12/10/2026
Did you know that Turf wasn't just built somewhere random?
It was built here because this was where Exeter's canal met the sea.
The Exeter Ship Canal itself goes all the way back to 1566, making it one of Britain’s earliest purpose-built canals. But by the 1820s, Exeter wanted to get larger vessels further inland.
Engineer James Green extended the canal south to Turf, creating the new Turf Lock, which opened in 1827. That meant ships could enter the canal directly from the Exe estuary rather than relying on the older arrangements.
The Turf Hotel was built alongside the new lock to accommodate the lock keeper and crews of vessels using the canal.
