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Hexham
The Abbey Church built between 674 &
680ad and dedicated to and later became the cathedral of St Andrew and is
distinguished as one of the first stone churches in England. |
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The Norsemen in their Longships
who frequented our Northumbrian Coastline with their raiding parties, ventured
inland in 876ad and left the town & church in ruins until the twelfth
century when the Augustinian Canons founded a monastery and completely rebuilt
the church in its present cruciform shape.
Scottish raiders were next to
attack the church causing a fire which destroyed the nave which remained in such
a state for over 600 years when it was rebuilt, although evidence of the
original crypt and apsidal end can still be seen.
There is documented evidence
that during the raid in 1296 the Scholars at the school were locked inside and
perished in the fire raised by the departing raiders.
Wylam
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George Stephenson the Father of the Railway was born in 1781 at Wylam up the
Tyne valley. The stone cottage built in the 1750’s where he lived with his
entire family in a single room is close to the central car park in the
village.
He and William Hedley another Rail Pioneer are central to the theme at the
Wylam Railway Museum.
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Corbridge - Corstopitum
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Corbridge was a major Roman town which supplied Roman Garrisons on the Wall
being on the main highway of the time from York to Scotland named Dere Street. it
was also the Capital of Northumbria and the only river crossing on the fast
flowing river Tyne downstream for sixteen miles to Newcastle. |
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Other crossings upstream at Hexham had
repeatedly been swept away leaving Corbridge in a commanding position for trade
until the 1800s. As with other market towns in the border regions the Vicar
occupied a fortified pele tower, built during the reign of Edward II after the
destruction of the town by King David of Scotland
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Corstopitum the Roman name for
Corbridge was an important camp for the occupying forces of Rome being the end
of the main supply route to Hadrian's wall. The remains of which can be viewed
to the west of the town where the original bridge was located, the present
bridge was built in 1674 and was the only one to survive the great flood of
1771.
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The Angel Inn has for over 500 years
catered for the travelers through Corbridge and where a Court Leet & Baron
was held until the mid nineteenth century to reclaim debts.
Chollerford
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A few miles north of the Roman town of
Corstopitum lies Chollerford and Chester's both being forts on Hadrian's Wall
the frontier of the Roman Empire for over 400 years.
The remains of the wall encampments
with accompanying museums are a worthy visit prior to a drive along the line of
the wall to Greenhead passing other fortress remains such as Housesteads on the
wall.
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At Chesters Fort the extensive Clayton
Collection can be viewed, a varied selection of early excavated artefacts from
the central section of the wall, which have been on display for over one hundred
years.
It's a treasure trove of engraved altars,
tombstones and statues collected during the later half of the nineteenth century
by John Clayton who spent every Monday for over fifty years excavating the wall
and forts.
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John Clayton
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Clayton a workaholic
Lawyer who in an array of civic positions played an important role in
development of central Newcastle-upon-Tyne, when approaching 50 he
turned to archaeology until he retired at 94 and died four years later in 1890. |
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