Appreciating the architecture of Exmouth

The Beacon we all know about, built as it was to be somewhere for posh people to reside and stay. But, a good deal of the buildings in Strand and even Parade, are well built, and of a good size. Parade houses have of course been ruined by extensive additional ground level building for shops etcetera. On Strand, the quality of the buildings has been compromised over many years due to changes in tenancy, and by the accumulation of very tatty shop fronts.

In my long experience most people, most of the time, do not cast their eyes above street level, or stand far enough away to appreciate the original intentions of the builders. There are on the south side of Strand for example some fine, although typical, insurance company buildings.

There are many places in Exmouth centre that need tidying up, best achieved perhaps by removing as many of the later excretions as viable. But, even given the number of absentee and probably disinterested owners, is not going to happen any time soon. An example that comes to mind is just how good Kings Cross station in London looks after many years of additions had been removed.

The reason I mention this is because a good deal has been said in recent years about improving the look and utility of town centres. Exmouth has real possibilities here, but someone, the politicians perhaps, are going to need to take some action. As people now know EDDC, as matter of policy, has created a ten year Cultural Strategy that embraces Exmouth. Time for them to show some will and muscle?

It is good to see the refurbishment of the old Tommy Tucker shop, even though this did take such a long time for action on that festering site. Take a walk around the town centre with your own clip-board and do a list. Check-out the variety of styles, and work out the ages. The reconfiguration of Strand Gardens has already given some pointers to what can be done, but of course, imagination is required, collaboration and mixing of skill sets. We have many able architects, and even more designers, in Exmouth. How rarely do they get an opportunity to do some town planning? There was a twenty year period after the late 1940s where the cream of young architects in England worked for Local Authorities. The 1951 Festival of Britain was an inspiration for much good work. There are good examples away from the town centre, such as the Littleham Council Estate from the 1950s, a good illustration. (see my co-authored 2020 book on this.) But, that was in the time when Exmouth Urban District Council existed, with its own planning and building authority.

Of course there is some recent town centre infill, most of which is okay, but is this work coordinated? Does anyone have a goal? We have do have Exmouth Placemaking, but is there any money, any real focus? I would not want to decry the efforts people are making, swimming against the stream trying to raise awareness, but we need more vision, even dare I say it, more anger from local people about wasted years and shoulder shrugging.

We are all aware of how successive governments have deprived Local Government/Authorities of funding, and the national disgrace of selling off great swaths of the existing housing stock. These two things go together of course; the down-grading of Local Government was a deliberate act by the State (regardless of government of the day) because ‘they’ wanted to accrue more power to Whitehall. And, the consequences now, the appalling and massive crisis in housing today. All part of the general attack on the Public Sector.

So, take that clip-board and get to work, a vision driven perspective can be very liberating.

JOHN ASTLEY COLUMN