This Gatehouse guarded the Hall of the Archbishops of York. They were Lords of the Manor of Hexham for nearly five hundred years until 1545.

These were troubled times on the Scottish Borders. This late mediaeval tower was heavily fortified with three sets of doors, overhanging parapets and murder holes. In the first-floor courtroom the Archbishop’s Bailiff administered justice. From the raised dais he heard pleas, settled disputes, delivered judgments and consulted with tenants.

In later centuries the gatehouse became the setting for the Quarter Sessions of county magistrates and for meetings of the town’s Borough Courts.

Since then it has been known as the Moot Hall.*

*Information taken from a signboard located on The Moot Hall

We were all packed up and ready to go before we went down for breakfast so all we needed to do after breakfast was settle the bill for the few extras we had added to our room.

On the way home we stopped off at Hexham to see the Abbey as recommended by JD. Hexham Abbey was very interesting and we timed it just right be able to go down the stairs into the ancient crypt. We would have liked a bit more time in the Abbey and in Hexham so we will need to go back to explore more.

It was a bit early for lunch so we continued on our journey, stopping at Tebay Services where I treated myself to of one of my childhood favourites; coconut, cherry and chocolate cake. After lunch we briefly called in on my Aunt, who lives in Manchester, so that Mr C could check that her new porch had been completed to satisfaction. She had been experiencing problems with the company doing the work. I felt a little guilty that the stay was so brief but it wasn’t possibly to stay any longer. With the detour we had spent seven hours in the car leaving us rather tired when we got home for a well earned rest.

A moot hall is a meeting or assembly building, traditionally to decide local issues:

In Anglo-Saxon England, a low ring-shaped earthwork served as a moot hill or moot mound, where the elders of the hundred would meet to take decisions. Some of these acquired permanent buildings, known as moot halls. However, many moot halls are on relatively new sites within later settlements.

Newcastle’s Moot Hall is situated directly opposite the Vermont Hotel.  It is currently used as a Court of Law, but it can be hired for weddings, events and filming:

Type of court:

Crown Court used for criminal and civil cases

Description:

Two large courtrooms with oak fixtures and fittings

Date and period:

Building is Georgian dating from 1812, with the courtrooms restored to Victorian design from 1875

Key features:

The entrance is up a broad flight of sandstone steps and Grecian portico to the entry hall and magnificent staircase beyond, leading to balcony on the first floor. The chandelier lit Grand Jury Room has splendid views over the river Tyne and it’s bridges. Two traditional oak Courtrooms dating from 1875 have trapdoors in the docks leading down to the cell area with original studded doors and shackle rings. Both courts have oak canopied Judges benches and extensive public galleries.

External features:

Described on completion as the most perfect specimen of Doric architecture in the North of England, the Moot Hall has a columned portico to the front, whilst the design of the rear is based on the Parthenon in the Athens.