Exeter City of Exeter |
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City and non-metropolitan district | |
Clockwise: The Cathedral, The Clock Tower, Devon County Hall, Cathedral Close, The Iron Bridge.
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Motto: Semper fidelis (Always Faithful) | |
The District of Exeter including Topsham shown within Devon |
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Coordinates: 50°43′N 3°32′W / 50.717°N 3.533°WCoordinates: 50°43′N 3°32′W / 50.717°N 3.533°W | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Constituent country | England |
Region | South West England |
Ceremonial and shire county | Devon |
City status | Time immemorial |
Non-metropolitan district | 1974 |
Government | |
• Type | Exeter City Council |
• Lord Mayor | Olwen Foggin |
• Members of Parliament |
Ben Bradshaw (L) Hugo Swire (C) |
• HQ | Civic Centre, Paris Street |
• UK Parliament |
Exeter East Devon |
• European Parliament | South West England |
Area | |
• Total | 18.16 sq mi (47.04 km2) |
Area rank | 274th (of 326) |
Population (mid-2014 est.) | |
• Total | 124,328 |
• Rank | 176th (of 326) |
• Density | 6,800/sq mi (2,600/km2) |
• Demonyms | Exonian |
• Ethnicity (2011) |
93.05% White
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Time zone | GMT (UTC0) |
• Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) |
Postcode district | EX1-6 |
Area code(s) | 01392 |
Website | www |
Exeter (i/ˈɛksᵻtər/) is a cathedral city in Devon, England with a population of 124,328 (mid-2014 est.). It lies within the county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently, the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district and is therefore under the administration of the County Council (there was a plan to grant the city unitary authority status, although this was scrapped under the 2010 coalition government). The city is on the River Exe about 37 miles (60 km) northeast of Plymouth and 70 miles (110 km) southwest of Bristol.
Exeter was the most south-westerly Roman fortified settlement in Britain, although there is evidence a Cornish tribe existed in Exeter before the Roman invasion. Exeter became a religious centre during the Middle Ages and into the Tudor times: Exeter Cathedral, founded in the mid 11th century, became Anglican during the 16th-century English Reformation. During the late 19th century, Exeter became an affluent centre for the wool trade, although by the First World War the city was in decline. After the Second World War, much of the city centre was rebuilt and is now considered to be a centre for modern business and tourism in Devon and Cornwall.