When I first learned of the tours of underground Exeter, I assumed they were for hiding or transporting something illegal. What we learned was that it was something entirely different.
These passages are the only of its type open to the public in the UK and date back to as early as the 13th Century. Something that old must be sinister in nature of some sort, right? Wrong! These passages were actually used to transport drinking water from the natural springs into the city walls through lead pipes. Ok, so maybe they were only partially advanced. The knowledge of health issues tied to lead didn’t come until much later.
However, it was a pretty advanced system, especially for the time. It wasn’t new to bury pipes in the ground for such uses, but when there was a leak, which was almost certain, the pipes would need to dug up. Much like today, this would disrupt traffic. Instead, the pipes were laid in tunnels with just enough space for workers to access them without tearing up the ground above.
Now for the sinister part…sort of. The water that went into the city walls went to the church for the clergy and wealthy. I guess the masses had the last laugh, however, since the pipes were lead. Of course, life expectancy at that time was fairly low anyway so I’m not sure it made much of a difference, but the humanitarian in me would like to think otherwise.
The tour took about an hour and there was an optional walk into a very short and narrow space – which I would have liked to skip, but when you have a 7-year-old you gotta do what they want to do. It was super informative and I would highly recommend it if you are in the area.
Under the Bodhi Tree 