Historic Hexham

It was ad 674 and the Romans had been gone over 200 years. Their wall lay crumbling on the green hills to the north, high above the valley of the Tyne. These were the early days of Christianity, and the first monasteries and abbeys were being established. Queen Etheldra of Northumbria had given Bishop Wilfred the land by the river and here, at Hexham, he would build his priory.

Wilfred had travelled far and wide, including to Rome, and had been impressed by the splendour and majesty of many European churches. His would be a magnificent one with 'crypts of beautifully finished stone? walls of wonderful height and length'. Many of the stones in his great building were Roman, removed from the fort at Corbridge. The monastery became a cathedral and a renowned centre of learning. However, these were dark days and places like this were rich pickings for Viking raiders. The priory was to be attacked on many occasions, but in ad 875 Halfdene the Dane, who had ransacked much of the county, finally burned it down. Although attempts were made, it wasn't until 1113, when the Augustinians were awarded the land and started the present abbey, that it was restored to its former majesty.

The abbey buildings survived Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries of the 1530s because they were was also used as a parish church. Instead of being demolished, Hexham was embellished and extended. The original crypt was retained intact too, and is now surely one of the finest Saxon structures to be found anywhere in Britain. While the nave and transepts date back to the 12th and 13th centuries, Dobson's East End and Temple Moore's nave were constructed between 1850 and 1910.

In the shadow of the abbey, and also constructed with the help of Roman masonry, are the 14th-century Moot Hall and also the Manor Office, which was the first purpose-built gaol in Britain. The two buildings will be the first points of interest you'll see on the walk. Through the arch of the Moot Hall you come to the Market Square, which in 1761 became the scene of a major tragedy. Angry lead miners from Allendale, who were objecting to their conscription to the local militia, descended on Hexham in protest. On this spot they were read the Riot Act. Fighting broke out and, by the end of the day, over 300 miners were injured and 50 had been killed. The North Yorkshire Militia, who were responsible for the atrocity, were subsequently known as the Hexham Butchers.

Past Benson's Monument the walk comes to the edge of the old part of town and side-steps most of the new by climbing the southern hillsides along a wooded dell, known as Cowgarth Dene. The little stream here provided water for the monks of the priory. At the ominously named Black House you're at the top of the walk and can see Hexham and the valley that Wilfred inherited.

While you're there

Great Chesters, known to the Romans as Cilurnum and set on the banks of the North Tyne near Chollerford, is a wonderfully preserved cavalry fort with a fine museum founded by keen archaeologist John Clayton.

Where to eat and drink

At the County Hotel on Priestpopple in the heart of Hexham you can enjoy morning coffee or dine well at their Cromwell Restaurant where they use prime produce, sourced wherever possible from local farms.

What to look for

St Wilfrid's Seat, a 1,300-year-old frith (sanctuary) stool from the original priory was sculpted from a block of stone and survived the Danish attacks. Some believe it to have been the coronation throne of the early Northumbrian kings, though it may well have been a bishops' throne. You'll find it in the middle of the choir in Hexham Abbey.