Monday 21 May 2012

W. Hibberd, Exeter

Any visit to Exeter wouldn't be complete without a stroll along the River Exe to discover the historic buildings of the Quay. One of these is the open-sided transit shed, a cast iron building erected c 1820 to provide undercover storage to the goods offloaded from the ships docked alongside Exeter Quay. In 1878 a brick building was added at the northern end of the open shed.


The open shed with the 1878 brick store. To the left is the 1860-61 Customs House.

The brick store was built at the instigation of wine merchant Samuel Jones but by the early 20th century it was being used by William Hibberd & Co., wholesale grocers of 38 Queen Street, whose name can still be seen on the wall facing the city. Very faint traces of paint suggest it was also painted on the side of the building towards the river but it isn't possible to read anything.


W. Hibberd & Co. Wholesale Grocers

William Hibberd & Co. was still trading in 1933, the year the company reduced its capital but I haven't found what happened to it after that date.


W. Hibberd & Co.

'Co.' and the first letters of 'Wholesale' are hidden when the sliding doors of the Antique Centre, which moved in in 1986, are open.


Wholesale Grocers

Location: The Quay, Exeter, Devon / Pictures taken in April 2012

2 comments:

helen said...

Very nice find and wonderful photos!

Sebastien Ardouin said...

Thanks Helen. Although it may not be obvious, it was drizzling quite a bit when I took the last three pictures, but at least I was pretty much on my own. I had got some good shots of the two parts of the ghost sign a couple of days earlier but since the sun was out the place was packed and I couldn't get the whole sign in one picture. Even if I got wet, it was worth it.