What's on
New table top display: ‘In the roar of the sea’
Take a trip to the Outer Library to enjoy some seaside delights from our special collections.
Courtenay Room lunches – Menus for Summer 2023
We are delighted to be offering lunches in the Courtenay Room for Summer, with our new catering partner, Cebi. Lunches will be available every Wednesday.
Find out the latest menu on our page.
Our full programme of events for April, May and June 2023
To view our full programme of events and workshops for all ages, please see the outline below, or click here to see our full brochure: What’s On at the DEI […]
Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’
On Saturday 14 May 2022, Exeter Pride takes to the streets to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and questioning communities, in this 50th anniversary year of the UK’s first Pride […]
Light on the Green Appeal Launch
We would like to invite you to support our Light on the Green Appeal by joining us for a summer party at the Institution on Thursday 9th June at 6pm. Book tickets and donate here.
Tender opportunity – Evaluation Consultant
Devon and Exeter Institution seeks to appoint a consultant to coordinate the evaluation of the activity plan, capital works and interpretation aspects of The Next Chapter project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which has recently begun its Delivery Phase.
Trustees needed to help deliver The Next Chapter – Closing date 10 Feb 2023
We are looking for new trustees to provide longer term sustainability for our Board and who will help us turn our strategic vision into reality over the next five years.
Benjamin Donn – Putting Devon on the map
In a fine example of competition as the fuel for innovation and scientific advancement, Benjamin Donn[e] produced A map of the county of Devon, with the city and county of […]
Spring has sprung
Spring has arrived in the Institution garden inspiring us to look through our collections...
A British Science Week Special: Celebrating the Legacy of William Elford Leach
William Elford Leach (1791-1836) was a prominent zoologist, born in the height of the Age of Enlightenment in Plymouth, Devon. From a young age, he began to collect marine specimens […]
An unusual valentine: Jane Austen’s “Love and Freindship”
Donated in 1977 to the Institution as a generous gift from Chawton House, this small volume of Jane Austen's juvenilia has borne witness to a fascinating history of friendship and correspondence.
Annotating Alice: An Exam-Season Special Collection Highlight
January is exam season, and we would like to extend wishes of good luck to our student members, many of whom have been revising and studying here over the last […]
Charlotte Chanter’s “Ferny Combes” and the fashioning of the fern craze in Devon
“My humble effort is designed to lead the youthful and cheer the weary spirit, by leading them, with a woman’s hand, to the Ferny Combes and Dells of Devon.” Beautifully […]
Children’s events and workshops
Our programme of our children's events and workshops July - Sept 2022
Press Release December 2021 – The Devon and Exeter Institution secures a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant for The Next Chapter project.
The Devon and Exeter Institution, an independent library and educational charity in the heart of Exeter, has received a £814,000 National Lottery Heritage Fund grant for the second stage of its project, following a development grant of £186,000 awarded in March 2020; a total grant of one million pounds.
Current Vacancies
We're delighted to offer some exciting new opportunities to join our team. We are seeking a Projects and Programme Officer, a Collections and Research Assistant and offering a funded PhD in partnership with the University of Exeter, as part of our Next Chapter development project.
The Next Chapter project – Vlog 1, November 2021
It's been a busy week at the Institution as we continue with preparatory works for the Next Chapter project. This week we have been working with the team from Oakford Archaeology, to see what lies beneath our courtyard.
Here is the very first video blog (Vlog) of our project.
Saturday Programme: October – December 2021
Join in with our new lifelong learning programme of Saturday workshops and events
Exeter Literary Festival Events – 16th October 2021
We are delighted to host partner events for Exeter Literary Festival
Call for Papers: “Community Culture”
The Devon & Exeter Institution invites you to respond to its annual call for papers, interacting with the theme of “Community Culture.” Proposals may consider, but are not limited to […]
Hidden Nature Library Lecture – April 2021
The theme of our series this year is Hidden Nature. We will explore some of the hidden aspects of Devon, our heritage building, library and Enlightenment collections in general, through the eyes of a diverse group of speakers.
This month, Paul Auchterlonie speaks on Devon and the Middle East.
