Hexham Market Place

Hexham Market Place is the historic heart of the town, an open cobbled square framed by Hexham Abbey to the south, the Moot Hall arch to the east, and rows of independent shops, tearooms and pubs on the remaining sides. Markets have been held on this spot for more than seven centuries, since a royal charter was granted in 1239, and the tradition continues today with a general market on Tuesdays and a farmers' market on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month.

At the centre of the square stands the Shambles, an unusual open-sided market shelter built in 1766 by Sir Walter Blackett, its stone columns supporting a low slate roof under which stalls still trade. Around it are 18th and 19th-century frontages, many of them Grade II listed, giving the whole square a coherent Georgian character despite the medieval bones underneath.

The Market Place is the natural starting point for exploring Hexham on foot: the Abbey, the Old Gaol, the Moot Hall and the shopping streets of Fore Street and Priestpopple all lead directly from here. Cafés and benches make it a good place to pause between visits, or to wait for the 680 bus back to Bellingham.