Join the Exeter Memories 
Click on a picture to enlarge - updated on 18th January 2015
Around the city in the 1980's
A night view of the Guildhall Centre
with the Looking Forward Bronze - the polished surfaces indicate that
it had not been in place very long - from the 1981 guide. Also see Story of Looking Forward bronze Courtesy
Exeter City Council
An aerial view
of the city showing development in Southernhay (top middle). St Mary Major Church has been demolished and the Roman Bathhouse exposed (middle
left)
- from the 1981 guide.Courtesy Exeter City Council
The Clifton Hill Sports Centre opened in 1984 on the site of some former allotments and a brickworks. Photo
2005 David Cornforth
An
interesting photo of the tariffs charged at Exeter Market, Marsh Barton
in 1986. Photo 1986 Ray Harrington
Ship Inn - St
Martins Lane looking towards Cathedral Close - cars were still
parking at this end of the Close, by the Royal Clarence, in 1989. Photo
1989 David Cornforth
On
29th January 1983, HMS Exeter's crew was given the Freedom of the City.
The ship's helicopter landed on Cathedral Green as part of the day's
celebrations.
Photo 1981 Alan H Mazonowicz
The partly demolished Head Weir
Mill sometime before 1987. The Mill on the Exe was built on the
site, to open in 1987, and become one of Exeter's favourite pubs and
restaurants. Many think the Mill on the Exe was part of the mill, but
the photo shows that it was almost completely demolished, requiring a
mostly rebuilt Mill on the Exe. Photo Alan H Mazonowicz
Trews Weir Paper Mill before it was
partly demolished in 1982 and later converted into upmarket housing. It
is a desired address in Exeter and two bedroom flats on the development
are currently priced (2006) at £210,000. Trews
Weir was named after John Trew who raised the existing St Leonard's
Weir to feed the new canal, in 1563 and also drive the wheels for the
paper mill. Photo Alan H Mazonowicz
Wippell's, the ecclesiastical outfitters closed their shop in the High Street and Cathedral Yard in 1983. This was 100 years to the day after they opened.
In 1989, the City Council acquired the Custom House on the quay when HM Customs and Excise moved out.
Entertainment and leisure in the 1980's
Local radio hits Exeter
The BBC first opened the Radio Devon office, in a house,
on St
David's Hill, and started broadcasting on the 17th January 1983 from
two portacabins on the site of the present studio. The commercial radio
station, DevonAir started broadcasting in
Exeter and Torbay on 12 December 1980 after beating Bay City Radio for
the franchise. Their studios in Exeter were
also on
St David's Hill. Gemini Radio took over the franchise in 1994. This bus
could be seen in Exeter from about 1980. Photo left Dick
Passmore right David Smith
DevonAir interview Frank Bruno 1988
The
radio station ran the DevonAir Motor Show at Powderham Castle in the
summer of 1988. Their presenter, John Pierce, who interviewed the
famous
boxer at the event, has the distinction of presenting
programs on both the opening day of DevonAir in December 1980 and BBC
Radio Devon in January 1983. Photo John Pierce NEW Photo left shows the Renwicks sponsored DevonAir car.
On the
left is the sad, boarded-up ABC Cinema in
October 1987 waiting for the bulldozers. It was replaced by a branch of
Dillon's bookshops, now Waterstones. The photo on the right shows the half stage of demolition from the rear – the huge steel beam that held up the circle has been exposed. See ABC Cinema Photo
left Clive Carmoc and right by John Waite.
The Maritime
Museum in 1988 - one of the exhibits has been deliberately
sunk at the moorings to swell the timbers, making the hull watertight. Photo
1988 David Cornforth
The Northcott Theatre is well
established by 1981. They host visiting national dance, opera and music
productions. Late Saturday nights was devoted to avant-garde and
foreign films. In 1986 they produced Alan Ayckbourn's, Taking Steps.
See also the History
of theatre in Exeter and the great fire Courtesy
Northcott Theatre
150 Years of Service Parade 1986
11 MB WMV film - filmed by Jack
Holman, this video shows the parade of Exeter's police, fire and
ambulance service in front of Diana, Princess of Wales. Video of
Diana's walkabout to appear soon.
The First Exeter Marathon 1982
The
start in Cowick Street of the first Exeter Marathon, in April 1982.
Flagged off by the Mayor Ivy Johns, 1,200 crossed over the Exe Bridges,
before returning to finish in the County Ground, a distance of 26
miles. Eight-hundred and ninety completed the course within the time
limit, including two wheel chair entrants, watched by 20,000 lining the
streets. One runner had to have treatment for a gashed knee after
clashing with a dog in Fore Street. Photos courtesy of Tony Lethbridge.
Runners in the Exeter Marathon
Left,
the runners are heading towards Alphington, along Cowick Lane, and
right, they are heading down the Alphington Road before crossing over
the Exe Bridge. The winner was 29 year old Gordon Seward in 2hrs 31mins
50 secs. The first woman was Miss Angela Norris in 3hrs 28mins
47secs.Arthur Sundburg was the oldest to finish at 70 years old.
£20,000 was raised for the Special Baby Unit at Heavitree.
The £8 million Riverside Leisure Centre , was built in 1984 and opened by Diana, the Princess of Wales on Wednesday 2nd July 1986. The Princess pressed a button that turned on the pool area including the water flume. She also tried her hand at snooker. The Princess had lunch in the Guildhall and then watched a pageant depicting 150 years of the police service, march down the High Street.
There was a vigil outside the ABC Cinema, at Eastgate, on the night of the 9th December 1980, by fans of John Lennon. He had been murdered the previous night in New York.
Aviation in the 1980's
A new £3 million terminal and control tower at Exeter Airport was officially opened on 13th July 1981 by Sir Henry Marking.
The last four-engined Lancaster bomber was given a major overhaul at a facility at Exeter Airport, during 1988. The aircraft is now part of the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial flight.
In 1985, Jersey European Airways, make Exeter Airport its operating, engineering and administrative headquarters. The airline is now called Flybe and still has Exeter as its base.
In 1987 passenger traffic through the new terminal had grown by 40% since its opening.
Local business in the 1980's
Mols Coffee House in 1988 - I've
included this because it shows the shop occupied by Nottingham and
Walsh. Before this it was the Fred Keetch Gallery. It became Elands for
a number of years and is now a high class gift shop. Photo 1988
Allan Platt
Paul Street bus station was
demolished in 1982 in preparation for the building of the Harlequin's
Shopping
Centre. The photo shows the hard standing being broken up prior to
the archaeologists surveying the site. Harlequin's was
opened in 1987 on a site that once contained shops and houses until the
1920's and then the Paul Street
bus station. Photo bottom Dick Passmore
During
the 1980s, the House that Moved is used to
promote a business that sells gem stones and fossils. At the present
(2006) the premises are used for a wedding dress business.
Greenslades have joined up with the National Bus Company by 1981. They offer short
excursions through Devon and Cornwall for visitors who do not have
their own transport.
Having fun on the River Exe - 1988
The quay side in 1988 during an
afternoon of Dragon Boat racing. This was part of a national contest
run by Cathay Pacific Airways - the boats were crewed by clubs, local
firms and sports teams. Photo 1988 David Cornforth
A
competitor in a raft race on the Exe during the late summer of 1988. One of the Dragon Boats
racing on the river - the person at the bow is beating the time.
The apartments next to the boat club are being developed at this time. Photos
1988 David Cornforth
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