The Next Chapter Project
Emma Dunn, Director , shares the latest update on our development project (April 2021)
An Invitation to Create #15 – Earth Hour
Today marks Earth Hour, the annual grass roots campaign initiated in 2007 by the World Wide Fund to heighten global awareness of climate change, to speak up for nature, and […]
An Invitation to Create #14- Whale Compass
The eternal whale will still survive, and […] spout his frothed defiance to the skies.”- Herman Melville, Moby Dick (1851). What would a whale say on social media? A study […]
An Invitation to Create #13 – Pine Cone Planters
We invite you to bring the garden inside once more with these pine cone planters, a perfect craft for wet days. Great for creating more green space inside, especially if […]
An Invitation to Create #12 – Bookmark Make
March 6th 2021 What a week! You might have realised that it was World Book Day on Thursday, or even noted St Piran’s Day yesterday, but did you know that […]
An Invitation to Create #11 – Garden Cuttings
With spring near and with some blue skies at last, here at the DEI we have been taking stock of the planting in the garden. Today’s invitation is to take […]
An Invitation to Create #10 – Spider Spinners
A little scarlet spider no larger than a mustard-seed, invested by popular superstition with the power of spinning money in the pocket of him who secures it.” This week’s make […]
An Invitation to Create #9 – Picturesque Excursions
Today’s invitation to create comes to you from the ‘Picturesque Excursions of Devonshire’ by T. H. Williams (1827) Illustrated by the author, an artist, the book is made up in […]
International Women’s Day ‘Trade and Exchange’ Event Recording
Join artists Naomi Hart and Emma Molony and University of Exeter academics Dr Ceri Lewis (Associate Professor in Marine Biology) and Rebecca Lovell (Research Fellow at the European Centre for Environment and Human Health) for a special online talk about art, nature and science to celebrate International Women's Day.
Dr. Ingrid Pollard – Residency and Research Partner 2021-22
Display 6th August 2022 - 29th October 2022
Hidden Nature Library Lecture – February 2021
The theme of our series this year is Hidden Nature. We will explore some of the hidden aspects of Devon, our heritage building, library and Enlightenment collections in general, through the eyes of a diverse group of speakers.
German Dreams and Dreamers – Exhibition showing 19 May -31 July 2021.
This exhibition was inspired by a conference on the theme of Dreams, Visions, and Somnambulism in German Literature, Art, Medicine and Philosophy 1750-1835.
Press Release, Feb 2021: New Trade & Exchange project set to bring Exeter city centre alive
Trade & Exchange was launched in November 2020 and was commissioned as part of Exeter’s COVID-19 Recovery Plan Building Exeter Back Better.
A ‘Cornish boy, in tin-mines bred’: the legend of John Opie (1761-1807)
Born in Mithian, St Agnes, Cornwall, John Opie (1761-1807) overcame his humble birth to become a Royal Academician and one of the foremost portraitists and landscape artists of his day. He was introduced to the London art world as a self-taught Rousseauian 'noble savage', raised in a ‘remote and secluded part of the island’, who rose to fame ‘unassisted by partial patronage’. However, little of this was true.
Hidden Nature Library Lecture – December 2020
A series of talks and conversazione filmed at the Institution and presented monthly via our website.
Hidden Nature Library Lecture – November 2020
A series of talks and conversazione filmed at the Institution and presented monthly via our website.
December Programme 2020
Join us for Christmas events, tours and workshops at the Institution. We are a covid-secure venue.
Temporary Closure
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement we will be temporarily closing the Institution on Thursday 5 November for one month. We are planning to open again on Thursday 3 December.
Hidden Nature Library Lecture – October 2020
A series of talks and conversazione filmed at the Institution and presented monthly via our website.
Directors report to AGM 2020
2019-2020 has been an extraordinary year. Like many heritage organisations, we had to close our doors in March and adapt quickly to a locked-down world. At the same time, we also received notification of our successful application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for our exciting new project, The Next Chapter. Needless to say, there have been ups and downs but we have faced challenges in the spirit of the 19th century scientists who founded the Institution in 1813, adapting and innovating our programme and services so that we have continued to flourish and connect with our members and supporters.
Celebrating Libraries Week (5-10 October 2020)
Libraries Week is an annual showcase of the best that libraries have to offer, celebrating the nation's much-loved libraries and their vital role in the UK's book culture. We have been celebrating this week with a series of readings by our members and volunteers. We hope you enjoy them.
