Exeter Quay

Summary

Exeter’s medieval and Tudor riverside quay on the Exe — a working from the 14th century with the Custom House (1681), Victorian warehouses, and a continuous quayside canal-water relationship.

About this location

Exeter Quay sits on the west bank of the River Exe below the city centre, at the terminus of the Exeter Ship Canal — one of the oldest surviving canals in England (1564). The Custom House on the quay dates from 1681 and is one of the earliest purpose-built customs houses in the country. The adjacent warehouse buildings are Victorian brick, housing antique dealers, restaurants, and studios. The canal basin at the quay end has a swing bridge.

The quay walk extends south along the river through a flat meadow and marsh landscape towards Topsham. The canal towpath gives a continuous walking route south to the estuary. At the quay itself, the combination of the Custom House exterior, the brick warehouses, and the canal basin creates a compact period environment.

For productions, Exeter Quay gives a smaller-scale English riverside trading quay — useful for period drama requiring an enclosed quayside environment without the scale of Bristol or London docklands. The Custom House exterior is a specific period set piece. Exeter City Council handles filming permits.