United Kingdom · England · Exeter
Heavitree, Exeter — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Heavitree is an eastern district of Exeter, a former village outside the city walls and the birthplace of Thomas Bodley and Richard Hooker.
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Where to stay in Heavitree
The practical side of choosing where to sleep.
A bed in Heavitree sits east of the old walls of Exeter, closer to the Church of Saint Michael and All Angels and the St Luke's Campus of the University of Exeter than to anything inside them. Livery Dole carries the older name. Topsham Road and Holloway Street carry the listed houses, from Acland House and Mulberry House to the medieval bridge and conduit recorded under Holloway Street.
Exeter itself is the alternative.
Few places to stay in Heavitree — most visitors book in Exeter nearby.
Find hotels in Heavitree
Direct booking searches for these neighbourhoods.
Heavitree
The old village ground east of Exeter's walls, with Livery Dole and the Martyrs' Memorial on the same few streets. Rooms are few around here — worth securing early.Find hotels in Heavitreeguests drawn to the listed houses at 197 and 199 Topsham RoadTopsham Road
A run of named houses taking in Acland House and Mulberry House rather than any hotel row. Beds are limited here, so book early.Find hotels in Topsham RoadHotel links are affiliate links: booking through them may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects how places are ranked. How this works
Things to do in and around Exeter
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Museums & Galleries
1- Exeter City Football Club Museum
Churches & Religious Sites
4- Church of Saint Michael and All Angels, Heavitree Heritage
- Church of St Leonard, Exeter Heritage
- Southernhay Congregational Church Heritage
- Whipton Community Centre Heritage
Castles & Historic Sites
2- Medieval bridge and part of a late medieval conduit under Holloway Street Heritage
- Livery Dole
Landmarks & Notable Places
8- Southernhay House Heritage
- 197, Topsham Road Heritage
- 199, Topsham Road Heritage
- Acland House Heritage
- Church House Heritage
Show 3 more →
- Collingwood House Heritage
- Manor House Heritage
- Matford House Heritage
worth knowingacross 4 categories in and around Exeter
About Heavitree
What are the main landmarks in Heavitree?
Three churches and a memorial. The Church of Saint Michael and All Angels, Heavitree stands at the centre of the list, with St. Mark's Church and St Matthew's Church alongside it, and the Martyrs' Memorial and Livery Dole among the named markers. Southernhay House, Manor House and the Southernhay Congregational Church appear on the same list, as does the Church of St Leonard, Exeter.
The Exeter City Football Club Museum and the Whipton Community Centre are the modern entries, while under Holloway Street lie a medieval bridge and part of a late medieval conduit.
What is the history of Heavitree?
Heavitree stood outside the walls. It was the first significant village outside the city on the road to London, a former civil parish in Devon that was folded into Exeter and counted as an eastern district of it. Thomas Bodley, the librarian, and Richard Hooker, the theologian, were born here.
From the 16th century until 1818 the village was a site for executions, on ground that is part of the car park of the St Luke's Campus of the University of Exeter. The Martyrs' Memorial stands among its landmarks.
Where is Heavitree?
Heavitree occupies the eastern side of Exeter in Devon, ground that lay outside the city walls while it was still a village on the road to London.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Heavitree?
Heavitree: stays beside the Church of Saint Michael and All Angels. Topsham Road: guests drawn to the listed houses at 197 and 199 Topsham Road. Exeter: guests who want the walled city rather than its eastern district.
Good for
Updated October 2026