Keith Lewis, Chairman of Exeter Civic Society, said “We welcome National Rail’s decision to replace the cupola on the station. The distinctive building has been a part of Queen Street for many years, and some of its character would have been lost without its central tower”.
The new cupola has a steel frame and is made of fibreglass, which will put less weight onto the roof. It was lifted into place last week, after some delay due to a police escort for bringing the crane onto the site not being available. The building is not listed, so Network Rail could have chosen not to replace the cupola. But it would have been a sad loss to the city, and their decision to install the lookalike is to be applauded.
The current station was built in 1933, replacing an older building. It is one of the few Exeter buildings of the Twentieth Century mentioned in Pevsner’s Devon (described as ‘Wrenaissance’). It has also has been mentioned in The English Railway Station by Steve Parissian, (publ. English Heritage) as looking “…as if it had been plucked from the campuses of Harvard or Yale…”, thanks to its “towering cupola” and “sweeping two-story wings” It may have seemed jarringly modern back in the 1930s, but has since weathered and become part of the townscape. Recently the open area in front of the station has provided a popular space for students to gather in break times, when there are few other such spaces in the area.
