hexham abbey

descend into the Anglo-Saxon crypt & experience history

There has been a church on this site for over 1300 years since Queen Etheldreda made a grant of lands to Wilfrid, Bishop of York c.674. Of Wilfrid’s Benedictine abbey, the Saxon crypt and apse remain.

In Norman times Wilfrid’s abbey was replaced by an Augustinian priory, the church you see today is mainly that building of about 1170 - 1250, in the Early English style of architecture. The choir, north and south transepts and the cloisters, where canons studied and meditated, date from this period. The east end was rebuilt in 1860 and the nave, whose walls incorporate some of the earlier church, was built in 1908. In 1996 an additional chapel was created at the east end of the north choir aisle. Named ‘St Wilfrid’s Chapel’, it offers a place for prayer or quiet reflection. Since the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1537 the abbey has been the parish church of Hexham and today is still a centre for worship and witness to the Christian faith.

Hexham Abbeys exciting new exhibition, The Big Story, will help you to discover more about the astonishing history of this remarkable abbey. Fascinating facts and things to do for all ages make the exhibition a must-see part of your visit to Hexham Abbey. Who are the people of the abbey and what challenges have they overcome to keep the flame of faith alive in this place for over 1,300 years? The state-of-the art touch screens show you what the abbey would have looked like 1,300 years ago and how it has changed over the years.

Hexham is generally fully accessible, including the visitor centre, café and shop, including accessible toilets.