At long last!

Image: © Oliver Dixon Taken: 25 May 2024

The main traffic artery and shopping street in Hexham (B6305) is somewhat confusingly known under three names - Priestpopple at the eastern end, Battle Hill at the western end, and Cattle Market, a very short section between Broadgates and Eastgate in the middle. This view is taken from the north side of Priestpopple looking west towards Cattle Market. Major works along these streets was undertaken from late 2023 to early 2024 under the guise of a street reconstruction scheme through the Hexham High Streets Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ), part of a national £95 million government-funded programme, led by Historic England, designed to secure lasting improvements and rejuvenate historic high streets. To facilitate the work, Battle Hill, Cattle Market and Priestpopple were reduced to one-way working west to east for the duration, causing considerable delays to east-west traffic. At long last, the road works have been cleared away, traffic flows freely once more and we can appreciate the visual improvements brought about by the scheme. It is somewhat unfortunate that the broad area of paving on the south side between the junctions with Broadgates and Commercial Place (on the far side of the street) was not part of the scheme, leaving a rather obvious contrast between the old and the new.

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