We are open as usual: Tuesdays to Fridays 10am-5pm and Saturdays 10am-4pm.
Contact us:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

Our full programme of Events April – September 2025

Join in with our NEW programme of events and workshops for all ages

Download our current event leaflet here: What’s on April – Sept 2025 

For bookable events please go to our membership and booking platform Webcollect/dei

Webcollect will ask you to create a ‘member profile’ for the booking and you can pay via card or bank transfer – this doesn’t mean that you need to become a ‘member’ of the DEI to book events.  We know this isn’t ideal and we are exploring other booking platforms for our autumn / winter season.

Other ways to book: 

Via email: [email protected] 

In person -at the front desk, 7 Cathedral Close, EX1 1EZ.

For member interest groups please email: [email protected] 

April 2025

Day Date Times Event Additional Info
Tuesday 1st 10am-5pm NEW: Book display – ‘Whispers of the West: tracing the folklore of the South West’. On display until Wednesday 30th April. Drop in
Wednesday 2nd 1pm-4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in
Thursday 3rd 11am-2pm Green Shoots Gardening Group – Volunteers drop in session Open to new members
Tuesday 8th 2.30pm Members’ Reading Group Joining information via [email protected]
Wednesday 9th 1pm-4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in
Thursday 17th 11am-2pm Green Shoots Gardening Group – Volunteers drop in session Open to new members
Thursday 17th Doors 6pm Lecture 6.30pm – 7.30pm Turning the Page lecture series  –  Dr Fiona Schroeder, Fictions of the Fin du Globe: Late Victorian Page-Turners and the Fantasy of the Unknown Tickets £10 / Booking essential
Saturday 19th 10.30am-12 noon Bookworms Junior Members’ Club For children aged 5-8 years / Booking essential / Taster session free
Wednesday 23rd 1pm-4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in
Thursday 24th 2.30pm – 4pm West Quarter Research Group Joining information via [email protected]
Friday 25th 11am-4pm NEW: Bookbinding Workshop- The Secret Belgian Binding with Celadine Books Booking information www.celadinebooks.co.uk
Wednesday 30th 1pm-4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in
 

May 

Day Date Times Event Additional Info
Thursday 1st 10am-5pm NEW: Book display – ‘Green Shoots: horticultural treasures from our natural history collection, unearthed by our gardeners’. On display until Saturday 7th June. Drop in
Thursday 1st 11am-2pm Green Shoots Gardening Group – Volunteers drop in session Open to new members
Wednesday 7th 1pm-4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in
Saturday 10th 10apm-1pm NEW: Letterpress workshop with Jeremy Speck – Use type to creative beautiful, graphic prints to take home Tickets £25 / Booking essential
Tuesday 13th 2.30pm Members’ Reading Group Joining information via [email protected]
Wednesday 14th 1pm-4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in
Saturday 17th 10.30am-12 noon Bookworms Junior Members’ Club For children aged 5-8 years / Booking essential / Taster session free
Wednesday 21st 1pm-4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in
Thursday 24th 2.30pm – 4pm West Quarter Research Group Joining information via [email protected]
Wednesday 28th 1pm-4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in

June

Day Date Event Additional Info
Join us for a host of artistic and literary events during the city-wide June Boom!
 Summer lunches return to the Courtenay Room and Garden  
Wednesday 4th 1pm-4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in
Thursday 5th 11am-2pm Green Shoots Gardening Group – Volunteers drop in session Open to new members
Sunday 8th 11am – 4pm City of Literature Bookmarket on Cathedral Green.  Second-hand Book Sale and drop in events at the Institution. Free tours – new members welcome. Drop in
Tuesday 10th 2.30pm Members’ Reading Group Joining information via [email protected]
Tuesday 10th 10am-5pm  NEW: ‘The first word is Hope’

An exhibition of letterpress prints and posters by Jeremy Speck.

This collection of work is inspired by the work of Davina Quinlivan produced during her time as Writer-in-Residence for Quay Words and the Devon & Exeter Institution. On show until 5th July

