More Answer October 2020
The next question: what is the dog’s name?
The alleyway (or wynd or ginnel) is in Fore Street, and leads to the Goose Market, between Fore Street and Hallgate. The image on the left is looking towards Hallgate; you can see the roofline of the Old Gaol on the right hand side. The image on the right is looking into the Goose Market from Hallgate.
The enclosed space was used to enclose geese on market days. In A Walk Back in Time, John Chapman suggests that the cobbled surface was probably a typical Hexham street surface in the 17th century.
The dog’s name is Ben.
Thanks to Stefan for the photos.
A new record for me: two correct answers in successive months 🙂 *And* I knew the name of where the snicket (or ginnel, or wynd) comes out, thanks to John Chapman’s excellent “A Walk Back in Time”, which I’m working through slowy. (Only today I located and admired the old George and Dragon.) The book is a treasure trove for Hexham inhabitants (well some of us!), and is a great indication of what a jewel of a town Hexham is, underneath its often grubby and/or delapidated exterior!
PS the dog’s name is Barney.