Ad Gefrin Anglo-Saxon Museum and Distillery

Ad Gefrin Anglo-Saxon Museum and Distillery in Wooler, Northumberland, offers an immersive journey into the 7th-century royal court of Northumbria. Visitors can experience the Great Hall through audio-visual displays, view artifacts from the period, and learn about the lives of kings and queens. The distillery produces Northumbrian whisky, with tours and tastings available. The on-site bistro, Bēodern, serves seasonal dishes inspired by local produce. Entry to the museum is free, with additional charges for distillery tours and tastings.

Planning your visit

Ad Gefrin is built on a genuinely significant archaeological site. Yeavering, near Wooler in Northumberland, was a royal palace complex of the seventh-century Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria — the place where King Edwin held court and where the missionary Paulinus baptised converts in the river over thirty-six days, recorded by Bede. Aerial photography revealed the site in 1949, and excavation uncovered great timber halls and a wedge-shaped assembly structure unlike anything else known.

The museum recreates the Great Hall through audio-visual staging and displays period artefacts, covering the court, the conversion to Christianity, and the kingdom that briefly dominated northern Britain.

Attached is a working whisky distillery producing Northumbrian single malt, with tours and tastings — the connection being that the Anglo-Saxons drank in the hall, and Ad Gefrin revives the tradition commercially.

Museum entry is free; the distillery tours carry a charge. The bistro serves seasonal local food.

Bookable options include museum and distillery formats. Current availability is shown below.