A Working History: a selection of local trade cards
Trade cards were printed on fine-quality paper and distributed with deliveries or given to customers at trade counters. Our set of eight postcards includes a bookseller, engraver, chemist, upholsterer, draper, […]
Westcountry Colours: drawings by Edward Ashworth
Our set of six notecards features delightful watercolour, pencil and ink drawings by Edward Ashworth (1814-1896), one of the leading ecclesiastical architects of his day. The Institution holds seven sketchbooks […]
The Art of Light: stained glass from Devon churches
Just in time for Christmas, these six cards feature stained-glass designs from our Exeter Diocesan Architectural Society collection. The Society was established in 1841 to report on the fabric of […]
Saturday Programme – October 2020
We are delighted to bring back our free Saturday workshops which will now be bookable and limited to six participants. All workshops take inspiration from our special collections and heritage site.
Mayflower: marking 400 years
Daniel Neal (1678-1743), a historian and nonconformist minister, published the first volume of The History of the Puritans in 1732; the final fourth volume appeared in 1738. Neal’s story starts with the Protestant Reformation and concludes with the Act of Toleration in the reign of William and Mary. The second volume includes an account of the voyage of Mayflower to the new ‘Promised Land’.
Heritage Open Days – A Snapshot in Time
Much of Exeter’s long history has been well documented, however one area that is less well documented is the West Quarter. Whilst the famous Stepcote Hill is featured in many postcards and guidebooks, the area around it, prosperous in medieval times, was designated a slum area in the 1920s and scheduled for redevelopment.
Last September historian Dr Julia Neville, in collaboration with the DEI, invited members to join a research group to study the history of the West Quarter in the 1920s. The group has been working on the project since then, using resources from the DEI library, those at the Devon Heritage Centre and the Central Library, and websites such as .ancestry.co.uk. Of course, the group’s work has been challenged by the Covid-19 crisis, but members have continued utilising on-line resources.
Reopening information for members – September 2020
Our phased reopening plans for the Institution - September 2020
Trustees needed to help us to deliver ‘The Next Chapter’ – Sept 2020
The Devon and Exeter Institution is an Independent Library and Educational Charity in the heart of Exeter, founded in 1813. We welcome new members and visitors of all ages. In March 2020 we were awarded a major grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for our development project 'The Next Chapter'.
Heritage Open Days 11-20 September 2020 – Hidden Nature
Join us here in the Institution garden or online, for Heritage Open Days. This year's theme is 'Hidden Nature' and we invite you to view the Institution from a different perspective.
August Saturday Programme – Heritage Outside!
We're back with safe and welcoming workshops in the Institution garden.
Saturday 8 August - Make a Terrarium
Saturday 29 August - Floral Fun
Lithographs of the Great Western Railway by John Cooke Bourne (1814-1896)
From his home in London, John Cooke Bourne (1814-1896) witnessed the construction of the London and Birmingham Railway, the first main-line railway to enter London. The London and Birmingham Railway Company was founded in 1833 and work soon began on a London terminus. Engineers George and Robert Stephenson chose a site on the edge of the city; a station with two platforms and two hotels was designed by Philip Hardwick (1792–1870) with a huge 70-foot Doric portico marking the gateway to the north. London Euston station officially opened on 20 July 1837. The following year a temporary terminus opened on Bishop’s Bridge Road in Paddington heralding the expansion of the railways to the west.
Discover brand new ways to support our conservation programme and become part of the history of the Institution
The Institution is a very special place in the heart of Exeter and we need your support now more than ever to ensure that it continues to thrive for generations to come. Watch the video to find out how you can get involved and become part of the fascinating history of the Devon and Exeter Institution.
Reopening Information for Members – July and August 2020
Our phased reopening plans for the Institution - July and August 2020
John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera
Originally from Barnstaple in Devon, John Gay (1685-1732) became one of London’s most renowned dramatists. His satirical ballad opera, The Beggar’s Opera, opened at Lincoln’s Inn Fields Theatre on 29 January 1728 and ran for 62 nights. Gay’s assault on the topsy-turvy morals, double-standards and self-interests of 18th century politics and aristocratic society remains one of the few 18th century plays still performed today.
The art of bookbinding by Joseph Zaehnsdorf (1853-1930)
This week's Book in Isolation transports you to the Outer Library of the Institution to delve into the history of the Institution's bindings.
Our online Saturday programme for June and July 2020
We are delighted to bring you our popular adult and family Saturday programme online. Join in with gardening, craft activities, workshops and experiments, all inspired by the Institution's building and collection.
An intricate and arduous undertaking: George Montagu (1753-1815) and his collection of shells
Beautiful, intricate and varied, shells have adorned our clothes, our homes and our objects of art for centuries. From the end of the 17th century, natural scientists began to collect, organise, observe and draw them in earnest. George Montagu’s Testacea Britannica (1803) is one of the most important works of natural history to come out of the Age of Enlightenment – and it has a special significance for Exeter.
