The opening of Hexham's popular attractions in pictures

The Forum Cinema opened its doors on Monday, August 23 1937 on the same site as Hexham’s former cinema, The Gem Cinema, under the management of Tom Scott of the Hexham Entertainment Company.

The Forum's art deco Cinema (Image: Hexham Local History Society)

The first film shown was the 1936 film 'Keep Your Seats Please' starring George Formby, and tickets cost just one shilling - roughly equivalent to five pence today.

Meanwhile, the popular Wetherspoons pub below the cinema, also named The Forum, opened on August 17 1999.

READ MORE: Pub to celebrate milestone anniversary

Opening the Queen's Hall Arts Centre in Hexham, on Saturday, October 22 1983 was The Earl of Gowrie, who unveiled the plaque to celebrate the opening of the new £1.3m venue (Image: Hexham Courant)

Active Northumberland’s Wentworth Leisure Centre had been a mainstay in Hexham since the mid-1980s and received almost £700,000 in funding in 2019 for refurbishment works.

The funding came as part of an ambitious £65m county-wide investment programme to upgrade and transform sport and leisure facilities and enhance customer experience.

Wentworth Leisure Centre in Hexham (Image: NQ)

The Wentworth Leisure Centre was taken over by Places for People Leisure Management Limited in April 2024, following a comprehensive county-wide review to enhance the health and wellbeing of Northumberland residents. 

Opening in 1940 originally as a facility to treat wounded soldiers during the Second World War, Hexham General Hospital joined the NHS eight years later.

A group of wounded soldiers and Hexham Hospital nursing staff (Image: NQ)

A state-of-the-art, new hospital was later opened in 2004 at the cost of £54m by then Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

The Hexham General Hospital after opening (Image: Hexham Local History Society)

The Hexham Courant’s near neighbour, The Queen’s Hall Arts Centre building dates back to 674AD. It opened as an arts centre in 1983.

The Queen's Hall on Beaumont Street (Image: Anderson & Garland)

The iconic venue had been a dance hall, cinema and even a bingo hall before it was bought for development by Northumberland County Council and Tynedale District Council in 1975.

The Hexham Hospital under construction (Image: Hexham Local History Society)

Between 1866 and 1917, the Queen's Hall hosted balls, concerts and recitals, and had a music hall.

Queen Etheldreda granted Bishop Wilfrid the lands of Hexhamshire for a new Benedictine monastery in 673-674, making Hexham Abbey one of the earliest seats of Christianity in England.

Hexham Abbey (Image: NQ)

Elsewhere, The Old Gaol was one of the first purpose-built jails in England, built between 1330-3, while the Moot Hall was used as a courthouse until 1838.