Alston, Cumbria
Alston | |
---|---|
Town | |
Alston town centre | |
Location in the former Eden District Location within Cumbria | |
Population | 1,128 |
OS grid reference | NY716462 |
Civil parish | |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county |
|
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | ALSTON |
Postcode district | CA9 |
Dialling code | 01434 |
Police | Cumbria |
Fire | Cumbria |
Ambulance | North West |
UK Parliament | |
Alston is a town in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England, within the civil parish of Alston Moor on the River South Tyne. It shares the title of the 'highest market town in England', at about 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level, with Buxton, Derbyshire. Despite its altitude, the town is easily accessible via the many roads which link the town to Weardale, Teesdale, and towns in Cumbria such as Penrith via Hartside Pass, as well as Tynedale. Historically part of Cumberland, Alston lies within the North Pennines, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Much of the town centre is a designated Conservation Area[1] which includes several listed buildings.
Geography
Alston lies within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, more than 16.3 miles (26.2 km) by road from the nearest town, Haltwhistle, and is surrounded by moorland.[2] Nearby villages include Garrigill and Nenthead. It is around 44.5 miles (71.6 km) west of Newcastle upon Tyne, 30.1 miles (48.4 km) south east of Carlisle, 19.7 miles (31.7 km) north east of Penrith, and 21.6 miles (34.8 km) south west of Hexham.
Situated at the crossroads/junction of the
The landscape of the area is built up from limestone, sandstone and shale. The area is rich in minerals, in particular lead deposits, and the landscape has been heavily influenced by the effects of varying methods of mining over the centuries.
History
Early settlements
The earliest evidence of population in the area comes from pottery fragments, a gold basket-earring and
Evidence of
The name of the town is recorded in 1164–71 as Aldeneby and in 1209 as Aldeneston,
Sovereignty
In the 10th century,
In 1085, the Barons de
In 1296
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. The nearby Roman fort of Whitley Castle (Epiacum) may in part have been sited to control and protect the lead mines there.
In the 13th century, the area was known as the
The biggest mine owner in the area was the
Many of the last mines closed in the 1950s. A small drift coal mine (Ayle Colliery) is still active today.
Governance
Alston is in the
Before the United Kingdom left the European Union, its residents voted to elect Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) for the North West England constituency.
For
Alston does not have its own
Modern economy
The area is no longer actively mined for precious metals although the mining history has been exploited for tourism purposes. There are few jobs in the immediate area, hence the fall in population from 6,858 in 1841 to 1,128 today.
Farming
The surrounding moorland is mainly used for sheep farming; however many farmers also have other enterprises, such as bed and breakfast accommodation. During winter months farming can be tough, due to the severe weather in the area.
Tourism
Tourism is now an important source of income for the area. The largest attraction is a narrow-gauge railway and heritage centre at
Shops and facilities
Shops include a
There are four pubs in Alston, and the town also has a number of cafés, a food take-away, a specialist engraving company, two hotels, numerous B&Bs, two petrol stations, a gym, an estate agent and a hairdressers. A once-popular fish and chip shop closed down in November 2022.
The last remaining bank, Barclays, closed in December 2015.[11]
Steam trains on the narrow-gauge South Tynedale Railway run from April to October, offering a short journey through pleasant scenery.
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 Bonds Precision Castings Limited, a company that took over Precision Products in 2008. Precision Products was started in 1947 by William George Ball. Bonds Precision Casting Ltd. produces stainless steel and super-alloy castings.
Population
The population census figures show that at its peak during 1831 the population of the parish of Alston Moor was 6,858 people. Today that figure is about 1,200. The population of the town of Alston was 1,128 according to the 2001 Census. The community has its own website which is a result of the Cybermoor Project (cybermoor.org), which has brought the Internet to almost every home on Alston Moor, and broadband to many. This allowed people with little or no education access to online courses and training.[12] 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.
Notable residents
- Nicholas Ridley, politician and government minister.
Landmarks and buildings of note
Town hall
Alston 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 the public library. The Gothic Revival style building, which was commissioned by the local metallurgist and businessman Hugh Lee Pattinson, was completed in 1858.[13]
Alston High Mill
High Mill in the Cumbrian town of Alston was built in 1767 as a water-driven corn mill by the renowned engineer John Smeaton; Smeaton is famously known for his Eddystone Lighthouse.
The grade II listed High Mill has been through a number of alterations through the ages, but the original Smeaton design is still easily recognisable. Internally there is little left of the original building besides the water wheel and the pit wheel.
