Local historian: A horse-drawn fire engine and the history of Exmouth Museum

Last week we saw the very beginnings of the museum and now I can bring you right up to date with the story of your museum.

Living at No. 6 Shepperds Row (now the Salvation Army building) was one John Edwards who was born in 1910 and recalls in his memoirs that the council yard, the pumping station, the town's mortuary and stables were all there along with a children's playground. No consideration for health and safety in those days!

Children would often help clean the tack of the big shire horses, among which was one huge black one called 'Prince', who won many prizes at shows and you can see a picture of him at the museum.

The steam fire engine

At the other end of the building was a lean-to outhouse that housed the council fire engine purchased in 1906 and was pulled by the horses stabled on site. Nowadays, this is a secure outside store for the museum.

The fire engine was a steam one and, if a fire broke out in the town and the brigade was summoned, then the council workman on site had to light the fire under the boiler to produce the steam - the idea being that by the time the firemen arrived on site the steam engine would be on its way to being able to function. It was said that the firemen hoped to be at the site of a fire within an hour!

The museum

By the middle of the 20th century, the building was only used as a store, the horses having been replaced by motorised vehicles.

In 1983, as we have seen last week, work started to make it the town's museum. In 2021, the museum was offered the opportunity to purchase the premises from the council which it successfully completed with a combination of a grant and loan from the council.

This loan has now to be repaid and the museum is therefore always in need of income to service this loan and to maintain the general upkeep of the museum itself.

The Trustees of the Society of Exmouth Museum are responsible for the museum and a management committee is responsible for the day to day running of the museum.

If you fancy getting involved, even if only for a few hours a week, we would love to hear from you. There are many things that volunteers can do, from stewarding where you get to meet lots of people, to fund raising and maintenance in the winter months. The museum can always find something for you to do!

The museum is open and closes for 2022 at the end of October.

Among the many attractions you can see are the Victorian kitchen from an Exmouth house complete with its original oven containing baked bread, a 1940's front parlour from an Exmouth house with its original fireplace and the table laid ready for tea in wartime.

Not to be missed is the large Victorian static steam pump used in an Exmouth Laundry, not only in connection with their work, but also to produce their own electricity which was quite an innovation at the time. It weighs over three tons and was moved to the museum by the Royal Marines.

There is also an exhibition of Honiton Lace which was a thriving industry in the town around the Bicton Street area and the town was renowned for the busy market for lace. Exmouth was home to several famous women who I will be writing about in coming weeks and their individual stories are set out at the museum. There is something for both old and young alike at the museum. A glass cabinet showing past toys never fails to amaze!

We look forward to welcoming you and hope you enjoy your time with us and perhaps buy a souvenir of your visit from our new range of gifts.

For more information please visit www.exmouthmuseum.co.uk.

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Ed: This is the 11th part of Mike Menhenitt's 'Walking Through Exmouth History' series. Use the links below to read previous articles:

Part One: The beginnings of Exmouth, from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age

Part Two: Exmouth in the Iron Age - and the arrival of the Celts

Part Three: Roman coins and Viking raids

Part Four: The impact of the Norman conquest, and how places in Exmouth got their names

Part Five: How Exmouth became a fashionable seaside resort in the 18th century

Part Six: How the docks brought prosperity to Exmouth - and then became the marina

Part Seven: The coming of the railway

Part Eight: Turnpikes, toll houses and inns in Exmouth