STRANGE THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN EXETER’S FORGOTTEN NEIGHBOURHOOD
Newtown is a proud area that often gets overlooked.
Students running riot, gates going missing, locals being forced to clean up their own streets and planning wrangles – these are just some of the things said to be going on in one of Exeter’s forgotten neighbourhoods. Yet Newtown has bags of character with many full of pride for their historic community as they fight for change.
“I’ve been doing this for six months,” says Stewart Kendrew as he walks down Newtown’s Clifton Street with a bin and bright orange vest, picking up bits of garbage. He says the council tends to miss some of the rubbish on bin days – especially ever since a larger tip was broken releasing mess across the streets.
Stewart cleans up Newtown for free. Once the council found out about his efforts, they supplied him with bin bags, garbage picks, and his vest. The destroyed tip, however, has yet to be repaired, and rubbish frequently settles on Clifton Road. “The council has given me high regards,” Stewart says, “I clean up the parts that they’ve missed.
Newtown is situated between Heavitree and St Sidwells. Stretching downhill and feeding into Clifton Road is Portland Street. At the mouth of Portland Street is Heavitree Hospital where a workhouse once stood, solidifying Newtown as an area known for housing the poor.
Visiting Newtown today presents an urban landscape that citizens believe is strengthened by a past full of resilience.
The Ancient Parish Lands of ST Sidwell and Other Charities (referred to as the Feoffees) are housed in Newtown. Dating back to 1558, the charity emanates from St Sidwells Church and extended within Newtown to aid the lower-income residents. Up until the 1960s, it was customary to meet monthly with members bringing lower-income residents from their areas for the charity to parse out monetary gifts.
The direct donations to the poor in the area proved difficult after the 60s, so thereafter. they began strategically giving to charities that served lower-income people. Within the last quarter, the charity has given more than £12000 to support organisations such as Newtown Primary School to the Salvation Army, in addition to grants for students to go to university.
Clerk to the Feoffees, Terry Tancock, explains that the work the charity does goes beyond donations to support organisations. Primarily, they focus on creating affordable housing. for the disabled and elderly.
“Newtown is now mostly made up of student accommodation which has brought the housing prices way up,” Terry said. of student also houdan can be for about E227 per month, sometimes including water bills.”
Terry grew up in Portland Street. Born right after World War Two, Terry was exposed to a war torn Newtown. The working classes in the community were hit even harder by the war’s destruction, contributing to the 1950s as an era of sustained economic hardship. Terry’s own father was a beneficiary of the charity.
In the latter half of the 20th century, the cheap homes were largely attractive to students as Exeter University grew which has driven residents out of Newtown. The few locals who do remain sometimes utilise the charity. Stewart tells me his thoughts on the student population as he joins me in the pub following his trash picking.
Those at the feoffees have different views.
“I have never had any problem at all with students renting accommodation”, says Roger Broon, a local Newtonian and Chairman of the Feoffees,” I have snow on my head now, but ! would live the same life.