Recent digs have provided proof that this place was occupied in prehistoric times and that a fort was built here during the Iron Age, around 600 BC. Some elements seem to indicate that the Romans lived in the castle after the invasion of 43AD and that the Saxons fortified it again at the end of the 5C. The site, which provides a magnificent view, is said to be the castle of King Arthur.

Dunkery Beacon (519m), near the village of Porlock, is the highest point on Exmoor and is visible for miles around. It commands magnificent views of the moor and, it is said, sixteen counties.

The abbey was rebuilt in the 15C and contains elements from the Saxon era. The romanesque church stretched as far west as the Saxon church, as proved by the south porch from the late Norman era. The tower over the transept crossing (15C) is built on heavy Saxon-Norman walls and pillars and contains two openings and twelve pinnacles. Two rows of Perpendicular style windows on the southern façade are unusually cut mid-way by the eight openings of the transept.

The quay dates from the days when Exeter was a port, during a period of prosperity which was brought to an abrupt end in the 13C when Isabella of Devon built a weir across the river and diverted all trade from Exeter to Topsham. By the 16C, the river was no longer navigable so the first ship canal in England was dug (1563-1566). The Quay House Interpretation Centre presents models, paintings and artefacts and an audio-visual history of Exeter.