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| Hexham | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Coat of Arms of Hexham | |
  Hexham Location withinNorthumberland | |
| Population | 11,346 (2021) |
| OS grid reference | NY9363 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HEXHAM |
| Postcode district | NE46–NE48 |
| Dialling code | 01434 |
| Police | Northumbria |
| Fire | Northumberland |
| Ambulance | North East |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Hexham (/ˈhɛksəm/HEKS-əm) is amarket town andcivil parish inNorthumberland, England, on the south bank of theRiver Tyne, formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne atWarden nearby, and close toHadrian's Wall. Hexham was the administrative centre for theTynedale district from 1974 to 2009. In 2011, it had apopulation of 13,097.[1]
Smaller towns and villages around Hexham includeCorbridge,Riding Mill,Stocksfield andWylam to the east,Acomb andBellingham to the north,Allendale to the south andHaydon Bridge,Bardon Mill andHaltwhistle to the west.Newcastle upon Tyne is 25 miles (40 km) to the east andCarlisle 37 miles (60 km) to the west.
The name Hexham derives from theOld EnglishHagustaldes ea and laterHagustaldes ham from which the modern form (with the "-ham" element) derives.Hagustald is related to theOld High Germanhagustalt, denoting a younger son who takes land outside the settlement; the elementea means "stream" or "river" andham is the Old English form of the Modern English "home" (and the Scots and Northern English "hame").[2][3]
Hexham Abbey originated as amonastery founded byWilfrid in 674. Thecrypt of the original monastery survives, and incorporates many stones taken from nearby Romanruins, probablyCorbridge orHadrian's Wall.[4]
TheAnglo-Saxon Chronicle (Manuscript D:Cotton Tiberius B IV) records the murder of KingÆlfwald bySicga atScythlecester (which may be modernChesters) on 23 September 788:
This year Alfwald, king of the Northumbrians, was slain by Siga, on the ninth[5] day before thecalends of October; and a heavenly light was often seen on the spot where he was slain. He was buried at Hexham in the church.[6]
Her wæs Alfwald Norðhymbra cyning ofslægen fram Sigan on .viiii. Kalendas Octobris, 7 heofonlic leoht wæs lome gesewen þær þær he ofslægen wæs, 7 he wæs bebyrged on Hagustaldesee innan þære cyrican.
Like many towns in theAnglo-Scottish border area and adjacent regions, Hexham suffered from theborder wars between thekingdoms ofScotland andEngland, including attacks fromWilliam Wallace who burnt the town in 1297. In 1312,Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, demanded and received £2000 from the town and monastery in order for them to be spared a similar fate. In 1346 the monastery was sacked in a later invasion led by KingDavid II of Scotland.[7]
In 1464, during theWars of the Roses, theBattle of Hexham was fought somewhere to the south of the town; the actual site is disputed. The defeated Lancastrian commander,Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, was executed in Hexham marketplace. There is a legend that QueenMargaret of Anjou took refuge after the battle in what is known as The Queen's Cave, where she was accosted by a robber; the legend formed the basis for an 18th-century play byGeorge Colman the Younger (The Battle of Hexham); but it has been established that Queen Margaret had fled to France by the time the battle took place. The Queen's Cave in question is on the south side of the West Dipton Burn, to the southwest of Hexham.[8]
Until 1572, Hexham was the administrative centre of the former Liberty or Peculiar ofHexhamshire.[9][10]
In 1715,James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater, raised the standard forJames Francis Edward Stuart in Hexham Market place.[11]
"Hexham" was used in the Borders as aeuphemism for "Hell". Hence the term "To Hexham wi' you an' ye’r whussel!", recorded in 1873, and the popular expression "Gang to Hexham!".[12] "Hexham-birnie" is derived from the term and means "an indefinitely remote place".[12]
In 1761, theHexham Riot took place in the Market Place when a crowd protesting about changes in the criteria for serving in themilitia were fired upon by troops from theNorth York Militia. Some 45 protesters were killed, earning the Militia thesobriquet of The Hexham Butchers.[13]
Hexham's architectural landscape is dominated byHexham Abbey. The current church largely dates from c. 1170–1250, in theEarly English Gothic style ofarchitecture. The choir, north and south transepts and the cloisters, where canons studied and meditated, date from this period.[14]
The abbey stands at the west end of the market place, which is home to the Shambles, a covered market built bySir Walter Blackett in 1766; it is a Grade II*listed building.[15]
At the east end of the market place stands the Moot Hall, originally commissioned as a gatehouse that was part of the defences of the town. The Moot Hall, which is considered one of the best examples of a medieval courthouse in the north of England,[16] is a Grade Ilisted building.[17]
TheOld Gaol, behind the Moot Hall on Hallgates, was one of the first purpose-built jails in England. It was built between 1330 and 1333 and is a Grade Ilisted building.[18]
The Leazes on Shaws Lane is a Grade II listed mansion built in 1853 byJohn Dobson for William Kinsopp.[19]
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Hexham Library and the Queen's Hall Art Centre can both be found in theQueen's Hall, completed in 1866. The building contains the Brough Local Studies Collection which is the second-largest local history collection in the county.[20][21]
Dare Wilson Barracks, the home of X Company, 5th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was completed in 1891.[22]
Hexham is in theparliamentary constituency ofHexham.Joe Morris has been theLabour member of parliament for Hexham since July 2024.[23] The town comes underNorthumberland County Council and contains three wards: Hexham Central with Acomb, Hexham East and Hexham West.
