📌 Hexham, Northumberland
★★★
Found by passing under the Moot Hall gateway arch from Hexham‘s marketplace, this attraction claims to be England’s oldest purpose-built gaol, dating to the 1330s. Prisoners were generally held in the vaulted basement cells while awaiting trial at the Moot Hall itself. Nowadays, the three floors above this mostly contain crime and punishment displays, info about the 1761 Hexham Riot and archaeological exhibits; it’s a good place to learn about the Border Reivers: Scottish and English raiders who plundered both sides of the border from the 13th to 17th centuries. A modern lift inserted into the building’s spine also allows a brief trip down to the cells themselves.
🌍 Location
📌 Hall Gate, Hexham town centre
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NY 937641
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 54.971279,-2.099901
🚆🚌 Train / bus to Hexham
🚗 Car parks / street parking nearby (sometimes with disc requirement)
📝 Key info
⌚ Wednesday to Sunday (or daily during school holidays & bank holidays), 29 March to probably early November 2024
🎫 £7 adult / free for children
