Hexham Abbey

Tourism and Regeneration 

Centre

SERVING THE WIDER WORLD

Opportunities to develop industry in Hexham are limited, due to global economic factors, geography and the need to protect the area’s beautiful countryside. But there is one industry that is remarkably underdeveloped considering Hexham’s location - tourism.

Hexham is blessed with a location at the heart of the North’s most famous tourist attractions. To the north is the World Heritage Site of Hadrian’s Wall and the Northumberland National Park. To the east are the cities of Durham and Newcastle; to the west Carlisle, Penrith and the Lake District and to the south is the North Pennine Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Hexham Abbey is an important historical attraction in its own right, but a lack of appropriate visitor facilities and interpretation space currently prevents it from achieving its full potential in expanding Tynedale’s visitor industry.

Hexham Abbey’s value as a visitor attraction is due to the fact it is a key link in an extensive chain of North East Christian Heritage sites. St Wilfrid, Hexham Abbey’s founder, was a pupil of St Aidan, who established Lindisfarne’s famous monastery. St Wilfrid was hugely influential on the development of English Christianity whilst St Acca, Hexham’s second Bishop, was a patron of the Venerable Bede who wrote his History of the English Church in the Tyneside monastery of Jarrow.

By creating a world class visitor facility for Tynedale and the North East, the new Hexham Abbey Centre, will be better able to explain the Abbey’s pivotal historical role which in turn will attract and retain tourists from around the world eager to explore this unique, fascinating and beautiful region. More visitors will, of course, boost Hexham’s shops, hotels, guest houses, pubs and restaurants.

"AT A TIME WHEN TRADITIONAL INDUSTRIES ARE IN DECLINE AND MARKET TOWNS ARE HAVING TO WORK HARDER THAN EVER TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS, TOURISM IS A GENUINE OPPORTUNITY FOR TOWNS RICH IN HERITAGE SUCH AS HEXHAM"

Giles Ingram, Executive Director, Northumberland Tourism