Hexham

The town of Hexham in Northumberland lies to the south of the mighty River Tyne and is where in 674, Hexham Abbey originated as a monastery founded by Saint Wilfrid. Much of the Abbey we see today dates from the 11^th and 19^th centuries when major rebuilding took place. The dark crypt of the original monastery is intact and you can see that many of the stones used for building it were taken from nearby Roman ruins. Hexham’s location at the border between England and Scotland has put it at the heart of raids and wars throughout history, including attacks from William Wallace who burnt the town in 1297. Following the Battle of Hexham in 1464, during the Wars of the Roses, the defeated Lancastrian commander Duke of Somerset was executed in Hexham market place. The town prospered from the 18^th century as a result of the thriving leather trade and Hexham was renowned for making gloves known as ‘Hexham Tans’.

Hexham offers an excellent choice of amenities, shops, eateries and pubs as well as visitor attractions and historic site, gardens and open spaces. Hexham is still dominated by its Abbey, magnificent in the Early English Gothic style of architecture. Hexham wears its history well and it is evident in many of the old buildings including the Shambles a Grade II covered market that built in 1766 by Sir Walter Blackett.

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