Shopping in Corbridge: The Independent High Street

Corbridge is a small village, but its centre holds a good number of independent shops within a few minutes' walk of each other. There are no retail parks or shopping centres here. Instead, the shops occupy stone buildings around the Market Place and along the narrow streets that lead off it: Hill Street, Middle Street and Main Street. Most are owner-run, and many have traded in the village for years.

This guide walks through the main shopping streets in turn, then covers food shops and the practical details of getting here and parking.

The Market Place

The Market Place is the heart of the village, with St Andrew's Church on one side, the market cross and the old village pant in the middle, and shops and cafes around the edges.

Forum Books occupies The Chapel, a converted 1867 chapel down an alleyway opposite St Andrew's Church. It sells new books arranged by theme and subject, uses the old pulpit as a children's reading corner, and runs author events through the year.

A few doors along, Fawcett & Russell is a charity shop run by Tynedale Hospice at Home. It opened in January 2025 and sells higher-end new and pre-loved homeware, clothing and accessories. It is named after the two women who founded the charity in Hexham in 1993, and it opens seven days a week.

Tucked into Tynedale Mews just off the square, The Wedding Dress Company is a bridal boutique working by appointment only. Each appointment gives private use of the shop, with gowns from designers including Essense of Australia, Martina Liana and Enzoani.

Hill Street

Hill Street leads off the Market Place past the library and the Town Hall, and it has the largest cluster of independent shops in the village.

Jessie Juniper at number 22 is a women's clothes shop selling coats, dresses, knitwear and footwear alongside accessories and gifts, with labels such as Sahara, Cut Loose and ICHI. New collections come in each season.

At number 24, Chapter 38 is another independent ladies' fashion shop, selling clothing alongside jewellery and accessories.

Further up at number 32, Saunders & Pughe is a jeweller run by Marianne Saunders, a qualified gemmologist, and Robert Pughe, a designer and goldsmith. The shop makes as well as sells jewellery.

Vintage at the Tower is a little harder to find. It sits in Hillgate House: from the Market Place, take the alleyway on the right-hand side of St Andrew's Church. Inside are pre-loved and vintage jewellery, handbags, Liberty silk scarves and a large selection of Butler & Wilson pieces.

Middle Street

Middle Street leads off the Market Place and is home to two long-standing village businesses.

Shorts of Corbridge is a family-run menswear shop at 11 Middle Street. It stocks casual and smart clothing from brands including Barbour, Meyer, Brax, Magee 1866 and Rodd & Gunn, with shoes from Barker and GEOX.

A few doors along at number 12, Watsonia Florists sells fresh and dried flowers, houseplants, vases and gifts, and offers local same-day delivery. The shop traded on the corner of the Market Place for more than 20 years before moving here.

Main Street and Bishops Yard

Set back from Main Street in Bishops Yard, RE is a homeware, gift and lifestyle shop in a converted workshop. It has traded since 2003, with rooms given over to garden, kitchen, textiles and china, and stock that mixes new and old pieces with fair trade and recycled goods. It is a short walk from the Market Place.

Food shops

The village also has several independent food shops, useful whether you are stocking up or putting together a picnic for a walk along the Tyne.

• The Corbridge Larder on Hill Street is a delicatessen stocking more than 100 cheeses, with bread, chutneys and sandwiches made to order.
• Grant's Bakery at 1 Market Place is a family-run craft bakery making sourdough, sausage rolls, cakes and pastries.
• JD Hall Butchers at 2 Hill Street is a family butcher established for more than a century.

For everyday essentials, Boots and the Post Office are both in the Town Hall Buildings on Princes Street.

Visit Corbridge and village events

Many of the shops belong to Visit Corbridge, the village traders' group. Its best-known event is A Midsummer's Evening in June, when the shops stay open late and there is music and a market around the square. For Christmas events and late openings, check the Visit Corbridge website and the shops' own pages nearer the time.

Best for:

Opening hours vary between shops, and not all open every day. If you are making a special trip for one shop, check its directory listing or website before you set off.

Getting here and parking

Corbridge sits just off the A69, which bypasses the village. There are council pay-and-display car parks in the centre, including on Princes Street and Watling Street, though spaces are often busy, particularly during events. There is also a free car park on the south side of the bridge, a few minutes' walk from the Market Place across the Tyne.

Corbridge railway station is on Station Road, south of the river, about a mile from the village centre. It is on the Tyne Valley line between Newcastle and Carlisle, with hourly trains to Newcastle (around 41 minutes) and Hexham (around 7 minutes). From the station, the walk into the village crosses the bridge.

Buses also serve the village, including the X85, 10 and 684 run by Go North East and the 685 run by Stagecoach. Check current timetables before you travel, as frequencies vary through the day and at weekends.

Shop local

Corbridge's shops are small businesses, and most are run by the people you will meet behind the counter. A morning spent working along Hill Street and Middle Street, with a stop for coffee on the Market Place, is a pleasant way to see the village and support the people who keep its centre busy.

Run an independent shop in Corbridge that isn't listed here? Get in touch and we'll add it to the directory and this guide.