A gentle guided heritage walk along the canal from Piazza Terricina
Twenty walkers joined us for our latest walk around Exeter’s Heritage Harbour which focused on the theme of change and how what is now an area mainly for leisure and recreation was once a hive of industry and commerce. From the Canal Basin to the Kings Arm sluice, to Trews Weir, over the suspension bridge and along to the open Transit shed, walkers saw a mix of modern housing and historic mill buildings, cellars and warehouses and heard about some of the people who used to live and work in the area.
On the walk we highlighted the work of the Friends and the benefits that Heritage Harbour status brings to Exeter. We shared information about the historic boats moored on East Quay and the work being done by the Britannia Trust to teach traditional boat building and restoration skills to a younger generation. We also spoke about our ambitions for the future and the joint campaign with the Inland Waterways Association for a higher air draft under the new bridges to be built on the A379.
The walk served as a reminder that the traces of the Harbour’s industrial past have not been erased and that with the possibility of increased use of the Canal, hopefully for freight as well as passenger transport, there is a chance that industry and leisure could once again exist side by side.
