Photo Friday - 2 ... St Catherine's Almshouses, Exeter

Right in the centre of the shopping centre are the remains of the almshouses.  This Chapel and almshouses were founded by Canon John Stevens DD, (Doctor of Physick), in 1457, to house thirteen poor men. Regulations during the 17th and 18th Century changed, allowing married couples to live there. In the 19th Century, they changed again to favour widows, and single women. In 1811, the thirteen residents were increased to fifteen, by installing two extra habitations.

During the second war, servicemen were billeted in the buildings. The bombing of May 1942 destroyed the Almshouses and Chapel. Rather than clear the ruins, the City Council landscaped the ruins as a memorial to that dreadful night.

There are a few more details of the intervening history here




The glass panels contain pieces of crockery that were found in both the rubble and some older from around the grounds when things were being preserved.