A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U W
Acklington (Northumberland)
The parish of Acklington has a variety of archaeological remains from prehistoric times through to 20th century structures from World War II, so there is something to interest everyone….
Acomb (Northumberland)
The parish of Acomb lies on the north bank of the River Tyne opposite the town of Hexham. The land rises sharply from the river bank and carries on upwards towards Hadrian’s Wall. The principal stream through the parish is the Birkey Burn which flows into the River Tyne at St John Lee. The land ranges from riverside arable fields in the west of the parish to the fells close to Hadrian’s Wall in the north east….
Adderstone with Lucker (Northumberland)
The parish of Adderstone with Lucker lies in north Northumberland on the coastal plain. It stretches from high moorland in the south-west, through the scarps and vales around Warenford, to the plain south of Budle Bay. The moorland areas in the south and west are rich in upstanding remains, especially of the Bronze Age, with areas of field clearance cairns as well as burial cairns. In the lower lying areas there is a broader range of periods represented in the archaeological record, from prehistoric enclosures and burials, to former medieval settlements and post-medieval industrial remains….
Akeld (Northumberland)
Akeld is a small parish on the northern edge of the Cheviots. It was originally a township in the parish of Wooler. The area is rich in archaeological remains, particularly from the prehistoric period. Much of the southern area of the parish is upland, dominated by a number of Iron Age hillforts. The village is situated on the Akeld Burn, where it runs down to the Milfield Basin. The village name is Old Norse and means `river with spring or well’….
Allendale (Northumberland)
Allendale parish lies in south Northumberland, in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It has a variety of archaeological sites dating from prehistoric times to the 20th century. The most numerous remains are associated with the post-medieval period and they include important monuments and buildings connected with the industrial past of this area, from lead mines and smelt mills to lime kilns and nonconformist chapels….
Alnham (Northumberland)
The parish of Alnham lies on the south-eastern edge of the Cheviots. It stretches from the lowland areas around the village of Alnham to the uplands to the west of the parish. It borders Scotland at Cairn Hill and Salters Road, one of the old routeways into Scotland went through the village. The western uplands are rich in upstanding remains of all periods from the Bronze Age through to the post-medieval period. Prehistoric field systems and medieval and later shielings and enclosures show the importance of agriculture in the area. In the lower areas to the east medieval remains dominate. There are several deserted or shrunken villages, and the sites of at least three peel towers are indicators of the village’s position on a troubled border….
Alnmouth (Northumberland)
The village of Alnmouth sits amid sand dunes on the edge of the North Sea. As its name suggests, it is at the mouth of the River Aln. Although now a quiet coastal village, in the 18th century it was a busy port, exporting the agricultural wealth of the surrounding countryside. At Christmas 1806 a huge storm changed the course of the river and spelt the end for the busy harbour. From this time Alnmouth declined in importance, and became the quiet village it is today, though many traces of its former success remain….
Alnwick (Northumberland)
The market town of Alnwick is one of Northumberland’s most attractive towns. It sits on the gently rising ground, overlooking the valley of the River Aln. The town is dominated by the huge castle belonging to the Dukes of Northumberland. It is of such importance that the town is sometimes called the `Windsor of the North’. Despite this highly visible survival from the Middle Ages the earliest remains in the area date to a much earlier period….
Alwinton (Northumberland)
Alwinton parish is one of the largest parishes in the Cheviot Hills. It is almost entirely upland reaching from the Scottish Border at Chew Green in the west to Alwinton in the east, and from the Auchope Cairn on The Cheviot in the north to the edge of the River Rede in the south. Most land is given over to sheep-grazing, army training on the Otterburn Training Area, and coniferous forests. In places the parish boundary uses well-defined lines such as the Scottish Border, Clennell Street drove road and Dere Street. The range of archaeology in the parish is quite outstanding, both in terms of its range and preservation….
Amble (Northumberland)
The village of Amble sits at the mouth of the River Coquet, opposite Coquet Island. Although most of the parish is to the south of the river, a small area is to the north, as a great storm in the 18th century changed the course of the river….
Ancroft (Northumberland)
The parish of Ancroft is located in far north-east of Northumberland, between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Lindisfarne. It borders the North Sea and is skirted by extensive sand dunes to the south-east. As well as the main village of Ancroft in the centre of the parish, there is another village, Scremerston, in the north of the parish. Like many areas of Northumbria Ancroft suffered badly from raiding in the medieval period. In the later centuries, although agriculture was important, the parish was a centre for industries such as coal mining and shoe and clog making….
Annfield Plain (County Durham)
The area that is now the village of Annfield Plain was originally part of Lanchester Common. Most of the land was rough pasture or woodland. Very little is known about this area in the prehistoric, Roman and medieval periods. A number of cropmarks have been recorded in the area, but their date and purpose are not known. Later building and industrial development has undoubtedly destroyed a lot of earlier remains….
Archdeacon Newton (County Durham)
The small village of Archdeacon Newton lies on flat ground to the north-west of Darlington. Although it was once part of the large parish of Darlington, it is now a parish in its own right. As its name suggest the village was once owned by the Archdeacon of Durham. ‘Newton’ literally means ‘New Town’; this suggests that the Archdeacon actually founded and built the village in the medieval period. The remains of some of the medieval structure are still visible. Although used now used as a farmbuilding, this structure contains traces of its use as a medieval house. Another farmbuilding nearby was probably once a house, built in the first half of the 16th century. Other remains includes the earthworks of a medieval moated site, an old fishpond and a series of banks and ditches marking the sites of enclosures. There must also once have been a chapel here, although no remains can be seen today. We know it existed because in 1414 three local men, Robert Fisher, John Nicholson and John Deves were given a licence to hold religious services in a chapel in the village….
Ashington (Northumberland)
Ashington lies in south-east Northumberland on the north bank of the River Wansbeck. The history of this area is dominated by the development of the coal mining industry in the 19th and 20th centuries but traces of earlier human activity are also known….
Aycliffe (County Durham)
The village of Aycliffe stands on the west bank of the River Skerne to the south of Newton Aycliffe and five miles to the north of Darlington….