We checked 14 Northumberland shops, from Barter Books in Alnwick to Rutherford & Co in Morpeth, for opening hours and what they sell. Updated November 2026.
Northumberland has 14 independent shops and shopping stops worth a Christmas trip in 2026, and this guide puts them in one place with opening hours, addresses and what each one sells. Barter Books in Alnwick, Rutherford & Co in Morpeth, Forum Books in Corbridge and the Hexham shops around the Market Place are the names most people land on.
Most of the hours below are regular hours, not Christmas ones; only Barter Books has published festive times so far. Small shops often change their hours close to Christmas, so check before a special trip.
Dates for the Christmas shopping diary
Thursday 12 to Sunday 15 November: Brocksbushes Christmas Fayre, near Stocksfield, with one-hour arrival slots. Full details, with the other markets, are on our Northumberland Christmas markets page.
Saturday 14 November: Morpeth lights. Morpeth Town Council’s switch-on runs on Bridge Street from 12pm, with the lights going on at 5pm. Alnwick and Hexham switch on on Friday 20 November, and Blyth and Ashington on Saturday 21 November; our Christmas lights page has the times as each council publishes them.
Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November: Ford and Etal Christmas Market, more than 120 stalls across three villages, £12 an adult for one day and free for under-18s.
Weekends from 5 December: Festive Alnwick Markets in the Pavilion at The Alnwick Garden on 5 and 6, 12 and 13, and 19 and 20 December, 10am to 3pm, free.
Saturday 12 December: Hexham. The Hexham Abbey Christmas Fair runs from 9am to 3pm, the same morning as the farmers’ market.
Late night shopping. We found no town-wide late night shopping date for Alnwick, Morpeth, Hexham or Berwick when we checked. Barter Books stays open until 7pm every day.
Parking. Several Northumberland towns use free parking discs in their car parks; our parking guide explains how they work. In Alnwick, Market Place parking is suspended until January 2028 while the Cobbles are rebuilt (our story on the works).
Alnwick
1. Barter Books, Alnwick Station
Barter Books trades from Alnwick’s old railway station and calls itself “one of the largest secondhand bookshops in Britain”. It is also, in its own words, the “home of the original ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ poster”, and sells its own Keep Calm range alongside a tea towel and mug designed by Chris Donald of Viz.
It sells gift vouchers from £5 to £100, and the Station Buffet serves food inside the shop. It is the only shop in this guide with Christmas hours already published.
Open every day 9am to 7pm, including Sundays; Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and New Year's Eve 9am to 5pm; closed Christmas Day
Food Station Buffet 9am to 6pm (9am to 4pm on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and New Year's Eve)
Call 01665 604888
Address Alnwick Station, Alnwick, NE66 2NP
Website barterbooks.co.uk
Good for secondhand books, gift vouchers, Keep Calm gifts, cafe
2. The Accidental Bookshop, Narrowgate
The Accidental Bookshop is the Alnwick branch of the team behind Forum Books in Corbridge, which calls it “brand new” and says it has “the UK’s tallest bookshop bookshelf (we think)”. The group says it stocks “a hand-picked and eye-popping range of beautiful books” and runs author events.
Its online shop was selling signed copies and Christmas cookbooks on pre-order when we checked. It is on Narrowgate, a street of small shops that runs up towards the castle.
Open Mon to Sat 10am to 5pm; Sun 11am to 4pm
Call 01665 605857
Address 4 Narrowgate, Alnwick, NE66 1JG
Website forumbooksshop.com
Good for new books, signed copies, author events
3. Jobsons of Alnwick, Bondgate Within
Jobsons describes itself as “established countrywear and lifestyle since 1924” and trades from the Tower Showrooms on Bondgate Within, at the top of the town centre. It sells women’s, men’s and children’s clothing and footwear from brands including Joules and White Stuff, plus pet accessories and gift cards.
For Christmas its website has a gift edit and a range of festive home fragrance and decorations. It did not publish opening hours on its site when we checked, so ring before travelling.
Call 01665 602135
Address Tower Showrooms, Bondgate Within, Alnwick, NE66 1SX
Website jobsonsofalnwick.co.uk
Good for country clothing, footwear, gift cards, Christmas decorations
Morpeth
4. Rutherford & Co, Bridge Street
Rutherford & Co has traded on Bridge Street since 1846 and says it has been “family run ever since”, calling itself “the heartbeat of Morpeth”. It is a small department store: women’s and men’s clothing, beauty, children’s toys and books, home, a cookshop, a Christmas department and a coffee shop, under one roof.
