A rare Exeter envelope sent to the city by an officer serving in the Crimean War has been uncovered by stamp and postal history specialists Scotia Philately Ltd.
The letter is addressed to Mrs W. D. Francis, 41 St Bartholomew Yard, Exeter, and is written by her husband, a British officer serving with the Turkish contingent at Pera on the European side of the Bosphorus in Turkey.
It is franked with three 1d red-brown British stamps which are cancelled by the very rare “O*O” postmark which was only used on mail from Crimea.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for heavy downpours and thunderstorms across Devon this weekend.
The warning is in place until 9pm tomorrow (Saturday).
Showers will be become heavy and thundery across southwestern parts of England and Wales early on Friday, moving northeast during the day. Some reduction in activity is expected overnight, before further slow moving heavy and thundery downpours develop during Saturday, easing from the north later.
Forecasters have warned that the downpours may lead to localised flooding and potential disruption to...
The once lush Sandy Park pitch is all but a distant memory as workmen prepare to lay a new hybrid surface.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the stands is the city's biggest Meccano set.
Huge cranes have been swinging giant metal girders into place that will form new conferencing facilities and extra office space.
The work is all part of the Chiefs ambitious, long-term plans to transform Sandy Park into a state-of-the-art stadium that will eventually see the ground capacity double to 20,600 .
The main part of the works this summer will see the existing West...
The new Bishop of Exeter began his prayer pilgrimage around the county in Plymouth this week, with a visit to St Aubyn Church, which also houses Devonport library and a café.
The Rt Revd Robert Atwell is to be installed as the 71st Bishop of Exeter on 5 July at the Cathedral, and everyone is welcome to the service by 2pm. He is spending the days before the installation getting to know the diocese, listening to people’s concerns and offering to pray for them.
The café at St Aubyn’s is run by the social enterprise company, Trading Routes, which supports community projects...
Exeter Racecourse and Devon Hampers have teamed up to create a special hamper which will be presented to the winning owner of each day’s feature race at its 15 meetings during its 2014-2015 season.
General manager Tim Darby spent a morning at the Arundell Arms in Lifton, where Devon Hampers is based, and selected a dozen products to whet the appetite of owners.
He said: “There was so much to choose from, and in the end we picked what we thought was a good representation from Devon."
Included in each hamper will be Sharpham Dart Valley Reserve white wine Hogsbottom...
How can you have a big belly and yet reduce the pounds? The answer is when the Big Belly is a brand of litter bin like the ones being installed at resorts along East Devon’s coastline.
East Devon District Council has invested in a five-year lease for a total of 21 new Big Belly brand litter bins. These have a number of benefits – one being that they largely pay for themselves.
The costs of the lease agreement will be offset by savings on agency and staff overtime due to a significant reduction in the number of times the bins need to be emptied and by greater operational...
Two men have been arrested in connection with a robbery at an antiques shop in Honiton. The incident took place at Banwell Antiques on Saturday 22 March, as a female staff member, who was working alone, opened up the store at around 9am. The woman was grabbed from behind by the suspect before being tied up. Although not physically injured she was left very shaken by the incident. A 52-year-old man from London has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and released on bail until 16 July. He was arrested on Friday 18 April in London. A 45-year-old man from London has been arrested in Belgium...
An Exeter-based corporate lawyer and category 1 road cyclist has been selected for the 2014 British Cycling National Road Championships competing against the likes of Team Sky and Sir Bradley Wiggins.
Andrew Feather, a specialist in corporate mergers and acquisitions with Michelmores LLP, will compete for team Bikeshed – UEX in the 117 mile Championship Road Race on Sunday, June 29 taking place around Monmouthshire in Wales.
The event, which will be screened live on Eurosport and includes 160 elite cyclists from around the UK, many of whom will be competing in the...
The smell of acrid smoke still hangs in the air almost a week after Exeter’s Hole In The Wall pub suffered a huge blaze.
Debris is scattered everywhere and evidence of the intensity of the inferno clear to see.
Yet among this chaos are signs of the calm before the storm. Candle holders are still in place on some of the tables and the menu board has surprisingly remained intact.
As co-owner George Sloan (pictured) walks me around the building he tries to make light of the situation but the anguish is etched on his face.
Ashfords LLP, a leading UK law firm, is holding a Summer Fun Day at Tedburn St Mary School in Exeter to raise money for Children's Hospice South West.
The Summer Fun Day is set to burst with fun-filled stalls to make for an entertaining and enjoyable charity fete.
There will be a number of different stalls located around the school grounds, including Beat the Keeper, Treasure Island, and Higher or Lower. Some more traditional, classic games will also be making an appearance, such as a Tombola, a Coconut Shy and, of course, a Bouncy Castle!
