Hexham Abbey

A lovely surprise en route to Hadrian's Wall--the market town of Hexham with prosperous shops, terrible traffic, a very helpful tourist info. office, and the 7th century abbey. While most of the structure is 13th century, the crypt is indeed 7th century. There are some cool features--the monks stairs, a number of Saxon carvings, tombs with ancient knights atop, and a general air of recycling. For example, the baptismal font is probably Roman, with a cover made in the 18th century from 15th century wood. The monks stairs are now used by the choir to process for services. In short, nothing goes to waste at Hexham. And they have choral evensong on Sundays during term time.