In July 2023, the High Mill and the adjoining factory building (once occupied by Bonds Precision Casting) was purchased by a private owner, and work is now underway to refurbish and restore the mill for use as an arts and crafts workshop. The building and mill wheel are Grade II listed, and part of the mill may be given over to a small museum showcasing the wheel and some of the artefacts associated with how it was used.
The Water Wheel at Alston High Mill
360 animation of the history of Alston High Mill
Market cross
Although the town does not hold a regular
A regular producers' market now takes place in the town hall from April to September selling food and crafts produced in Cumbria, Northumberland and County Durham, celebrating Alston's position at the crux of these three counties.
St Augustine of Canterbury Church
The parish church was built in 1869 on the site of two earlier churches.[15] Despite being in Cumbria the church is in the Diocese of Newcastle rather than the Diocese of Carlisle. The church spire was only completed in 1886. A unique item in the church is a clock which belonged to James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater, who was beheaded for treason. It is believed to be of 16th-century origin, and was restored in 1978. One of the church bells which was cast in 1714 also belonged to the Earl of Derwentwater. It was installed in the previous church of 1770. Four of the bells were installed in memory of Andrew Graham Stewart Steele, churchwarden from 1943 until his murder in the Midland Bank on 13 September 1949. The bells cannot be pealed as the tower is not strong enough, but they are struck by a clapper.
Clarghyll Hall
Clarghyll Hall, north of Alston, is a Grade II* listed fortified manor house dating back to the 16th century. It was formerly the home of the Whitfield family and from 1847 to 1889 the home of Rev. Octavius James, who extended the building to add a chapel and study. This new wing burned down in a fire in 1889 in which Rev James died.[16]
Nent Force level
During the area's peak of prosperity in 1776 John Smeaton began construction of an underground drain (the "Nent Force Level") to de-water the mines of the Nent Valley and assist with the transport of extracted materials as well as to locate new mineral seams. The canal took 66 years to construct at a cost of £80,000, and became known as "Smeaton's 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'×16', dead level for 3+3⁄4 miles (6.0 km) to allow boat use, with a rise of 35 fathoms (210 ft (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. Samuel King's serves the local communities such as Nenthead and Garrigill. Alston Moor has a second small primary school at Nenthead.[17]
Alston in the media
Filming locations
Front Street and the Market Cross of the town were used as filming locations in a 1997 adaptation of
The League of Gentlemen
The fictional town of
Demographic imbalance
In August 2005, Alston made news regarding the town's apparent lack of women, with a claimed ratio of 10 men to every woman in the town. A group of young men from Alston, led by Vince Peart, set up the "Alston Moor Regeneration Society"[21] to persuade women to come to Alston. Articles appeared in the Daily Telegraph,[22] The Guardian[23] and the BBC.[24] A documentary was shown on Channel 4 on 11 October 2006. More than two years later, the Guardian reported that Alston shared first position with Bere Alston in Devon in the top 10 list of places in Britain where the imbalance was at its worst.[25]
Transport
The area is stationed on a number of routes including the long−distance footpath the
Part of the route, between Alston and Slaggyford, five miles in length, is now operated as the
Go North East operates two buses a day between Alston and Haltwhistle, where connections can be made to buses and trains to Carlisle and Newcastle. Wright Brothers Coaches operates an 82 miles (132 km) bus route linking Newcastle with Keswick via Hexham, Haydon Bridge, Alston and Penrith from July to September each year. There are term-time bus services to Carlisle primarily for college students.
Climate
This town has a cool and relatively rainy oceanic climate (Cfb, according to the Köppen climate classification), with mild summers and chilly winters, with snowfalls. It is one of the coldest inhabited places in England.
There are some ski-tows on the northwest slopes of Burnhope Seat, a hill situated 4 miles (6.4 km) away from Alston. This forms the Yad Moss ski facility,[27] which has been upgraded by Sport England.