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TheHexham Courant is the local newspaper, serving Hexham and Tynedale since 1864. It was first launched by J. Catherall & Co., and at that time espoused the Liberal cause. It later absorbed the Conservative-supportingHexham Herald. In 1977,CN Group acquired the newspaper.
Local news and television programmes are provided byBBC North East and Cumbria andITV Tyne Tees.
Hexham's local radio stations areBBC Radio Newcastle on 103.7 FM,Capital North East on 105.8 FM,Heart North East on 96.4 FM,Smooth North East on 101.2 FM andHits Radio North East on 103.2 FM.
Horse racing from the town's course on Yarridge Heights is regularly featured on telecasts by Racing UK and other selected broadcasters. Regular sound broadcasts of cricket commentary for Tynedale CC can be heard via the internet during summer on Spreaker Internet Radio.
Hexham is served by state first, middle and high schools and uses thethree-tier system as does the rest of Northumberland.Queen Elizabeth High School, partly located in a former hydropathic hotel, is the town's major educational centre. The nearestprivate school isMowden Hall School, a prep school located 10 miles (16 km) away inStocksfield.
The nearest airport to Hexham isNewcastle International Airport, which is located around 20 miles (32 km) away by road.Carlisle Lake District Airport andTeesside International Airport are located around 32 and 58 miles (51 and 93 km) away by road, respectively.
The town is served byHexham, a station on theTyne Valley Line. It is situated on part of the originalNewcastle and Carlisle Railway route, dating back to 1837, and links the city ofNewcastle upon Tyne withCarlisle. The line follows the course of theRiver Tyne throughNorthumberland.
Services on the Tyne Valley Line are currently operated byNorthern Trains. As of the December 2019 timetable change, the station is served by a twice-hourly service heading west towardsCarlisle, and three trains per hour heading east towardsNewcastle.
Hexham is served by theA69 road, which runs for 54 miles (87 km) fromCarlisle toNewcastle upon Tyne. This road serves as an alternative to the original route, theA695, which runs from Hexham to Newcastle upon Tyne, servingCorbridge,Stocksfield,Prudhoe andBlaydon.
Hexham Bus Station | |||||
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| General information | |||||
| Location | Hexham,Northumberland England | ||||
| Coordinates | 54°58′13″N2°05′45″W / 54.9704°N 2.0959°W /54.9704; -2.0959 | ||||
| Owned by | Northumberland County Council | ||||
| Operated by | Northumberland County Council | ||||
| Bus stands | 5 (A–E) | ||||
| Connections | Hexham | ||||
| History | |||||
| Opened | 29 November 2016; 8 years ago (2016-11-29) | ||||
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The original bus station was located at Priestpopple, dating back to the 1930s. In November 2016, the bus station was relocated to its current site at Dene Avenue – at a cost of £2.28 million.[24][25]
Go North East provide most services in and around Hexham, with local services operating under the Tynedale Links brand. The AD122 tourist bus service operates year-round with increased services during the summer months, serving a number of locations alongHadrian's Wall, as well as themarket town ofHaltwhistle. Memorably, the route number, AD122, is the date of the building of the wall.
