Welcome to today’s journey on the Go North East 688 service running between Hexham and Allenheads. Our journey starts just outside the town of Allendale in Northumberland. This route runs almost entirely through the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which is the second largest such area in England.
The bus route runs down the B6295 road, following the course of the River East Allen, which can be glimpsed down the hill to the right. The River East Allen is a 14-mile long tributary of the River Allen, which is itself a tributary of the River South Tyne, which it joins near Bardon Mill.
The bus route down the East Allen Valley has a long history, originally being operated by William Wharton of Fourstones, a small village located between Hexham and Haydon Bridge. United Automobile Services, the principal bus operator in Northumberland, acquired the services from William Wharton in the mid-20th century.
During the 1960’s, the East Allen Valley was served by two connected bus routes, the United 337 and 338, which both ran from Allenheads to Newcastle via Hexham. Route 337 ran via Haydon Bridge and route 338 via Lowgate. Buses took over two hours to reach Newcastle from Allenheads.
During the mid-1970’s, the long bus routes between the valley and Newcastle were split at Hexham, with the East Allen Valley services becoming the 688 and 689. Buses in the valley were based at a small depot at Allenheads, which was an outstation of the United Automobile Services depot at Hexham.
We are now approaching the small hamlet of Sinderhope, which is home to around 75 people, primarily employed in the sheep farming industry. On the right is the Sinderhope Primitive Methodist chapel, which was built in 1830, later rebuilt in 1869, and finally closed in the 1960’s. On the left is Garrett’s Hill.
On the left is Hazeldene Cottage, which replaced the old gate house built in 1838 to collect tolls on the turnpike road between Allendale and Allenheads.
We cross over a small brook known as Hollocks Burn, before passing the former Sinderhope Post Office on the right. The lane on the right leads to a bridge over the East Allen known as Barnsley Bridge.
On the right is the former Sinderhope schoolhouse, built in 1851 and now home to the High Forest Community Centre.
Barnsley Bridge was originally built on the road between Allen Mill and Thornley Gate by the Beaumont Lead Mine, before it was dismantled and rebuilt in its current location spanning the East Allen at Sinderhope in 1922.
Barnsley Bridge replaced a ford over the East Allen at this location, and takes it name from the wooden footbridge that used to be nearby and the adjacent Barnsley Bank.
Broad Gate Cottage and Farm is on the right. An account of growing up on the farm, written by Robert Phillipson, can be found in the description below. The North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) was designated in 1988 for its moorland scenery, and history of farming and lead-mining.
The North Pennines AONB is also designated as one of the 195 UNESCO Global Geoparks located around the world.
The region has a long history of farming and mining, historically of lead and coal. A 2013 study found that the region around Allenheads is has one of the highest quality zinc deposits in the world.
The great English poet W. H. Auden spent much time in this area and some forty poems and two plays are set here. Auden visited the area in 1919 and, five years later, was writing poems about Alston Moor and Allendale.
We now approach the hamlet of Sparty Lea, which is also a former lead mining community. The row of houses on the left, known as Sipton Terrace, were built to house workers in the Sipton Lead Mine.
On the right is the post office, while on the left is the Methodist Chapel, built in 1914 and replacing the Tedham Wesleyan Chapel, which was built in 1862 but demolished before the first World War, with the stone being used for other local buildings.
On the right and down the hill is St Peter’s Chapel and School, built in 1879 and closed in 1963. On the left are the Low Shield cottages. On the right is White Hill Farm. On the right are the Fell View Cottages.
The next settlement on the route is known as Dirt Pot. Although the origin of the name is somewhat uncertain, it is likely to be a lead mining term as the village developed around a lead smelter.
Allenheads Smelt Mill, near Dirt Pot, was built around 1700 and was operational until 1869. This mill would smelt iron ore from both the Allen valleys (East and West) as well as that brought by packhorse from the mines at the head of Weardale.
We are now approaching the village of Allenheads, one of the highest villages in England at 404m (1,325 ft) above sea level.
As with most of the settlements in the valley, Allenheads was founded around lead mining. Although there has been a settlement at Allenheads since the 17th Century, leadmining may have started as early as the 16th Century.
Allenheads mine closed in 1896 although one lead mine at Swinhope (on the back road between Dirt Pot and Sparty Lea) was open as recently as 1960. We are now passing the hamlet of Ropehaugh. An account of life in 1960’s Ropehaugh can be found in the description below.
In 1969 British Steel reopened Allenheads mine, not to mine lead but to produce fluorite, which was needed for the steelmaking process. However, the closure of the steelworks at Consett in 1980 removed the need for the mining of flourite at Allenheads, and the mine was once again closed in 1981.
The bus depot at Allenheads was originally built in the 17th century as an inn, before being converted into a coaching house for the Allenheads Hotel, located across the square.
The former depot is located on the right. The garage was converted from a coaching house in the early 20th century, gaining a set of large double doors for access.
As the buses using the depot grew in size, the doorway soon became too low for access by buses – the solution was to cut grooves in the floor for the wheels so modern buses could pass through!
After the depot’s closure in the 1970’s, the building became derelict for a number of years before being restored as the Allenheads Heritage Centre.