The forgotten novels of William Edward Norris (1847-1925)
In his day, W. E. Norris was described as the ‘Gainsborough of English novelists’, an heir to Trollope and a writer of ‘Disraelian intensity’ … so why aren’t we reading his novels today?
Take part in our Big Draw Event – Capturing Unusual Creatures
Beth Howell investigates curiosity in the animals and wildlife described and depicted in 19th century books of exploration in the collections of the Devon and Exeter Institution - what animal can you draw?
William Savage’s Practical hints on decorative printing (1822)
From the early 19th century, Koenig & Bauer’s new steam-powered double-cylinder printing press, capable of printing over 1100 sheets an hour, disseminated information fast. The circulation of The Times newspaper increased from 5,000 to 50,000 by the middle of the century. However, not all printing was about speed – in 1822 William Savage published his guide to fine art printmaking – still a popular art form today.
The ‘impulse of curiosity’: Hugh Clapperton’s explorations into the African interior
Furloughed on half pay following the end of the war with France, Captain Hugh Clapperton (1788–1827) looked to augment his income with an intrepid exploration into the African interior.
Why we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover
In this week's guest blog, Beth Howell reveals the fascinating contents of an unassuming volume of poisonous and noxious plants.
VE Day – Cooking the Books
Today marks the 75th anniversary of VE day, when the allied forces announced Victory in Europe on May 8th, 1945.
Hints on writing for children from the Lewis Carroll Picture Book
What is the secret of good writing for children? Is there even such a thing as a children's book? As an adult alert to the child within, Lewis Carroll knew instinctively how to write for children and adults simultaneously.
Family lockdown activities and Bookworms Boredom Busters
Throughout March, April and May 2020 we were delighted to bring you our popular family learning programme and Bookworms junior members' club online.
Linked here - Join in with craft activities, workshops and experiments using materials that are easy to find at home.
Picturing the Skull
Lunchtime Lecture: An exploration of the skull as a pictorial device
John Smeaton (1724-1792) and the Eddystone Lighthouse
Lighthouse keepers were certainly used to living in isolation; in this week's guest blog Edward Maunder tells the story of John Smeaton's Eddystone Lighthouse, situated 9 miles south of Rame Head off the Cornish coast.
Travels in the Boudoir; or, how to travel the world while staying at home
If you are beginning to tire of the present lockdown you may perhaps find some solace in this little book of travels in the boudoir, or how to travel the world without leaving the house - something, it would seem, that women especially were rather good at in the early 19th century.
Our Region Revealed Jigsaws
A fun way to engage with our collections, whatever your age. These pictures are newly-digitised illustrations from Our Region Revealed project. Each puzzle can be adapted from a 6-piece puzzle for little ones to a 1000-piece puzzle for experts - you decide!
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) and his Library of Congress
The third President of the United States of America is best known for drafting the Declaration of Independence that galvanised the British colonies in their fight to become a new nation. At home he immersed himself in science, engineering, architecture and book collecting – even rescuing one of the world’s greatest libraries.
The Next Chapter project – an update for Members
Emma Dunn, Director of Programme and Projects talks through what is happening with our project during our temporary closure. Filmed in April 2020.
“Rabbit Food”: The Romantic roots of Vegetarianism
Lunchtime Lecture: “By all that is sacred in our hopes for the human race, I conjure those who love happiness and truth, to give a fair trial to the vegetable system”-
Percy Bysshe Shelley, A Vindication of Natural Diet
Press release: The Devon and Exeter Institution secures National Lottery investment for its project ‘The Next Chapter’
The Devon and Exeter Institution, an independent library and educational charity in the heart of Exeter, has received initial support* and a development grant of £186,000 which will fund preparatory […]
Virtual Tour – The Roof
Join us on our usual Wednesday tour - this week we're travelling back through time to the roof restoration of 2016
Picturing the Jabberwock
An online gallery of creative responses from our Bookworms, created during Lockdown 2020
Ponds in the Parlour: the invention of the seawater aquarium
Philip Henry Gosse's invention of the aquarium was 'instantly accepted by naturalists and amateurs alike, and became to the one a portable studio of biology, to the others a charming and fashionable toy'.
Stories of Spirited Children
Lunchtime Lecture: Sometimes, though we try very hard, we don’t always behave how we would like to! Keep out of mischief with these stories about spirited children.
