Quarter is full of intriguing little shops, there’s a popular local
farmers’ market on Thursdays and local beers from the Otter Brewery go down
well. Magdalen Road has good food shops, including the Bon Goût deli. The
Exeter Phoenix arts centre has hot stuff in the way of gigs and exhibitions.
Exeter is heaven for skater kids and its closeness to Newquay will keep
teenage surfers happy.
DOWNSIDE
There is a rubbish disposal issue: seagulls rip bin bags and the Cathedral
Green is littered with refuse in summer. The student drinking culture
irritates the locals, who are nevertheless lamenting the relocation of
Exeter College of Art (officially Plymouth University’s Faculty of Arts) to
Plymouth.
£198,000 The average property price in Exeter Source: Hometrack
11% The increase in property prices in Exeter over the past year
Source: Halifax
215% The increase in property prices in Exeter over the past ten years
Source: Halifax
9.9 to 1 The average ratio of house prices to salary in Exeter Source:
Exeter City Council
£198,000 The average property price in Exeter Source
£100,000 The average price people in Exeter can afford to pay
Alex, Exeter, Devon
Re: The New Build situation which was reported in the news today.
We moved into a new build in Durham City last August (one of the last houses to be completed) and the house itself has been fine, however, the problem for us is that this was sold as a very expensive development because the development was to be landscaped - this has not happened and there are still existing buildings in the centre of the estate which are literally vandalised and look more like the centre of a run down area in Glasgow or Manchester. The houses were very expensive and realistically could not be sold except with a significant loss. I can send photographs if you are interested in this story.
Susan Rae, Durham, County Durham