Visiting Exeter Cathedral: One of the most beautiful in England

From the glories of Decorated Gothic to its 900-year-old towers, this is my guide to visiting Exeter Cathedral in Devon, England.

Exeter Cathedral can lay claim to being one of the greatest churches in the South West of England. It’s certainly true of Devon and Cornwall, and it belongs in the same bracket as Wells Cathedral in neighbouring Somerset as one of the great cathedrals of England and the UK.

I’d go so far as to say that it’s worth going out of your way just to see Exeter Cathedral. In this guide to how to visit Exeter Cathedral I point out ten of the most important things to see. And I also guide you on the practicalities of getting to Exeter and the Cathedral itself.

Why visit Exeter Cathedral

Exeter Cathedral has several unique features, from its Norman transept towers to its nave and quire vault. This is the longest uninterrupted medieval stone vault in the world, 96 metres long.

The quire of Exeter Cathedral also has one of the greatest collections of 13th-century woodwork in the world. This includes some astoundingly beautiful misericords (mercy seats) used by priests and choristers.

Exeter Cathedral also has an amazing collection of medieval tombs, possibly the most impressive I’ve seen in the UK other than Westminster Abbey.

Exeter Cathedral history

The Cathedral’s cloisters were destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530s.

The Cathedral was badly damaged during the ‘Baedeker Blitz’ of 1942. The Luftwaffe targeted culturally important sites around the UK, and directly hit the Cathedral, destroying the Chapel of St James.

1. The Exeter Cathedral Towers

Exeter Cathedral is unique in Britain for having a tower on each transept. Like most medieval cathedrals, Exeter is built to a cruciform, or cross-shaped, plan.

The nave (where the congregation sits) is the longest part of the church. The chancel contains the quire (also spelt choir) and main altar. The transepts are the shorter ‘arms’ of the cross. One faces north, the other south.

Church towers (or spires) were usually built over the central crossing of the church or at the west end, next to the corners of the nave. There are some examples of towers being built over transepts in Europe. Tournai Cathedral in Belgium is one of the most famous, with two towers on each transept and a central tower.

The twin towers of Exeter Cathedral are the oldest parts of the building. They are clearly from the Romanesque (also called Norman) phase of construction, with blind arcades a common feature from this period.

They were built between 1114 and 1133, and you can now climb them and get amazing up-close views of them on an Exeter Cathedral rooftop tour, bookable through the Cathedral website.

2. The longest stone vault in the world

As Exeter Cathedral has such an unusual layout – without a central tower – the same stone rib vault runs from the west end of the nave to the east window in the chancel.

The vault runs continuously for 96 metres, and is the longest continuous stone vault from medieval times in the world.

3. Exeter Cathedral clock

The Exeter Cathedral Astronomical Clock, in the north transept, is believed to date from 1484.

At the time it was believed that the sun orbited around Earth, not the other way around.   

Earth is at the centre of the clock, with the moon and sun towards the outer edge. The upper dial of the clock was added in the 18^th century.

The Clock partly owes its survival to a Bishop’s cat. A hole was cut out in the door below the Clock so that the feline could hunt rats and mice. These were a constant problem, as they were attracted to the animal fat used to keep the clock’s mechanism lubricated.

If you’re staying in Exeter for a few days, it’s well worth the short trip to Ottery St Mary. There is another fine Astronomical Clock from the same period in the magnificent parish church.

4. Exeter Cathedral Minstrels’ Gallery

The Minstrels’ Gallery, on the north wall of the nave, is another unique feature of Exeter Cathedral.

It’s a series of carvings of angels, all of which are playing musical instruments. We don’t know why it was built, but a clue may lie in the room behind it. During one of the Christmas services at the Cathedral, choristers sing from this room, apparently to great effect. So medieval choristers, singers or musicians may have done the same.

Nowadays the room also houses part of the Exeter Cathedral organ, enhancing its sound in the nave.

5. A Unique Musician’s Memorial

There is a remarkable memorial to Matthew Godwin on the north wall of the Cathedral.  He died in 1586 at the terribly young age of 17 – we don’t know the cause of his death.

However, we do know that he was a phenomenally talented musician. By the time he died he had obtained a BMus (bachelor’s degree in music) from the University of Oxford, and had been chief organist at both Canterbury and Exeter Cathedrals.

Monuments to people of his age were extremely rare in cathedrals at the time. Usually, the only people commemorated would have been children of royals or the nobility. His story is fascinating, raising many a question about what happened to him.

At the time of writing, the quire of Exeter Cathedral is closed off for restoration. This is a great pity, as the stalls have a stunning collection of misericords. These are intricate carvings in the underside of seats which were often turned upwards during services. The name misericord means ‘mercy seat’.

Priests and choristers would often have to stand for long periods during services. So the small ledge above the carving on the seat would provide a little relief and respite for the suffering standee. The priest could lean back a little and the ledge would bear the weight.

