“Few churches in the North of England equal the spectacular interior and monastic relics of Hexham.”
(Simon Jenkins, England’s Thousand Best Churches)
The Hexham Abbey Project will create exciting spaces suitable for today, complementing the medieval architecture. New spaces will be designed to blend with the old and will open new parts of the original Abbey site to the public.
History helps us find our place in the world; it defines our relationships with our neighbours and provides us with the roots we need to flourish. Hexham Abbey has a rich and evocative history. It is the story of over 1,300 years of cultural development written in stone. If we are to make the most of this unique historical resource, our treasures need proper display and interpretation.
Eddius, St Wilfrid’s chaplain and biographer, described the first Hexham Abbey
as “being built so that none other this side of the Alps could be compared with it.”
Inside are a number of rare cultural and historical artefacts of considerable importance. These include:
- Roman Stones – used to build the crypt along with several Roman tombstones and altars that still decorate the current church.
- Saxon Crypt - it was here that pilgrims glimpsed the relics of saints.
- The Frith Stool – a Saxon bishop’s throne and a symbol of sanctuary.
- Dark Age Crosses – commemorate Acca, Hexham’s second Bishop.
- Early English Choir screen – dating from c.1200.
- Medieval Night Stair – which allowed monks access to the church for their nightly prayers and is the only remaining Night Stair still in daily use.
- Pre-Renaissance Pulpitum – a rare 15th Century painted rood screen.
- The Hexham Chalice – a tiny copper and gold gilt goblet used by Anglo-Saxon missionaries to celebrate Holy Communion.
These are some of the Abbey’s main treasures. Numerous others, currently hidden from view, will be able to be displayed and used to tell the story of this place.