..

In the Heart England’s Border County a beautiful and Historic Market Town set on a glacial plateau in the magnificent splendour of the Tyne Valley. The Town has its own Abbey and its close proximity to the Roman Wall makes it an ideal base to go exploring from.  

History of Hexham

 How to get there

By Rail mainline from Newcastle or Carlisle

By Road M6-A69 (In the East), or A1-A69 (West)

By Bus Newcastle (Eldon Square), or from Carlisle.

Start...

Begin at the Town’s Bus Station located in Priestpopple  Priestpopple (1890). (Priestsland)

Cattle Market 1662.

Turn left out of the bus station and stay on the left side pavement passing Broadgate on the left. Further on is Coral Betting shop once a Bank. The premises were designed by Newcastle Architect Dobson. The stone carving high above is the original coat of arms of the first Bank on the site, Lampton’s. Walk past the bank, on the left is Eastgate. The rising street in front of you is Battle Hill. Continuing on you are now in the area of Cattle Market once called Henncotes..
Believed to be named after the ‘hen houses’ that were once in the area! The name changed in the mid 19THC as the selling of cattle in the adjoining Priestpopple expanded and a fortnightly market charter was granted. This part of the street is now a mini Banking metropolis. Nat.West. Nationwide mixed in with Tap and Spile Pub.

Battle Hill. 16^th-17^thC.
Keeping to the left pavement in front of you the road narrows and rises up a slight gradient, this is Battle Hill. As a continuation of Cattle Market it is a very busy pedestrian and vehicular thoroughfare. The origin of the name is unknown and in debate with historians. The nearest battle was 3-4 miles to the East outside of the town. Early 20THC photographs show a bustling street with several Inns, shops and cafes. With horses, carts and cars intermingled with a herd of cows being driven up the street.
The Nat. West Bank once housed H.P.Rose’s fine Tailor’s shop.
The streets most famous occupant was W.W. Gibson b.1878 nicknamed Hexham’s ‘People’s Poet’ who wrote many popular pieces. In 1985 he was commemorated in Westminster Abbey as one of The Great War’s 16 most popular poets. His work is displayed in Hexham with a poem inscribed on the town’s Market Cross. His birthplace was near to the top right hand side of the street near to the pedestrian crossing.
The assortment of shops in the street makes it well worth a visit.
Stop at the crossing at the top of the street. Opposite you will see Tynedale Community Hospice. Cross the road and turn left toward the next building which is The Hexham Community Church…see the inscription above. Once The Primitive Methodist Church 1902.
At the road junction turn right.

Beaumount Street

At the junction is a monument situated in the middle of the road. The monument and the gates on the opposite side of the street were gifted to the town by the Benson family. The monument in remembrance to a member of the family killed in the Boer War.
Stay on the right side of Beaumount Street. Further on to the left you will see the Abbey and its grounds.
The first building on the right is the Beaumount Hotel. The next is the 19thC Trinity Methodist Church www.hexhamtrinity.com.
Continuing on, is the 19THC Queen’s Hall. Originally a Corn Exchange, Assembly Hall, Town Hall and latterly a Theatre and Library / Art Centre. Walk across St. Mary’s Wynd

War Memorial Gateway 17^thC
Directly opposite Queen’s Hall is the War Memorial Gateway which leads into the Abbey Grounds. The Gate was moved to its current location in the 17THC from a nearby street.
Continue on as the path bears right into the market place.    

Market Place 13^thC Tues-Thurs
The Town grew from the area in front of you. To your left is the magnificent Abbey. Hexham Abbey 

The Shambles
In front of you to the left stand what look a like a half finished building without sides. These are ‘The Shambles’1766, built for the Butchers of the area to sell their meat. Now used by Market traders as a shelter on Market Day.
Like similar market places at that time there stood in the market a public Pant providing the town’s people with an adequate water supply. This means of supply continued until the mid 19THC.  

Cross and Fountain
In the Square on the left is a red stone pillar with a cross. See inscription written by Hexham Poet Gibson. In 1901 a gift of a drinking fountain from The Temperly family. On the base are 4 copper plates. Near the top are 8 carvings: East: representing the Archbishop of York, Cross keys and Crown. South East: Three English Lions.
South: 4 Lions representing The Bishop of Durham. South West: The Cross of St. Andrew representing Hexham. West side: 3 Castles with a cross above for the Bishop of Newcastle. North West: The Irish Harp for Ireland. The North: Cross and Mitre representing the Bishop of Carlisle. North East: A Lion representing Scotland. 

