NEW Medieval Exeter and Devon

Dr Tom Nickson

Tuesday 30 June – Thursday 2 July 2026

£495

Tour Description

The Baedecker raids of 1942 destroyed much of Exeter’s medieval heritage, but ironically led to extended archaeological campaigns that mean we know more about the city’s medieval past than that of almost any other place in England.  In this short study trip we will explore medieval Exeter, from its walls, bridges and underground water conduits, to its splendid cathedral, much of it rebuilt in the fourteenth century with unusually rich and complex sculpture. The cathedral’s surviving fabric accounts offer unparalleled opportunities to understand processes of construction in the early fourteenth century, while the long completion of its west façade has invited significant discussion of the effects of the Black Death on artistic production in England. We will also have the opportunity to examine medieval items in the city’s libraries and archives, and to see some of the many fascinating archaeological finds from Exeter in the wonderful Royal Albert Memorial Museum. On the second day we take a minibus to explore some of Devon’s parish churches: the magnificent screen at Cheriton Bishop, wonderful reliefs of seafaring at Tiverton, an angel roof at Collumpton, and bishop Grandisson’s foundation at Ottery St Mary, one of the most ambitious parish churches in medieval England.