This Custom House at

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

was the first in England built for that purpose. It was operated by HM Customs until 1989. Like other former

custom house A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

s in the United Kingdom, it now serves as a visitor attraction. It was built in the early 17th-century and has been

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

since 1953.

History

The Custom House was built in 1680-81 in response to the increasing trade seen at Exeter Quay, particularly of the woollen cloth industry. Though the quay had existed since Roman times, the construction of the

Exeter Ship Canal The Exeter Ship Canal, also known as the Exeter Canal is a canal leading from (and beside) the River Exe to Exeter Quay in the city of Exeter, Devon, England. It was first constructed in the 1560s predating the "canal mania" period and is one o ...

in 1564-66 led to a considerable increase in trade. The Custom House was built by Richard Allen for a cost of £3,000. Believed to be the oldest brick building to survive in Exeter,

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked w ...

recorded that the building's "Renaissance-inspired facade and magnificent plasterwork, advanced joinery detail, early use of brick and the centralised double-depth plan are of the first importance in illustrating the arrival of a national or court style to Devon."

Current use

Following its closure, public access to the building was made available through the city's Red Coat Guided Tours. In 2015, the former Custom House reopened as a visitor centre and tourist attraction. A joint project between the Exeter Canal and Quay Trust and

Exeter City Council Exeter City Council is the council and local government of the city of Exeter, Devon. History Proposed unitary authority status The government proposed that the city should become an independent unitary authority within Devon, much like neighb ...

, the centre replaced the original one which had been located at the nearby Quay House. It was officially opened on 21 May.

References

{{reflist Grade I listed buildings in Devon Custom houses in the United Kingdom Grade I listed government buildings Buildings and structures in Exeter

History

Current use

See also

References