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Exeter City Walls And Rougemont Castle, Devon

Rougemont Castle Gatehouse

The Romans established Exeter around 55AD. Their aim was to fortify the lowest crossing point of the river Exe, and create a strong point on their western frontier in Devon. The Roman walls stood for four hundred years, but once the Romans withdrew early in the fifth century, Exeter was abandoned. The incoming Saxon invaders were not urban people and all cities in Britain fell into decay. It wasn't until around 920AD that it is thought King Athelstan repaired Exeter's walls. One hundred and forty years later these defenses were to stand for eighteen days against William the Conqueror after the Norman invasion in 1066. Once they had taken Exeter the Normans strengthened the walls, and built a castle in the north west corner, called Rougemont. Then the same walls that held out against the Normans became involved in internal Norman squabbles. During King Stephen's reign in the twelfth century, there were attempts by some Norman nobles to remove him from the throne. One of these rebellious nobles, Baldwin de Redvers, took refuge behind Exeter's walls, until Stephen starved him out.

Exeter's city walls are now the equivalent of geological strata. The bottom is Roman, the next layer up is Saxon, then Norman, then medieval, with modern repairs on top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A walk has been laid out around the walls, with information signs at intervals. The gatehouse of Rougemont Castle can be viewed from the outside, but is not accessible to visitors. It was home for many years to Exeter's county court, and has recently been sold to a private consortium, with the future of the castle, as of 2010, still undecided.

Even though Exeter has spread far beyond its original limits, the walls continue to be maintained and valued. As usual with structures of this sort symbolic power has outlasted physical power. From the earliest days of castles symbolic power has coexisted with the reality of physical defence. Neolithic shrines seeking spiritual security consisted of circular ditches and banks, and so did early castles. Later in history these parallels continued. Within the city walls you will find Exeter Cathedral, and you don't have to be an expert in architectural history, and know words like Perpendicular Gothic, to see its castle-like elements, the turrets, and representations of battlements. Buildings seeking spiritual security continue to borrow elements from buildings seeking physical security, and vice versa. Interestingly information boards around the city walls will tell you how they were the focus of ceremonies and celebration. It's as if early ceremonial structures such as Stonehenge or Avebury find their parallel in the circle of these city walls. The gates were a particular focus for ceremonies, and in times of celebration they would be decked out in brightly coloured cloth.

 

 

 

Exeter Cathedral

At one point I walked up onto the wall, and crossed a footbridge, while traffic roared through a gap beneath. It might seem that the walls have no role to play now, but this would be wrong. The city preserves the walls for the same reason Athelstan did. The walls give the city a sense of itself, and in a symbolic way enhance its security.

Directions: Exeter can be reached via the M5 motorway. Click here for an interactive map centred on Exeter Cathedral.

 

 

 

Access: There are some steep slopes on the path around the castle walls. The walls can be viewed from level areas in Rougemont Gardens and Northernhay Gardens.