Drop in
Tuesday 10th 11am-4pm NEW: Join us for Art Week Exeter.  Crab and Bees Matter of Britian, Co-curated display featuring paintings by Helen Billinghurst. On show until 21st June. Drop in
Wednesday 11th 1pm-4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in
Saturday 14th 10am – 3pm NEW: One-Day Choir  – join choirmaster Emma Watson to learn and perform ‘I can’t help falling in love with you’ in a day, in our stunning Blue Room Tickets £25 / Booking essential
Saturday 14th 2pm  – 3pm  NEW: Performance reading from ‘Crab & Bee’s Matter of Britain’, a collection of folk stories overheard in pubs, found on village noticeboards, and whispered through the landscape itself, gathered from Helen and Phil Smith’s travels across the UK. On show until 21st July. Drop in
Wednesday 18th 1pm – 4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in
Thursday 19th 11am-2pm Green Shoots Gardening Group – Volunteers drop in session Open to new members
Thursday 19th 2.30pm – 4pm West Quarter Research Group Joining information via [email protected]
Saturday 21st 10.30am-12 noon Bookworms Junior Members’ Club For children aged 5-8 years / Booking essential / Taster session free
Tuesday 24th 10am-5pm NEW: Book display – ‘Collection highlights: sharing the start items from our Collections Review’. On display until Friday 29th August. Drop in
Wednesday 25th 1pm -4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in

July

Day Date Event Additional Info
NEW: Schools’ Enrichment Week 14th -18th July – What can historic newspapers tell us about fake news, trolling and clickbait? 

Free Workshops for KS3/4 throughout the week.

Contact [email protected] to book

Thursday 3rd 11am-2pm Green Shoots Gardening Group – Volunteers drop in session Open to new members
Thursday 3rd 3pm Volunteers Thank You tea party DEI Volunteers
Tuesday 8th 11am-12 noon Librarian’s Tour Free / Booking essential
Tuesday 8th 2.30pm Members’ Reading Group Joining information via [email protected]
Wednesday

 

Thursday

9th

 

10th

1pm-4pm

 

6pm -8pm

Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections

NEW: Supper Club in the Courtenay Room

 

Drop in

 

£30/ Booking essential 

 

Saturday 19th 10.30am-12 noon Bookworms Junior Members’ Club For children aged 5-8 years / Booking essential / Taster session free
Wednesday 23rd 1pm -4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in
Thursday 24th 2.30pm – 4pm West Quarter Research Group Joining information via [email protected]
Wednesday 30th 1pm -4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in

August

Day Date Event Additional Info
Wednesday 6th 1pm-4pm NEW: Family tour of the Institution – tour led by our Junior Members, suitable for children and their adults Free, drop in
Thursday 7th 11am-2pm NEW: Green Shoots Gardening Group  – family make and take Free, drop in
Tuesday 12th 2.30pm Members’ Reading Group Joining information via [email protected]
Wednesday 13th 1pm-4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in
Saturday 16th 10.30am-12 noon Bookworms Junior Members’ Club For children aged 5-8 years / Booking essential / Taster session free
Wednesday 20th 1pm – 4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in
Thursday 21st 11am-2pm NEW: Green Shoots Gardening Group  – family make and take Free, drop in
Wednesday 27th 1pm – 4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in
Saturday 30th 11am-3pm Second-hand Book Sale Drop in

September

Day Date Event Additional Info
Heritage Open Days -join us for free Librarian’s Tours, special display, workshop and promenade performances of ‘Frederick Douglass in Exeter’
Tuesday 2nd 10-5pm NEW: Book display: ‘Frederick Douglass in Exeter’. On display until Saturday 4th October. Drop in
Wednesday 3rd 1pm – 4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in
Thursday 4th 11am-2pm Green Shoots Gardening Group – Volunteers drop in session Open to new members
Tuesday 9th 2.30pm Members’ Reading Group Joining information via [email protected]
Wednesday 10th 1pm – 4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in
Tuesday 16th 11am Librarian’s Tour – Heritage Open Days Free / Booking essential
Wednesday 17th 3pm NEW: Workshop – ‘Frederick Douglass in Exeter’ Free / Booking essential
Wednesday 17th 1pm -4pm Free tours of the Institution for Heritage Open Days – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in
Thursday 18th 2pm – 3pm Librarian’s Tour  – Heritage Open Days Free / Booking essential
Friday 19th 2pm and 4pm (Performance lasts 45 minutes) NEW: Promenade performance – ‘Frederick Douglass in Exeter’ by Riversmeet Free / Booking essential 2pm / 4pm
Friday 19th 3pm – 3.45pm NEW: Book display talk ‘Frederick Douglass in Exeter’- meet the Curator Free, drop in
Saturday 20th 2pm and 4pm (Performance lasts 45 minutes) NEW: Promenade performance – ‘Frederick Douglass in Exeter’ by Riversmeet Free / Booking essential 2pm / 4pm
Saturday 20th 3pm – 3.45pm NEW: Book display talk ‘Frederick Douglass in Exeter’- meet the Curator Free, drop in
Thursday 21st 10am-2pm Green Shoots Gardening Group – Volunteers drop in Open to new members
Wednesday 27th 1pm – 4pm Free tours of the Institution – find out about our beautifully restored heritage building and collections Drop in