Alston - Garrigill - Nenthead - Knarsdale
- And Haltwhistle, Northumberland -
Above: Looking south from the A686 road near Alston, over the Black Burn which, like most streams and rivers in the area, runs into the River South Tyne. Several attractive villages are found along the length of the South Tyne.
ALSTON MOOR lies within the officially designated North Pennines Area of Natural Beauty in the north of England, part of the extensive moorland which covers most of the eastern borders of the county of Cumbria.
For generations, the market town of Alston,1,000 feet above sea level, and several of the neighboring villages, were the homes of the Storeys and other families which form the branches of the Storey family tree - Elliot, Archer, Parker, Teasdale, Vipond and many more. Some of these families, notably the Viponds, date back to the Norman Conquest.
In the 10th century, Alston Moor was an estate of the Scottish kings in England, a result of the complex history between Scotland and the border counties of England. In 1085, the Barons de Veteriponte (or Vieuxpont, the origin of the later name of Vipond) held the moor on behalf of the kings of Scotland while the kings of England retained the mineral rights. Alston Moor has been under the direct control of the English crown since the end of the 13th century.
The area is dotted with small, attractive villages, which were once busy centers of lead and zinc mining - industries that have long since gone. Remnants of the mining industry can be seen throughout the area, especially in mounds which now cover what were once the entrances to mine shafts.
Sheep grazing is a major economic contributor, but tourism, including biking and hiking, is the primary driver of the local economy. While there are still village residents whose families have lived on Alston Moor for generations, the small stone cottages common to the area have become popular as holiday homes and bed and breakfast lodgings.
Above: Sheep graze across the length and breadth of Alston Moor, the farms separated by the stone walls which characterize the area.
Below: Ubiquitous grass-covered mounds hide what once were the shafts and activity of lead and zinc mines. By the end of the 19th century, mining had all but ceased in the area.
Alston
The town of Alston (right) lies on the extreme eastern edge of the county of Cumbria, near the borders of the counties of Northumberland and Durham. It sits nestled in a valley with hills rising on three sides, at the confluence of the rivers South Tyne and Nent.
Historically, Alston was in the county of Cumberland, but that county was merged with neighboring Westmorland and parts of northern Lancashire in 1974 as part of extensive local government reorganizations throughout Britain.
Archeological evidence of human settlement in the form of pottery fragments and flint tools has been dated between 2,000 and 1,700 BC. Romans, Danes and Norsemen have all been associated with the area in and round Alston over the first millennium AD.
In its heyday in the late 1700s and mid-1800s, when lead and zinc mining was the foundation of the economy, Alston boomed as the principal town in the region. In the 1841 census, its population approached 7,000. But by the end of the 19th century, mining had all but ceased and the population steadily dropped. Today it numbers about 1,200 people. Much of the town of Alston today is a designated Conservation Area.
Above: Alston's old market square, surrounded by its cobbled streets, and the main road through the town center.
Left and below: The iconic church of St. Augustine of Canterbury in Alston, the parish church for Alston Moor. Many of the gravestones from the early 1800s are still readable with the names of families linked to the Storeys, such as the Viponds and Elliots.
Garrigill
Garrigill lies just off the B6277, next to the banks of the South Tyne, less than four miles from Alston. It has declined substantially since the boom years when lead mining supported a population of 1,000 people - now it's home to one fifth that number.
It is still an attractive village, with its stone houses and neat gardens, but the loss of industry has been costly in terms of local amenities. The village has not had a school since the 1960s. The old post office, opposite the village green, is also the local shop. Several other stores, including a Co-op, have long since closed. Today, the village is occupied mostly by retirees, those who are self-employed or working with livestock. Some of the old houses are now holiday homes for those living out of town.
St John the Evangelist church is served by a team vicar at Alston.
Ashgill Force waterfall, a popular tourist spot, is less than a mile and a half south-east of the village, adjacent to the B6277.
Nenthead
While evidence of the area's mining past can be seen all over Alston Moor, Nenthead is by far the best place to get a sense of how vital and substantial lead mining was in the 1800s. Unlike several of the ancient towns and villages in Cumbria, Nenthead didn't exist until the mid-1700s. It was one of the first purpose-build industrial villages in England.
The acquisition by the London Lead Company of a lease to mine lead at Nenthead in 1798 was a turning point in the industrial fortunes of the area. The company was Quaker-owned, and its enlightened employment and social practices greatly benefited the area. The company built much of the village of Nenthead, including schools and chapels, insisting that children of miners be educated. Pay rates for its workers were above what was then common, and forced smaller companies to match their pay structure or risk losing skilled workers.
Toward the end of the 1800s, a drastic drop in lead prices led the London Lead Company to divest itself of its leases. Other companies continued to mine lead and zinc in the following decades, but never again would the area see local mining reach the levels of the mid 1800s.
Above: The village of Nenthead, approached from Garrigill, about three miles to the south-west.
Below: The inevitably named Miners Arms pub, and old mine workings at Nenthead. Today, much of the former mine is well-preserved and presented for the interest of tourists.
Knarsdale
William Storey and Jane Martin, direct-line ancestors on the Otterson-Berry line, were married at the Church of St Jude in Knarsdale in 1810. Jane was also christened there in 1787. The name of the parish church comes up time and again in the birth, marriage and burial records for related families, especially in the 1700s and 1800s.
Today, few people live in Knarsdale. There are no rows of stone houses with neat gardens, no village green - but there is a pub where the village once stood, the Kirkstyle Inn. The entire parish of Knarsdale had a population of fewer than 300 people as recently as 1950. Imposing Knarsdale Hall is maintained but not occupied as a residence.
Knarsdale is only five miles north of Alston, but is now in the parish of Knaresdale with Kirkhaugh, in the county of Northumberland.
Above: The Kirkstyle Inn, a refurbished, classy pub-restaurant and inn for locals and travelers. Although in Knarsdale, it identifies its address as Slaggyford, a village a mile to the south. The Knarsdale name seems to have all but disappeared. Above right: Old stone bridge across the A689 at Knarsdale.
Below: The Church of St Jude, Knarsdale, in 1810 and today, and the old brick-built rectory.
Haltwhistle
Haltwhistle lies just beyond the northern edge of Alston Moor, in the county of Northumberland, a few miles south of Hadrian's Wall, built in the second century AD to keep out the northern Barbarians. The town is included here on this webpage because, like the villages of Alston Moor, it is filled with the names from the Otterson-Berry family tree - Armstrongs, Martins, Archers and others.
Haltwhistle is a substantial town, with stone buildings along its main street, some painted a smart black and white. It probably existed in Roman times, but its most interesting history is in the late Middle Ages, when constant border skirmishes between the English and Scots caused havoc in the town. The powerful Scottish Armstrong Clan, in particular, was a force during these constant periods of turmoil. In 1598 the Armstrongs burned and looted Haltwhistle.
The expansion of Haltwhistle in the 18th and 19th centuries reflected the increasing prominence of coal mining as well as the mining of metal ores on Alston Moor.
The Church of the Holy Cross is a listed, or protected building, one of few 13th century religious building still in use as a working church in England. Its grounds, including the graveyard, are well maintained in comparison with so many other Church of England buildings where the grounds are often neglected.