Alston holds the record for the lowest temperature reported in Cumbria. The temperature fell to −22.8 °C (−9.0 °F) on 17 January 1881. Additionally, the town also holds the record for the lowest temperature ever reported on 7 March in the United Kingdom, at −18.9 °C (−2.0 °F) in 1886. This was also the coldest temperature reported anywhere in the United Kingdom in 1886. The town also reported the coldest temperature in the UK in 1883, at −15.1 °C (4.8 °F) on 15 March of that year.[28] Furthermore, Alston also holds the record for highest temperature reported in the UK on 8 November, at 19.1 °C (66.4 °F) in 1881.[29]
Climate data for Alston, Cumbria | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 3.9 (39.0) |
4.4 (39.9) |
6.9 (44.4) |
10.1 (50.2) |
13.5 (56.3) |
16.8 (62.2) |
18.1 (64.6) |
17.5 (63.5) |
14.8 (58.6) |
11.5 (52.7) |
7.3 (45.1) |
4.8 (40.6) |
10.8 (51.4) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.2 (34.2) |
1.5 (34.7) |
3.5 (38.3) |
6.1 (43.0) |
9.1 (48.4) |
12.4 (54.3) |
13.8 (56.8) |
13.3 (55.9) |
11.0 (51.8) |
8.1 (46.6) |
4.3 (39.7) |
2.1 (35.8) |
7.2 (45.0) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −1.5 (29.3) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
0.2 (32.4) |
2.1 (35.8) |
4.8 (40.6) |
8.0 (46.4) |
9.6 (49.3) |
9.1 (48.4) |
7.3 (45.1) |
4.7 (40.5) |
1.3 (34.3) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
3.7 (38.6) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 103 (4.1) |
70 (2.8) |
83 (3.3) |
63 (2.5) |
66 (2.6) |
67 (2.6) |
72 (2.8) |
91 (3.6) |
90 (3.5) |
94 (3.7) |
104 (4.1) |
104 (4.1) |
1,007 (39.7) |
Source: Climate-data.org[30] |
See also
References
- ^ "Alston Conservation Area". Eden District Council. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ "Alston and the North Pennines" Archived 30 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Eden District Council, accessed 26 July 2010
- ^ Cumbria County Council 'Alston Flood Investigation Report no 81' Draft 16.7.2014 (available in Alston Library)
- ^ Togodumnus (Kevan White). "Epiacvm". Roman-britain.
- ^ Mills, David. A Dictionary of British Place-Names. OUP Oxford. 2011.
- ^ "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ Robertson, Alastair (1999). A History of Alston Moor. Alston, Cumbria: Hundy Publications.
- ^ "Alston Moor – Alston Moor Parish Council". Archived from the original on 28 August 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ "North Pennines". Northpennines.org.uk. Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ^ "Alston, Cumbria". Thecumbriadirectory.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ^ Treanor, Jill. "Barclays makes further provision for scandals and cuts costs". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 January 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ "Alston Cybermoor" (PDF). Network for Europe: Delivering on European Funding. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ Whellan, William (1860). History and Topography of the Counties of Cumberland and Westmoreland. Pontefract: W. Whellan and Co. p. 515.
- ^ Wilkinson. Peter (2009)
- ^ St Augustine of Canterbury Alston: A history of the parish church (2007)
- ^ "Clarghyll Hall". British Listed Buildings. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^ "index". Samuelkings.cumbria.sch.uk. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ^ Walk around Oliver Twist's Alston. Leaflet produced by Alston Moor Business Association (no date but available at Tourist Information, Alston 2013)
- ISBN 1 85227837 4(Virgin Books)
- ^ The "League of Gentlemen" Scripts and That. BBC. 2003.
- ^ "The Village Regeneration Society -- Saving Villages from crisis since 2005". alstonincrisis.webs.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ "Expat: Brits abroad, UK citizens overseas". Daily Telegraph. 31 May 2011. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ^ David Ward (17 August 2005). "Wanted: women to live the high life with lovelorn lads of Alston – must like solitude". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ^ "Men of Alston looking for love, online". BBC News. 18 August 2005. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ^ Martin Wainwright (1 October 2007). "Men panic as lure of the city leaves villages with no women". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ^ "South Tynedale Railway". Strps.org.uk. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ^ "Yad Moss – England's Longest Ski Lift". Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ Harley, Trevor. "Coldest day of each year from 1875". Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ "Extreme Weather: Forty Years of the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO)" (PDF). John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ "Climate: Alston". Climate-data.org. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
Further reading
A history of Alston Moor by Alastair Robertson
Old Alston by Peter Wilkinson
The Nent Force Level and Brewery Shaft by Peter Wilkinson
Alston Moor, Cumbria: Buildings in a North Pennines landscape by Lucy Jessop and Matthew Whitfield, with Andrew Davison (English Heritage) 2013
External links
- Cumbria County History Trust: Alston Moor (nb: provisional research only – see Talk page)