Well, it seems as if I set you all what turned out to be too a difficult set of questions on old Exmouth, to start the new year off with.

The answers are listed below – so how many did you get?

1: When was the first Exmouth Journal printed and who started it?

Answer: 1858 by Thomas Freeman

2: Where was Pencarwick School ? (General Buller was a pupil there)

Answer: Corner of Carlton Hill/ Louisa Place, now Pen House.

3: Where was Hope Orphanage?

Answer: Bicton Street.

4: What was the name of Exmouth’s first hospital and where was it and when?

Answer: Maude Hospital – Clarence Road, 1884.

5: Where was there an advert for Holloway’s Pills & Pears Soap?

Answer: Holloways Pill & Ointment & Pears Soap Shop on The Strand.

6: What happened to the paddle steamer The Duchess of Devonshire at Sidmouth?

Answer: Ran aground (on 27 August 1934)

7: Where was the Dispensary and Soup Kitchen in Exmouth?

Answer: Manchester House, South Street, (1868).

8: When were the streets of Exmouth first lit by gas?

Answer: 1842

9: The YMCA building in Victoria Road – when was it built?

Answer: 1907.

10: Do you know when the Exmouth Steam Laundry caught fire?

Answer: 25 November 1954.

11: Exmouth Urban District Council – when was it formed?

Answer: 1894.

12: When was the first air raid alert in Exmouth?

Answer: 7 August 1940

13: Where did the first bomb fall in Exmouth?

Answer: Watery Lane (on 9 January 1943)

14: The last air raid warning was sounded on February 26th 1943 – do you know where the bombs fell?

Answer: Gas Holder, Exeter Road, Strand and Albion Hill. (all at noon).

15: When was the first branch line train to Budleigh Salterton?

Answer: 1908

16: The Exmouth Pavilion is on the sea front – do you know when it was built?

Answer: 1933.

17: How did Camperdown Terrace get its name?

Answer: Collision of two ships - Camperdown and Victoria in 1910.

18: When was the first train from Exeter?

Answer: 1861 (1 May)

19: Before the Roman Catholic Church was built where did they meet for worship?

Answer: Lawn House, now the Park Hotel.

20: When was the Exmouth Cottage Hospital built?

Answer: 1903

21: The letters SPQR was seen over a shop in Chapel Street a long time ago – what does it mean?

Answer: Small Profit, Quick Returns.

22: When was Exmouth Docks opened?

Answer: 1865.

My thanks again to those who entered and I hope you all discovered a little more about this wonderful town of ours that we are all proud to call home. I am afraid there is no overall winner as nobody got anything right! It seems my questions were just a little too hard. Better luck next time as they say, but I do hope you still managed to have some fun with it and stretched those 'little grey cells' after the festive season.

The museum is looking forward to welcoming you all back in April for what will I hope prove to be an exciting time, as you walk through the new reception area and enjoy the exhibits, both old and new.

In the meantime, you can find out more about Exmouth Museum at the museum’s website www.exmouthmuseum.co.uk or you can email me at mike.menhenitt@btinternet.com.