The earliest parts of Exeter's Guildhall date from 1330, making it the oldest municipal building still in use in the country. An ornate barrel roof arches above wooden benches and crests of dignitaries. The mayor still sits in the huge throne-like chair at the end. It's often open on weekdays, depending on civic functions; call or check the website.
Manfred Gottschalk/Alamy
Guildhall
Exeter
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.07 MILES
Magnificent in warm, honey-coloured stone, Exeter's cathedral is one of Devon’s most impressive ecclesiastical sights. Dating largely from the 12th and…
23.72 MILES
High on Devon’s must-see list, the captivating summer home of crime writer Agatha Christie sits beside the placid River Dart. Part-guided tours allow you…
0.12 MILES
A fixture on the city's cultural scene since Victorian times, this hulking red-brick museum recently received a £24 million revamp. It's a treasure trove…
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18.37 MILES
Beer's creamy chalk cliffs hint at the presence of a seam of high-quality masonry material called Beer stone. It's been used in countless famous buildings…
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20.56 MILES
This innovative, 32-hectare zoo is by far and away Paignton's top draw. Spacious enclosures recreate habitats from savannah and wetland to tropical forest…
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26.01 MILES
For an evocative glimpse of jazz-age glamour, drop by the former home of the D'Oyly Carte family of theatre impresarios. Built in the 1920s, its faultless…
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26.05 MILES
This plunging gorge is the deepest in the southwest, and can be reached via a 1.5-mile rugged riverside hike past a series of bubbling whirlpools …
0.24 MILES
Prepare to crouch down, don a hard hat and possibly get spooked in what is the only publicly accessible system of its kind in England. These medieval…
Nearby Exeter attractions
0.07 MILES
Magnificent in warm, honey-coloured stone, Exeter's cathedral is one of Devon’s most impressive ecclesiastical sights. Dating largely from the 12th and…
0.12 MILES
A fixture on the city's cultural scene since Victorian times, this hulking red-brick museum recently received a £24 million revamp. It's a treasure trove…
0.2 MILES
Originally part of a medieval Benedictine monastery, and later a lavish Elizabethan manor house, this 900-year-old building is currently closed for…
0.22 MILES
Little remains of Exeter's 11th-century castle except a russet stone gatehouse, attached to a fragment of the city's defensive wall.
0.24 MILES
Prepare to crouch down, don a hard hat and possibly get spooked in what is the only publicly accessible system of its kind in England. These medieval…
0.32 MILES
Newly arrived ships in Dartmouth would once have paid their wharfing fees at this picturesque house, which was built in the 1700s. Not open to the public.
0.33 MILES
This stately 17th-century building was once the address where ships arriving in Dartmouth were required to pay customs duties. Look out for the antique…
0.35 MILES
On fine sunny days the people of Exeter head to the quay. Cobbled paths lead between former warehouses that have been converted into antique shops, quirky…