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Contact Us
Head Office
01392 273462
Emergency Repairs
01392 424344
repairs @ cornerstonehousing.net
Post
Cornerstone, 18 Southernhay East, Exeter, Devon. EX1 1QD
Our History
"To understand what these slums are like, it was not sufficient to walk through the streets of the poorer quarters of the city-one must penetrate into the courts and alleys with which the city abounds; one must enter into the miserable hovels to realise the unsanitary, unwholesome, airless, sunless conditions under which so many families are living in Exeter. The vast majority of these people were hard working citizens living in squalor not from choice but from necessity"
- The Devon and Exeter Gazette December 1926
Exeter's slums in the 19th Century
We began back in 1926 with a Dr C N Lovely who established a company called 'The Exeter Workman's Dwellings Company Limited'. The office was situated in the old Bedford Circus (near Debenhams).
To finance the building of better quality housing for the poor, £1 shares were sold to the general public and loans were taken out with Guardian Royal Exchange. The first project undertaken by the company was 30 rented houses at Looe Road, St Davids. These were completed in the 1930's.
Simey Close
During the 1930's we worked closely with the 'Great Western Railway Society' who provided low interest loans to build housing estates close to the railway at Mildmay Close, Foxhayes Road and Clayton Road. These homes were let to railway employees, but this does not apply anymore. Other estates soon followed around the City near the railways.
Foxhayes Road
In 1942 disaster struck! One night during WWII, the centre of Exeter was destroyed by explosives and incendiary bombs. A third of City Centre was razed to the ground in 74 minutes! Sadly our office in Bedford Circus was one of many buildings that was destroyed. So we moved around the corner, to our present day offices at 18 Southernhay East (which miraculously had survived the bombing!)
1954 was another milestone. We were granted charitable status under the Industrial and Provident Society Act (which allowed us to apply for government and grants) and changed our name to The Exeter Housing Society Ltd.
A year later we established the Direct Labour Force (DLF). This is our well respected in-house maintenace company that still operates today. It is one of our unique attributes and was established in 1955 to undertake essential repairs which had been on hold during the years of rent restriction after the War.
Opening ceremony of Wheatley Court
After years of repairing our stock, 1979 saw us build 84 new flats, maisonettes and houses. We call this estate 'The Courts' :- Wheatley Court , Mermaid Court and Neptune Court and 30 years on, we are about embark on a 2 year refurbishment programme!
A Tenant Association meeting
In 1989 a group of tenants decided to form a Tenants Association to protest at the high rents being fixed by the Rent Officer for Exeter. This Tenants Association is still going today to raise important issues on behalf of tenants.
By the Nineties, we were once again building new homes around the City (our recent schemes can be viewed on the Development Page). In 2006 we celebrated 80 years of providing quality affordable homes, but we were not making any progress outside of Exeter.
So in 2008 we had our third name change! We consulted staff, tenants and stakeholders on our image. They told us we had high standards, financial stability and provided a quality service but, we were not perceived as being progressive.
On 1st May 2008 we launched of a new name and image - Cornerstone Housing Ltd. The radical change was desiogned to project a new modern approach. We were quickly rewarded with first development outside the City, at Phoenix Court in Teignmouth. During the following 12 months we opened schemes in Dawlish and Crediton and established Cornerstone as a major housing provider.
To conclude "...we will continue to grow and to provide quality accommodation for people in housing need. Maintaining our homes in a culture of sustainability remains our priority. It is due to these factors and our history, that Cornerstone remains an association that both its tenants and staff can be proud of." by Emily Roberts 2004-2010