Queen's Hall Arts Centre

The Queen’s Hall Arts Centre stands in Beaumont Street, Hexham, Northumberland, on the site of a cleared wooded area beside the remains of the abbey wall. Its Grade II listed building was once Hexham Town Hall, designed in the Italianate style by John Johnstone and opened in 1866. The symmetrical frontage has eleven bays, with outer wings and a central section featuring Doric and Corinthian columns. Inside, the north wing once housed a bank, the central section a corn exchange, and the south wing civic rooms. After serving as a cinema and ballroom, the building became a theatre and arts centre in 1983. The arts centre is worth the journey for its historic fabric and cultural role. The Brough Local Studies Collection, donated in 1948, grew into the UK’s second-largest local history library. Fire damage in 1931 led to an art deco ceiling, still admired today. The building reflects Hexham’s growth from a 14th-century moot hall to a 19th-century market town hub. Its conversion preserved the original architecture while adapting spaces for modern use. The centre now hosts live performances and community events. Visitors find a theatre with an art deco ceiling, a library holding 10,000 books, and rooms once used by a bank and health board. The north wing remains in office use, while the south wing functions as a theatre. The central section houses the library with the Brough Collection. The exterior’s ashlar stone and columned frontage stand out on Beaumont Street. The complex shows layers of Hexham’s past, from medieval defences to Victorian civic pride.