It also sells online and by phone, and sells gift vouchers. The Morpeth lights switch-on takes place on Bridge Street on 14 November.
Open Mon to Sat 9.30am to 5.30pm; Sun closed; bank holidays 10am to 4pm
Call 01670 512458
Address 10-16 Bridge Street, Morpeth, NE61 1NJ
Website rutherfords.co.uk
Good for Christmas department, cookshop, beauty, toys, gift vouchers
5. Sanderson Arcade
Sanderson Arcade is Morpeth’s covered shopping centre, opened by Joanna Lumley in 2009, and its owners say the design was inspired by the Burlington Arcade in London. It mixes national names, among them Marks & Spencer, Waterstones, Oliver Bonas, Seasalt and The White Company, with independents and cafes.
It says three hours of free parking is available in the council’s Stanley Terrace car park with a parking disc, and sells the discs inside the arcade.
Open 9am to 5.30pm (centre hours; shops vary)
Address Sanderson Arcade, Morpeth, NE61 1NS
Website sandersonarcade.co.uk
Good for national brands, independents, cafes, parking discs on sale
Hexham
6. Cogito Books, St Mary’s Chare
Cogito Books is an independent bookshop on St Mary’s Chare, a lane just off the Market Place. It describes “a unique and carefully curated collection of titles” and offers a gift it calls the Cogito Reading Treat: a consultation about the recipient’s reading tastes, after which they choose a bespoke collection of six books to take away.
It also sells cards, notebooks and classical CDs, runs author talks and is involved with the Hexham Book Festival. Its website was down for maintenance when we checked, with a note saying the shop is “open as usual”; the hours below are from its National Book Tokens listing.
Open Mon to Sat 9am to 5.30pm
Address 5 St Mary's Chare, Hexham, NE46 1NQ
Website cogitobooks.com
Good for new books, reading gift sessions, cards, book tokens
7. Travels of Amy M (Tram), Market Place
Travels of Amy M sells travel art, maps and gifts from Tram, its shop and studio on Hexham Market Place. The shop says every item is designed by Amy M and made by her and a small team in Hexham, and its website had a Christmas range on sale when we checked.
It also runs workshops and events from the studio.
Open Tue to Sat 10am to 5pm
Address Tram, 21 Market Place, Hexham, NE46 3NX
Website travelsofamym.com
Good for travel art, maps, prints, handmade gifts, workshops
8. Matthias Winter, Hallstile Bank
Matthias Winter calls itself “an ethical home store”, and says it sources from ethical suppliers and from the UK where it can. Its range covers bathroom, kitchen and skincare, candles, chocolate, socks, stationery and gift cards, and it runs refills and a recycling scheme for Hexham customers.
It is on Hallstile Bank, the steep street running down from the Market Place, and delivers free on online orders over £35.
Open Mon to Sat 10am to 4pm
Address 15 Hallstile Bank, Hexham, NE46 3PG
Website matthiaswinter.co.uk
Good for eco gifts, candles, skincare, chocolate, socks, refills
Corbridge
9. Forum Books, Market Place
Forum Books is in an old chapel on Corbridge Market Place and calls itself “an award winning independent bookshop”. It has been named the regional Independent Bookshop of the Year for the North of England several times, including a fifth win in a row in 2023, as the News Guardian reported.
It sells new books, signed and dedicated copies, and hosts author events and silent book discos. The same team runs The Accidental Bookshop in Alnwick.
Open Mon to Sat 10am to 5pm; Sun 11am to 4pm
Call 01434 632931
Address The Chapel, Market Place, Corbridge, NE45 5AW
Website forumbooksshop.com
Good for new books, signed copies, author events
10. Corbridge Larder, Hill Street
Corbridge Larder is a deli and cafe on Hill Street that makes up hampers, and says it sources “only the finest local ingredients” for them. Its bestseller is “A Taste of Northumberland” family hamper, made from North East artisan producers, and it will make a bespoke hamper to order.
The cafe is open alongside the shop, with takeaway available.
Open Mon to Fri 9.30am to 5pm; Sat 9am to 5pm; Sun 10am to 4pm
Call 01434 632948
Address 18 Hill Street, Corbridge, NE45 5AA
Website corbridgelarder.co.uk
Good for hampers, local food, deli, cafe
Berwick-upon-Tweed
11. The Seagull’s Nest, Marygate
The Seagull’s Nest is an independent gift shop on Marygate, Berwick’s main shopping street. Visit Berwick describes it as “a carefully curated collection of coastal-inspired gifts and locally sourced items”, with decorative home accessories and pieces by local makers inspired by Berwick and the coast.