Looking through the Shambles you will see left of the Edinburgh Woollen Mill a magnificent stone building. 

Gate House and Moot Hall 15^thC
The Gatehouse of The Archbishops Hall. The houses and shops surrounding the Gatehouse were built late 18^th early 19^thC. Prior to this the market square was smaller and enclosed. Walk through the archway keeping right. This archway with a portcullis and double doors was used to defend the Hall from Scottish invaders. In it lived the Area’s Bailiff. Also housed within the gate on the first floor was the ‘Shire’ court.
Through the archway is Hall Garth, ahead to the right, following the path around the corner the path diagonally opposite is the Archbishops Prison (now tourist information centre).
Archbishops Prison 14^thC.
Prisoners were held here awaiting trial at court sometimes below ground in one of the 2 dungeons. The last prisoners were held here in the late 19THC.
Continuing on with the Prison on your left walk on Hallgate keeping to the road turning left where the road forks. The building around the corner is The Old Grammar School.
The Old Grammar School 17^thC
Once a boarding school founded by Charter of Queen Elizabeth I for the more affluent families of Hexhamshire, closed in the late 19THC and was used as offices for the local council. Make your way past the school following the road left. Through the gate (open if they aren’t already) and go through the gates. The farthest building from you at the other end is Prospect House. See the view through the trees to the right.
Prospect House 18^thC
Originally a house it is now the HQ of the local Tynedale Council. The views from this spot allow the 21stC visitor to appreciate what the first settlers saw in the defensive benefits of the glacial terrace the town is built on. Looking out…below is Hall Stile Bank. Where once lay market gardens and fruit gardens which in the late 19thC supplied the demands of the Newcastle conurbation. Now dominated by the Tynedale retail shopping park. Further on next to the river is the picturesque Tyne Green, well worth a visit.
Keeping to the road on the left, walk on.
Where the roads cross you are near to where you came in.
Goose Market.
Argos is now at that point.
At the cross road you are standing on the site of the Old Goose Market. Whether there was a predominance of Geese here no one knows. There was a market selling animals and an Inn called the Gaping Goose and the town’s first Police Station.
Walk straight on Cross the road see on the left tucked in the corner cobble stones. Walk to the right corner of the stones down alley that looks like at dead end. Walk down the alley and out across the next street, straight on with the Baker’s Oven on your right.
You are now in Meal Market. The Grapes Pub is in front of you. See street name ‘Old Church’ in front at the short street turn right. Walk through the alley see plaque on the wall on the right. The area was named after St. Mary’s Church 8thC built by St. Wilfrid.

Continue back into the Market Place.
Walk across the Mkt. Pl. toward Boaden’s Antique Shop opposite. Keep left and go down the street with Save the Children Shop on your left. You are now on Market Street.

Market Street
Walking down the street notice how the 21^stC shops have blended into the 17^th-18^thC converted houses and shops. Walking around the corner to the left, out of the Market Place, over to your right near to the lane leading off right is ‘Pudding-Chare’ or ‘Back-Row’ near Fair Play. In 1883 this area adjoining the market place was where cooked offal was sold, a direct bi-product of the nearby butcher market. The near by ‘Pudding Mews’ housing development stands as a reminder and is a credit to a blend of 19thC and 20thC house builders.
Continuing on, on the right is the Salvation Army Hall, and The Heart of Old England Pub.

St. Wilfrid’s Gate
Keeping to the left side pavement…you are now in Gilesgate.
See St. Wilfrid’s Gate, originally the entrance gate through the outer wall of the Augustinian Priory leading to the Priory it now leads directly to the Abbey Grounds.

The Old Post Office
Continuing on, over on the right side of the street is a large off-white painted building originally a 17^thC dwelling house which has had many varied occupants. Those in the 19th – 20thC included a School, a Chapel and latterly a Post Office. Now it is the County Court and Local Government Offices.

Hexham House 18^thC.
On the left side of the street the next building of note on the left is Hexham House, now used by the District Council. Once used as the home of the Rector of Hexham.
Opposite is the stone frontage of the Wool Warehouse and skin yard of the Bell family, suppliers of Lamb skin’s to the town’s famous Glove trade. The old warehouse remaining in keeping with its surroundings, is now the town’s swimming baths, built 1974.
Continue now down the hill staying on the left pass a Car Parts Outlet. Where the path curves at the next road junction is Glover’s Place; the houses here were built in the in mid 19thC when they replaced the poorer dwellings of the manual workers of the area.