A General History of the Science and Practice of Music: a tragedy in two acts
Sir John Hawkins' greatest literary achievements were thwarted by bad timing and, according to some accounts, by the 'paltry malice, and base tricks' of his mean-spirited contemporaries.
Virtual Tour – The Cottage
Take a virtual tour of the cottage which has been the live-in residence of Institution Librarians and Housekeepers for over 200 years
Anna Laetitia Barbauld’s Evenings at Home; or, The Juvenile Budget Opened
Parents all over the country are preparing for what could be many months of ‘home schooling’ – but it’s easier said than done. This little book – a two-hundred-year-old ‘domestic […]
Read-along
Join our virtual Book Group and read-along with other members
Mystery trade cards – Our Region Revealed
Are you familiar with the businesses on these trade cards? Do they still exist? Who owned them?
Update on opening hours
Due to the current situation the DEI will remain closed until further notice.
In the meantime we are proud to be bringing much of our programme and events online to provide diversion, entertainment and activities while we are all shut away from the real world. Keep checking our website and social media for new content.
Colour Our Collections Week (1-5 February 2021)
The first week of February is ‘Colour Our Collections’ week. This annual event, organised by the New York Academy of Medicine, invites libraries and museums all over the world to celebrate their collections in colour. This year we have chosen three recently-digitised drawings from our prints and drawings collection. Whatever you choose to colour with – whether coloured pencils, felt-tips, crayons, pastels or paint - click on the images below, print the colouring sheets, and get colouring! You can share your creations on social media by tagging us and adding the hashtag #ColorOurCollections.
Current vacancies
Deadline 8 June 2020 -
We are tendering for a Conservation Architect.
The Devon and Exeter institution is Grade II* listed building adjacent to a Scheduled Monument which houses an independent library and dating from 1813. We have been an educational charity since 1989. We completed a major structural restoration to the roof on time and on budget, between 2015-2017 funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic England.
We are now seeking to appoint an architect to deliver the preliminary works for the development phase of another major National Heritage Lottery Funded project.
Devon and Exeter Institution, Committee Minute Book(s), 1848-1880
From January to April 2023, History MA student Jonathan Neuhoff from the University of Exeter joined us for an internship, where he used the Devon and Exeter Institution's archive to investigate the provenance of a number of artefacts and pieces of furniture in our upstairs reading rooms. For May's Book of the Month he reflects on the DEI Committee Minute Books, which were a crucial source for his research.
A successful exploration through the interior of Australia
April's Book of the Month blog was written and researched by trustee and library volunteer at the Devon and Exeter Institution, Shane Cormie. The blog tells the story of Devon-born William John Wills, who travelled from the south of Australia to the north with Robert O'Hara Burke, making them the first Europeans to have made the journey.
A Touch of Ireland— A Book Display for St Patrick’s Day
For St. Patrick’s Day this year we decided to draw on some items in the collection which relate to Ireland in some way. Some texts were written by Irish […]
Announcing the Devon and Exeter Institution and Quay Words shared writer-in-residence in March and April 2023 – Davina Quinlivan
The Devon and Exeter Institution and Quay Words are pleased to announce Davina Quinlivan as our shared writer-in-residence in March and April, focusing on the theme of Threads. Davina will […]
New table-top display: ‘The other side of the story’
This new display highlights challenges to the colonial perspectives encountered in our Voyages and Travel book collection, both historical and modern, to give an idea of ‘the other side of the story’.
Henry Nelson Coleridge – ‘Six Months in the West Indies in 1825’
March's Book of the Month was written and researched by Front of House volunteer Debbie Manners, and explores the pro-slavery account of Coleridge's trip through the Caribbean. This book features in our Collections Review, taking place as part of The Next Chapter project.
Bowdler’s defence of single women
Our Book of the Month for January is H. M. Bowdler's 'Pen Tamar'; a novel in which the author seeks to address early nineteenth century attitudes towards single women. Set against a backdrop of the English Civil War, this moral tale of romance and heartbreak tells the story of Matilda Heywood and her relationship with Devonian Sir William Trelawney, in which he is taught to challenge his preconceived ideas about 'old maids'.
The worst journey in the world
Our Book of the Month for December was researched and written by Tony Rhodes, a library volunteer at the Devon and Exeter Institution. Apsley Cherry-Gerrard was a member of the infamous Terra Nova expedition. His first hand account recalls the race to the South Pole that tragically turned out to be the final expedition for Robert Falcon Scott. December 2022 marks the 100 year anniversary since the book's first publication.