Chair’s news – June 2023

From the Chair

June Meeting – Dr Todd Gray, The Cathedral Yard Fire and Exeter’s Historic Buildings

There will be a change in the advertised talk for our June meeting.  I know many people were looking forward to learning about the Devon Land Army but unfortunately our speaker, Rebekah Pearson, has had to pull out of this because she is undergoing leg surgery.  She promises to come again at a later date.

I have some sympathy with Rebekah’s plight as I currently have a leg in plaster and am reliant on crutches (and especially Lynne!) having torn my Achilles tendon playing tennis last week.  It is a good reminder about accessibility and how we can unexpectedly and suddenly find ourselves unable to do things to which we previously gave little thought.

I have had to engage in the urgent quest for another speaker for June.  I am pleased to say that Dr Todd Gray has agreed to give another talk on our local history.  His topic this time is The Cathedral Yard Fire and Exeter’s historic buildings.  All those who know and love Exeter’s city centre and cathedral close were horrified by the fire in October 2016 which devastated the Royal Clarence Hotel and adjacent buildings.  It has resulted in a major restoration and rebuilding project which continues today.  It has been an opportunity for archaeologists and historians to learn about the site, and I am sure Dr Gray’s talk will be fascinating.  His talk in November on Devon and the Slave Plantations was fascinating and I am sure this talk will also be of wide interest to anyone who knows and visits Exeter.

John Vick

Chair