Photographs Of Newcastle: Allendale

Allendale, often marked on maps as Allendale Town, is a village and civil parish in south west Northumberland, England. At the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 2,120, decreasing to 2,021 at the 2011 Census. Allendale is within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) – the second largest of the 40 AONB's in England and Wales. The local economy is predominantly based on agriculture (notably sheep farming) and tourism, although of late it has become a popular commuter town for Newcastle upon Tyne.

Allendale is around 34 mi (55 km) to the west of Newcastle upon Tyne, 11 mi (18 km) to the south of Hexham and 35 mi (56 km) to the east of Carlisle.

Allendale refers to the "dale" or valley of the River Allen. Evidence of prehistoric settlement has been found on the surrounding moorland. In the 16th century this area, close to the Scottish border, was a lawless and troubled place. Fortified farmhouses known as 'bastles' were constructed to protect residents and livestock against reiver raids. Allendale has one of the greatest concentrations of bastles in the country and around 40 can still be seen, many as scenic ruins.

Local mining for lead has occurred since Roman times, with the first smelting mill being constructed in the 1600s. The significant growth of Allendale Town and the surrounding villages was fuelled by that of the local lead-mining and smelting industries in the 19th century. The remains of two flues from the former smelting mill (between Allendale and Catton) run to chimneys up on the fells high above the village. The smelting mill is now home to the Allendale Brewery and the Allenmills Regeneration Project.

In 1869, the Hexham and Allendale Railway was opened to provide improved transport, but its opening coincided with a rapid decline in the industry due to cheap imports of lead. The last mines in the area closed in 1894 (although an attempt was made to re-open the mine at Allenheads in the 1970s).

With the closure of the lead mines, the population rapidly declined and Allendale became a popular tourist destination for Edwardian Tynesiders seeking a country escape. The railway was finally closed to passengers in 1930 and to goods in 1950 (when the local terminus was bought by the stationmaster and opened as a caravan park.

The town or dale's name is referenced in Charles Jefferys' and Sidney Nelson's 1836 ballad Rose of Allendale, sung by Paddy Reilly, The Dubliners and many others, as well as in 'Lucy Gray of Allendale', a musical setting of the earliest known work by Cumbrian poet Robert Anderson.

Description courtesy of Wikipedia which has more information on the village.

5th April 2019

Village Hall.

Allendale Village Hall began life as The Temperance Hall. After two years of fundraising and the gift of land by Mr Robert Pickering of Deneholme House, the first foundation stone was laid on Whit Monday, 15th June 1905, in front of a huge crowd. The building was constructed of local stone by local builders and craftsmen at a cost of £797 12s 9d. Six months later, the hall was officially opened on Saturday 7th October 1905.

Source: allendalevillagehall.org.uk/.

Allendale Co-op.

Trustees Savings Bank.

Bank, dated 1873 on doorcase, now gift shop. Squared stone with tooled and margined quoins, rubble rear elevation; slate roof, coped gables with corniced stacks. C17 style with Baroque doorcase.

2 storeys, 3 bays, ground floor sill and first floor string courses. Central 6-panelled door under keyed round-headed moulded arch with roses in spandrels, flanked by Ionic pilasters supporting entablature with inscription: SAVINGS BANK ESTABLISHED 1838 THIS BUILDING ERECTED 1873 and pediment carrying urns and central rose finial. Above porch paired casements. Projecting gabled right bay has ground floor 6-light window with king mullion and transom, 1st floor 4-light mullioned window with dripmould, 2-light opening above. Bay to left has ground floor 4-light window with king mullion and hoodmould, 1st floor 3-light mullioned window, 2-light opening in gablet above.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Historic England.

Golden Lion Hotel.

Inn, probably 1839. Rubble, front rendered, raised tooled and margined quoins and dressings. Slate roof, coped gables with kneelers and stone stacks, brick ridge stacks. 3 storeys, 3 irregular bays.

Central bay has doorway, now blocked, between fluted Doric pilasters carrying entablature which extends above flanking renewed shop windows. To left 6-panel door with overlight, to far left altered 16-pane sash, to right C20 window. 1st and 2nd floors each have central bay with tripartite sashes under segmental arches with central 12-pane section flanked by colonettes; and 16-pane sashes in end bays.

Right return has later openings and stone inscribed perhaps re-set. D A. L. 1839 Rear elevation has gable set forward with very tall round-headed stair window with intersecting glazing bars; and corniced gable stacks.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Historic England.

Kings Head Hotel.

Inn, earlier C18, altered. Rubble, tooled dressings, slate roof, stone gable stacks. Rectangular block with rear wing comprising 1st floor ballroom over former stabling. Front 3 storeys, 2 windows.

Central 6-panelled door, with decorative overlight in rusticated surround, flanked by C20 windows. 1st floor C20 windows in old openings with projecting lintels and sills, 2nd floor altered sashes, tooled lintels and sills.

Rear wing gable holds canted bay with sash windows. Left return has blocked segmental-headed carriage entrance, 2 large 16-pane sashes to 1st floor and 2 12-pane sashes to 2nd floor. Interior: 1st floor has 2 early C18 fireplaces, altered C18 stair with moulded handrail. Function room (former ballroom) in rear wing has good C18 fireplace and plaster cornice with flowers and foliage.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Historic England.

Allendale Inn.

Trinity Methodist Church.

Chapel, dated 1875 on foundation stones. Squared stone with ashlar dressings, slate roof.

