Welcome

Deller’s Café of Bedford Street Exeter was part of a remarkable catering and hospitality business  and was lost 75 years ago on May 4th 1942 in a Baedeker raid. Deller’s began trading in Exeter in 1906 next to The Clarence on the corner of Cathedral Yard and St Martins Lane.  Deller’s opened the main premises in Bedford Street in 1916 in the heart of Exeter and was so popular another opened in 1923 at 48/49 High Street,  Deller’s Bedford Street was in its prime in the 1920s and 30s.  It is material from  that era that is contained on this website.

Exeter recently lost another piece of its history when much of the Royal Clarence was destroyed by fire. It had survived the Blitz, unlike Deller’s, which was probably one of Exeter’s finest ever buildings, Roman contributions excluded.

These pages aim to uncover some Exeter history while giving some insight into the daily life of Deller’s. The photos and material are taken from family scrapbooks, old suitcases and attic trunks, lain undisturbed for many decades and are believed to be 100% original and genuine.

The compilers are neither historians nor academics, so the pages and notes have been constructed on a best efforts basis. If you have time and patience maybe you can uncover members of your own Exeter family hidden amongst the notes and records.

C R W-H
May 2017


 

This website is continually undergoing change and development. Visitors are welcome to respond with comments, notes on errors or omissions, or suggest any additional material they think might enhance the site.

Request for service – the Deller’s way.

Acknowledgement to the Express and Echo for use of their clippings and images.

If you wish to copy any images or text from this website please ask permission first by using the form on the contact page of this website