The recent visit from Rennes to Exeter was a memorable one. It had been quite a while since we had last seen our visitors and they were welcomed with open arms when they arrived at Exeter Airport on the Friday morning.
Guildhall Reception
During the afternoon our French visitors were welcomed by the Lord Mayor, Councillor Stella Brock, at a Mayoral Reception in the Guildhall. Councillor Brock said that she was delighted to welcome so many visitors from Rennes and that it was as much a pleasure to welcome the visitors from Rennes as it had been to welcome the Queen the previous week. In reply Therese said that they were delighted to be back in Exeter and that they were looking forward to their visits to places of interest in and around Exeter. Our Chair, Kathy, also welcomed the visitors and noted that Exeter’s twinning links were very strong and there was no thought of breaking Exeter’s twinning links as some towns and cities had done recently. After the speeches we were all invited to have a cup of tea and cakes with the Lord Mayor.
Red Coat Tour
In the evening there were two possible activities for our visitors either a Red Coat tour of “Exeter Old and New” or a Piano Recital by Anthony Hewitt in the Cathedral Chapter House.
The Red Coat tour was very interesting and the group met outside the Royal Clarence Hotel in Cathedral Yard. Leslie Moss was an excellent host giving the group some very interesting facts (in French and English!) about Exeter’s history from pre-Roman times up to the new 21st century developments. The tour visited Northernhay Gardens, the oldest public gardens in the country and the eleventh century Castle Gatehouse, one of Britain’s oldest Norman buildings. The tour finished at the Guildhall
Piano Recital
Meanwhile other visitors and guests attended a Piano Recital in Exeter Cathedral’s Chapter House given by Anthony Hewitt (the Olympianist). Anthony was cycling from Lands End to John O’Groats stopping off at various venues to give his Piano Recital in aid of various charities. On his cycle ride he was followed by a van which contained the piano used at the recitals and which he decided to call his Beethovan!! The concert was very good with a varied programme of music including Schuman, Chopin, and Liszt.
Dartington Glass Factory
The sun was shining on Saturday morning as we set off in our coach from Middlemoor on time for our visit to North Devon. Our first stop was Dartington Glass factory just outside Great Torrington. We were fortunate that a number of craftsmen were in the factory to give a demonstration of how to transform hot molten crystal into elegantly shaped glassware as they do not normally work on a Saturday. The Glass Museum was also very interesting as it showed various bits of glassware from 1967 to the present day.
Needless to say I was persuaded to visit the glassware shop by my wife and, yes, we did buy a lot few things including three very elegant glass jugs which were about 20% of their original price.
Chambercombe Manor
After lunch the journey continued up to the north coast of Devon to Chambercombe Manor near Illfracombe. The house dates from the eleventh century and retains much of its original architecture. We were given an excellent tour of the house by our guide who told us that wreckers and smugglers used to come up from Hele Beach with their illicit gains through a narrow tunnel whose exit was in the side of the fireplace in the main dining room.
Chambercombe Manor is said to be haunted. In 1865 the owner of the manor discovered a chamber between two rooms in which there lay the skeleton of a woman. The ghost of this lady is said to haunt the house and the guide told us that recently a man had been sitting next to the window in the bedroom we were standing in and took a photograph. When he looked at the photograph it contained an image of a very pale white face. While he was telling us this story and showing us the photograph I began to feel very cold and my legs began shaking. I decided to sit next to the window and take a photograph. When I looked at the image in my digital camera you can imagine my surprise when I saw that there was a pale white face on my picture!! I can assure you that I have not digitally altered the picture!! But perhaps I should say that Kathy does get in the way sometimes when I take photos!!
After visiting the house we were treated to a very tasty cream tea at the Ye Olde Manor Buttery. Finally we wandered around the magnificent gardens of the house before getting on the bus to continue our journey to Bickleigh Mill for a three course dinner. The dinner was beautifully prepared and tasted wonderful; however space was a little bit limited and some hosts and guests had to eat in a separate room
Royal Albert Memorial Museum
The following morning hosts and guests visited the refurbished Royal Albert Memorial Museum. We were split into two groups for an escorted tour around the museum. The refurbishment has transformed the museum and it now attracts a large number of visitors. During our visit we were shown various exhibitions and of course, Gerald the giraffe.
In the Egyptian exhibition we saw objects used in the mummification process and the beautiful coffin of Shep en-Mut. There was also a dazzling exhibition of over one hundred and forty birds all in a single case and drawn from all over the world – though the continuous dawn chorus playing in the background didn’t seem quite right at midday!
The largest gallery in the museum consists of two joined spaces with the first showing the fragmentary remains of prehistoric Devon through to the splendour of Exeter in its ‘Golden Age’ of the 18th century. The second space continues the story of Exeter’s history with its 19th century craft and industry and finishes with contemporary Devon and Exeter.
Finders Keepers is a gallery devoted to local collectors and collections and there was a special temporary display case which currently shows an extraordinary display of irons both domestic and industrial. It included gas, charcoal, petrol, and electric irons.
The rest of the day was free and we took our guests along to Killerton House which is home to some fascinating paintings and furniture, as well as a costume collection that displays centuries of fashion. It also has an excellent large garden and we spent a good deal of the afternoon walking round it admiring the flowers and plants.
Tuckers Hall
On the Monday morning guests and hosts visited Tuckers Hall, one of Exeter’s oldest buildings whose history goes back to medieval times. We managed to get all hosts and visitors into the hall on the first floor despite many having to sit on window seats. The Beadle gave a very interesting talk on the history of the building and the Guild of the Incorporation of Weavers, Fullers, and Shearmen. The talk was very well translated into French by John Whitton who, I understand, had been consulting dictionaries to find out the French for fullers and shearmen and many of the other technical terms used in connection with the cloth trade. After the talk we explored the various rooms of the building many of which have been refurbished with displays of fascinating facts about Exeter’s wool trade. The displays, some of them using interactive screens, and the video and the working model of a fulling machine have all been installed since our last visit to the hall in the summer when the Terracina visitors were with us.
Farewell Party
The final event of the visit was a farewell party in the Cardinal Newman hall for hosts, visitors, and ETC members. The food was absolutely fabulous with a fantastic choice of various dishes for the main course followed by some excellent puddings. Coffee and tea were also available. Music was provided by Brian Higby who delighted his audience with his singing. In her speech Kathy, our chair, said that it had been wonderful to have our visitors from Rennes here in Exeter and it was always a great pleasure to see them. She said that the visit had been a bit ‘historical’ – she nearly said hysterical!! because the history of Devon featured quite strongly in the visit. She thanked those members who had been responsible for organising the visit and the farewell party and gave presents to Therese and Remi.
Therese said that the visit had been a great success and that all the visitors had thoroughly enjoyed themselves. She invited Exeter Twinning Circle to visit Rennes in September 2013 an invitation which Kathy accepted on behalf of the twinning circle.
Early the following morning we said goodbye to our visitors as they returned to Rennes by plane from Exeter Airport.
Submitted by Steve Morris