Gabled front to street has central section set slightly forward with double doors under margined fanlight in round-headed arch flanked by Tuscan pilasters carrying cornice. Triple sash above; bay capped by moulded cornice and flanked by sash windows to ground floor and gallery. All windows have margined sashes,with C19 coloured glass,under round-headed arches, with slightly projecting sills carried on corbels.

Dated foundation stones beneath ground floor windows. Coped gable with obelisk finial. Interior; many contemporary fittings; gallery with shutters.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Historic England.

St Cuthberts Church.

Parish church on medieval site. 1874 by Austin and Johnson, except for lower part of tower which survives from the church of 1807. Squared stone with ashlar dressings, slate roofs. Aisled nave and chancel, west tower. Free C14 style.

West tower has 4 stepped stages; pointed south doorway with hoodmould and stone above giving dates of rebuilding and restoration; paired pointed openings to belfry, embattled parapet with pinnacles, pyramid roof with vane. Aisle walls with windows,mostly of 2 lights,and stepped buttresses; sundial at west end of south wall inscribed HORA FUGIT 1842 LAT 54 50 (the latitude is cited as a reference to Allendale Town being geographically the centre of Britain). Similar fenestration in chancel, 3-light east window and C20 roof lights. Interior: 4-bay nave arcades, chancel arch and 2-bay chancel arcades all in C14 style with hollow-chamfered arches and moulded capitals.

Simple pointed tower arch of 1807. Fittings mostly later Cl9; elaborate reredos of yellow Italian marble and mosaic work dated 1887. Glass in north aisle by Atkinson brothers of Newcastle, 1906.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Historic England.

Allendale Tea Rooms.

House and shop, early Cl9 altered. Rendered with rusticated quoins and raised stone dressings; stone slate roof, later brick gable stacks. 3 storeys, 2 windows.

Central C20 glazed door in raised stone surround with cornice, flanked by altered windows with projecting wedge lintels and sills; 1st and 2nd floor windows similar. Left return has boarded door, with latticed glazing bars, flanked by shop windows, each of 2 bays with basket arches, all under cornice carried on scrolled corbels. To right a renewed door under overlight. Altered sashes above.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Historic England.

War Memorial.

War Memorial, by R. B Aves. Unpolished granite.

Rusticated Celtic cross on square plinth mounted on tapering pedestal with the words "To the glory of God/and in proud and loving memory/of the men of this parish who/gave their lives in the Great Wars/1914-18" (Names) and below "Greater love hath no man than this that a/man lay down his life for his friends"(Name)inscribed on front face. Stepped base below with remaining three names spaced out along riser of base plinth.

History: First World War memorial with Second World War additions situated in a prominent position within a small hedged enclosure at one corner of the village green. It was commissioned by the War Memorial Committee and sculpted by R.B Aves of Hexham of unpolished Cornish granite. It was erected by public subscription on a site given by Viscount Allendale, who also unveiled the memorial in October 1920. This simple First World War memorial with Second World War additions forms an attractive memorial to the dead of two world wars. It was constructed in 1920 by public subscription following the donation of land by Viscount Allendale.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Historic England.

Recreation Ground.

The Peth, Heatherlea.

Market Place, Visitor Information Centre.

Former Allendale First School.

Former school, dated 1879 on gable panel. Squared stone, ashlar quoins and dressings; slate roof with ridge tiles each with 3 pierced trefoils, coped gables. Rectangular block with two parallel wings to rear. Front 1 storey, 3 wide bays, symmetrical.

Central projecting bay has 2 pointed windows, each of 2 trefoil-headed lights with a pierced quatrefoil in the spandrel; paired hoodmoulds with foliage-carved stops, oculus with hoodmould above. Coped gable with foliate finial. Flanking bays each have similar central window with gablet above and square-headed casements to either side. Left return has pedimented gable enclosing panel inscribed 'BOARD SCHOOL' with date, right return has projecting bay, with datestone and gablet, on rear wing. The school was built as a Board School for the Allendale and West Allen School Board in 1879 for two hundred pupils.

It was later enlarged, its last adaptation and remodelling being in 1974-75, when it changed from a County Primary to a County First School. Originally an all age school, it was re-organised for juniors and infants only, from 1 September 1960 when older pupils were transferred to the new Allendale Secondary School. In 1974 with its change of status, older pupils were again transferred to Allendale Middle (former Secondary) School.

Sources: Historic England and Co-Curate.

Kings Head Hotel.

Inn, earlier C18, altered. Rubble, tooled dressings, slate roof, stone gable stacks. Rectangular block with rear wing comprising 1st floor ballroom over former stabling. Front 3 storeys, 2 windows.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Historic England.

Shield Street, Allendale Pharmacy.

Allendale Bunkhouse.

Shield Street.

Market Place.

Shield Street Telephone Kiosk.

Views Around Allendale.

Deneholme Woods.

Blackett Level.

The ‘Blackett Level’ is a tunnel built to help drain the local mines (known as an ‘adit’), it was also hoped that the tunnel would help to discover further lead veins. Work on the adit level began in 1859 but by 1863 the scale of the level was seen as too costly and the tunnel size was reduced to 6.25 ft by 4 ft. The level travels up the Allen Valley for 4.5 miles. It was hoped that that it would go all the way to Allenheads but construction stopped in 1903 with the collapse of the lead mining industry.

Source: Allen Mill - Blackett Level.

More Information:

See my other photos around Allendale:

Allendale

5th April 2019

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