This year, we’re celebrating a very special milestone. Cornerstone Housing is 100 years old.

For 100 years, we’ve been helping local people find safe, affordable homes. While we’ve grown and changed over the years, our purpose has stayed the same: providing homes for people who need them.

How it all started

Cornerstone began in 1926 as the Exeter Workmen’s Dwellings Company. A group of local people wanted to improve housing for families living in poor conditions in Exeter.

One of those people was Dr Charles Lovely, a local doctor. Through his work, he saw how poor housing was affecting people’s health. He believed everyone should have a decent place to live and worked hard to make that happen.

The company’s first homes were built in Looe Road, Exeter, and by the start of the Second World War more than 500 homes had been built across the city.

A century of providing homes

In 1954, the organisation became a charity and was renamed The Exeter Housing Society Ltd, Exeter’s first housing association.

In 2008, we became Cornerstone Housing, the name we use today.

Today, we provide homes for thousands of people across Exeter, Teignbridge, Mid Devon and East Devon, and we’re about to hit another milestone of 1,500 homes.

Looking to the future

While we’re proud of our history, we’re also looking ahead.

Over the coming months, we’ll be sharing stories from our past, celebrating our communities and marking this important anniversary with residents, colleagues and partners.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of our journey so far.

Here’s to the next 100 years.