One of the most famous misericords at Exeter Cathedral is the 13^th-century carving of an elephant. This would have been extremely rare. Fortunately this misericord is on display in the ambulatory – the passageway around the east end of the Cathedral, just behind the high altar.

Exeter has one of the finest collections of misericords in the country, along with Chester Cathedral in the northwest of England.

The restored Lady Chapel is one of the most beautiful parts of Exeter Cathedral. It’s built in the Decorated Gothic style, and its stained glass is a recent addition. The 19^th-century glass was blown out during the bombing raid of May 1942, and been replaced by modern glass.

The Lady Chapel is also notable for its superb alabaster tombs, including those of two Bishops of Exeter and that of Lady Doddridge.

One of the most striking tombs in Exeter Cathedral is that of Dorothy, Lady Doddridge. It’s near the entrance to the Lady Chapel, and next to that of her second husband, lawyer and judge John Doddridge.

Her tomb is remarkable, with an alabaster effigy of a woman wearing an Elizabethan-style dress with a neck ruff. The woman is leaning on a cushion, holding a skull. The memento mori – a reminder of death – is a common theme in Christianity (there’s no better example than the Kutna Hora Bone Church in the Czech Republic).

But this monument is outstanding, I’d say worth the trip to Exeter by itself.

Lady Dorothy – nee Bampfield – married Doddridge shortly after the suicide of her first husband, Sir Edward Hancock. He was Secretary to Sir Walter Raleigh, who was imprisoned in the Tower of London by King James I soon after his ascent to the throne.

Lady Doddridge was outlived by her considerably older second husband – who went on to marry a third time. However, I think she rather upstages him in the afterlife!

Exeter was a wealthy city in the Middle Ages, largely because of the wool trade. And this is reflected in its collection of sumptuous bishops’ tombs, which is among the most impressive in the UK.

Two of the finest tombs in the Cathedral are on either side of the entrance to the Lady Chapel. The monument to Bishop Edmund Stafford – Lord Privy Seal and Bishop from 1395 to 1419 – stands on the left.

Across the aisle on the right stands the similarly decorated tomb of Bishop Walter Bronescombe. He was in office from 1258 to 1280, and his monument survived the Blitz thanks to a covering of sandbags.

A few metres away from Bronescombe tomb lies the chantry chapel with the tomb of Bishop Hugh Oldham. This is one of the most elaborate Exeter Cathedral tombs, the effigy of the Bishop wearing red robes, with lots of gold-painted ornamentation.

Also make sure you don’t miss the tomb of Bishop Valentine Carey in the north aisle.

The west front of Exeter Cathedral is one of the finest in the UK, along with those at Wells and Lincoln. It is adorned with three rows of statues, representing angels and various Biblical figures including the Apostles.

It’s worth remembering that these figures would have been painted when they were completed in the 14^th century. They are a remarkable sight now, so just imagine them back then.

Also sometimes called Exeter Cathedral Green, the Close is the street and open area immediately around the north and west side of the Cathedral. There are several restaurants and pubs at the western end of the Close, a few metres’ walk from Exeter High Street. The Ship Inn is reputed to be one of Sir Francis Drake’s favoured watering holes.

As you move away from the High Street the Close becomes considerably quieter. Don’t miss the stunning intricately carved oak door at No 10 Cathedral Close, the Deanery.  

Some Harry Potter fans believe the door to be the inspiration for the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. Author JK Rowling is an alumnus of Exeter University, and several other places around Exeter and Devon also inspired her along the way.

Visiting Exeter Cathedral Planning Tips

The regular Exeter Cathedral opening hours are as follows:

Monday to Friday – 10.30 am to 4.30 pm

Saturdays – 9 am to 4.30 pm

Sundays – 11 am to 3 pm

It’s well worth checking the Exeter Cathedral website before you visit, as these are sometimes subject to change. This is always the case around the Christmas and New Year period.

I’ve always travelled to Exeter by train. Your arrival point from anywhere in the UK is Exeter St David’s Station, about a mile down the hill from the Cathedral.

From there, you can change trains for the 3-minute journey to Exeter Central, which is a lot closer to the Cathedral.

If you’re driving, you can reach Exeter via the M5 motorway from Bristol, the A30 (via the A303) from South East England, If you’re driving to Exeter from Plymouth, take the A38.

Here are some sample distances to Exeter:

Bristol to Exeter – 79 miles

Bath to Exeter – 79 miles

London to Exeter – 157 miles

David Angel is a British photographer, writer and historian. He is a European travel expert with over 30 years’ experience exploring Europe. He has a degree in History from Manchester University, and his work is regularly featured in global media including the BBC, Condé Nast Traveler, The Guardian, The Times, and The Sunday Times.  David is fluent in French and Welsh, and can also converse in Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Czech and Polish.

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