Visiting Hexham – History And Sites

One of three important towns located in Tynedale is Hexham in Northumberland. Hexham is located just south of the Tyne River and is a historic market town. One of the first recordings of Hexham is from 674 when the Abbey was built. The crypts form this Abbey was most likely built from stones out of Hadrian’s Wall and other Roman buildings. This original crypt is still standing though the current abbey was constructed in the 1800s.

Hexham is very close to the Scottish border and figured prominently in the border wars. The town was actually burnt to the ground by William Wallace. The Duke of Somerset was famously executed in the marketplace and there was a Battle of Hexham in 1464. The Queen’s Cave is outside of Hexham and there is a legend around this cave as supposedly Queen Margaret of Anjou was robbed when taking refuge here.

Moot Hall is a famous building in town as this was once a gatehouse and is listed as a Grade 1 building. Today the Hall is home to the Museums department and the Council offices. The ground floor holds an art gallery. Behind the Hall is the Old Goal and is a monument. Today is houses a museum with information about the goal as well as local notable families.

You can visit the old bridge as this was built even though there were several ferry crossings available. It actually took four different tries for the bridge to be built as one bridge was washed away in a flood and several others were plagued with building problems.

A tributary of the Tyne River is the devil’s Water. This water was important in the Battle of Hexham. This water is formed by several streams and bynes and is a lovely spot to visit.

Two main industries that developed side by side are the leather and tinning industries. Throughout time Hexham has been home to several master hatters and two woolen manufacturers.

Hexham was well known for its leather manufacture and tannin was also an important industry. The town also had several master hatters and two different woolen plants. Below the bridge you could find corn water mills and a still working windmill. The town still has a flourishing market as well as a place to sell farm animals and cattle.

Look for hotels in Hexham.