Issue 38 Summer web 23 - Flipbook - Page 28
“The street and early timber buildings date from around
AD 50–75, and formed elements of the Roman legionary
fortress which underlies central Exeter. They probably
represent part of a long barrack building which extended
towards a stone bath-house which was exposed under the
Exeter Cathedral Green in the early 1970s. A stone wall
revealed by our excavations appears to be part of a previously unknown town house, dating back to the 3rd and
4th centuries.”
foundation charter from AD 1050. The Pearson Building
will also be used to house a new cathedral shop, as well as
improving accessibility with lifts and new toilet facilities.
In April, the second phase of the cathedral’s project began
in the Quire area of the cathedral. Led by principal contractor, RM Builders & Contractors, improvements will
make the Quire a safer and more comfortable place for
services, community gatherings and events, as well as improving the sustainability of the cathedral. A more efficient underfloor heating system will be installed, replacing
an ineffective pipe system that runs around the outside of
the Quire and presbytery and was installed in the 1960s
and 1970s to replace Victorian boilers.
Building new structures in the setting of a medieval
cathedral can be challenging, requiring careful consideration of their impact both the visible heritage and the
archaeology below ground. For the new Cloister Gallery
project at Exeter Cathedral, architects, archaeologists and
planning consultants all worked collaboratively with
the Local Planning Authority, Historic England, the
Cathedral Fabric Commission for England, and amenity
societies, to build a case to support the construction.
Once the new heating system is in place, a new Jubilee
Pavement floor tile design will be installed, based on the
work of 19th century architect, Sir George Gilbert Scott.
Scott had originally created four tiled floor designs in
Exeter Cathedral, each increasingly elaborate as they
approach the cathedral’s high altar. Largely replaced with
simple stone flooring during 1960s conservations work,
only one of Scott’s original design remains in the Quire
today. The new Jubilee Pavement will be made from
locally-sourced Devon stone and will echo Scott’s work
with a design that is consistent with the heritage of the
cathedral.
When completed, the Cloister Gallery will recreate a
covered walkway to connect the cathedral with its 13th
century Chapter House and Pearson Building, where a
new Treasures Exhibition space will safely display ancient
collections from the cathedral’s library and archives which
include treasures of national importance, such as the
Exeter Book, Exon Domesday and the cathedral’s
Above, the new Cloister Gallery will connect Exeter Cathedral with its Chapter House and Pearson Building.
Image Credit: Acanthus Clews Architects/Marvin Chik
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Conservation & Heritage Journal
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