A Tour of the Grounds of the University of Exeter

The grounds of the University of Exeter have long been recognised as amongst the most attractive of any British university and to assist those of our visitors who wish to enjoy these impressive gardens more closely, a route has been planned to take in the most picturesque and interesting aspects of the site.

Here's a clickable map of the university grounds with the tour etched in red. Click inside a numbered red rectangle.

And here's a large map of the area but it isn't clickable.

The central University estate has been based on the Reed Hall gardens which were laid out in the 1860s by Richard Thornton West, an East India merchant who inherited nearly a million pounds from an uncle who made a fortune by blockade running in the Napoleonic wars. It is believed that £80,000 was spent on the house and £70,000 on laying out and improving the estate. The landscaping and tree planting was carried out by the firm of Veitch whose plant collectors went to many parts of the world. Among them were the renowned E. H. Wilson and the Lobb Brothers. At the time of planting on the estate, many of the trees must have been unique in Europe.

As the University has expanded, a wide range of rare, interesting and beautiful plants have been used throughout the Estate exploiting the micro-climates created by the buildings and the natural features of the site. These plant collections not only create an attractive landscape, but are also used in teaching and research.

This information is based on the printed version of the Tour of the Grounds, copies of which may be purchased from:

	Supermarket
	University of Exeter
	Stocker Road
	Exeter
	EX4 4PZ