Pictures of Exwick
Here are a few pictures of Exwick. The first three are the three Exwick pubs, which are very important to me! There is only one pub which I would describe as being truly in Exwick, and that's the Village Inn. The Thatched House is actually in Foxhayes (although no-one recognises that as an area of Exeter anymore) and I would say that the Barley Mow is in Redhills, although they are all in Exwick ward. Back in the nineteenth century there used to be another pub in Exwick called the Buller's Arms Inn, which was on the eastern side of St Andrews Road approximately where the entrance to Exwick Close is now, but it closed over 100 years ago.
The Village Inn
This is a picture of the Village Inn - as far as I am concerned, the only pub which is truly in Exwick. Until 1987 it was called The Lamb Inn and at one time the landlord was apparently the former Exeter City FC captain John Delve. It's a nice friendly pub which tends to specialise in live music and screening live sports on the large screen TV. There is a large area at the back which is used as a stage (behind the large screen TV), a pool table and there is a dartboard at the front so the actual seating space is quite small. For smokers there is a huge sheltered covered area out the back. It has a website or you can see what the contributors of beerintheevening think about it here. They've always had at least one real ale available (Otter Bright, St Austell Tribute or Wadworth's 6X) when I've been there recently, and I think it's a nice pub.
The Thatched House
This is the Thatched House, known locally, probably like almost every pub of a similar name, as 'The Thatch'. It's about 5 minutes walk south of the Village Inn along Exwick Road. The Thatch is shown as 'Foxhayes Farm' on old maps and was a farmhouse until 1937 when it was converted into a pub. When you go inside it can be plainly seen that it was once at least two properties (which is why there are two doors!). Old maps show that up to the 1930's Exwick Road used to kink around the farmhouse and that there was originally an extra building as part of the farmhouse to the west of the Thatch. This was demolished when the road was straightened.
I've known the Thatch in three colours and with four different landlords. At one time it was freezing cold in the winter as the only heating downstairs was a radiator in the gent's toilet. The last landlord (Graham) spent a lot on improving the pub including putting in central heating and opening up the fires, repainting and getting the thatch replaced, and before he left had built up a decent reputation for food. It is now nice and snug in the winter with two real log fires, and there is a large covered heated area at the front which is very popular with smokers. Its website is here and you can see what the contributors of beerintheevening think about it here.
The Thatch is a Greene King pub and generally has 3 real ales available - Greene King IPA, Abbot, and Wadworth's 6X. I've never had a bad pint in there.
The Barley Mow
This is the Barley Mow. Most Exwick residents would say that it's in Redhills rather than Exwick, but it's actually within Exwick Ward. It's a large modern pub built in the 1960's and many Thatch regulars started going there a few years ago when the then landlord of the Thatch stopped the football and darts teams (the football teams and the dartboard have now returned to the Thatch under the present landlord (Gavin)).
I've only been there once a year or so ago and so can't give any real impression, but when I tried it the beer was fine.
The Japanese Pagoda Tree
This is Exwick's famous Japanese Pagoda Tree, which is in the garden of 205 Exwick Road just opposite the fish and chip shop. Everyone in Exwick will know of this huge tree, which spans right across Exwick Road and nearly every September litters the road with its blossom, although not everyone knows what it is.
Back in September 1998 The Exeter Express & Echo asked readers if they could help identify the tree and after a few weeks and with the help of various experts they finally decided that it was Sophora Japonica, commonly known as a Japanese Pagoda Tree. Why they didn't ask the owner as I did, I can't imagine.
Earlier that year, when I asked the lady who lived there at the time (Mrs Nicholls) what it was, she told me that it was a Japanese Pagoda tree which had been planted as a seed by her son (who had spent some time abroad) back in the 1940's.
The Express & Echo on September 26th 1998 quoted Devon County Council's forester and tree officer of the time, saying "It's in very fine condition. There's a little bit of dead in the upper crown, but it's obviously very vigourous and in just about perfect condition." Another tree expert, Michael Hickson of the National Trust's plant conservation programme was quoted in the same article as saying "It might be the largest in England. The one in the record book is in Syon Park in London but I think this one is bigger. I think it's a most marvellous tree."
I think it's a marvellous tree as well, but I'm sure that if Mr Nicholls knew how big it was going to get he wouldn't have planted it quite so near to the road.
The Exwick Sign Tree
From a real tree to an imaginary one. This group of signs is what I call the Exwick Sign Tree, and can be found by the car park in Station Road.
Exeter City Council can't resist putting up signs, and it's a rare post which is left signless, or even with only one sign. The Exwick Sign Tree, with its four posts and ten fixed signs, plus two more adhesive ones and another tied on, must surely take the record for overkill. Plus there was obviously once at least one more large sign which is now missing, as the brackets are still there.
Completing the excess of information in the area, the lamp-post on the opposite side of the road has a further five signs and another adhesive one.
Exwick's Shops
These are the two shops in Exwick, Wilkies and Exwick Fish and Chips, in Exwick Villas.
Exwick Fish and Chips is run by the aptly named Mark Fryer, with the help of his mum and an assistant. Mark's opening hours have gradually got shorter and shorter over the years, and this year he stopped opening at lunchtimes as well. He is now only open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday and sometimes, if his serving assistant can't come in to work, he doesn't open at all. Mark is very keen on 'hot rods' and classic dragsters, as can be seen by the models behind the counter, and he can often be seen working on unusual cars in his well equipped workshop round the back.
The shop which is now Wilkies has been known under various names since I've lived in Exeter (Wilkies are a small local chain of convenience stores). It is a typical small local shop, open long hours where you can get most things you need. At one time there used to be a large supermarket called Norman's in Kinnerton Way, but this closed some years ago and the site is now houses. These two shops in Exwick Villas are now the only shops left in Exwick - although there is space for one underneath the new community centre in Kinnerton Way. There is a larger selection, including a petrol station, Post Office, small supermarket and good Chinese takeaway, in Foxhayes, near the Thatch.
Exwick Health Centre
The majority of medical facilities in Exwick are provided by the St Thomas Medical Group, Exeter's largest medical practice, who have a large single storey health centre in New Valley Road. Here is a link to their webpage for the Exwick Health Centre which gives opening times and other details about the practice.
There is also a smaller surgery called The Foxhayes Practice at 117 Exwick Road (near the Thatch) in a building which, until recently, used to be a bakery shop.