Alston, Cumbria
Alston is a small
town in
Cumbria,
England on the
River Tyne. It is said to be the highest
market town in the country, at about 1000 feet (300 m) above sea level. A trade directory of 1829 described the region as "a region of dreary wastes and narrow dales".
The town lies on the confluence of the
South Tyne and the
River Nent. The landscape of the area is built up from
limestone,
sandstone and
shale. The area is rich in mineral in particular
lead deposits.
The landscape has been heavily influenced by the effects of varying methods of mining over the centuries.
Nearby villages include
Garrigill and
Nenthead.
Early settlements
The earliest evidence of population in the area comes from pottery fragments, a gold basket-earring and flint tools found in one of two
barrows excavated in 1935 (2 miles or 3 kilometres NNW of Alston at Kirkhaugh), these were dated between
2000 BC and
1700 BC.
Evidence of
Roman activity in the area comes from the earth remains of Whitley Castle, thought to be the Roman fort of Eppiacum built and rebuilt by the Sixth and Twentieth Legions between the second and third centuries. The fort's main purpose was to extract and protect lead and silver deposits in the upper reaches of the south
Tyne valley.
Sovereignty
In the
10th century Alston Moor was part of The Liberty of
Tynedale which was an estate of the Scottish Kings within England, a situation that resulted in many years of confusion over the sovereignty of the area.
In 1085 the Barons de Vertiponte became the first recorded
Lords of the Manor, they held the moor on behalf of the kings of Scotland while the kings of England retained the mineral rights. This was confirmed in a hearing during 1279 which concluded that the miners of the area were distinct from the local population thus paying their dues to the English crown instead of Scotland. As a result the miners lived in their own self regulated communities under English protection.
In 1269
John Balliol, the king of Scotland invaded the north of England, as a result of this
Edward 1st moved to reclaim the Scottish estates and Tynedale which included Alston Moor was taken into direct control of the English crown where it remains.
Despite the town being on the Tyne and being historically part of Tynedale the area has never been part of either
Hexhamshire or
Northumberland but part of
Cumberland and later
Cumbria. This was probably because the mines in the area were at one time administered from Carlisle.
Mining
Historically the area has been mined for
lead,
silver,
zinc,
coal and
fluorspar.
In the 13th century the area was known as the silver mines of
Carlisle —
silver was found in a high proportion (up to 40
troy ounces per
long ton or 1.2 g/kg of smelted lead) and was used to create coinage in the
Royal Mint established in Carlisle for the purpose. Most mining was very small scale until the mid-18th century,
The biggest mine owner in the area was the London Lead Company; this
Quaker organisation with enlightened employment policies established an interest in the area during the early 1700s. In 1745 it began construction of a school, a library, a sanitary house, a surgeon's house, a market hall with clock tower, a laundry and a 'ready-money' shop in
Nenthead, four miles away.
The last mines closed in the 1950s.
The area is no longer actively mined although the mining history is exploited for tourism purposes.
Farming
The
moorland is mainly used for sheep farming however many farmers also have other enterprises, such as bed and breakfast accommodation
Tourism
Tourism is now a key source of income for the area and shopping is remarkably good for such a small place. Shops include a wholefood shop, a
Co-op supermarket, a vegetable shop, two butchers, a newsagent's which also sells hardware, an outdoor clothing shop, an organic bakery and a number of craft, gift and antique shops.
Metal working
For much of the 20th century, between 1940 and its closure in 1980, a foundry employed around 200 people. The closure of this foundry increased unemployment in the area from 8.9% to over 25%.
Currently the area's main employer is Precision Products ([
1]), a company that was started in 1947 by William (Bill) Ball. The company produces stainless steel and super-alloy castings, employing around 65 workers.
The population census figures show that at its peak during 1831 the population of Alston Moor was 6858 people. Today that figure is about 2000.
There is a community website at:
www.Cybermoor.org. The website is a result of the
Cybermoor Project which has brought the internet to almost every home on Alston Moor, and broadband to many. The problem of the area's relative remoteness compared to other areas of England was solved by utilising
IEEE 802.11 technology to construct the network infrastructure.
