Hexham is a market town on the south bank of the River Tyne, close to Hadrian's Wall and just downstream of the point at Warden where the North Tyne and South Tyne meet. It was the administrative centre of the Tynedale district from 1974 to 2009 and had a population of 13,097 in 2011. Newcastle is 25 miles east and Carlisle 37 miles west, so the town serves a large rural hinterland on both sides.
We are Business Mortgages Broker. We arrange business mortgages for limited companies buying or refinancing the premises they trade from in Hexham and the rest of Northumberland. We are a broker, not a lender, and this is commercial finance for a trading business's premises, not a residential mortgage.
Premises finance for Hexham's shops, cafes and producers
Hexham's centre has the mix of a working market town: five central supermarkets, clothes shops, banks, estate agents, antique shops, chemists, and cafes and coffee shops from chains to family-run independents. The market still flourishes, including a mart for cattle and other farm animals. Production has a long history here too. The town was famous for leather and gloves, and today the botanical brewery Fentimans is based in Hexham, while the Subskimmer was designed and made in the town by Submarine Products.
For an independent retailer, cafe owner or food and drink producer, buying the freehold ends the rent review cycle and gives the company an asset. Many town-centre buildings have upper floors in separate use. Where the upper part is a flat, the building is semi-commercial: our semi-commercial premises page explains how lenders approach it, indicatively at 6.5 to 8.5% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation.
Hexham's shops, hotels and farm businesses
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units. Figures are for the Northumberland local authority area.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Hexham share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farming, forestry and fishing | 1,860 | 13.5% | 4.5% |
| Construction and building trades | 1,590 | 11.5% | 12.5% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 1,515 | 11% | 13.9% |
| Retail | 1,235 | 8.9% | 9.3% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 1,010 | 7.3% | 6.2% |
| Business support services | 975 | 7.1% | 8.2% |
| Health and social care | 800 | 5.8% | 5.6% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 610 | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Personal and other services | 570 | 4.1% | 4.1% |
- 3.8xforestry85 businesses
- 3.5xfishing and aquaculture60 businesses
- 3.0xfarming1,715 businesses
- 2.3xhotels and accommodation265 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
The figures cover all of Northumberland, 13,790 businesses, and the rural economy shows clearly. Farming, forestry and fishing make up 13.5% against 4.5% nationally. Accommodation runs at 2.32 times the UK share, and restaurants, cafes and pubs account for 7.3% of firms against 6.2%.
A hotel, inn or guest house in the Tyne valley is underwritten as a trading business, typically in the 7.0 to 9.0% band, with lenders looking at occupancy and seasonal trade. Shops in Hexham's centre are a simpler case, often bought as semi-commercial with a flat above.
How an owner-occupier mortgage works for a Tynedale business
Lenders active in owner-occupier lending typically lend 70 to 75% of the price or valuation, whichever is lower, over 5 to 25 years. For a shop, workshop or office occupied by its owner, indicative pricing is 6.0 to 7.5% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation. Hotels, pubs and holiday businesses are trading-business cases at indicatively 7.0 to 9.0%. The lender's security is a legal charge registered at HM Land Registry.
Stamp Duty Land Tax applies at the non-residential rates: nothing on the first £150,000, 2% on £150,001 to £250,000 and 5% on any amount above £250,000 (HMRC, rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy). Our stamp duty guide for commercial property explains the bands.
Illustrative example. A cafe company buys its £280,000 freehold in the town centre. A 75% loan is £210,000, the deposit £70,000, and SDLT comes to £3,500.
Hexham and Tynedale premises: fewer shops, more rural buildings
Valuation Office Agency, non-domestic rating stock of properties, March 2026. Figures for the Northumberland council area. Average rateable value is the VOA's estimate of annual rent, not a sale price.
- Industrial and warehouse3,590properties on the rating listUp 17.3% since 2016Average rateable value £19,500factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices1,620properties on the rating listUp 5.2% since 2016Average rateable value £9,500offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail2,630properties on the rating listDown 3% since 2016Average rateable value £20,800shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial6,520properties on the rating listUp 29.4% since 2016Average rateable value £18,400pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Hexham's estates and works, from Haugh Lane to Tyne Mills
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Hexham, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Haugh Lane Industrial EstateHexham NE46 3PU
- Tyne Mills Industrial EstateHexham NE46 1XL
- Chareway Business ParkHexham NE463HW
- Cherry Works Business ParkHexham NE463HW
- Bridgend Industrial EstateHexham NE46 4JH
- Bridge End At Hexham Industrial EstateHexham NE46 4DQ
- Bridge End Industrial EstateHexham NE46 4DQ
- ❒ Bridge End Industrial EstateHexham NE46 4DQ
- French Garden Industrial EstateHexham
- Acomb Industrial EstateHexham NE46 4SA
Across Northumberland, shop numbers fell 3% to 2,630, with an average rateable value of £20,800. The 'other' category, which covers hotels, leisure and rural business uses, grew 29.4% from 5,040 to 6,520. Industrial stock rose 17.3%. For a Hexham trader, that means a steady market for small shops and growing choice of rural business premises.
Buying industrial and rural business property around Hexham, England
The major employer is the Austrian firm Egger, whose chipboard factory is visible from miles away. Smaller manufacturers, contractors and agricultural suppliers need workshops and yards that can take vehicles, and the A69, which runs 54 miles from Carlisle to Newcastle, is the main road link. Hexham railway station on the Tyne Valley Line had two trains an hour towards Carlisle and three towards Newcastle as of the December 2019 timetable, and Newcastle International Airport is around 20 miles by road.
Rural premises can be harder to value than town-centre ones, because there are fewer comparable sales. Good accounts and a clear explanation of how the building earns its keep make the difference. Commercial lending to a limited company is unregulated and falls outside the FCA's regulated mortgage perimeter. Where a deal would be regulated, for example lending to a sole trader or individual, or a property where the borrower or a close family member will live in part of it, we refer it to an appropriately authorised firm.
Hexham and nearby Tyne valley places we cover
Hexham town centre and Priestpopple
The centre holds most of the town's shops, cafes, banks and professional offices, with Priestpopple the site of the original bus station. Buyers here are usually independents and service firms purchasing small freehold buildings, often with upper floors that need separate treatment in the valuation.
Corbridge and Riding Mill
East of Hexham along the Tyne and the A695, Corbridge and Riding Mill are smaller places with their own shops, food businesses and hospitality. Companies here often trade from older buildings on main streets, and lenders will look at trading history closely where the business depends on visitors.
Stocksfield, Wylam and Prudhoe
Further east towards Tyneside, the A695 serves Stocksfield and Prudhoe, and Wylam sits on the river. These places put a business within easier reach of Newcastle while staying in Northumberland, which suits trade firms, workshops and small offices that want their own building close to the conurbation.
Haydon Bridge, Bardon Mill and Haltwhistle
West of the town along the Tyne valley towards Carlisle, these places serve farming communities and visitors to Hadrian's Wall. Premises are typically shops, guest accommodation, workshops and agricultural service yards, where a lender will want to see how trade holds up across the year.
Allendale, Acomb and Bellingham
Allendale lies to the south and Acomb and Bellingham to the north, deeper into rural Northumberland. Businesses here are small and often family-run: village shops, pubs, holiday lets run as a trade, and land-based firms. Fewer lenders cover remote properties, so matching the case to the right one matters.
