Hexham and Carlisle

After my first well-rested night in who knows how long, I was all energized to run around to lots more big stone buildings. I started with Hexham abbey.

Another old stone building in Hexham was the moot hall. This was a gate in the original city defenses, and then was used as a court house for a long stretch of time. 

The result of the verdict at the moot hall could be imprisonment here at the Old Gaol. This is the first prison build for solely that purpose in England, erected in 1333. 

Inside are figures and soundtracks displaying the conditions of the cells. These conditions vary greatly, from the horrid crowded rooms in the basement, where the gaolers would basically toss people down and forget about them, to the swank chambers where the wealthy inmates could order room service including a rather mind blowing amount of alcohol. 

From Hexam I made my way back to Carlisle. The castle looked much the same in daylight, though now I could enter it. 

The castle once held Mary Queen of Scots. It also survived a long siege where the Royalist defenders had to eat rats and dogs before finally surrendering to the Parliamentarians.  

Besides a dungeon full of horror stories, the keep had some interesting displays about the history of changes of castle and about the Jacobite rebellion.

Nearby stood Carlisle Cathedral. I particularly liked the fragments of the nave that survived after the building was cannibalized to reinforce the city walls after attacks from Parliamentarians. 

I spent the rest of my time in Carlisle browsing bookstores and various other shops. I then took the train up to Dumfries to get a fix of internet at the library before spending the night in a bed and breakfast above the river overlooking a pleasant footbridge. I had skipped one last castle in Scotland in order to make it on time to the Hadrian's Wall illumination, but damned if I wasn't going to get back there before rushing off on the next adventure.