“You should be a Tour Guide”

A weekend or two ago, I arranged to meet up with my friend Mark Backhouse. He was in Exeter with his girlfriend and said we should take the opportunity to meet up for a drink and a chat.

I met Mark outside the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter.  The plan was to walk around the museum, but first I suggested that we take a walk around the walls of the city and I told him some of the history of the City.

We started by going through Rougemont Gardens where I showed him Athelstan's Tower and the gatehouse of Rougemont Castle before going to Exeter cathedral.

We couldn't resist trying on the helmets.

Returning to the museum, we grabbed a coffee before looking at the collections. Downstairs, there is a history of Exeter while upstairs there is a small antiquities collection.

I want my mummy!

The Museum also has some old taxidermy exhibits, dating back to a different era, when shooting animals for sport was the 'done thing'. It is good however that these have not been destroyed and are still on show for the public to see.

A hundred-year-old Tiger.

The taxidermy animals used to be downstairs, but now have their own exhibit on the second floor. An Elephant and Giraffe are also in the collection.

A fierce Polar Bear!

Exeter has a lot of hidden history. Mark was very grateful for his guided tour and said "You should be a tour guide!" Maybe Mark but I'm happy with my current job.