Gras Lawn

One of the newest roads in Exeter, it is part of the Wellingtonia development in Barrack Road, occupying former playing fields that belonged to the University. Before that, the land was part of the home of the Veitch's. The house, built in 1838 was named Gras Lawn from the Welsh for grace, invoking an English pun. The Veitch's were a leading family of plant collectors and nurserymen and had a shop in Cathedral Yard until the 1980's. Gras Lawn became the Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Hospital in 1927. The hospita moved to the main Barrack Road site of the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in the late 1990's, and along with its land, was redeveloped into housng. Parts of the original house still remain.