Hexham Abbey

Even by today's standards, Hexham remains as a remote town in the stunning Northumberland wilderness, with little in the way of urbanisation between it and Carlisle, some 30 miles to the west. It seems almost unimaginable that the young Bishop of York found this isolated spot over 1300 years ago, and chose it as the place to build his monastery. St Wilfred's Benedictine Abbey earned a reputation not only as a centre of Christian faith, but also for scholarship, music and sculpture. By the early part of the 9th century, the Saxon building had decayed and the monks eventually deserted the abbey.

In 1113 Hexham Abbey was re-founded as an Augustinian priory on the original foundation of St Wilfred's monastery, and a grand new church was built in the Early English style of architecture. Soon after completion of the work at the end of the 13th century it was attacked by the Scots, and the nave was completely destroyed. It is uncertain whether this part of the abbey church was ever rebuilt by the canons, although evidence of some 14th century foundations was found. At the Dissolution in 1524 the remains of the monastic church (the chancel) served as the parish church, but only fragments of other monastic buildings survived.

Hexham Abbey is a delightful parish church, and a fascinating mix of new and old. Entering through the original south transept many relics of the old abbey can be seen. There is a Roman tombstone, the remains of a Saxon Cross, a bronze chalice, the Frith Stool, and numerous other treasures. Probably the rarest find, and certainly an impressive feature of the monastic church, is the monks' night stair. Well trodden, and still in situ, some of the treads bear scars from the Scottish invasion of 1296 when molten lead dripped onto them from the burning roof. The nave was reconstructed in the first decade of the 20th century but even these modern walls incorporate many fragments of carved stone from Wilfred's monastery, and earlier Roman stone. But what Hexham Abbey is primarily renowned for is its amazing Saxon crypt beneath the nave. Discovered only by accident in the 18th century, the barrel-vaulted chamber is an evocative reminder of early Christianity. Most of the stone used for the construction of the crypt shows Roman decoration and inscriptions, and is believed to have originated from the nearby fort at Corbridge.

Continual maintenance and re-building work has ensured that Hexham Abbey will remain a place for regular worship, but it is also allows us the humbling experience of glimpsing life as a medieval monk.