The Tanners Arms, standing proudly on the corner, who’s name echoes one of the main employments of the time, was built around the turn of the 19th-20thC.

Glovers Place
Stopping outside the pub across the road in front of you (Glovers place) the large building was a Methodist Church. This area is known as Cockshaw. The word refers to a ridge where wild cocks or game birds roosted. Further over down to the right was the area know as Holy Island. Here the main industries were centred on the town’s animal processing by-products in tanning and glove making. Burns, now covered and culverted, supplied the water needed in the processing. Thus the link with ‘lsland’. The Holy connection refers to the area where several non conformists and Catholics met and lived after the reformation.
Keeping on the left side path walk around the corner with the pub on your left continue on around the corner. The cobbled road appears. Cross over the road to the right pavement. Look for a hidden set of steps to take you up to the Abbey Grounds.

Walking up the slight gradient of the path you will see on your left Cowgarth Burn and 19thC buildings of the old Tanners Yard. The Tannery and adjoining glove factory once belonged to the Bell family.

Sele School and Bridge
Walking on up the hill, keeping left where the paths meet, on your right is Sele School 1856 and further on The Abbey Grounds. Situated at such a height the area is believed to have been a shielding or summertime herdsman’s dwelling. Built as a co-educational school the building nearest the path was added in the 20thC as a boy’s only annex.
The stone Bridge to the left in front of you is the medieval bridge where the culvert of the Cowgarth Burn covers the burn as it flows under the Abbey.
Crossing over the bridge Hexham House can be seen over to the right, left is the entrance road to the Abbey at St. Wilfred’s Gate.
On the right are the grounds of the Abbey (playground and bandstand) once used by the Canons of the Abbey as a Home Farm. Later used for recreation by a select group and later ‘sold’ to the Town as a Public park. The Bandstand was gifted by the Bell family of Tannery fame.  

Abbey House
Adjoining the Abbey is Abbey House. Rebuilt and restructured with the Carnaby coat of arms still remaining. Original built during the reformation for Sir Reynold Carnaby, one of King Henrys trusted agents who was given the responsibility to enforce strict management of the new Protestant rule in the area.
At this part of the Abbey can be seen the 20thC restoration.

Abbey Flags.
Walk through the arch and continue on. Walking now around the Abbey toward the Market Place the area on the left is Abbey Flags. The houses near the path are Church Row 18thC. The ground all around is the ancient graveyard of St Andrew’s Church. The North Transept of the Abbey or St Andrew’s Church on the right date (notice the long lancet windows), back to the 13thC-rebuilt 1860.
The East end of the Abbey bordering the Market Place was redesigned by John Dobson on the style of Whitby Abbey.

Market Place
You have now returned to the Market Place and may wish to spend time visiting the Abbey. The entrance is round to your right. Hexham Abbey
Walk now diagonally across the Market Place passing the Shambles to the right and turning right into Fore Street. Near to The Edinburgh Woollen Mill turn right you are on Fore Street.

Fore Street
The Towns Main shopping street which grew as an extension to the Market Place with open stalls selling wares. In the 18^thC Costeley Row became Fore Street. Most of the original shop fronts have been altered to house mini versions of many famous high street named shops. Near to Poundstrecher store is the 19thC woodwork carved by a Belgian immigrant in 1919.

Walking on the left side of the street you will see near the street splits to the left and right around the island of the HSBC Bank. Take the left hand fork. You have returned to the beginning of the walk.

Hexham Historical Society
The Hexham Community Website
Hexham Weather
Hexham Racecourse
The Battle of Hexham                
Hexham Tourist Information Centre

Hexham remains one of the most picturesque and interesting towns in the North East…well worth a visit.

Thank you

NW.  

Please note that Newcastle Walks does not accept liability, for the condition of the walks which can change on a daily basis, or for any injury, fatality, loss or damages incurred by any person. Newcastle Walks are not inviting the public to walk on any of the walks, but are providing information about specific routes, that are available in the North East of England. Therefore any person who decides to walk any of the walks within this website does so of their own choice and at their own risk.