Underground passages reopen for the first time since the pandemic
They date back to Medieval times, when they were designed to help pump clean drinking water into the city
Last updated 10th Jun 2022
Exeter's famous underground passages - which date back to Medieval times - have just reopened, after being closed since the start of the pandemic.
We've been to take a tour with Helen Smith, who says they were originally designed to bring clean drinking water into the city
Exeter is the only city in the UK to have underground passages of this type and guided tours have taken place since the 1930s
The pipes were designed to bring clean drinking water from natural springs outside the walled city - using lead pipes.
The pipes sometimes leaked and repairs to buried pipes could only be carried out by digging them up as we do today.
To avoid this disruption the passages were vaulted. It is down some of these vaulted passageways that visitors are guided.
For more details click here