Corbridge

Corbridge lies just off the A69, about 18 miles west of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, it grew from the Roman town of CORSTOPITUM, a supply town for the troops on Hadrian's Wall.

From the beginning Corstopitum provided much of the building stones used in the construction of many of the village buildings, including the church, Vicar's Pele and nearby castles.In the thirteenth century Corbridge was second only to Newcastle in wealth and its citizens were heavily taxed to help pay for Edward 1's Scottish wars and its mediaeval street plan is much the same today. The Saxon church however has trebled in size by the addition of aisles, transepts and chancel to the inner Saxon tower and naïve whilst The Vicar's Pele illustrates the fierceness of Border warfare which burnt Corbridge to the ground several times.The bridge at Corbridge is the oldest of the mediaeval bridges which became derelict by the 17th century, and was finally replaced in 1674 and was the only bridge on the whole of the River Tyne to survive the Great Flood of 1771.As far back as 1827 Corbridge was a place renowned for its small shops and several of the decorated fronts still survive.

Today Corbridge is still known for its quaintness and unique boutique shops and is an ideal base to explore the beauty of Northumberland and Hadrian's Wall.