Hexham
Hexham is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Northumberland. It is situated south of the River Tyne, and was the administrative centre for the Tynedale area from 1974 to 2009. Smaller towns and villages around Hexham feature Corbridge, Riding Mill, Stocksfield and Wylam towards the east, Acomb and Bellingham to the north, Allendale to the south and Haydon Bridge, Bardon Mill and Haltwhistle to the west. Newcastle upon Tyne is about 25 miles (40 kilometres) towards the east. With mention to the 2011 Census, the town has a permanent population of about 11829. Hexham's architectural landscape is headed by Hexham Abbey. The existing church mostly dates from around 1170, built in the Early English Gothic design of architecture. The choir, north and south transepts and the cloisters, where canons studied and meditated, date from this period. The east end was reconstructed in 1860. The abbey stands at the west end of the market place, which is home to the Shambles, a Grade II covered market built in 1766 by Sir Walter Blackett. At the east end of the market place is the Moot Hall, a 15th-century gatehouse that was part of the town's defences. The Moot Hall is a Grade I listed structure, and was employed as a courthouse until 1838. The Moot Hall now houses the Council offices of the Museums Department and the ground floor is an art gallery open to hire. Hexham won the Town award in the 2005 Britain in Bloom awards. In the same year Hexham was additionally named 'England's Favourite Market Town' by the magazine 'Country Life'. For all your home upgrades, be sure to find reputable specialists in Hexham to make certain of quality.