About Exeter City HER

Exeter City HER

Exeter is the county town of Devon, and for the last two millennia has been the main commercial, administrative, political, ecclesiastical and cultural centre for the immediate region. As a result, and despite the ravages of WWII bombing and immediate post war redevelopment, it still possesses a wealth of historic assets, ranging from buried remains of prehistoric settlement, of internationally important Roman military remains - such as the fortress of the II Augusta legion, and the recent discoveries of a contemporary supply/workshop depot and other military installations outside the fortress, and of the Roman civil cantonal capital and later medieval and post medieval city, to a rich visual heritage of standing buildings – city walls, castle, cathedral, churches, housing & shops, industrial buildings, farmhouses, canal and waterfronts. Outside the historic core, there are historic settlements that now form part of the outer city suburbs, and also significant buried remains of prehistoric and Roman date that are being revealed by development on the outskirts of the city.

The Exeter Historic Environment Record (HER) is maintained by Exeter City Council and covers the central 4 km sq historic core of the city district, which includes the legionary fortress, and the later walled city and its historic extra mural suburbs and waterfront. The remainder of the district is covered by the Devon County Council HER. The Exeter HER started life in 1999 as an intensive Urban Archaeological Database (UAD) - one of a series compiled with English Heritage support and funding, and is administered by the city's Archaeology Officer, based within the City Development Directorate. It comprises an Ms Access database of several thousand source and event entries, including published sources, pictorial sources and historical sources, as well as archaeological "events" such as excavations, observations, and building recording. It also includes just under a thousand monument entries. The latter are available online via Heritage Gateway, as well as - with the source and event information - at the city council offices by appointment. The source, event and monument entries are also depicted on GIS. The city HER also includes unpublished grey literature and reports of work within the city, and access to Listed Building records and public planning records relating to heritage assets. For further information please see the city council's website [http://www.exeter.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10181&listid=9487] and the council's adopted guidance on archaeology and development [http://www.exeter.gov.uk/lgnl/index.aspx?articleid=10181].