Hexham: What To Do When You Visit Hexham
Hexham is a market town in Northumberland and is located to the south of the river Tyne. If you are looking for somewhere to stay close to Hadrian’s Wall or the Northumberland National Park then Hexham is ideal. There are plenty of superb hotels, guest houses and bed and breakfasts in Hexham for you to choose from.
As well as exploring Hadrian’s Wall there are plenty of other attractions close to Hexham that you can enjoy. Here we will take a look at just a few of the places you can visit.
1. Corbridge Roman Site was used by the Roman’s as their main supply depot for Hadrian’s Wall when their armies were building and guarding it almost 2,000 years ago. This Roman settlement has been excavated and you can see some of the best examples of Roman military granaries in England at this location. There is also a museum where you can see many of the artifacts that have been discovered on the site during the excavations. These include the famous Lion of Corbridge, a stone fountainhead.
2. Another popular tourist attraction is the Housesteads Roman Fort and Museum. It is the best preserved of all the Roman forts that were built along Hadrian’s Wall during the Roman occupation of the area. As well as the fort, you have the chance to see what a Roman hospital looked like.
3. Allen Banks & Staward Grange is ideal place to get away from the hustle and bustle of modern living. The grounds have many way-marked walks through the ornamental and ancient woods. The remains of a medieval Pele tower can be found at Staward Wood. There is a reconstructed Victorian Summerhouse at Allen Banks as well. The woodlands are cut in the middle by a river gorge and you can spend many a happy hour identifying the many plants and animals there.
4. Alnwick Castle is the second largest of all castles in England today that is still inhabited. Since 1309 this has been the home of the Earls and Dukes of Northumberland (the Percy’s). However there is evidence in history books to show that a castle has stood on this site since around 1096 and was erected on the behest of Yves de Vescy who became Baron of Alnwick at this time. It was however the First Lord Percy of Alnwick who began restoration on the castle back in the early fourteenth Century and today parts of this still remain.
Of course we have shown you a few of the attractions that get many people to stay in Hexham. The most famous one is of course Hadrian’s Wall. Although not all the wall remains there are still many sites along the track it took in order to protect the Romans from the Scottish tribes. As with many of the ancient monuments around the UK this was in 1987 classed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and since that time has been maintained by English Heritage.