Town hall
The Town Hall is a focal point for the community, being a venue for many local social events. It also contains the tourist information centre and some local administration offices.
Construction of the
neo-gothic building started in 1857 when Hugh Lee Pattinson laid the foundation stone. The architecture was designed by A.B. Higham and the estimated costs were £2000, although the final costs were closer to £3000; these were paid for by public subscription.
Market cross
Although the town does not hold regular market it still maintains the legal right to do so. The market cross which acts as a focal point in the centre of town was constructed in 1883 to replace one constructed in 1863.
Nent force
During the area's peak of prosperity in 1776
John Smeaton began construction of an underground drain to assist with the transport of extracted materials as well as locate new mineral seams. The canal took 66 years to construct at a cost of £80,000, and became known as "Smeatons Folly". In the 1830s mine manager and engineer said that it could be visited "in boats 30 feet in length, which are propelled in four feet of water by means of sticks projecting from the sides of the level; and thus may be enjoyed the singular novelty of sailing a few miles underground". It was intended to be 9 feet square but in the softer terrain was extended to 9'x16', dead level for 3.75 miles (6 km) to allow boat use, with a rise of 35
fathoms (64 m) at Lovelady Shield and then driven into the Nenthead ground. The amount of ore found was disappointing, though not insignificant.
Access to the Nent force level is currently extremely difficult although efforts have been made to develop a heritage centre to make this extraordinary piece of engineering accessible to the public.
Samuel King's School
As well as having a primary school, the town is host to England's smallest secondary school (an 11–16 comprehensive) Samuel King's School. Alston Moor has a second small primary school at Nenthead.
In August 2005, Alston made national, and indeed international, news headlines regarding the town's apparent lack of womenfolk. The news reports claim a ratio of 10 men to every woman in the town. A group of young men from Alston, led by a Mr.
Vince Peart, began distributing leaflets across the north of England and set up a
website, all in an effort to persuade women to come to Alston to find love. Articles appeared in
the Guardian,
the Mirror,
the Telegraph,
the Times,
the Evening Times,
the Standard (
Belgium),
Libero News (
Italy),
Bizarre Nieuws (
Holland),
Corriere Della Sera (
Italy), and on
the BBC.
The 2001 census reported 1070 men and 1086 women in the parish of
Alston Moor.
The area is stationed on a number of routes including the long distance footpath, the
Pennine Way, and the
C2C Cycle Route.
The town's rail link to
Haltwhistle was completed in 1852 by the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway Company. The closure of the line was announced in 1973 and the line closed on 1st May 1976. Part of the route, between Alston and Kirkhaugh, two and a quarter miles in length, is now operated as the narrow gauge
South Tynedale Railway. The railway is particularly popular with tourists and passenger trains operate between April and October, with Santa Special trains operating on certain dates in December each year. For further details see the South Tynedale Railway website at www.strps.org.uk
Many of the bus services to and from Alston are operated by Wright Brothers Coaches, this company has depots at Nenthead, three miles from Alston and at Blucher, near Newcastle upon Tyne. The earliest route between Nenthead and Alston started during the First World War, when Mary Wright linked the village of Nenthead with the nearby market town of Alston using a pony and trap. Mary started to make a bit of money, so one of her sons, Tom, spent his gratuity from the army on a Model T Ford. In 1924 brothers George and John joined the business which was then registered, and a larger Ford was purchased. This marked the start of bus services in the area. More details about this coach company is contained on their website at
www.wrightbros.co.ukWright Bros Coaches is perhaps best known for its 82 mile route which links Newcastle with Keswick via Hexham, Haydon Bridge, Alston and Penrith operating during the Summer months from July to September each year.
A history of Alston Moor by Alastair Robertson ISBN 0951992101
Screensavers of Alston by
Sam Burt are available to download from
here*
South Tynedale Railway Official Website*
Wright Bros Coaches Website*
Northumbrian Railways