As of September 2024[update], the stand allocation is:
| Stand | Route | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| A | 10 | Newcastle  via Corbridge , Riding Mill, Stocksfield, Prudhoe, Crawcrook, Ryton, Blaydon, Metrocentre & Teams |
| 683 | Hexham General Hospital | |
| 689 | Consett via Dilston, Slaley, Whittonstall, Ebchester, Shotley Bridge & Blackhill | |
| B | 684 | Newcastle via Corbridge , Ovington, Ovingham, Wylam, Heddon-on-the-Wall, Throckley, Walbottle & Denton Burn |
| 685 | Newcastle via Corbridge , Horsley, Heddon-on-the-Wall, Throckley, Walbottle & Denton Burn | |
| X85 | Newcastle express via Corbridge & A69 | |
| C | 74 | Newcastle via Oakwood, Great Whittington, Matfen, Stamfordham, Dalton, Medburn, Darras Hall, Ponteland, Callerton, Westerhope, Slatyford & Cowgate |
| 688 | Allendale via Langley, Catton, Allenheads, Sinderhope & Sparty Lea | |
| D | 683 | Beaumont Park |
| 685 | Carlisle via Haydon Bridge , Bardon Mill, Melkridge,[a] Haltwhistle, Brampton & Warwick Bridge | |
| X85 | Leazes | |
| E | 680 | Bellingham via Acomb, Wall, Chollerford, Humshaugh & Wark |
| 682 | West Woodburn via Acomb, Wall, Barrasford, Gunnerton, Barrasford Park & Ridsdale | |
| 683 | Haugh Lane Industrial Estate | |
| 889 | Alston via Langley, Staward, Whitfield, Ninebanks, Carrshield & Nenthead | |
| AD122 | Walltown via Acomb, Wall, Chollerford, Hadrian's Wall, Haltwhistle & Greenhead |
Hexham won the town award in the 2005Britain in Bloom awards.[26] In the same year, it was also namedEngland's Favourite Market Town by the magazineCountry Life.[27]
Hexham was voted the happiest place to live in Britain, 2019 and 2021.[28]
The major employer in Hexham is Austrian firmEgger.[29][30] Itschipboard factory vents steam which can be seen from miles away.
Hexham had been long famous for its manufacture of leather. Wright (1823) gives some statistics
77 men & boys employed as Leather dressers and Glove-cutters, 40 boys employed as Dusters and 1,111 women employed as Sewers. Skins dressed annually were 80,000, and 18,000 skins of dressed leather were imported. From these were made and exported annually 23,504 dozens of pairs of gloves. DutchOker was used in the processing, but local fell clay could be used if necessary.
Tanning was a necessary allied industry and there were four tanneries, employing a score of men. In a year they dealt with 5,000hides and 12,000calf skins. They supplied local saddlers, bootmakers and cobblers.
Hexham also had 16 master hatters, and the trade employed 40 persons. There were two woollen manufactories, worked by steam power, and two rope manufactories. There were corn water mills below the bridge. A windmill on the Sele was ruinous, but there was one still working on Tyne Green. It was, and still is a flourishing market, including a mart for cattle and other farm animals.[31]
In Hexham theSubskimmer was designed and made bySubmarine Products.
Botanical breweryFentimans is based in Hexham.
Hexham has many shops commonly found in other English market-towns, with five central supermarkets, multiple clothes shops, charity shops, banks, estate agents, antique shops and chemists.[32] Cafes and coffee shops are also common in Hexham, from commercial chains to family run independents.
Hexham'sracecourse is at Yarridge Heights in the hills above the town, with National Hunt (steeplechase) races throughout the year.[33]
The town is also home to Tynedale Cricket Club, who play their home matches on Prior's Flat. Founded in 1888, the club has had its most successful period over the most recent 40 years when they dominated the Northumberland County League, before starting the 21st century by winning several championships in the newly created Northumberland & Tyneside Senior Cricket League.In late 2017, Tynedale CC became a founder member of the new Northumberland & Tyneside Cricket League (NTCL), formed when a merger between NTSCL & Northumberland Cricket League was voted through by constituent clubs at the inaugural AGM held at Kingston Park Rugby Ground.This league comprises six divisions with divisions 5 and 6 regionalised into north and south sections.
Hexham istwinned with:
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