We could not find a website of its own, and Visit Berwick does not say which days its listed hours apply to, so check its social pages before travelling.
Address Marygate, Berwick-upon-Tweed, TD15
Website visitberwick.com/where-to-go/the-seagulls-nest
Good for coastal gifts, homeware, local makers
Farm shops and courtyards
12. Brocksbushes, near Stocksfield
Brocksbushes is a family-run farm shop near Stocksfield that says it has welcomed visitors since 1979. It has a deli, its own butchery and a gift and homeware section chosen by its buyers, and stocks producers such as Northumberland Cheese Company and Northumbria Honey alongside its own baking.
Christmas food can be pre-ordered online, from whole turkeys and roasting joints to homemade pigs in blankets and cheese selections. Its Christmas Fayre runs from 12 to 15 November.
Open Mon to Sat 8.30am to 5.30pm; Sun 10am to 4pm
Call 01434 633100
Address Brocksbushes Farm Shop, Stocksfield, NE43 7UB
Website brocksbushes.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for Christmas food orders, butchery, deli, gifts, play barn
13. Kirkharle Courtyard, off the A696
Kirkharle Courtyard is a group of 18th-century farm buildings now housing 12 independent businesses, just off the A696 north of Belsay. Brown’s Larder sells local Northumbrian and artisan food and gifts, Number One Kirkharle is a gallery showing the work of more than 40 North East artists and craftspeople, and the courtyard also has a glass studio, an interiors shop and artists’ studios.
The Running Fox cafe asks visitors to book, even for coffee. The courtyard advises calling ahead in bad weather.
Open winter 10am to 4pm, seven days (courtyard and Brown's Larder; other shops set their own hours)
Address Kirkharle Courtyard, Kirkharle, NE19 2PE
Website kirkharlecourtyard.co.uk
Good for local food, art gallery, glass studio, interiors, cafe
14. Northumberland Cheese Company, Blagdon
Northumberland Cheese Company began making farmhouse cheese in 1984 with a single ewe’s milk cheese in the Rede Valley, and now makes cows’, goats’ and sheep’s milk cheeses by hand at its dairy on the Blagdon Estate. For Christmas it sells cheese hampers and gifts online, and visitors can eat in the Cheese Loft Cafe above the working dairy.
Dairy tours run by advance booking only.
Open Cheese Loft Cafe Tue to Sun 10am to 4pm; closed Mon
Call 01670 789798
Address The Cheese Farm, Green Lane, Blagdon, NE13 6BZ
Website northumberlandcheese.co.uk
Good for cheese hampers, local cheese, cafe, dairy tours
How we chose
These are the shops people search for when they plan Christmas shopping in Northumberland: long-established names such as Barter Books and Rutherford & Co, award-winning independents, and the shops that Visit Hexham and Visit Berwick list. Every entry was checked against the shop’s own website, or the listing named in the entry, on 5 November 2026, and we left out shops whose details we could not confirm. We were not paid to include anyone.
Run a shop that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@northumberlandpost.co.uk. Taken a good photograph of any of these places? Email it to newsdesk@northumberlandpost.co.uk and we will add it with your name as the credit.
For more ideas, see things to do in Northumberland, what’s on this month, Christmas dinner in Northumberland and the Northumberland business directory.
Frequently asked questions
Which Northumberland shops are open on Sundays before Christmas?
Barter Books in Alnwick opens every day from 9am to 7pm, Sundays included. Forum Books in Corbridge and The Accidental Bookshop in Alnwick open 11am to 4pm on Sundays, Corbridge Larder and Brocksbushes 10am to 4pm, and Brown’s Larder at Kirkharle Courtyard seven days a week. Rutherford & Co in Morpeth is closed on Sundays.
Is Barter Books open over Christmas?
Barter Books says it opens 9am to 5pm on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve, with the Station Buffet open 9am to 4pm on those days. It is closed on Christmas Day. The rest of the year it opens every day from 9am to 7pm.
When are the Christmas lights switched on in Northumberland towns?
Morpeth’s lights go on at 5pm on Saturday 14 November, on Bridge Street. Alnwick and Hexham switch on on Friday 20 November, and Blyth and Ashington on Saturday 21 November.
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