Exmouth History

Exmouth’s oldest buildings

Exmouth originated as mediaeval fishing village and ferry station with settlement concentrated in the inland villages of Withycombe Raleigh and Littleham. This is why the oldest existing buildings are not in the centre of modern Exmouth but are set back from the coast.

Two of the oldest buildings that can currently be seen in Exmouth are almost certainly Littleham Parish Church and St John in the Wilderness.

Littleham Parish Church

Littleham Parish Church of St Margaret and St Andrew has a chancel from no later than 1250 and there may have been a church in Littleham as early as 1146.

St John in the Wilderness

The present church of St John in the Wilderness is mid-14th to mid-15th Century, though this is possibly the third building on this site.

Some of the other oldest existing buildings in Exmouth include:

  • The first six houses on the Beacon (1792)
  • A La Ronde (1798)
  • Point-in-view (1811)
  • The Temple at the Imperial Hotel (1824)

Search

Popular Posts

  • Seamen’s Mission

    The Exmouth Seamen’s Mission and Sailor’s Rest in St Andrew’s Road was erected in 1909 and closed in 2007. Before 1909 premises in Camperdown Terrace and Chapel Hill were used for mission purposes. Its original 1909 objectives were: “1. IN TRUST TO PERMIT THE SAID PREMISES TO BE USED AND OCCUPIED AS A SEAMEN’S MISSION…

  • Bastin Hall

    The Bastin Hall in Elm Grove was the local base of the St John’s Ambulance from 1933 to 2023. The building was sold in 2023 and the site may be destined for demolition and new build residential use. The Hall was opened by T Garbutt Knott on the 6th of December 1933. The garage block…

  • Exmouth Churches

    All Saints Church All saints Church in Exeter Road was completed in 1898. Christ Church Originally built in 1872 as a Wesleyan Chapel, Christ Church in Windsor Square was purchased from the Methodists after they moved to larger premises in 1895. In 1897 it was enlarged by adding an additional aisle. Exmouth Baptist Church Exmouth’s…